If it ever had become a hot war involving nuclear weapons, the initial devastation and ensuing ecological catastrophe would have wiped out. From the outset, the cold war was inextricably linked with the development of the atomic bomb and its use as a military deterrent. Pierre trudeau united nations, 26 may 1978 from 1963 to 1984, us nuclear warheads armed canadian weapons systems in both canada and west germany. Vast ideological differences, large standing armies and nuclear weapons on hair triggers meant the end of civilization was an ever.
A new history, gaddis discusses why the west won, and how it shaped the world. Nuclear proliferation was also a concern, with several other nations developing nuclear weapons. The cold war was the first war in history that could have put an end to history. New book presents a secret history of nuclear war planning in america in the bomb, journalist fred kaplan reveals how u.
A new history by john lewis gaddis, tinker, tailor, soldier. The cold war is the term used to define the period between the end of world war ii in 1945 and the ultimate collapse of the soviet union and its satellite states in 1991. Baruch should be regarded as the originator of the term cold war within the meaning in which it became universally accepted. Our cold war history series looks at the great battle between the usa and ussr over more than four decades. The cold war resource guides national library board. A new history is an analysis of the events that took place during the cold war. The untold story of the cold war arms race and its dangerous. The author, a distinguished historian, illuminates the struggle between the us and the soviet union, which lasted more than half a century.
In remarkably fresh and spritely writing style, journalist martin walker explains how the united statesbecame the security state. Sep 07, 2018 history of the cold war in one take by history bombs the cold war was a vast, global conflict that lasted from 1945 1991 and had a significant impact on many regions of the world. Top 10 books about the cold war books the guardian. The term cold is used because there was no largescale fighting directly between the two. Cold war history is now magazine, podcasts, blog and books. As us leaders strain to manage americas current overseas dilemmas, the cold war. For more than forty years, the two superpowers, the united states and the soviet union directly threatened each other with nuclear weapons. Sep 15, 2015 the cold war was a uniquely dangerous period in human history. Another masterpiece by the author of on thermonuclear war. List of books and articles about cold war online research. Vast ideological differences, large standing armies and nuclear weapons on. Some of them were used in a major war for the first time. This selection of cold war books has been recommended by alpha history authors. The gun is a nonfiction book written by journalist c.
Illustrated throughout with photographs and diagrams, and supported by extensive transcriptions of original documents, canadian nuclear weapons will be of great value both to scholars and interested laypersons in its presentation of what has been a deeply hidden secret of canadian political and military history. There are some more recent books that either recover this earlier ground or add to it. History of the cold war in one take by history bombs the cold war was a vast, global conflict that lasted from 1945 1991 and had a significant impact on many regions of the world. The cambridge history of the cold war edited by melvyn p. Now that we think it is over, we have to make sense of what the cold war was, how it shaped us, and the uncertain new world that lies ahead.
A new history of the cold war yale historian john lewis gaddis wrote seminal books about the cold war, during the cold war. This book answers questions about nuclear war between nations and its impact. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. In a voluminous but thoroughly engaging 545 pages, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali make a detailed study of the cold wars most enigmatic leader in khrushchevs cold war. Educational articles for teachers, students, and schools including the leaders of the cold war, battles and proxy wars, communism, major events, bay of pigs, cuban missile crisis, berlin wall, and countries involved in this nuclear stalemate. Edmund beard, richard armacost and harold sapolski have all written classic books on the management of early ballistic missile programs. The protatgonists in the cold war were the west, led by the united states, and. In the west, civil defence programs prepared civilians for a potential nuclear attack, while nuclear weapons permeated popular culture. Weapons also serve many other purposes in society including use in sports, collections for display, and historical displays and demonstrations. The cold war rivalry between the united states and the soviet union lasted for decades and resulted in anticommunist suspicions and international incidents that led the two superpowers to the. What is the only provocation that could bring about the use of nuclear weapons. A new history is a book that provides the reader with a comprehensive view of the cold war.
Five years after using the first atomic weapons to force the surrender of japan in world war ii, the united states military was preparing for a new era of nuclear warfare with its cold war. A new history by john lewis gaddis, the global cold war by odd arne westad, george f. Edmund beard, richard armacost and harold sapolski have all written classic books on the. Books published in the new cold war history series by the university of north carolina press. Environmental change accelerated sharply during the cold war years, and so did environmentalism as both a popular movement and a scientific preoccupation. Jun 18, 2018 founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. This period is replete with stories of spies, agents and assassins, operating undercover and living double lives to infiltrate enemy governments or societies. History of the cold war in one take history bombs youtube. The cold war was a uniquely dangerous period in human history.
