Cold War: An International History
The further we get from the withering away of the Cold War, the more likely we are to benefit from dispassionate and solid analytical accounts of the struggle. Fink, professor emeritus of history at Ohio State, 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. For the populations in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the Cold War often became intensely hot. Fink includes the necessary historical context by examining the foreign relations of the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution and the subsequent fear and suspicions that lay behind Soviet policy toward the West. Fink broadens her account to include China and the Chinese enigmatic relations with the supposed Soviet allies. 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. --Jay Freeman