The Atlantic and Its Enemies: A History of the Cold War - Softcover

Stone, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141044632 ISBN 13: 9780141044637

Publisher: Penguin, 2011

Synopsis

The Atlantic and its Enemies is Norman Stone's personal, uncompromising and provocative history of how the West 'won' the Cold War.

For decades after the end of the Second World War, most of the globe either laboured under Communist rule or else was lost in a violent stagnancy that seemed doomed to permanence. For every Atlantic success there seemed to be a dozen Communist or Third World successes, as the USSR and its proxies, whether in Berlin, Cuba, Vietnam or China, crushed dissent and humiliated the United States on both military and cultural grounds.

Then, suddenly, the Atlantic won - economically, ideologically, militarily - with astonishing speed and comprehensiveness.

With wit and brio, Norman Stone's The Atlantic and its Enemies offers a unique perspective on events, from Vietnam to glasnost, and draws on his own experiences - such as his time in a Slovak prison - to show both the tragedy and the absurdity of the struggle that divided the world for over forty years.

'Opinionated, mischievous, enthralling ... an exhilarating read'
   Boyd Tonkin, Independent

'Lively, idiosyncratic, rollicking'
   Geoffrey Wheatcroft, Observer

'Masterly ... the one book that anyone who wants to understand the Cold War must read'
   John Gray, New Statesman

'A swashbuckling survey of the cold war'
   Mark Mazower, Financial Times

'[Stone] has a terrific eye for detail, bringing to life everything from the ruins of Germany to Ronald Reagan's White House with a wonderfully waspish turn of phrase'
   Economist

Norman Stone is one of Britain's most celebrated historians. He is the author of The Eastern Front, 1914-1917, Hitler: An Introduction, Europe Transformed and World War One: A Short History.

About this title

Review:

This book is a brilliant chronicling of the Atlantic's counter-attack and its dsorry prelude - a forthright, brave history, full of wit and humanity, and readable to a degree that will delight all but the green-eyed (Allan Mallinson The Times)

An intellectual autobigoraphy concealed within a major history book ... a powerful alternative to the Left 'liberal' reading of Cold War history, without sounding in the least triumphalist (Michael Burleigh The Spectator)

Stone's eye for the telling detail gives his account of the cold war years an edge of authenticity lacking from more conventional histories ... the one book that anyone who wants to understand the cold war as it developed must read (John Gray New Statesman)

He paints on a broad canvas, showing how the Cold War unfolded ... [he] also delves into less obvious topics for a Cold War book ... Mr. Stone doesn't stop to address the contemporary crisis, but The Atlantic and Its Enemies is an inspiring reminder that the West has risen to meet such challenges before, helped at crucial moments by bold leaders (William Anthony Hay Wall Street Journal)

About the Author:

Norman Stone is one of Britain's most celebrated historians. He is the author of The Eastern Front, 1914-1917, Hitler, Europe Transformed and World War One: A Short History. He has taught at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Bilkent, where he is now Director of the Turkish-Russian Centre.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0141044632
• ISBN 13: 9780141044637
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 720