America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945 - 1996

by Walter Lafeber

Release Date: 27 September, 2001

Edition: Paperback

Price:

More Info

An excellent survey of superpower relations

LaFeber's book certainly deserves its place in the canon of Cold War scholarship. The writing is concise, accessible, and witty, while the scholarship is excellent. This book will be invaluable to anyone looking for an introduction to superpower relations in the Cold War era.

I must admit I am surprised to find LaFeber's work attacked from the "left" by the esteemed reviewer from Edgewood, Washington. After all, LaFeber has received criticism almost exclusively from the right. It is true, as the reviewer points out, that the book does not deal extensively with the Third World aspects of the Cold War. That is because the title of the book is not "The Complete History of the Cold War," but rather "America, Russia, and the Cold War."

The reviewer from Washington's heart is certainly in the right place. I agree that the Cold War was often experienced as a "Hot War" by the Southern Hemisphere. But LaFeber's book explicitly examines the United States and the Soviet Union during this era. The Third World civil wars and insurgencies of this period were seldom directly related to U.S.-Russian relations. The reviewer's examples of Vietnam and Nicaragua are good ones, but they are misplaced. He is aiming his barbs at the wrong historian. True, Noam Chomsky has led the effort to recognize Third World suffering in the Cold War era. But so has Walter LaFeber. I refer you especially to Inevitable Revolutions.

I applaud the reviewer's conviction. I only wish he would direct his criticisms at more legitimate targets, such as John Lewis Gaddis and Tony Smith.

The Profound Middle Ground

Many people, and historians, either rank this book as communistic sewer filth or as the proverbial bible of the Cold War. This diversity in opinions comes from a disparity in the points of view of the various readers. Everyone needs to take a step back and look at this particular book for what it is. At its core this book is a very useful source of information and a concise analysis of the topic. Some criticism of the book focuses on the so-called "skewed sense of values" that Lafeber applies to international conflicts in his work. But despite any criticism, the book flows logically and it much more resembles a novel than a dictionary in terms of readability. My advice is read this book to get a firm understanding of the events that occured; a great threshold for the rest of your studies. Just keep in mind that there is another side to the issues it deals with before you really make any opinions.