The Cold War: A World History
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- Create Date：2021-05-11 11:54:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Odd Arne Westad
- ISBN：0141979917
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Summary
'Masterly 。。。 a book of resounding importance for appraising our global future as well as understanding our past' Richard Davenport-Hines， The Times Literary Supplement， Books of the Year
'A masterful survey that will set the standard for Cold War scholarship for years to come' Jonathan Steele， London Review of Books
As Germany and then Japan surrendered in 1945 there was a tremendous hope that a new and much better world could be created from the moral and physical ruins of the conflict。 Instead， the combination of the huge power of the USA and USSR and the near-total collapse of most of their rivals created a unique， grim new environment: the Cold War。
For over forty years the demands of the Cold War shaped the life of almost all of us。 There was no part of the world where East and West did not， ultimately， demand a blind and absolute allegiance， and nowhere into which the West and East did not reach。 Countries as remote from each other as Korea， Angola and Cuba were defined by their allegiances。 Almost all civil wars became proxy conflicts for the superpowers。 Europe was seemingly split in two indefinitely。
Arne Westad's remarkable new book is the first to have the distance from these events and the ambition to create a convincing， powerful narrative of the Cold War。 The book is genuinely global in its reach and captures the dramas and agonies of a period always overshadowed by the horror of nuclear war and which， for millions of people， was not 'cold' at all: a time of relentless violence， squandered opportunities and moral failure。
'A masterful survey that will set the standard for Cold War scholarship for years to come' Jonathan Steele， London Review of Books
As Germany and then Japan surrendered in 1945 there was a tremendous hope that a new and much better world could be created from the moral and physical ruins of the conflict。 Instead， the combination of the huge power of the USA and USSR and the near-total collapse of most of their rivals created a unique， grim new environment: the Cold War。
For over forty years the demands of the Cold War shaped the life of almost all of us。 There was no part of the world where East and West did not， ultimately， demand a blind and absolute allegiance， and nowhere into which the West and East did not reach。 Countries as remote from each other as Korea， Angola and Cuba were defined by their allegiances。 Almost all civil wars became proxy conflicts for the superpowers。 Europe was seemingly split in two indefinitely。
Arne Westad's remarkable new book is the first to have the distance from these events and the ambition to create a convincing， powerful narrative of the Cold War。 The book is genuinely global in its reach and captures the dramas and agonies of a period always overshadowed by the horror of nuclear war and which， for millions of people， was not 'cold' at all: a time of relentless violence， squandered opportunities and moral failure。
Reviews
Maine Colonial
，
An impressive global history of the Cold War period and how competing philosophies and territorial ambitions played out all over the world。 I particularly appreciated Westad's commentary on the end of the USSR and the lost opportunities after its breakup。Jonathan Keeble is always a good narrator， but what surprised me in this book is that he made an effort to give the flavor of the voices of key figures of the period when quoting them。 He didn't attempt an impersonation， but he gave enough of th An impressive global history of the Cold War period and how competing philosophies and territorial ambitions played out all over the world。 I particularly appreciated Westad's commentary on the end of the USSR and the lost opportunities after its breakup。Jonathan Keeble is always a good narrator， but what surprised me in this book is that he made an effort to give the flavor of the voices of key figures of the period when quoting them。 He didn't attempt an impersonation， but he gave enough of the essence， especially with his Reagan， that it brought it back for me。 。。。more
Takrim Fuad
，
I like that how the book touched every cold war related events all around the world。
Glen Pekin
，
A great history book。 Very thorough。 Covers not just the United States， Soviet Union and Europe but also South America， India， Egypt， Indonesia， Asia and Africa。
Jeremy
，
High-level history of the Cold War and global communist movements during that time。 This book touches on a lot of subjects but doesn't dive too deep into any。 It mainly tells the history of the times in a textbook-like manner。 That said， it is done well， and tied up very well in the final chapter。 Hadrian's review sums up the book better than I can， so I'll leave it there。 High-level history of the Cold War and global communist movements during that time。 This book touches on a lot of subjects but doesn't dive too deep into any。 It mainly tells the history of the times in a textbook-like manner。 That said， it is done well， and tied up very well in the final chapter。 Hadrian's review sums up the book better than I can， so I'll leave it there。 。。。more
Ramón Chicharro Ramírez
，
