History in Dispute - The Cold War, First Series (History in Dispute)

What caused the fall of the Roman empire? What did the second amendment to the U.S. constitution mean to the founding fathers? What was the role of black troops in the American Civil War?

History in Dispute addresses these heavily debated questions by offering your students different critical perspectives on major historical events, drawn from all time periods and from all parts of the globe. The intent of this biennial series is to provide students with an enhanced understanding of events only summarized in history texts, help stimulate critical thinking and provide ideas for papers and assignments.

Each volume in the History in Dispute series has a thematic, era or subject-specific focus that coincides with the way history is studied at the academic level. Each volume contains roughly 50 entries, chosen by an advisory board of historians and academics. Entries begin with a brief overview summarizing the controversy. This introduction is followed by two or more signed, point-counterpoint essays of 1, 500 to 2, 000 words each. Features include excerpts from primary source documents to illuminate the viewpoints presented with each entry; photographs and drawings of individuals, sites, objects or documents pertinent to the event or topic; and a chronological list of events. Volumes include a cumulative subject index.

Look for coverage of:

• World War II
• Civil and human rights
• The Cold War

This is the first volume of what should be a winning new series from St. James Press, a venerable publisher of library reference titles. Despite what some may think, historians often disagree vigorously among themselves over interpretations of even the most seemingly noncontroversial historical events. And one would be hard pressed to find an area of greater contention among scholars than the Cold War. Frankel--who has edited an array of other books on international politics, including The Cold War Encyclopedia--has adopted a pro-and-con approach to exploring scholarly interpretations of numerous Cold War events, such as Kennan's containment, detente, flexible response, the Berlin crisis, Vietnam, and nuclear deterrence, to name just a few. The reader gets well-reasoned arguments from both sides of each issue along with references for further reading. Although this volume is a little pricey, libraries who can afford it will get their money's worth. Recommended for most collections.
-Edward Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Almost as soon as WWII ended in 1945, the cold war began. Not only did it dominate international politics for nearly 50 years, but its impact was unprecedented. Never before had the nightly news covered an international conflict with the potential to annihilate whole civilizations. Anyone old enough to remember the fallout drills practiced by school children or the nervous discussions about backyard bomb shelters understands why the cold war was so frightening. It was the first time that people had to face the possibility that governmental policies might actually wipe out the human race.

As scholars continue to study the cold war, their debates are often framed by questions about blame. Did the U.S. give too much to the Soviets at Yalta? Who caused the Berlin crisis? Did the U.S. unnecessarily militarize the conflict with the Soviet Union? Was Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative a viable option?

History in Dispute, Volume 1 takes 40 of the most contentious issues in cold war studies and presents them as a series of scholarly debates. Each debate begins with a question. For example, the "Civil Liberties" chapter begins with the question, "Did anticommunist measures at the onset of the cold war threaten civil liberties and domestic freedoms in the U.S.?" Immediately following are one-sentence "viewpoint" statements of the pro and con sides of this issue. Pro: "Yes, civil liberties and domestic freedoms were threatened because of excessive fears about communist infiltration of the U.S. government." Con: "No, some measures were justified, and the Supreme Court stood guard over civil liberties and domestic freedoms by rejecting the more sweeping measures." Next, the reader is given an unbiased explanation of the issue. These explanations add considerably to the value of this source because they provide the reader with just enough background and detail to make the debate meaningful.

Once readers understand the question and its context, they are presented with two persuasive essays that debate each side of the question under discussion. These well-written essays, each several pages long, are the core of the volume. The "yes" essay in the civil liberties chapter discusses the federal employee loyalty program of 1947, the "red scare," the McCarthy "witch hunt," the "soft on communism" label, and similar topics. The accompanying "no" essay counters with discussion of the U.S. Communist Party, domestic subversion, the Smith Act, the moderating role of the Supreme Court, and related subjects. Virtually all of the essays are enhanced with maps, political cartoons, photos, and a brief bibliography. Additional features include a 10-page chronology, an extensive reference list, and a subject index.

This is an engaging, informative, thought-provoking book, and it is recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Because in format it straddles the line between reference and nonreference titles, some libraries may choose to place it in their circulating collections. A previous volume in the series, World War II, was published in September 1999 but not seen by the Board. Additional volumes will cover a variety of topics, including the Middle Ages, political scandals, and the Soviet Union.