The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis

The “dean of Cold War historians” (The New York Times) now presents the definitive account of the global confrontation that dominated the last half of the twentieth century. Drawing on newly opened archives and the reminiscences of the major players, John Lewis Gaddis explains not just what happened but why—from the months in 1945 when the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. went from alliance to antagonism to the barely averted holocaust of the Cuban Missile Crisis to the maneuvers of Nixon and Mao, Reagan and Gorbachev. Brilliant, accessible, almost Shakespearean in its drama, The Cold War stands as a triumphant summation of the era that, more than any other, shaped our own.

This book really does have it all. Going into it, I did not have a good understanding of the Cold War. After reading it, I can definitely say that I have learned a lot about this important part of world history. I think it definitely did a good job of explaining how everything was tied together and how the cycle of fear continued for so long.

Because he focuses so much of ideology, the book is not in chronological order. For me, that was a bit confusing at first since I did not have much of an understanding of the Cold War. However, it shouldn’t be a problem if you are familiar with the topic. Additionally, the prose was a little dry and hard to get through at times.

I would definitely recommend this book to history buffs or anyone who is interested in studying the Cold War or modern history.

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