In 1949, mounting tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States created an intense distrust between the two nations. This book tells the story of how that rivalry-known as the Cold War-dominated the foreign policies of the time, ultimately leading America into the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It also tells the story of how influential leaders, both black and white, advanced the cause of civil rights. Book jacket.

This comprehensive study of China's Cold War experience reveals the crucial role Beijing played in shaping the orientation of the global Cold War and the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The success of China's Communist revolution in 1949 set the stage, Chen says. The Korean War, the Taiwan Strait crises, and the Vietnam War--all of which involved China as a central actor--represented the only major "hot" conflicts during the Cold War period, making East Asia the main battlefield of the Cold War, while creating conditions to prevent the two superpowers from engaging in a direct military showdown. Beijing's split with Moscow and rapprochement with Washington fundamentally transformed the international balance of power, argues Chen, eventually leading to the end of the Cold War with the collapse of the Soviet Empire and the decline of international communism. Based on sources that include recently declassified Chinese documents, the book offers pathbreaking insights into the course and outcome of the Cold War.

Using newly available material from both sides of the Iron Curtain, William Glenn Gray explores West Germany's efforts to prevent international acceptance of East Germany as a legitimate state following World War II. Unwilling to accept the division of their country, West German leaders regarded the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as an illegitimate upstart--a puppet of the occupying Soviet forces. Together with France, Britain, and the United States, West Germany applied political and financial pressure around the globe to ensure that the GDR remain unrecognized by all countries outside the communist camp. Proclamations of ideological solidarity and narrowly targeted bursts of aid gave the GDR momentary leverage in such diverse countries as Egypt, Iraq, Ghana, and Indonesia; yet West Germany's intimidation tactics, coupled with its vastly superior economic resources, blocked any decisive East German breakthrough. Gray argues that Bonn's isolation campaign was dropped not for want of success, but as a result of changes in West German priorities as the struggle against East Germany came to hamper efforts at reconciliation with Israel, Poland, and Yugoslavia--all countries of special relevance to Germany's recent past. Interest in a morally grounded diplomacy, together with the growing conviction that the GDR could no longer be ignored, led to the abandonment of Bonn's effective but outdated efforts to hinder worldwide recognition of the East German regime.

The conflict between Russia and America shaped the world for over four decades. Both were universalist powers – they wanted every country in the world to copy their model of government and economy. They could not rest until the other side had been vanquished, and until the mid-1980s this included the prospect of nuclear war. In a new edition of one of the best-selling books in the Seminar Studies in History Series, Martin McCauley looks at the epic struggle between the two superpowers that put everyone in danger. In a clear and accessible manner, the book: Gives a succinct summary of the main turning points in the conflict Looks at how the whole world was sucked into the Cold War Shows how the arms race eventually bankrupted Russia Discusses whether or not America and Russia have learnt anything from this confrontation Also containing a Chronology, Glossary and Who’s Who of key figures, this revised second edition of Russia, America and the Cold War is essential reading for all students of twentieth century history. Martin McCauley is a seasoned writer and broadcaster who has a wealth of experience in Russian and international affairs. His recent publications include The Origins of the Cold War revised 3rd edition (2008), Stalin and Stalinism revised 3rd edition (2008) and The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (2007)

"A very good attempt to give a coherent and consistent account of the China-U.S. contacts during the Cold War.... [R]eaders will certainly gain a better understanding of this interesting and intricate history." -- Zhou Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Few relationships during the Cold War were as dramatic as that between the United States and China. During World War II, China was America's ally against Japan. By 1949, the two countries viewed each other as adversaries and soon faced off in Korea. For the next two decades, Beijing and Washington were bitter enemies. Negotiating with the Enemy is a gripping account of that period. On several occasions -- Taiwan in 1954 and 1958, and Vietnam in 1965 -- the nations were again on the verge of direct military confrontation. However, even as relations seemed at their worst, the process leading to a rapprochement had begun. Dramatic episodes such as the Ping-Pong diplomacy of spring 1971 and Henry Kissinger's secret trip to Beijing in July 1971 paved the way for Nixon's historic 1972 meeting with Mao.

Covering the development of the Cold War from mid-twentieth century to the present day, The Cold War 1949-2016 explores the struggle for world domination that took place between the United States and the Soviet Union following the Second World War. Key themes include the Sino-Soviet relationship and the global ambitions of the newly-formed People’s Republic of China, the rise and fall of communism in countries such as Cuba, Angola, and Ethiopia, the US defeat in Vietnam, the gradual unravelling of the Soviet Union and the changing shape of the post-Cold War world. Providing a wide-ranging overview of the main turning points of the conflict and illustrated throughout with photographs and maps, this is essential reading for all students of the Cold War and its lasting global impact.

The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War has long been understood in a global context, but Jeremy Friedman's Shadow Cold War delves deeper into the era to examine the competition between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China for the leadership of the world revolution. When a world of newly independent states emerged from decolonization desperately poor and politically disorganized, Moscow and Beijing turned their focus to attracting these new entities, setting the stage for Sino-Soviet competition. Based on archival research from ten countries, including new materials from Russia and China, many no longer accessible to researchers, this book examines how China sought to mobilize Asia, Africa, and Latin America to seize the revolutionary mantle from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union adapted to win it back, transforming the nature of socialist revolution in the process. This groundbreaking book is the first to explore the significance of this second Cold War that China and the Soviet Union fought in the shadow of the capitalist-communist clash.