In a reinterpretation of the postwar years, historian Robert Dallek examines what drove the leaders of the most powerful nations around the globe--Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Mao, de Gaulle, and Truman--to rely on traditional power politics despite the catastrophic violence their nations had endured. The decisions of these men, for better and often for worse, had profound consequences for decades to come, influencing relations and conflicts with...

This title examines an important historic event-the Berlin Wall's division of the city of Berlin, Germany, from the building of the wall to its destruction. Easy-to-read, compelling text explores why the wall was built, what it was like living in a divided city, and why the wall was torn down. Also discussed is the political context behind the wall, including the events in Germany following World War II and the tensions between capitalism and communism...

"More than any other conflict, the Cold War was fought on the battlefield of the human mind. And, nearly thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, its legacy still endures-not only in our politics, but in our own thoughts and fears. Drawing on a vast array of untapped archives and unseen sources, Martin Sixsmith vividly recreates the tensions and paranoia of the Cold War, framing it for the first time from a psychological perspective. Revisiting...

"The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War."-- "After the 1945 Yalta Conference, Berlin-- along with the rest of Germany-- was to be carved up among the victorious powers. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, once the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they...

The untold history of Moscow's Metropol hotel-a fervent spot of intrigue, secrets, and the center of Stalin's nefarious propaganda during WWII. In 1941, when German armies were marching towards Moscow, Lenin's body was moved from his tomb on Red Square and taken to Siberia. By1945, a victorious Stalin had turned a poor country into a victorious superpower. Over the course of those four years, Stalin, at Churchill's insistence, accepted an Anglo-American...

Only two Americans held positions of great influence throughout the Cold War; ironically, they were the chief advocates for the opposing strategies in that harrowing conflict. Both came to power during World War II, reached their professional peaks during the Cold War's most frightening moments, and fought epic political battles that spanned decades. Yet despite their very different views, Paul Nitze and George Kennan remained good friends all their...