Recalco con esta reseña que este libro tiene como fortaleza la de ordenar y presentar los actos， personajes y acontecimientos esenciales durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX。 Por tanto， quien necesite de un libro para aproximarse a este episodio histórico， encontrará con gran claridad una estructura muy sencilla pero efectiva donde se abordará la Guerra Fría， la descolonización y la construcción de la UE。 Ahora bien， es un libro para aproximarse， una carta de presentación， una herramienta de co Recalco con esta reseña que este libro tiene como fortaleza la de ordenar y presentar los actos， personajes y acontecimientos esenciales durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX。 Por tanto， quien necesite de un libro para aproximarse a este episodio histórico， encontrará con gran claridad una estructura muy sencilla pero efectiva donde se abordará la Guerra Fría， la descolonización y la construcción de la UE。 Ahora bien， es un libro para aproximarse， una carta de presentación， una herramienta de consulta。 Es decir， no hay una profundización en acontecimientos de forma exhaustiva a modo de monografía。 Y el último gran defecto es， casi como no podía esperarse otra cosa de un profesor norteamericano que imparte en la Escuela de Gobierno J。F。K de Harvard y premiado por ello， su proamericanismo。 Él sostiene como tesis que la Guerra Fría fue la victoria clara de Estados Unidos en el mundo， lo cual podría ser una tesis aceptable y entendible。 El problema está en que las caricaturas de personajes son bastantes parciales y el uso de fuentes， si bien son muy numerosas， claramente proporcionan mejor detalle del panorama estadounidense que de otros temas。 Recalco， a modo de ejemplo， cómo se detalla el gabinete de Nixon y sus visiones contrapuestas， mientras que del PCUS o China， aunque aparecen mencionadas figuras de poder secundarias， parece que allí toda la estructura era unívoca。 Es en este tipo de aproximaciones donde uno puede observar que el autor nos entrampa。 A pesar de todo， sigue siendo un gran libro por su utilidad。 Y a un buen precio， también hay que decirlo。 。。。more
Colin
，
This is a really well-done account of the cold war， covering all the smaller clashes， not just the big， well-known conflicts like Cuba， Vietnam Korea。 He takes it right back to the origins of communism and weaves in related phenomena like decolonisation that interact with the cold war without being directly a part of it。 It's an easy read too。 Nice work。 This is a really well-done account of the cold war， covering all the smaller clashes， not just the big， well-known conflicts like Cuba， Vietnam Korea。 He takes it right back to the origins of communism and weaves in related phenomena like decolonisation that interact with the cold war without being directly a part of it。 It's an easy read too。 Nice work。 。。。more
Farid Dilmaghani
，
I am a whole lot smarter about post WWII world history and its context
Pierce Mingione
，
Given the objective of the book （i。e。 seemingly a broad history of the Cold War as a more introductory piece - despite its length）， I think it was done quite well。 It is very easy to read and very enjoyable， certainly avoiding the boring textbook style of some other history books。 Of course， if you're interested in reading about the Cuban Missile Crisis or another chapter of the Cold War in deeper detail， this isn't the proper source for that。 In general， though， I'd highly recommend this book。 Given the objective of the book （i。e。 seemingly a broad history of the Cold War as a more introductory piece - despite its length）， I think it was done quite well。 It is very easy to read and very enjoyable， certainly avoiding the boring textbook style of some other history books。 Of course， if you're interested in reading about the Cuban Missile Crisis or another chapter of the Cold War in deeper detail， this isn't the proper source for that。 In general， though， I'd highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Samuel MacNab
，
No need for fiction when recent history can be even more riveting， horrifying and inspiring。 Essential reading for anyone of my （younger） generation who has strong views about where the world should go but little idea of where we have been。 Can’t believe I hadn’t read this sooner。
Keith Daniels
，
Extremely pro-Western。 Treated Soviet side as uniformly villainous， and treated the stated goals and ideals of the Western side as if they were true at face value。 Borderline hagiography in section on Reagan。
Martin
，
Excellent overview of the Cold War as an international system。 Westad's final chapter contains some trenchant observations about the world the Cold War created -- worth reflecting on as the end of the Cold War nears its 30th anniversary， so to speak， if you count the final dissolution of the Soviet Union to be the final drama。 Excellent overview of the Cold War as an international system。 Westad's final chapter contains some trenchant observations about the world the Cold War created -- worth reflecting on as the end of the Cold War nears its 30th anniversary， so to speak， if you count the final dissolution of the Soviet Union to be the final drama。 。。。more
Earl Ecklund III
，
Wonderful history of the Cold War that focuses on how it effected the rest of the world。 The chapters on India and the Middle East were especially interesting。
David Gilani
，
