Cold War

Reviews / Votes

"Fink has written a landmark treatment of the Cold War by using new archival sources to flesh out the true relationship between the Soviet Union and the West...Highly recommended." Choice

"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

"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

"Prizewinning author Carole Fink's book on the Cold War, now in its second edition, is superb. Drawing on her almost unrivaled mastery of numerous languages and familiarity with many cultures, Fink goes well beyond the usual account of the bipolar world in the period beginning with World War II. She addresses the whole era from the Russian revolution to the present and includes fascinating new material on developments outside Europe as well as on the two main antagonists. Fink writes beautifully and in a way easily accessible to students. Her Cold War opus rates as a great achievement." Stephen A. Schuker, University of Virginia

"By virtue of the sweep of its geographical reach and the breadth of its chronological framing, this updated edition of Professor Fink's book allows its readers to understand the centrality of the Cold War to the shaping of modern and contemporary global history." Aviel Roshwald, Georgetown University

"Among the surveys of the Cold War, Carole Fink's stands out for its global inquiry and genuine transnational perspective. Fink masterfully reevaluates the many actors who were not mere sideshows on a main stage held by Moscow and Washington. The new edition offers a fresh look at the legacies and continuities of the Cold War to the present day. Accessible and insightful, this book will remain important for years to come." Alessandro Brogi, University of Arkansas

"Carol Fink's enthusiasm as an academic teacher of international history directly translates into this energetic, elegantly written book. It makes stunningly clear that we need to understand the history of the 20th century's Cold War in order to understand today's world." Norbert Frei, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena

Praise for the First Edition
"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