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Books > History > World history > From 1900 > General

Hungarian Foreign Policy - The Experience of a New Democracy (Hardcover): Joseph C. Kun Hungarian Foreign Policy - The Experience of a New Democracy (Hardcover)
Joseph C. Kun
R2,049 Discovery Miles 20 490 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This concise volume outlines developments in Hungarian foreign policy since the end of the Communist regime and the formation of the country's democratic coalition. After briefly reviewing Hungary's foreign relations between the wars, the Stalinist period, and the foreign policy principles of Prime Minister Imre Nagy during the 1956 Revolution, Joseph Kun discusses the 1990 elections that confirmed the rejection of Communist rule and the formation of a coalition government with Jozsef Antall as prime minister. Kun describes how the new government's foreign policy is oriented toward the West with the primary aim of establishing closer political and economic ties with the industrial nations. At the same time, Hungary is endeavoring to forge regional alliances in Central Europe to protect the large ethnic Hungarian communities who live in the neighboring Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia. The continuing tensions in Eastern Europe and the Soviet successor states demand the formulation of a firm but flexible foreign policy line. This study gives the specialist and student a sense of the achievements of the Antall government during its first years in office as well as an understanding of the disappointements that a new democracy experiences in its search for contacts in a well-meaning but pragmatic world.

Imperial Perceptions of Palestine - British Influence and Power in Late Ottoman Times (Hardcover): Lorenzo Kamel Imperial Perceptions of Palestine - British Influence and Power in Late Ottoman Times (Hardcover)
Lorenzo Kamel
R4,633 Discovery Miles 46 330 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Palestine Exploration Fund, established in 1865, is the oldest organization created specifically for the study of the Levant. It helped to spur evangelical tourism to the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which in turn generated a huge array of literature that presented Palestine as a 'Holy Land', in which local populations were often portrayed as a simple appendix to well-known Biblical scenarios. In the first book focused on modern and contemporary Palestine to provide a top-down and a bottom-up perspective on the process of simplification of the region and its inhabitants under British influence, Lorenzo Kamel offers a comprehensive outlook based on primary sources from 17 archives that spans a variety of cultural and social boundaries, including local identities, land tenure, toponymy, religious and political charges, institutions and borders. By observing the historical dynamics through which a fluid region composed by different cultures and societies has been simplified, the author explores how perceptions of Palestine have been affected today.WINNER OF THE PALESTINE BOOK AWARD 2016

Russian and Soviet Diplomacy, 1900-39 (Hardcover): Alastair Kocho-Williams Russian and Soviet Diplomacy, 1900-39 (Hardcover)
Alastair Kocho-Williams
R2,884 Discovery Miles 28 840 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Addressing the impact of the Russian Revolution and change and continuity in diplomacy during the transition from Empire to Soviet Union, this book examines how Russia's diplomacy was conducted, the diplomats behind it, the establishment of the Soviet diplomatic corps and the steps taken to integrate the Soviets into the diplomatic world.

Patricians, Professors, and Public Schools - The Origins of Modern Educational Thought in America (Hardcover): Allan S. Horlick Patricians, Professors, and Public Schools - The Origins of Modern Educational Thought in America (Hardcover)
Allan S. Horlick
R4,335 Discovery Miles 43 350 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

"Patricians, Professors, and Public Schools argues that the thinking behind efforts to reform American schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries emphasized two new ideas -- that economic growth and the opportunity it created were more limited than had earlier been thought, and that popular aspirations should be revised downward accordingly.
After discussing the thinking that reformers reacted against in the first chapter of the book, later chapters examine those most responsible for these new ideas, especially Felix Adler and John Dewey. These chapters argue that reformers' fears about the social dislocation stemming from economic growth makes the most sense of the educational redirection they promoted.
This is a new interpretation of developments that have long been debated by American historians, and should be of interest to a wide variety of readers.

Class Against Class - The Communist Party in Britain Between the Wars (Hardcover): Matthew Worley Class Against Class - The Communist Party in Britain Between the Wars (Hardcover)
Matthew Worley
R4,638 Discovery Miles 46 380 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A major study of the Communist party of Great Britain between the wars, when it adopted the military strategy of class against class, in its struggle to be the effective alternative to both the Labour Party and the TUC. This revisionary study, based on newly-discovered material in the Manchester archive of the Communist Party, shows that far from losing influence and being driven to the brink of collapse, the CPGB then consolidated its position, led national hunger marches and organized social and cultural events, while membership grew and the party developed as an effective and valued body in the pantheon of leftwing British politics.

