Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World
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- Create Date：2021-07-11 17:30:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Giles Milton
- ISBN：125024756X
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Summary
From a master of popular history， the lively， immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as it's never been told before
BERLIN'S FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE: the city， along with the rest of Germany， was to be carved up among the victorious powers-- the United States， Britain， France， and the Soviet Union。 On paper， it seemed a pragmatic solution。 In reality， once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany， they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility toward--and suspicion of--one another。 The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin。 Rival systems， rival ideologies， and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground。
The warring leaders who ran Berlin's four sectors were charismatic， mercurial men， and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life here。 We meet unforgettable individuals like America's explosive Frank "Howlin' Mad" Howley， a brusque sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief and a loathing for all Russians。 Appointed commandant of the city's American sector， Howley fought an intensely personal battle against his wily nemesis， General Alexander Kotikov， commandant of the Soviet sector。 Kotikov oozed charm as he proposed vodka toasts at his alcohol-fueled parties， but Howley correctly suspected his Soviet rival was Stalin's agent， appointed to evict the Western allies from Berlin and ultimately from Germany as well。
Throughout， Checkmate in Berlin recounts the first battle of the Cold War as we've never before seen it。 An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power， it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win， and Milton does a masterful job of weaving between all the key players' motivations and thinking at every turn。 A story of unprecedented human drama， it's one that had a profound， and often underestimated， shaping force on the modern world - one that's still felt today。
BERLIN'S FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE: the city， along with the rest of Germany， was to be carved up among the victorious powers-- the United States， Britain， France， and the Soviet Union。 On paper， it seemed a pragmatic solution。 In reality， once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany， they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility toward--and suspicion of--one another。 The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin。 Rival systems， rival ideologies， and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground。
The warring leaders who ran Berlin's four sectors were charismatic， mercurial men， and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life here。 We meet unforgettable individuals like America's explosive Frank "Howlin' Mad" Howley， a brusque sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief and a loathing for all Russians。 Appointed commandant of the city's American sector， Howley fought an intensely personal battle against his wily nemesis， General Alexander Kotikov， commandant of the Soviet sector。 Kotikov oozed charm as he proposed vodka toasts at his alcohol-fueled parties， but Howley correctly suspected his Soviet rival was Stalin's agent， appointed to evict the Western allies from Berlin and ultimately from Germany as well。
Throughout， Checkmate in Berlin recounts the first battle of the Cold War as we've never before seen it。 An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power， it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win， and Milton does a masterful job of weaving between all the key players' motivations and thinking at every turn。 A story of unprecedented human drama， it's one that had a profound， and often underestimated， shaping force on the modern world - one that's still felt today。
Reviews
Jo
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Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern Worldby Giles MiltonVery few military historians， know how to deliver a factual account of events， without it reading like a text book。 Max Hastings， Anthony Beevor and Giles Milton all know how to deliver books about historic events， that don't leave me wanting to yawn。In Checkmate from Berlin， Milton tells the story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War， Milton， Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern Worldby Giles MiltonVery few military historians， know how to deliver a factual account of events， without it reading like a text book。 Max Hastings， Anthony Beevor and Giles Milton all know how to deliver books about historic events， that don't leave me wanting to yawn。In Checkmate from Berlin， Milton tells the story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War， Milton， gives readers a glimpse into the cloak & dagger world of espionage and duplicity that followed。 The books begins with the fall of Berlin as the Soviet army enters the capital and the Allies start to divide the spoils of war。 The Russian's were brutal in they're conquest， taking everything that wasn't bolted down，this included people， specifically scientists。 They copied the Nazi's playbook and stole everything of value such as books， art， machines and even beds， back to Russia。 This was all done under Stalin's orders and was a declaration to the allies that they weren't allies anymore now that the war was over。 When the Allies eventually arrived in Berlin， they thought they would share Berlin。 with the Russian's this so things escalated quickly。Recommended read for anyone who loves history or just a cracking good read。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Henry Holt and Company for an advanced copy of this new history book。 As a reader with a long time love of history and historical events I have read many a book about the Second World War and the Cold War that followed it。 That is part of the reason why I enjoyed Mr。 Milton's new book， as it acted as a bridge between the two events， with the city of Berlin trapped in the middle。 I learned a lot of new things， and even more learned a lot more about thin My thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Henry Holt and Company for an advanced copy of this new history book。 As a reader with a long time love of history and historical events I have read many a book about the Second World War and the Cold War that followed it。 That is part of the reason why I enjoyed Mr。 Milton's new book， as it acted as a bridge between the two events， with the city of Berlin trapped in the middle。 I learned a lot of new things， and even more learned a lot more about things I thought I knew。Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World by Giles Milton starts in Berlin as the Soviet army has begun to enter the capital， Hitler has decided on suicide， and the Allies start to divide the spoils。 The book covers that atrocities committed by the soviet forces， with full backing of their leaders in Moscow， assaulting and taking anything that wasn't bolted down， art， scientists， machines， beds， back to Russia。 