Understanding the Cold War: History, Approaches and Debates

This book provides an advanced introduction to the Cold War, assessing its origins, development and conclusion as a dynamic interaction between superpower confrontation and complex regional and local situations.  The evolution of the subject’s scholarly debate is discussed throughout and the contest situated alongside enduring historical themes including decolonisation, development, nationalism and globalisation.  Regional case studies, on Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, illuminate the Cold War’s global reach.  Thematic analysis considers competition in military, strategic and economic spheres, as well as in aspects of culture, ideology, society, and Human Rights. The Cold War’s transnational elements and facets of international cooperation are also highlighted.  The book unpacks the subject’s extensive scholarly discourse, underlining the interdisciplinary character of today’s Cold War historiography and the importance of understanding that its development has been informed by a vibrant interface between international history, international relations and the Cold War itself. 

Elspeth O’Riordan is a Visiting Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, in the UK. She studied at the London School of Economics and has held lectureships at the Universities of St Andrews and Dundee in Scotland. Her research focuses on twentieth-century British and international history.  She has published widely on British foreign policy in the interwar and post-war periods, including the book, Britain and the Ruhr Crisis (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001).