Cold War

Reviews / Votes

Praise for Cold War: An International History by Carole K. Fink "Cold War: An International History offers instructors, students, and the general public a well-organized and highly readable survey of recent history in all its implications." --Russian Review "Cold War: An International History is a magnificent narrative of the Cold War from a global perspective. This is unsurprising, given Carole Fink's reputation for combining breadth of vision with meticulous transnational research. She has so clearly, gracefully and insightfully covered the crucial elements of the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the West, combining key details, recent discoveries, and transnational perspective with wonderfully cosmopolitan analysis of the larger meanings and the historical trends--all of which make this such a superb account of the Cold War." --John Whiteclay Chambers II, Rutgers University "Cold War: An International History is a must read for all history enthusiasts. Through her clear prose and many years of research and expertise on the subject, Carole Fink brings refreshing new perspectives to the Cold War, going beyond the conflict between the US and the USSR to include meaningful discussions of key events in Africa, Asia, and Latin America." --Istvan Deak, Columbia University "Written by a renowned scholar of international history, this concise and masterfully composed analysis of the Cold War in global perspective cannot be recommended highly enough for undergraduate and graduate teaching. Carole Fink presents both the larger structures of the conflict but also some of its unanticipated twists and turns that make this volume very accessible." --Volker Berghahn, Columbia University "Carole Fink, a prominent and prolific historian, manages to break new ground in her book by placing the history of the Cold War in a chronologically and geographically enlarged context. She presents this complex material in an easily comprehensible format." --Peter Kenez, University of California, Santa Cruz "Cold War: An International History is a well written, cogent and comprehensive recounting of the political structure of the Cold War. Its primary strengths are its accessibility and its focus on the Cold War as a global phenomenon. For faculty and students looking for a political "skeleton" to frame their course, this book would be a very good choice." --Cristofer Scarboro, King's College "Cold War: An International History is a comprehensive, analytical, and sovereign overview that provides readers with clear arguments, while never losing sight of the complexity of the Cold War. The book shows Carole Fink, one of the leading historians of twentieth-century international relations, at the height of her powers." --Holger Nehring, University of Stirling "A perspicacious review of Soviet international relations from 1917 onwards and a deft analysis of how wrangling over the fate of Germany and Eastern Europe during and after WWII laid the foundations for the coming rivalry...Fink's crisp, lucid prose and judicious, even-handed assessments impart a coherent arc to complex events; students especially will find this an invaluable introduction to a watershed era of modern history." --Publishers Weekly "Fink has provided a compact, objective, and insightful account that illustrates how disputes over the post-WWII fate of Europe morphed into a conflict that engulfed regions across the world...She deftly illustrates how Third World nations became hapless pawns in the broader geopolitical struggle, and she concludes with a sharp description of the residual effects of the Cold War upon the major and minor participants. This is an ideal introductory text for college students and general readers." --Booklist