Puerto Ricans in the United States (Hardcover, New): Maria E.Perez y Gonzalez Puerto Ricans in the United States (Hardcover, New)
Maria E.Perez y Gonzalez
R1,729 Discovery Miles 17 290 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Puerto Ricans in the United States comes at a crucial time to help us better understand Puerto Ricans, both those who live in the United States and those who live in Puerto Rico, as they debate the issue of national identity. Perez y Gonzalez, of Puerto Rican heritage, provides an information-packed volume that will become the definitive source for students and readers interested in learning about the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. With the homeland of Puerto Rico strongly evoked as background, the entire immigration and adaptation process of Puerto Ricans in this country since the early 1900s takes shape in a thoughtful analysis. This is essential reading for understanding an important American (im)migrant group and the development of our urban culture as well. Puerto Ricans in the United States begins by presenting Puerto Rico--the land, the people, and the culture. The island's invasion by U.S. forces in 1898 set the stage for our intertwined relationship to the present day. Perez y Gonzalez brings to life important historical events leading to immigration to the United States, particularly to the large northeastern cities, such as New York. The narrative highlights Puerto Ricans' adjustment and adaptation in this country through the media, institutions, language, and culture. A wealth of information is given on socioeconomic status, including demographics, employment, education opportunities, and poverty and public assistance. The discussions on the struggles of this group for affordable housing, issues of women and children, particular obstacles to obtaining appropriate health care, including the epidemic of AIDS, and race relations are especially insightful. Thefinal chapter on Puerto Ricans' impact on U.S. society highlights their positive contributions in a wide range of fields.

Emma Goldman and the Russian Revolution - From Admiration to Frustration (Hardcover): Frank Jacob Emma Goldman and the Russian Revolution - From Admiration to Frustration (Hardcover)
Frank Jacob
R2,293 Discovery Miles 22 930 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

What impact did Bolshevist rule have on Emma Goldmans's perception of the Russian Revolutions of 1917 and why did she change her mind, going from defending the Russian Revolution to becoming a crusader against Bolshevism? The Russian Revolution changed the world and determined the history of the 20th century as the French Revolution had determined the history of the 19th century. Left-wing intellectuals around the world greeted the February Revolution with enthusiasm as their hope for a new world and social order and the end of capitalism seemed close. However, the joy did not last long as the ideals of February 1917 were replaced by the realities of October 1917 and Lenin crushed the revolution during the following Civil War. Emma Goldman, a famous Russian-born American anarchist was one of the intellectuals, whose admiration for the revolution turned into frustration about its corruption. Emma Goldman and the Russian Revolution discusses her evolving perception of the revolution between 1917 and the early 1920s. The analysis of such an intellectual transformation process, provides a case study of intellectual and revolutionary history alike, adding a closer reading to the research about the famous American anarchist, Emma Goldman, her transnational life and her role as a revolutionary intellectual.

The Upswing - How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again (Paperback): Robert D. Putnam The Upswing - How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again (Paperback)
Robert D. Putnam; As told to Shaylyn Romney Garrett
R491 R462 Discovery Miles 4 620 Save R29 (6%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
New Labour's Pasts - The Labour Party and Its Discontents (Paperback, New): James E. Cronin New Labour's Pasts - The Labour Party and Its Discontents (Paperback, New)
James E. Cronin
R1,519 Discovery Miles 15 190 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Where other books are either highly partisan dismissals or appreciations of the Third Way, or dull sociological accounts, this book gets behind the cliches in order to show just what is left of Labour party ideology and what the future may hold. New Labour has changed the face of Britain. Culture, class, education, health, the arts, leisure, the economy have all seen seismic shifts since the 1997 election that raised Blair to power. The Labour that rules has distanced itself from the failed Labour of the 70s and 80s, but the core remains. Labour remains gripped by its own past - unable and unwilling to shed its ties to the old Labour party, but determined to avoid the mistakes of which lead to four electoral defeats between 1979 and 1992. Cronin covers the full history of the party from its post war triumph through decades of shambolic leadership against ruthless and organised opposition to the resurgent New Labour of the 90s that finally took Britain into the new millennium.

