Overview

The first history of the Cold War focusing on the Soviet dimension, based on previously inaccessible archives The phrase “Cold War” was coined by George Orwell in 1945 to describe the impact of the atomic bomb on world politics: “We may be heading not for a general breakdown but for an epoch as horribly stable as the slave empires of antiquity.” The Soviet Union, he wrote, was “at once unconquerable and in a permanent state of ‘cold war’ with its neighbors.” But as a leading historian of Soviet foreign policy, Jonathan Haslam, makes clear in this groundbreaking book, the epoch was anything but stable, with constant wars, near-wars, and political upheavals on both sides. Whereas the Western perspective on the Cold War has been well documented by journalists and historians, the Soviet side has remained for the most part shrouded in secrecy—until now. Drawing on a vast range of recently released archives in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and Eastern Europe, Russia’s Cold War offers a thorough and fascinating analysis of East-West relations from 1917 to 1989. Far more than merely a straightforward history of the Cold War, this book presents the first account of politics and decision making at the highest levels of Soviet power: how Soviet leaders saw political and military events, what they were trying to accomplish, their miscalculations, and the ways they took advantage of Western ignorance. Russia’s Cold War fills a significant gap in our understanding of the most important geopolitical rivalry of the twentieth century.

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9780300188196

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Reviews

'Jonathan Haslam has produced the first comprehensive account of Soviet policy between the October Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall, using an astonishing array of original materials that take readers into the heart of decision-making in Moscow and its satellites.' (Michael Burleigh, Sunday Telegraph) 'There are rich rewards in its fascinating insights, well balanced judgements and original, sometimes provocative arguments, which are bound to stimulate debate for years to come.' (Orlando Figes, Sunday Times) 'Haslam's superb research puts his book in a league of its own, and it is hard to imagine it being surpassed as an account of what went on inside Russian foreign policy in this period.' (Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph) 'This book lets off fireworks that light up many shadowy corners.' (Robert Service, Times Literary Supplement)

Author Information

Jonathan Haslam is professor of the history of international relations at the University of Cambridge, fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and a fellow of the British Academy.

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