Duncan whites new history of writers involvement in the cold war, a. Robert service, author of the end of the cold war, talks about the legacy of the cold war and the end of the soviet union. A new history by john lewis gaddis transports us to an earlier era. Duncan whites new history of writers involvement in the cold war, a big book full of grim case studies, is. Top 10 books on nuclear weapons best book recommendations. We should also ask how the cold war shaped the development of atomic energy. Simple history visualizes the past, bringing history to life through animation. The book describes nikita khrushchevs rise from obscurity to lead the second most powerful nation in the world, until. Sean connery as james bond, a fictional character from cold war literature. Select literature on us nuclear weapons policy and nuclear history. And so the west, argues greg barnhisel, turned to their secret weapon.
New book presents a secret history of nuclear war planning. This period of time is referred to as the cold war. Apr 05, 2017 end of the cold war books listed in alphabetical order the books below provide insights to understanding the events that led to the escalation of the second cold war during the 1980s and thereafter to the end of the cold war. People have used weapons in warfare, hunting, selfdefense, law enforcement, and criminal activity. As technology has developed throughout history, weapons have changed with it. What is the only established defense against nuclear weapons. Minor nations get cold war weapons and history books. This book tells the story of how cold war scientists could have easily. There are a number of good books on the history of ballistic missiles.
It is, instead, a collection of relatively short essays, mostly about weapons and weapons systems developed and used to arm the cold war military forces. Nuclear weapons and the escalation of the cold war, 1945. Jan 27, 2020 new book presents a secret history of nuclear war planning in america in the bomb, journalist fred kaplan reveals how u. The protatgonists in the cold war were the west, led by the united states, and the eastern bloc, led by the soviet union. We discuss the nuclear bomb threat and the many shocking events that took place in countries and regions all over the world during the war. The period is generally considered to span the 1947 truman doctrine to the 1991 dissolution of the soviet union.
The legend of gus weiss, hero of the cold war, ends 11 stories below the balcony of his condo at the watergate complex in washington, dc, on november 25, 2003. If the impact of nuclear war will be limited or not. The history of the cold war is the history of the world since 1945. We are thus not only the first country in the world with the capability to produce nuclear weapons that chose not to do so, we are also the first nuclear armed country to have chosen to divest itself of nuclear weapons. During world war ii, three countries decided to build the. The cold war rivalry between the united states and the soviet union lasted for decades and resulted in anticommunist suspicions and international incidents that led. The first full account of how the cold war arms race finally came to a close, this riveting narrative history sheds new light on the people who struggled to end this era of massive overkill, and examines the legacy of the nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that remain a threat today. Cold war, the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after world war ii between the united states and the soviet union and their respective allies. Nuclear weapons are so central to the history of the cold war that it can be dificult to disentangle the two. Paranoia about nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear war was a distinguishing feature of cold war society. These books have been chosen for their authoritative content, their accessibility for students and their affordability. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. The british author of 24 books mostly on military history the united states and. Cold war 19451950, the start of the atomic age faqs.
Nuclear weapons and the escalation of the cold war, 19451962. The enmity between the united states and russia, the largest of the fifteen republics that ultimately constituted the u. As a practical matter, that is the only way that a military history of the cold war could be fit into one volume. These new technologies and weapons changed the future of war including the tactics used on the battlefield. Nuclear weapons are so central to the history of the cold war that it can be difficult to disentangle the two. This section explores the major events of this period including. During the cold war years, the distribution and selection of american. If it ever had become a hot war involving nuclear weapons, the initial devastation and ensuing ecological catastrophe would have wiped out human life on the planet.
So called because it did not include direct military confrontation between soviet and u. It was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. Founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. Nuclear weapons and the escalation of the cold war, 19451962, in odd arne westad and melvin leffler, eds.
Browse all books see all series this series focuses on new interpretations of the cold war era made possible by the collapse of the soviet bloc and the opening of soviet, east european, chinese, and other archives to scholars. As the name suggests, nuclear war is not something everyone will think is possible, but nuclear weapons exist, and no one can change that. End of the cold war books listed in alphabetical order the books below provide insights to understanding the events that led to the escalation of the second cold war during the 1980s and thereafter to the end of the cold war. Ten histories of the cold war worth reading council on. How the death of 6,000 sheep spurred the american debate. New book presents a secret history of nuclear war planning in america in the bomb. In this book, john lewis gaddis sets out to describe the major structural features of the cold war, identify their causes, provide a narrative overview of the cold war from its inception to the cuban missile crisis, and embed the cold war in the larger context of 20th century history. The wartime alliance between the soviet union and the united states was a marriage of convenience. Influential author walter lippmann wrote many books, including cold war, which in 1947 aided in coining its name. The cold war was a period of geopolitical tension between the soviet union and the united states and their respective allies, the eastern bloc and the western bloc, after world war ii. In this provocative book, margaret peacock offers an original account of how soviet.
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