Not the first book that I've read on the Cold War， but probably the most in-depth one。 I also read it just after a book on Nazi Germany （Shirer）， which did feel like a nice progression through the 20th Century。 I found the book really accessible with regards to the way it structured itself based on a approach mixed between going chronologically and thematically。 Although there were a few points when this led to a bit of repetition / lack of clarity around what events may have proceeded / caused Not the first book that I've read on the Cold War， but probably the most in-depth one。 I also read it just after a book on Nazi Germany （Shirer）， which did feel like a nice progression through the 20th Century。 I found the book really accessible with regards to the way it structured itself based on a approach mixed between going chronologically and thematically。 Although there were a few points when this led to a bit of repetition / lack of clarity around what events may have proceeded / caused / influenced others。 I particularly enjoyed the political focus within each nation / region that the book discussed。 It was great to see how many countries weren't really fighting the Cold War， but were just fighting to survive and thrive internally。 Following what their population / political elites / financial interests wanted from them。 。。。more
A
，
Good - not great， overview of post WWII world。 Reads like a text book- Europe， Asia， Africa 。。。 Good to read the European perspective， as the author clearly sees himself / europe in the middle between these two giant sometimes monsters。 Sometimes one is especially bad， other times the other one is。 One may say even handed， or。。。。 Lionizes Gorbachev for example - a hero fighting the left， right， center， europe and the world to bring the world to the right place。 Pleasant reading， but nothing new Good - not great， overview of post WWII world。 Reads like a text book- Europe， Asia， Africa 。。。 Good to read the European perspective， as the author clearly sees himself / europe in the middle between these two giant sometimes monsters。 Sometimes one is especially bad， other times the other one is。 One may say even handed， or。。。。 Lionizes Gorbachev for example - a hero fighting the left， right， center， europe and the world to bring the world to the right place。 Pleasant reading， but nothing new for me in this one。。。 。。。more
Filip
，
A great introduction to the Cold War。 The writing flows smoothly， with scores of interesting quotes adorning the pages。 Note the subtitle， this book is not just about Kennedy， Castro， and Reagan。
perfectlyGoodInk
，
This is simply a must-read for anyone who wants a better understanding of the world today。 Despite having lived through the Cold War -- and as someone who probably pays closer attention to current events， world politics， and history than your average American -- there was a lot here that I did already know but so much more that I did not。For example， I did know about U。S。 interventions in Central America such as Nicaragua and Guatemala， but I had not known much about Soviet Union invasions of Hu This is simply a must-read for anyone who wants a better understanding of the world today。 Despite having lived through the Cold War -- and as someone who probably pays closer attention to current events， world politics， and history than your average American -- there was a lot here that I did already know but so much more that I did not。For example， I did know about U。S。 interventions in Central America such as Nicaragua and Guatemala， but I had not known much about Soviet Union invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia， nor its blockade of Berlin。 I knew about the Marshall Plan， but I did not realize the importance of American culture in tying Europe and the U。S。 closer together。 And although I distinctly remember the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev as well as the rise of Yeltsin， it was fascinating to get a more behind-the-scenes look at what was exactly going on。Indeed， I finally now even get the joke in Star Trek VI when Spock says to Kirk that Vulcans have a saying， "Only Nixon could go to China。" It was all about his credibility due to his reputation as a tough Cold Warrior -- the same way the Klingons viewed Kirk。 And I must confess what I mostly know about Richard Nixon is Watergate and thus had absolutely no idea how instrumental he and Kissinger were to detente （and thus， I hate to admit， possibly the survival of the world）。 Nor did I have any idea of how hawkish Jimmy Carter was as a president， and indeed I saw a lot of parallels with his foreign policy and that of Trump （particularly what I read about in Superpower Showdown）。Perhaps not surprisingly， I am appreciating Tom Clancy's books quite a bit differently now that I have a much richer knowledge of his setting。 It was not a conscious decision to take advantage of this， but I did happen to reread Hunt for Red October shortly after this， and my family also gifted me Sontag's also excellent （albeit much more narrowly focused） Blind Man's Bluff that also happens to tie in very well。There is so much treasure here。 I've highlighted it heavily and am still taking notes from it， and I've cited it in online discussions （link is to last post， scroll up a ways to get to the beginning -- you might need to click on the post's date first）。 It's well-organized （willing to occasionally present things out-of-order if it improves the narrative）， obviously very well researched， and it's very objective。 I do have one slight quibble where he characterizes Milton Friedman as extremist when actually his school of thought has been almost wholly incorporated into the Neoclassical Keynesian mainstream， but beyond that Westad is very fair to both sides and also not shy at uncovering grievous and horrific actions on both sides。Due to the immense amount of material， he can't quite get as detailed in his characterization as a more tightly focused work such as Tuchman's excellent Guns of August， and by the nature of how the conflict actually played out， it does end more with a whimper than a bang， but there's enough detail and color to make each chapter compelling， and indeed I found it a book that was very difficult to put down。In summary， it is a book that I am so very glad to have read， and it is one I expect to be revisiting again and again。 。。。more
