From the end of World War II to the early 1990s, the Cold War was the central driving force in global politics. In addition to nuclear arms races and shifting military alliances, the Cold War years had a critical impact on many of todays most intriguing research topics, from technology to terrorism, immigration to international politics. The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions, 1945-1991 brings together primary source documents from around the world to shed new light on this crucial period in world history.
The Cold War wasnt just a long-simmering dispute between the United States and the USSR, two of the worlds greatest superpowers. It also encompassed the rise of communism in mainland China, the Cuban missile crisis, the Korean War and more. The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions provides a glimpse into these and many other global events through the eyes of the people who experienced them firsthand. The collection also provides international perspectives on the formation of NATO, the death of Joseph Stalin, the rise of space exploration, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Vietnam War, the development of the European Union and regional history in Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere.