Product Description

In this history of the Cold War, award-winning political commentator Martin Walker explains it as an economic and political dynamic that determined the structure of the modern global economy. Using recently-opened Kremlin archives and his own experience as "The Guardian"'s bureau chief in Moscow during perestroika and in Washington during the Bush years, Walker analyzes what, more than any other single strategic conflict, has shaped the modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #135200 in Books
• Published on: 1994-08-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Customer Reviews

An excellent introduction to the history of the cold war
One of the first surveys to be published after the cold war ended, Martin Walker's account of over forty years of global confrontation between the two superpowers is a masterly narrative of the period's twists and turns. Walker was the Guardian's foreign correspondent and worked in both Moscow and Washington, which perhaps gives the book a contextual authority that other historical accounts lack. However, unlike many other journalistic endeavours, this book also draws upon the vast mount of historical literature that has been produced over the years. The result is an authoritative account written in an elegant and lucid style. Walker begins his book with the ending of the cold war and continues through to Gorbachev's rise to power, the Soviet withdraw from Eastern Europe and ultimately the collapse of the USSR itself. His chapter on the Cuban missile crisis is particularly good, drawing upon the most up to date historiography at the time, leading to a subtle and adept rendering of the story of Kennedy and Khrushchev's diplomatic and strategic manoeuvring. The final chapters of the book also give an excellent account of how the cold war drew to a close. Particularly revealing is Walker's analysis of the Politburo's internal politicking as the Soviet leadership tried to come to grips with their country's massive economic and strategic problems. Walker also produces an excellent account of the West's approach towards the USSR throughout the 1980s; and in explaining how the ultimate cold warrior, Ronald Reagan, could eventually bring himself to negotiate with the 'evil empire'. This book is a particularly useful introduction for students of international history.

Excellent
Martin Walker has written a book that should grace the bookshelf of anyone with even the most passing interest in the cold war. He has presented a work with very broad perspecitives of the events of the past 60 years, and is one of the few people able to record personal accounts of the extroadinary and crucial events of the 1980s. His writing style is excellent and always entertaining, occasionaly including a dash of apocalyptic humor. The only slight criticism is of the level of detail of the conflicts of the cold war (Afganistan, Vietnam and Korea for example), although by rights these deserve to be recorded in detail elsewhere. In summary: a thoroughly recommended read.

The great whirlwind tour through the cold war.
This is an excellent overview of the conflict. In a couple of hundred pages we are taken from Yalta to the fall of the Berlin Wall leaving our heads spinning by the rush through time.

I found the narrative illuminating as event follows event with analyses and interpretation offered along the way. Going through the sequence of events allows the reader to put events in perspective and understand reactions of the people making decisions at the time. The book is written by a westerner and largely reads as such even if the author does have sympathy for the communist perspective and characters. It does benefit immensely from access to Soviet archives as this opens up the engagement of the reader in the Soviet mindset and deliberations through many events. The "I was there" factor of the author is impressive even if not brought to the front.

The book does rush events. The events themselves are not detailed enough and for this I have deducted a star. Although the book would have become longer, possibly causing the over view of events to become less clear, I feel more detail could have been added. This could also be interpreted as encouragement to read further books that look deeper at parts that occupy a few pages here. Having said that, this is a very interesting read.