Molotov: A Biography (Hardcover): D. Watson Molotov: A Biography (Hardcover)
D. Watson
R4,069 Discovery Miles 40 690 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This is the first comprehensive biography of Molotov and reflects the range of sources that have become available to historians since the fall of the USSR. It is a commentary on Soviet history. Molotov played his part in revolution, Civil War, Lenin's Russia, Stalin's struggle with the oppositions, collectivization, industrialization, the Terror, the Great Patriotic War, the beginnings of the Cold War, and in the Khrushchev era.

The Voice of the People - Letters from the Soviet Village, 1918-1932 (Hardcover, New): A.K. Sokolov, C. J. Storella The Voice of the People - Letters from the Soviet Village, 1918-1932 (Hardcover, New)
A.K. Sokolov, C. J. Storella; Translated by C. J. Storella
R2,494 Discovery Miles 24 940 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book presents the first comprehensive collection in English of peasant writings during the early years of the Bolshevik regime. Drawn entirely from Russian archival sources, it features more than 150 previously unpublished letters addressed to newspapers, government officials, and Communist Party leaders. The letters and accompanying commentary result in a unique history of the Soviet peasantry's engagement and struggle with a powerful state, enabling readers to hear the voice of a social class that throughout history has too often been rendered voiceless.

K. O. Mbadiwe - A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915-1990 (Hardcover): Hollis R. Lynch K. O. Mbadiwe - A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915-1990 (Hardcover)
Hollis R. Lynch
R1,418 Discovery Miles 14 180 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book offers a comprehensive political biography of Kingsley Ozuomba Mbadiwe, (1915-1990), a central figure in Nigerian political history for more than forty years. Starting in 1936 as a protege of Nnamdi Azikiwe, then Nigeria's most renowned nationalist, Mbadiwe himself by the 1950s became a frontline nationalist. And next to Tafawa Balewa from the North who became Prime Minster in 1957, he was the most important figure in the Nigerian Federal Government between 1952 and Nigeria's first military coup in 1966. During this time he held a succession of important Cabinet positions and was Parliamentary Leader of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), which was in a ruling alliance with the Northern People's Congress (NPC). In contrast, his older prominent political contemporaries, Azikiwe of the Eastern Region, Igbo Leader of the NCNC; Obafemi Awolowo of the Western Region, Yoruba Leader of the Action Group (AG); and Ahmadu Bello of the Northern Region, Fulani Leader of the NPC, all carved out their political careers totally or largely at the regional level. Throughout his political career Mbadiwe's focus was always at the national level. Truly, it has been stated that Mbadiwe was one of the founding fathers of the Nigerian State. Nonetheless, Mbadiwe's ambition for himself to lead Nigeria and for his nation to set it on the path to greatness faced insuperable difficulties. In a country of widespread poverty, high illiteracy, and a grossly underdeveloped private sector, there were fierce ethnic and regional conflicts for the control of governments and resources, leading to massive corruption and serious instability. This in turn led to prolonged military rule twenty years in Mbadiwe's lifetime which was often more corrupt and repressive than civilian rule, and was bitterly deprecated by Mbadiwe.

In Pursuit of the People - Political Culture in France, 1934-9 (Hardcover): J Wardhaugh In Pursuit of the People - Political Culture in France, 1934-9 (Hardcover)
J Wardhaugh
R2,666 Discovery Miles 26 660 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The first comparative study of how the French Popular Front and its right-wing opponents transformed the masses into the people, whether in demonstrations and festivals, or theatre and film. Seven chapters examine the representation of the crowd, workers, electorate, nation and symbolic community, exploring parallels between left and right.

The Military Dimension - Volume III: The Military Dimension (Hardcover): I. Gow, Y. Hirama, J. Chapman The Military Dimension - Volume III: The Military Dimension (Hardcover)
I. Gow, Y. Hirama, J. Chapman
R2,674 Discovery Miles 26 740 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The five volumes in the series entitled The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1600-2000 explore the history of the relationship between Britain and Japan from the first contacts of the early 1600s through to the end of the 20th century. This volume presents 19 original essays by Japanese, British, and other international historians and covers the evolving military relationship from the 19th century through to the end of the 20th century. The main focus is on the interwar period when both military establishments shifted from collaboration to conflict, as well as wartime issues such as the treatment of POWs seen from both sides, the occupation of Japan, and war crimes trials.

