We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History [Paperback]

 

 

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a really useful book for anyone interested in the cold war. i have used this book for 2 years of study. quite humourosly written in places too. good for students or those just generally interested.

In this book, John Lewis Gaddis sets out to describe the major structural features of the Cold War, identify their causes, provide a narrative overview of the Cold War from its inception to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and embed the Cold War in the larger context of 20th century history. Gaddis succeeds in accomplishing all these ends in a well written book of less than 300 hundred pages. This is a considerable achievement. A good part of this book is driven by the fact that the end of the Cold War has resulted in access to Soviet, Chinese, and Eastern European sources that provide information about key events and decision makers. Much prior work concentrated one sidely on Western policies and policy makers. The new archival information allows reconstruction of important decisions and a more complete picture of the Cold War. It is important to note that not all the new information relates to Communist sources. For example, based on the availability of new documentation, Gaddis presents an account of John Kennedy's behavior in the Cuban Missile Crisis that varies considerably from the standard accounts.
Gaddis addresses a number of key issues. Why did the Cold War begin? He sees the Cold War as a result of Stalin's insecurity and brutal Soviet conduct in Eastern Europe. Given the conduct of Soviet Armies and Stalin's aggressive foreign policy, the USA and its Western European Allies had no choice but to respond to Stalin in some form of confrontation. Was the Cold War a conflict just between the USA and the Soviet Union? Gaddis is careful to emphasize the autonomy of many decision makers during the Cold War. Some of these are surprising. An early and important event was the declaration of independence issued by Yugoslav communists in 1948. This event infuriated Stalin and played a large role in precipitating the Stalinist repression that occurred in many Eastern European Soviet satellites, further scaring Western European governments and pushing them closer to the USA. The emergence of NATO is presented very much as driven by Western European governments with the British playing a particularly important role. Gaddis contrasts the wisdom of American policy towards Europe and Japan with the ultimate failure of the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe. The Americans nourished European recovery with the Marshall plan, planted democracies in Germany and Japan, and tolerated a good deal of independence by important European partners. The Eastern European Soviet satellites, in contrast, were a chronic source of dissent and required diversion of considerable Soviet economic resources to maintain Soviet hegemony. This latter phenomena was actually predicted by the American diplomat George Kennan in the late 40s.
Gaddis deals very well with the problem of divided Germany and the expansion of the Cold War into Asia. He treats the Chinese and North Koreans as important independent forces and describes nicely the complexity of relations between the Soviets, the Chinese, and the North Koreans. Similarly, Gaddis provides a nice analysis of the expansion of the Cold War into the Third World, revealing very well how American policies, so successful in Europe and Japan, were mistaken in the Middle East and Latin America. Another topic dealt with very well is the role of nuclear weapons in the Cold War. In Gaddis' view, nuclear weapons had a dual role. They reduced the chance of direct conflict between the US and the Soviet Union but provided the only arena in which it was possible for the Soviets to maintain some sort of parity with the West. The last effect considerably prolonged the Cold War.
Gaddis finishes after the Cuban missile crisis. This is a good choice for several reasons. It is likely that important documents relevant to the post-Missile Crisis period are only now emerging, so reassessment would be premature. It may be true also that in many important respects, the Cold War was over. The USA had triumphed in Western Europe and Japan, the Eastern European satellite states were a chronic headache for the Soviets, nuclear weapons had stablized the conflict, and conflicts in the 3rd world would never be crucial.
Finally, I have to address some comments made by other reviewers. Gaddis is not a right wing bigot. This is an evenhanded and fair book. It is written concisely and without literary flair but I would not describe it as dry. It is very difficult to combine narrative and analysis in a concise manner, especially when dealing with controversial topics like these. Gaddis has done an admirable job and deserves our thanks for bringing his analysis of the Cold War before the broad reading public.

If this book is one of your options for a history class and you have other options, choose again please!. it is for your sake i say this. this book has the hardest thesis to pic out of any history book i have read. i find myself wondering "john lewis gaddis" how in the world did he end up involved with a history book at oxford press. he cant seem to stay on his subject of "the cold war" i give this book 2 stars because its sentance structures are not as horible as many history books. john lewis gaddis has potencial as an author as long as he stays away from history books. if you are not intending to read this book for you education, but rather for the plesure, i advise you to look some where else...

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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting analysis.
This is an analysis of the Cold War, not a history. Gaddis' writing style is a bit dry, but this is more than offset by the wealth of insight and information contained in his... Read more

Published on Mar 13 2002 by Emil L. Posey

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding
Professor Gaddis's course on the Cold War at Yale is, without a doubt, the most popular class offered, attracting probably 800-1000 (one-fifth of undergraduates) people before it... Read more

Published on Dec 12 2001 by Yalensian

2.0 out of 5 stars We now know what?
The worst type of Cold Warrior propaganda. Gaddis dares be outraged by the Soviet Union's spies in the US, as if the United States didn't have their own spies in the Soviet Union... Read more

Published on Aug 28 2001 by hungrytygre

1.0 out of 5 stars the press is out and Yakoff smirnof loves this book.
Hallow muh american frends, in sovet younyun we don't watch t.v instead weh watch uncule boris shave neck, is this great country or what? Read more

Published on May 7 2001 by Jess

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Written Book
If anyone is in New Haven during the fall semester, they should definitely try to drop in on Gaddis' Cold War class for undergraduates - he is an amazing speaker with a very... Read more

Published on Mar 31 2001 by Tyler Cheung

1.0 out of 5 stars Please, Mr. Gaddis, would you gi ve it a rest?
Mr. Gaddis will never stop hammering away at his one sided position on the origins of the cold war. Really, you are wrong and you are tiresome.

Published on Feb 24 2001 by Justin Potter Wilson Jr

4.0 out of 5 stars Is this Cold War History "New"?
Author John Lewis Gaddis taught for many years at Ohio University and is now on the faculty at Yale. Read more

Published on Dec 28 2000 by Steven S. Berizzi

2.0 out of 5 stars Right -Winger Gaddis Does Not Have All The Answers.
In the 1970s and '80s John Lewis Gaddis established a distinguished reputation as the leader of the post-revisionist school on the origins of the Cold War. Read more

Published on Aug 29 2000 by cjh96@aber.ac.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars Good research, well written.
The best thing about this book is that it uses Soviet and Chinese sources that up until early this decade (meaning the 90's) were unavailable to U.S. historians. Read more

Published on Aug 1 2000 by L. Troy Beals

5.0 out of 5 stars Incisive, compelling arguments.
No, this book doesn't come too soon after the end of the Cold War. As Gaddis says at appropriate points, "we now know," suggesting we know much more and can evaluate... Read more

Published on May 14 1999 by gdemack@ix.netcom.com

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