Drawing the Line: The American Decision to Divide Germany, 1944–1949 - Softcover

Eisenberg, Carolyn Woods

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521627176 ISBN 13: 9780521627177

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1998

Synopsis

In this fresh and challenging study of the origins of the Cold War, Professor Eisenberg traces the American role in dividing postwar Germany. Drawing upon original documentary sources, she explores how U.S. policy makers chose partition and mobilized reluctant West Europeans behind that approach. The book casts new light on the Berlin blockade, demonstrating that the United States rejected United Nations mediation and relied on its nuclear monopoly as the means of protecting its German agenda.

About this title

From the Back Cover

In this fresh and challenging study of the origins of the Cold War, Professor Eisenberg traces the American role in dividing postwar Germany. Drawing on many original documentary sources, she examines the Allied meeting on the Elbe, follows the Great Powers through their confrontation in Berlin, and ends with the creation of the West German state in the fall of 1949. Unlike many works in the field, this book argues that the partition of Germany was fundamentally an American decision. U.S. policy makers chose partition, mobilized reluctant West Europeans behind that approach, and, by excluding the Soviets from West Germany, contributed to the isolation of East Germany and the emergence of the post-World War II U.S.-Soviet rivalry. The volume casts new light on the Berlin blockade, demonstrating that the United States rejected United Nations mediation and relied on its nuclear monopoly as the means of protecting its German agenda.

Review

"Drawing the Line is an eminently readable book and it will be a welcome addition to the treasure chest of reseachers, scholars and students of international affairs." Pam K. Datta, Perspectives

"It is an exceptionally well written and prodigiously researched work." Thomas Schwartz, The Journal of American History

"Carolyn Eisenberg shatters the central myth at the heart of the origins of the cold war: that the postwar division of Germany was Stalin's fault. She demonstrates unequivocally that the partition of Germany was `fundamentally an American decision,' strongly opposed by the Soviets. The implications are enormous." Kai Bird, The Nation

"...exhaustive and impressive..." David M. Keithly, Politik

"Carolyn Eisenberg's Drawing the Line is the most comprehensive study now available of U.S. policy towards Germany in the critical 1944-1949 period." Steven P. Remy, H-Net Reviews

"This is a thorough, beautifully written study; it is unlikely to be superseded." Loyd E. Lee, Political Science Quarterly

"This book is a remarkable achievement. Its mastery of the complex US politics and diplomacy of the division of Germany and the beginnings of the cold war is truly impressive." Diethelm Prowe, The International History Review

"...a daring, provocative and challenging book...a must read for anyone interested in post-World War II international history." Melvyn Leffler, University of Virginia

"...massively documented and unsparing argument that not Russian, but American non-cooperation prevented Germanu unification. Even those who will dissent from the tightly argued case will remain in Eisenberg's dept for a closely reasoned and provocative monograph that masters some of the most intricate disputes of early Cold War history. This work is a major achievement and major challenge." Charles Maier, Diplomatic History

"Just when some thought we were approaching a consensus on the reasons why Europe and the United States sunk into nearly a half-century of Cold War, Carolyn Eisenberg forces us to rethink what we thought we knew...Her vast research and grasp of detail make us reconsider the historic events that triggered the Cold War." Walter LaFeber, Cornell University

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0521627176
• ISBN 13: 9780521627177
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 540