Europeanization in the Twentieth Century - Historical Approaches (Hardcover): M. Conway, K Patel Europeanization in the Twentieth Century - Historical Approaches (Hardcover)
M. Conway, K Patel
R1,417 Discovery Miles 14 170 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Europeanization is a term at the centre of contemporary political debate. In this innovative study, a team of British and German historians present the findings of their research project into how the concept and content of Europeanization needs to be understood as a historical phenomenon, which has changed its meaning during the twentieth century.

Stories that Make History - The Experience and Memories of the Japanese Military >Comfort Girls-Women< (Hardcover): The... Stories that Make History - The Experience and Memories of the Japanese Military >Comfort Girls-Women< (Hardcover)
The Research Team of the War, Women's Human Rights Center; Translated by Angella Son
R2,479 Discovery Miles 24 790 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

What would it be like if your existence was erased for half a century? This is the reality for the Korean comfort girls-women whose lives had been erased since the time of the expansion of comfort stations by the Japanese military in 1937. This book is an effort to bring these women back to life and to make their voices, experiences and memories available to future generations. The experiences of Korean comfort girls-women are a paradigmatic example of how military sexual violence can obliterate the dignity of women and shame them into nonexistence. This book examines how the turning of their innocence into inadequacy, actively by the Japanese government and passively by the Korean government and its people, and also by the world, compounded their long, miserable suffering for half a century until Kim Hak-sun broke the silence in 1991 with the support of Korean activists. The relentless and courageous efforts of Korean comfort girls-women and activists on the road to healing and justice are shared here. These efforts made it possible for us to hear their horrific stories, which are embedded with numerous and intense traumas, allowing them to unfold and be shared on the road to justice and healing.

Renegades, Rebels and Rogues under the Tsars (Paperback): Peter Julicher Renegades, Rebels and Rogues under the Tsars (Paperback)
Peter Julicher
R768 Discovery Miles 7 680 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In Russia in the time of the tsars, individuals who criticized the government were treated like enemies and suppressed. Those trying to change government policy were well aware that their only hope was to overthrow the system. Many people attempting such change were aided by the government itself, whose acts were so irrational and self-defeating that they only encouraged more opposition. The author describes the activities of the most important dissidents and agitators from the reign of Ivan the Terrible to Nicholas II and the fall of the Romanovs in 1917. Some were fascinating individuals, serious activists, and some of the individuals covered were opportunistic scoundrels and adventurers. The author explores the causes that provoked them and the consequences they faced, and demonstrates that the tsars, time and again, were goaded into overreacting. The effects of this constant push and pull endured into the Communist era.

The Making of the Modern World - Visions from the West and East (Hardcover): A. Macfarlane The Making of the Modern World - Visions from the West and East (Hardcover)
A. Macfarlane
R3,353 Discovery Miles 33 530 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

At the start of the third Christian millennium we are aware of massive political, economic, and ideological changes which condition the chances of liberty, wealth, and equality. Yet it is surprisingly difficult to understand these forces, because we cannot see what surrounds us so closely. This book analyzes our condition by looking at the work of two great thinkers; F.W. Maitland provides a deep historical perspective, while Yukichi Fukuzawa lays down a wide comparative analysis.

Utopian Movements and Ideas of the Great Depression - Dreamers, Believers, and Madmen (Hardcover): Donald W. Whisenhunt Utopian Movements and Ideas of the Great Depression - Dreamers, Believers, and Madmen (Hardcover)
Donald W. Whisenhunt
R2,369 Discovery Miles 23 690 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In the 1930s, the United States was beset with an economic crisis so serious that it threatened the future of the nation. On the national level, Franklin Roosevelt initiated and developed a variety of reforms and experiments as part of the New Deal. Some Americans looking for change believed Roosevelt was going in the wrong direction, while others believed he was too timid in his reforms. Still others thought he had not broken free of the restraints placed on him by the financial interests of the country. Many Americans had their own ideas about how to address the financial crisis and took matters into their own hands. In Utopian Movements and Ideas of the Great Depression, Donald W. Whisenhunt explores several lesser-known movements for change and reform in the Great Depression Era including communal societies, proposals for reform, and analyses of several books that propose solutions to the nation's economic ills. Arguably, America has been a Utopian experiment from its beginning; the movements and ideas of the 1930s were simply the latest manifestations of that experiment. Though not well known, the people and events studied represent the thinking of some of the most articulate and driven Americans during the economic crisis. Despite their lack of obvious success, they represent an important American idea-that an average person can devise solutions to society's problems. These movements and ideas embody the American belief in progress and the power of the individual.

