The only comprehensive and up-to-date book of its kind with the latest information.

There are many reference works on the cold war, including The Cold War Encyclopedia (1996) and the recent Historical Dictionary of the Cold War (2000). These works put a crucial period of the twentieth century into perspective. They share an international focus, driven in part by the global nature of the cold war, the events that defined it, and the people who fought it. This new encyclopedia takes a different tack, focusing almost exclusively on American domestic events and issues and touching on international themes only when they are relevant to the U.S. scene.More than 700 entries are arranged alphabetically, beginning with Acheson, Dean, secretary of state from 1949 to 1953, and ending with Yippies, an anti-establishment DEGREESB radical element of the hippie movement. In between are entries on presidents and their opponents, civil rights groups and leaders, phrases, and definitions. The length of each entry (ranging from 100-2,500 words) reflects the importance of the subject or the depth of coverage needed. Acheson's boss, Harry Truman, earns just over four columns, while Truman's opponent in the infamous 1948 general election, Thomas Dewey, barely rates one column.Each entry is factual and concise. The entry on Martin Luther King Jr. mentions his early life and education, his adherence to Gandhi's policy of nonviolence, the March on Washington, and his assassination in Tennessee, avoiding the various controversies surrounding both King's life and death. Sometimes the generally objective tone of the work is missing, as when, for example, it defines com munism as paradoxical and self-defeating. Black-and-white photographs enhance the text, and the index is detailed.This volume is a worthy addition to the cold war reference shelf. Its coverage of people, places, and events that might be ignored in works with a more international perspective makes it a good starting point for anyone interested in an American focus. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB. Copyright (r) American Library Association. All rights r

Includes about seven-hundred short entries for people, events, planes, missiles, programs, concepts, and countries involved in any manner with the Cold War

This sweeping reference work covers every aspect of the Cold War, from its ignition in the ashes of World War II, through the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Cold War superpower face-off between the Soviet Union and the United States dominated international affairs in the second half of the 20th century and still reverberates around the world today. This comprehensive and insightful multivolume set provides authoritative entries on all aspects of this world-changing event, including wars, new military technologies, diplomatic initiatives, espionage activities, important individuals and organizations, economic developments, societal and cultural events, and more. This expansive coverage provides readers with the necessary context to understand the many facets of this complex conflict. The work begins with a preface and introduction and then offers illuminating introductory essays on the origins and course of the Cold War, which are followed by some 1,500 entries on key individuals, wars, battles, weapons systems, diplomacy, politics, economics, and art and culture. Each entry has cross-references and a list of books for further reading. The text includes more than 100 key primary source documents, a detailed chronology, a glossary, and a selective bibliography. Numerous illustrations and maps are inset throughout to provide additional context to the material.

This volume examines the origins and early years of the Cold War in the first comprehensive historical reexamination of the period. A team of leading scholars shows how the conflict evolved from the geopolitical, ideological, economic and sociopolitical environments of the two world wars and interwar period.

Featuring 170 striking photographs, Abandoned Cold War Places is a fascinating visual history of the relics left behind by both sides from the late 1940s to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.