The Columbia Guide to the Cold War

Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures

by Michael Kort

The Cold War was the longest conflict in American history, and the defining event of the second half of the twentieth century. Since its recent and abrupt cessation, we have only begun to measure the effects of the Cold War on American, Soviet, post-Soviet, and international military strategy, economics, domestic policy, and popular culture. The Columbia Guide to the Cold War is the first in a series of guides to American history and culture that will offer a wealth of interpretive information in different formats to students, scholars, and general readers alike. This reference contains narrative essays on key events and issues, and also features an A-to-Z encyclopedia, a concise chronology, and an annotated resource section listing books, articles, films, novels, web sites, and CD-ROMs on Cold War themes.

Genres: History

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Roy McCullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This handy but outdated work is divided into 4 sections: A 90+ page “Narrative Overview” that provides a basic introduction to the Cold War; A 90-page “Cold War A to Z” section containing fuller treatments of key individuals, concepts, and events organized alphabetically; a 20-page “Concise Chronology” and, the highlight of the book, a 150-page “Resources” section comprising an extensive annotated Bibliography, a guide to various archival holdings, a brief treatment of relevant websites (as of 1998, the date of publication), and a wonderful listing of Cold War-related films and novels. A very useful resource. An updated version that accounts for the last twenty years of Cold War scholarship would be a welcome addition to my library.