Journey to Titanic (Paperback, 1st ed): Roger Bansemer Journey to Titanic (Paperback, 1st ed)
Roger Bansemer; Foreword by James Cameron
R530 Discovery Miles 5 300 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Artist Roger Bansemer gets an unexpected invitation to dive two and a half miles down into the Atlantic to the site of one of the most famous shipwrecks in history. Armed with his artist's eye and insight, he embarks on an expedition on a Russian research ship to the "Titanic. In this compelling journal, Bansemer's writing and stunning visual work bring us into the adventure, relaying the colorful characters on the expedition, the history and past grandeur of the "Titanic, and the aching beauty of the ship's underwater remains. "Titanic, as everyone knows, sank when it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was not seen again until the mid-80s when technological advances led to the development of sub-mersibles capable of diving to that depth. Bansemer became the 112th person to dive to the "Titanic, the sixth person under the stern, and the first artist to have painted Titanic on site. This book chronicles his journey in a mixture of paintings, photos, and digitally-painted images. Bansemer's fascination with painting people, especially the salty, nautical types, finds full expression. Meet buddy Lowell and diving partner Ralph; various Russian crewmen including Bird Man Pierre, Pirate Skippy, the cooks, the "cowboy" who "rides" the submersible; "Keldysh Captain Gorbach; and many others. Bansemer captures them all in their most characteristic poses. The star is always the "Titanic, majestic even at the bottom of the sea. Bansemer pays tribute to the many people who went down with her, acknowledging her role as their memorial resting place. This book, Roger Bansemer's written and painted journal of his journey to "Titanic, is also offered in their memory.

Narratives in the Making - Writing the East German Past in the Democratic Present (Hardcover): Anselma Gallinat Narratives in the Making - Writing the East German Past in the Democratic Present (Hardcover)
Anselma Gallinat
R2,842 Discovery Miles 28 420 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Despite the three decades that have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the historical narrative of East Germany is hardly fixed in public memory, as German society continues to grapple with the legacies of the Cold War. This fascinating ethnography looks at two very different types of local institutions in one eastern German state that take divergent approaches to those legacies: while publicly funded organizations reliably cast the GDR as a dictatorship, a main regional newspaper offers a more ambivalent perspective colored by the experiences and concerns of its readers. As author Anselma Gallinat shows, such memory work-initially undertaken after fundamental regime change-inevitably shapes citizenship and democracy in the present.

A World of Populations - Transnational Perspectives on Demography in the Twentieth Century (Paperback): Heinrich Hartmann,... A World of Populations - Transnational Perspectives on Demography in the Twentieth Century (Paperback)
Heinrich Hartmann, Corinna R Unger
R839 Discovery Miles 8 390 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Demographic study and the idea of a "population" was developed and modified over the course of the twentieth century, mirroring the political, social, and cultural situations and aspirations of different societies. This growing field adapted itself to specific policy concerns and was therefore never apolitical, despite the protestations of practitioners that demography was "natural." Demographics were transformed into public policies that shaped family planning, population growth, medical practice, and environmental conservation. While covering a variety of regions and time periods, the essays in this book share an interest in the transnational dynamics of emerging demographic discourses and practices. Together, they present a global picture of the history of demographic knowledge.

