John Lewis Gaddis is perhaps one of the most infamous researchers. According to The New York Times, he is considered to be the “dean of Cold War Historians.” Gaddis serves as a professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University. He is well known and renounced for lecturing on the History of the Cold War and grand strategy. The Cold War: A New History is his most recent publication and he has six publications preceding the book. Yale has one of the most renounced, and well-respected History departments in the country. The department of History at Yale has over 70 total professors, allowing a vast array of areas to be studied in depth.
Part of Gaddis’ incentive to write The Cold War: A New History, were his students in his Cold War History class at Yale. Gaddis talked about how students in modern times have little understanding of the workings of the Cold War. He was often asked why more years could not be discussed in fewer pages. Books are often assigned over the history of the Cold War that covers up to 1962, which can go on for over 300 pages. The Cold War tends to get lost within the history of the world and Gaddis wants to be sure the Cold War is explained and that everyone understands how and why this Cold War is important to the United States and the rest of the world today. Gaddis makes it clear that The Cold War: A New History is primarily intended for young readers who have a limited knowledge of the Cold War.
The Cold War: A New History is written differently than other books of the same genre. The book is divided into chapters each consisting of different themes and ideas by Gaddis’ choice. Gaddis wrote the book in a way that it would not be a general overview of the Cold War; rather a scope of the ideas imp...
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...tic countries and a change in the world was underway. After communist grew so quickly, it became clear that communist did not work and democracy did work.
Gaddis did an excellent job constructing and writing The Cold War: A New History. The writing was clear and concise and does appeal to a younger audience. Instead of stating facts, Gaddis explains how and why events happened. Instead of giving the United States the entirety of the credit for ending the Cold War, Gaddis also gives credit to other world leaders as well as the populations of other countries in Eastern Europe. The Cold War led to other wars, such as the Korean War and Vietnam, which so strongly shaped the world today. All people were affected by the Cold War. If total war was to break out between the United States and the Soviet Union, it was likely that there would not have been a world left today.
The Cold War was an important event in United States history which occurred during the years of 1947-1991. During this time frame the world was at the greatest risk for the development of a third world war. The Cold war was not an actual war with contact fighting of both sides, but a conflict between western democratic nations and eastern communist nations which was more fear tactics and rivalry. The Cold War is a sensitive topic which should be refrained and be avoided from being discussed with children. The Cold War and The Butter Battle Book have similar and events which center around war, threats, and deaths. These topics should not be in a children's book.
Crockatt, Richard. The fifty years war : the United States and the Soviet Union in world politics, 1941-1991. London; New York; Routledge, 1995.
During the 20th century, the rise of communism sparked rage in people throughout the world. More towards the end of the 1900's the fall of communism and dictatorships was just the beginning of what would eventually be a large democratic change for several countries. 1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End, speaks about the change brought to several different countries from the 1980's-1990's and plans to show "the global transformations that marked the end of the cold war and shaped the era in which we live"(Pg V). During the cold war, communist had power and control over a large area and spread communism throughout several continents. This book specifically hits on six different studies of where communism and dictatorship affected these areas and what they did to stop it. Poland, Philippines, Chile, South Africa, Ukraine, and China throughout the end of the 20th century created revolutionary movements which brought them all one step closer to freeing themselves and creating democratic change.
Isaacs J (2008). ‘Cold War: For Forty-five Years the World Held its Breath’. Published by Abacus, 2008.
Within this controversial topic, two authors provide their sides of the story to whom is to blame and/or responsible for the “Cold War.” Authors Arnold A. Offner and John Lewis Gaddis duck it out in this controversial situation as each individual lead the readers to believe a certain aspect by divulging certain persuading information. However, although both sides have given historical data as substance for their claim, it is nothing more than a single sided personal perception of that particular piece of information; thus, leaving much room for interpretations by the reader/s. Finding the ...
During the late 1940's and the 1950's, the Cold War became increasingly tense. Each side accused the other of wanting to rule the world (Walker 388). Each side believed its political and economic systems were better than the other's. Each strengthened its armed forces. Both sides viewed the Cold War as a dispute between right and wron...
Gaddis, John Lewis. “We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History.” Taking Sides: Clashing Views On Controversial Issues in United States History. Ed. Larry Madaras and James M. SoRelle. 14th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 302-308.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Gregory, Ross. A. Cold War America: 1946 to 1990. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2003. McQuaid, Kim.
Hammond, Thomas, Editor. Witnesses to the Origins of the Cold War. University of Washington Press. Seattle, 1982.
The time period between 1945 and 1991 is considered to be the era of the Cold War. The Cold War, known as the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, each known during this time as the “super powers”. This conflict consisted of the differing attitudes on the ideological, political, and military interests of these two states and their allies, exte nded around the globe. A common political debate covers the issue of who, if anyone won the Cold War. Many believe the United States won the Cold War since (it) had resulted in the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union. While others are to believe the United States had not won it as much as the Soviet Union had lost it since they feel Reagan did not end the Cold War, but that he prolonged it (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) This has lead me to believe that there is no winner, only losers of the cold war. The cold war for the Soviet Union was to ensure security, block out capitalism, gain power, and improve their economy. While, on the other hand the United States just wanted to stop the spread of communism, which they felt, would spread rapidly throughout the world if they did not put an end to it soon. Both the United States and the Soviet Union wanted to avoid WWIII in the process of trying to achieve their goals.
With this book, a major element of American history was analyzed. The Cold War is rampant with American foreign policy and influential in shaping the modern world. Strategies of Containment outlines American policy from the end of World War II until present day. Gaddis outlines the policies of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, including policies influenced by others such as George Kennan, John Dulles, and Henry Kissinger. The author, John Lewis Gaddis has written many books on the Cold War and is an avid researcher in the field. Some of his other works include: The United States and the Origins of the Cold War, 1941-1947, The Long Peace: Inquiries into the History of the Cold War, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, and The Cold War: A New History. Dr. Gaddis received his PhD from the University of Texas in 1968; he currently is on a leave of absence, but he is a professor at Yale . At the University, his focus is Cold War history. Gaddis is one of the few men who have actually done a complete biography of George Kennan, and Gaddis even won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
Outline of Essay About the Origins of the Cold War OUTLINE: Introduction- 1. Definition of ‘Cold War’ and the Powers involved 2. Perceived definition of ‘start of Cold War’ 3. Iron Curtain Speech, Truman Doctrine and Berlin Blockade as significant events that caused strife between both powers, but which triggering off the start of the Cold War Body- 1. Iron Curtain Speech (1946) - A warning of Soviet influence beyond the acknowledged Eastern Europe - Churchill’s belief that the idea of a balance in power does not appeal to the Soviets - Wants Western democracies to stand together in prevention of further
Lafeber, W. (2002), America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-2000. 9th edn. New-York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Tomkinson, John L. (2008) The Cold War: Themes in Twentieth Century World History for the International Baccalaureate. 3rd edition. Athens: Anagnosis.
The New Cold War. Great Britain: Bloomsbury Publishing. Weber, Smith, Allan, Collins, Morgan and Entshami. 2002. Foreign Policy in a Transformed World. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.