Aaron
，
Different from any typical Cold War book， which primarily focuses on US-Soviet relations， this book covers the Cold War in every theatre。 Very interesting！
Titus Hjelm
，
A really well flowing， yet information-packed book on the causes and consequences of the global cold war， as Westad calls it。 There's little new in terms of research （which is not the point of a popular book like this， anyway）， but the global scope is a very welcome change of perspective。 The narrative is weaved masterfully， connecting events in all continents into a coherent picture。 The focus is on politics and war， but the economy get its rightful due as well--culture much less so， unfortunat A really well flowing， yet information-packed book on the causes and consequences of the global cold war， as Westad calls it。 There's little new in terms of research （which is not the point of a popular book like this， anyway）， but the global scope is a very welcome change of perspective。 The narrative is weaved masterfully， connecting events in all continents into a coherent picture。 The focus is on politics and war， but the economy get its rightful due as well--culture much less so， unfortunately。 It is also refreshing to hear， even if just a little， about the small players like the author's native Norway， in the big scheme of things。 It will be interesting to hear what a postscript to a second edition will say about the Trump years。 。。。more
Rsamuel3
，
An excellent survey of the Cold War that is particularly strong in detailing the war's impact in the Third World。 I will have to say that the book underestimates the natural strategic strengths of the U。S。 and its prediction that China and the U。S。 are unlikely to produce a second Cold War has already mostly been proven false。The other matter that jumps out is just how discredited socialism/communism was at the conclusion of the conflict。 For example， this quotation from Bulgarian Communist lead An excellent survey of the Cold War that is particularly strong in detailing the war's impact in the Third World。 I will have to say that the book underestimates the natural strategic strengths of the U。S。 and its prediction that China and the U。S。 are unlikely to produce a second Cold War has already mostly been proven false。The other matter that jumps out is just how discredited socialism/communism was at the conclusion of the conflict。 For example， this quotation from Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov: "If I had to do it all over again， I would not even be a Communist， and if Lenin were alive today he would say the same thing 。。。 I must now admit that we started from the wrong basis， from the wrong premise。 The foundation of socialism was wrong。 I believe that at its very conception the idea of socialism was stillborn。" 。。。more
Ed
，
With an attempt to describe and explain events over more than half a century of modern history， it is no surprise that this book leaves me with an aching head a sense of the messy complexity of the recent past。 But in some sense I find that reassuring。 I knew nothing about the Cold War before reading this book， and if I came away from it feeling like I understood it， I would probably have arrived at the wrong approach and incorrect conclusions。I really enjoyed the truly global and international With an attempt to describe and explain events over more than half a century of modern history， it is no surprise that this book leaves me with an aching head a sense of the messy complexity of the recent past。 But in some sense I find that reassuring。 I knew nothing about the Cold War before reading this book， and if I came away from it feeling like I understood it， I would probably have arrived at the wrong approach and incorrect conclusions。I really enjoyed the truly global and international perspective in this book。 Almost every part of the world was touched by Cold War conflict， either in political tensions， shifting party politics or outright wars。 It was great to get even an introduction and a context to the different conflicts that linger on in popular consciousness， from Korea and Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq， as well as the frankly shocking path of history and the moral records of both US and Soviet states in Central and South America。It was also interesting to see how the Cold War ended - how suddenly， and with （relatively） little upset。 It could have ended a lot worse - as is mentioned， there was a real fear that the collapse of the Soviet Union could have led to sudden factions of nuclear armed groups on one another's doorsteps。 。。。more
Keenan Seafield
，