Making and Remaking Italy - The Cultivation of National Identity around the Risorgimento (Hardcover): Albert Russell Ascoli,... Making and Remaking Italy - The Cultivation of National Identity around the Risorgimento (Hardcover)
Albert Russell Ascoli, Krystyna Von Henneberg
R4,635 Discovery Miles 46 350 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This important new book considers many of the ways in which national identity was imagined, implemented and contested within Italian culture before, during and after the period of Italian unification in the mid-nineteenth century. Taking a fresh approach towards national icons cherished by both Left and Right, the collection's authors examine the complex interaction between a perceived need for national identity and the fragmented nature of the Italian peninsula. In so doing, they draw on examples from a wide range of artistic and cultural media.
The book opens with an introduction which defines the case of the Italian 'Risorgimento' and places it within a large context of European and global nation-building and nationalism. Authors discuss how episodes from the distant past were used by nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists, musicians, and writers to recreate narratives of nationhood, as well as how the problem of Italian identity was before and during the Risorgimento. The question of who belonged in the new Italy, who remained outsiders, and how social and sexual differences entered into defining these groups is also addressed. The book concludes with an analysis of twentieth-century attempts to appropriate and reforge the 'spirit' of the Risorgimento, under Fascism and in our own time.

FDR and Civil Aviation - Flying Strong, Flying Free (Hardcover, New): A. Dobson FDR and Civil Aviation - Flying Strong, Flying Free (Hardcover, New)
A. Dobson
R1,416 Discovery Miles 14 160 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

"The aim of this book is to demonstrate that Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the leading agents in both setting out and working to implement the principles that came to govern the international aviation system from 1945 down to the recent present and that much of its design was drawn from the experience of domestic US aviation reform in the 1930s. In contemporary parlance one might say that what is proposed here is the explanation of the genesis of a roadmap set out successively by Roosevelt's administrations for the achievement of a liberalized and lightly regulated international civil aviation market. Furthermore, a key contention of this research is that FDR himself played a much more important role in crafting policy than has previously been acknowledged"--

The Cold War - The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991 (Hardcover, New): Ronald E. Powaski The Cold War - The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991 (Hardcover, New)
Ronald E. Powaski
R2,471 Discovery Miles 24 710 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

For half of the twentieth century, the Cold War gripped the world. International relations everywhere--and domestic policy in scores of nations--pivoted around this central point, the American-Soviet rivalry. Even today, much of the world's diplomacy grapples with chaos created by the Cold War's sudden disappearance. Here indeed is a subject that defies easy understanding. Now comes a definitive account, a startlingly fresh, clear eyed, comprehensive history of our century's longest struggle.
In The Cold War, Ronald E. Powaski offers a new perspective on the great rivalry, even as he provides a coherent, concise narrative. He wastes no time in challenging the reader to think of the Cold War in new ways, arguing that the roots of the conflict are centuries old, going back to Czarist Russia and to the very infancy of the American nation. He shows that both Russia and America were expansionist nations with messianic complexes, and the people of both nations believed they possessed a unique mission in history. Except for a brief interval in 1917, Americans perceived the Russian government (whether Czarist or Bolshevik) as despotic; Russians saw the United States as conspiring to prevent it from reaching its place in the sun. U.S. military intervention in Russia's civil war, with the aim of overthrowing Lenin's upstart regime, entrenched Moscow's fears. Soviet American relations, difficult before World War II--when both nations were relatively weak militarily and isolated from world affairs--escalated dramatically after both nations emerged as the world's major military powers. Powaski paints a portrait of the spiraling tensions with stark clarity, as each new development added to the rivalry: the Marshall Plan, the communist coup in Czechoslovakia, the Berlin blockade, the formation of NATO, the first Soviet nuclear test. In this atmosphere, Truman found it easy to believe that the Communist victory in China and the Korean War were products of Soviet expansionism. He and his successors extended their own web of mutual defense treaties, covert actions, and military interventions across the globe--from the Caribbean to the Middle East and, finally to Southeast Asia, where containment famously foundered in the bog of Vietnam.
Powaski skillfully highlights the domestic politics, diplomatic maneuvers, and even psychological factors as he untangles the knot that bound the two superpowers together in conflict. From the nuclear arms race, to the impact of U.S. recognition of China on detente, to Brezhnev's inflexible persistence in competing with America everywhere, he casts new light on familiar topics. Always judicious in his assessments, Powaski gives due credit to Reagan and especially Bush in facilitating the Soviet collapse, but also notes that internal economic failure, not outside pressure, proved decisive in the Communist failure. Perhaps most important, he offers a clear eyed assessment of the lasting distortions the struggle wrought upon American institutions, raising questions about whether anyone really won the Cold War. With clarity, fairness, and insight, he offers the definitive account of our century's longest international rivalry.

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