The Allies eventually make their way to Berlin with the understanding that the Allies will share the capital， something no one told the Soviets， at least the pretend。 The Allies almost lackadaisical， frankly naivety is not shared by some of the Allies， who become the heroes and leaders in this book。 They understand that the war might be over for now， but there is no real peace， just maybe a delay。 Mr。 Milton describes life in the capital， divided in four sections by the Soviets， Americans， French and British。 He describes the hardships of the civilians， life in peace is almost as bad as life in wartime， with food shortages and a healthy blackmarket。 This all culminates in the Berlin Airlift， as the Soviets surround Berlin， blocking supplies and fuel in hopes for forcing the Allies out and securing more territory for themselves。 I thought this was where the book truly took off with Mr。 Milton describing the difficulty in feeding and providing fuel for both the citizens and Allies in some of the worst winters in a long time。 The Herculean effort that made men and women deal and rise is fascinating and inspiring， as is the descriptions of how the airlift started and continued so successfully。 A great book， full of intrigue， derring-do an the will to survive and live。 The book takes a bit in the beginning， I think its just there is so much a reader needs to know about the situation that there is a slight bit of data dumping， but once Mr。 Milton finds his pace he and the reader are off and running。 I learned quite a lot from this book， especially about things I thought I knew， but I can say that about all of Mr。 MIlton's books， and that's why I enjoy them。 。。。more
Reena
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While most people know of the Berlin conflict in vague terms， very few have been taught about its beginnings。Milton does a wonderful job at making the history interesting， drawing you into the personal dynamics between those on the ground in the city and the 'ordinary' people who lived through the era。 While most people know of the Berlin conflict in vague terms， very few have been taught about its beginnings。Milton does a wonderful job at making the history interesting， drawing you into the personal dynamics between those on the ground in the city and the 'ordinary' people who lived through the era。 。。。more
Mat
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TelRev5
Judy
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This is a very well written， factual， and interesting account of the leaders who shaped history and destinies throughout the world。 Power struggles， secrecy， and sometimes situations that brought out personalities that have been omitted from most of our history books。 The book shows the good and bad， the power and fear， and how much influence so few can grasp to change the world。
Mary
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I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway。Though this book is nonfiction and very well researched， it is an exciting read that is difficult to put down。 The narrative is very smooth and interesting as if it is a story。The source notes section indicates many references to personal experiences of the military and political participants involved in the destiny of Berlin as the war wound down。 Some of these are touching stories that ease the burden of knowledge about inhumane treatment， I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway。Though this book is nonfiction and very well researched， it is an exciting read that is difficult to put down。 The narrative is very smooth and interesting as if it is a story。The source notes section indicates many references to personal experiences of the military and political participants involved in the destiny of Berlin as the war wound down。 Some of these are touching stories that ease the burden of knowledge about inhumane treatment， the horrors of war， and power struggles。 The author makes us feel as if we are there experiencing the events， the dangers， the humanity， and inhumanity。The ingenuity of those who sought solutions to reestablishing healthy living conditions， basic needs， economy， and government in Berlin is astonishing。 This book gives far more detail than ever found in history texts and gave me an insight and appreciation to those who helped make peace and enable recovery。 I don't read a lot of nonfiction history books ， but I am very appreciative that I had the opportunity to receive a copy of Checkmate in Berlin。 。。。more
Liz
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I received this in a first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review。I really enjoyed this book。 I was familiar with the history of Berlin but I had never read an account that gave quite this much detail。 The author does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters which is not something I have seen before in a book。 All in all a good description of a very complex topic in an easy to read format。
Nick Crisanti
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**I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway。**
Melanie Haynes
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Growing up in a time where the cold war was coming to a close I thought I had a good understanding of it purpose。 After finishing this book I have a new appreciation for the trials that led up to it。 I was amazed at how well the book narrated the events that took place after the fall of the Germany and the rebuilding of the country into 2 fractions。 This book gave an insight and whole new level of appreciation for what it took to bring democracy to the devastated country and the rebuilding of Eu Growing up in a time where the cold war was coming to a close I thought I had a good understanding of it purpose。 After finishing this book I have a new appreciation for the trials that led up to it。 I was amazed at how well the book narrated the events that took place after the fall of the Germany and the rebuilding of the country into 2 fractions。 This book gave an insight and whole new level of appreciation for what it took to bring democracy to the devastated country and the rebuilding of Europe post WW2。 Recommended read for anyone who loves history or just a really good story that has your emotions constantly switching。 。。。more
TimetoFangirl
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Historical nonfiction isn't normally my genre， but the premise of this book caught my eye and I decided to give it a try。 For all the history classes I've taken over the years， I really hadn't heard that much about how Berlin came to be a little Western island behind the iron curtain。 This novel focuses on how the situation in Berlin imploded following WWII and is written in a super accessible way。 This is definitely worth a look I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Historical nonfiction isn't normally my genre， but the premise of this book caught my eye and I decided to give it a try。 For all the history classes I've taken over the years， I really hadn't heard that much about how Berlin came to be a little Western island behind the iron curtain。 This novel focuses on how the situation in Berlin imploded following WWII and is written in a super accessible way。 This is definitely worth a look if you're interested in pop history or the specific time period。 。。。more
Ben
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