Perspective gathering， thought provoking， very enlightening， intriguing encounters and enters you into a realm of more known unknowns。 It pushes you forward into wanting to explore on the different countries involved and their historical role in the Cold War。 I believe a definite must read。
Felix
，
Easily the best book about the the cold war i have read so far。 Westad is a rather exceptional writer。
Stephen Zhang
，
A very good cold war general history book from a global perspective。 Feel much more educated about what the world looked like back then and how it shaped into what it looks today。
Luke
，
Good read and nice that it covered more than just NATO and Warsaw Pact countries。
Iván
，
Un extraordinario libro que resume de forma magistral la segunda mitad del siglo XX。 Este libro es junto a Posguerra de Tony Judt， el mejor libro que he leído sobre la Segunda mitad del siglo XX。
Ilya Wynne
，
I really enjoyed this book if I’m going to be honest。 While it was a long read my knowledge of the Cold War increased exponentially and my understanding of how the Cold War implications have an impact to this day have also increased fourfold。 Hands down an amazing read
Hadrian
，
This is a general history， and it delivers what the title promises。 While it does cover the United States and the Soviet Union， they don't take up the entire book。 This gives a useful overview of developments and trends across much of the world。 While much of the book is about the "High Cold War" between 1947 and 1989， Westad provides some short background in chapters about the late 19th century and the two World Wars。 Ideologies had their roots in the 19th century。 Westad also describes these i This is a general history， and it delivers what the title promises。 While it does cover the United States and the Soviet Union， they don't take up the entire book。 This gives a useful overview of developments and trends across much of the world。 While much of the book is about the "High Cold War" between 1947 and 1989， Westad provides some short background in chapters about the late 19th century and the two World Wars。 Ideologies had their roots in the 19th century。 Westad also describes these ideologies in personal terms - ideologies limit personal choices and possibilities。 He compares it to wanting to buy a car that was a little Volvo and a little Ford， but that was not possible。 These belief systems were， from his perspective， totalizing。 Countries that tried to break away - see the hopes of the Third World or non-aligned nations movement had to make decisions in response to the dealings of the two superpowers。 He views India as an example of this。 What most interests me about Westad's perspective is the constant suggestion that economic， political， or social events from so many different settings can provide useful context to the dual struggle。 There are broad chapters about Lain America， Africa， and he even makes the suggestion that a major turning point in the war was the end of the Estado Novo regime Portugal and its transition to democracy - which presaged a further wave of decolonization and a turn away from authoritarian states more generally。 He suggests that the dimensions of the Cold War - a turn towards and then away from relaxed relations - was because of broad changes elsewhere， with the rise of East Asia and a resurgence of religious fundamentalism in West Asia。 The facts are clear enough for the general reader， but even someone who has read more would be interested in the connections that he approaches。 Reading about the Cold War invites a comparison between this and what's happening between the United States and China now。 This isn't exactly the case - the world may be more multipolar than in 1947， with regional hegemons carving out their own areas of influence。 The United States and China are currently more economically interconnected than the Soviet Union ever was。 And while the leadership of the United States is currently impotent in the face of the pandemic and economic stress， the leadership of China may overreach itself too quickly - a possible bad outcome would be that having had no wars with a foreign power since 1979 may lead future generations to think that small wars and interventions may be too quick and easy。 。。。more
Valentina
，
what a great book to find any source of information related to the Cold War， especially the Chinese Revolution！
Lewis Woolston
，
I was alive for the last decade of the Cold War although i don't remember all that much。 Mostly i remember the movies and books about Cold War tensions （Tom Clancy springs to mind） that filled shelves in bookshops and video stores but which no longer made much sense post 1991。 This book is an excellent broad history of the entire Cold War from its roots in the radical political movements of the 19th century to the final acts played out on TV screens in 1989-1991。 The author is balanced， fair and I was alive for the last decade of the Cold War although i don't remember all that much。 Mostly i remember the movies and books about Cold War tensions （Tom Clancy springs to mind） that filled shelves in bookshops and video stores but which no longer made much sense post 1991。 This book is an excellent broad history of the entire Cold War from its roots in the radical political movements of the 19th century to the final acts played out on TV screens in 1989-1991。 The author is balanced， fair and backs up his claims with solid research。 The whole book reads very easy and is suitable for the general reader as well as the more advanced history nerd。 。。。more
Corey Ledin-Bristol
，