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Carregando... The Specter of Communism: The United States and the Origins of the Cold War, 1917-1953 (1994)de Melvyn P. Leffler
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Pertence à sérieA Critical Issue (1994)
The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics. The Specter of Communism is a concise history of the origins of the Cold War and the evolution of U.S.-Soviet relations, from the Bolshevik revolution to the death of Stalin. Using not only American documents but also those from newly opened archives in Russia, China, and Eastern Europe, Leffler shows how the ideological animosity that existed from Lenin's seizure of power onward turned into dangerous confrontation. By focusing on American political culture and American anxieties about the Soviet political and economic threat, Leffler suggests new ways of understanding the global struggle staged by the two great powers of the postwar era. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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Google Books — Carregando... GênerosClassificação decimal de Dewey (CDD)327.73Social sciences Political Science International Relations North America United StatesClassificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos E.U.A. (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia:
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Leffler writes of the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, “Safeguarding his periphery was critical to Stalin. Peace was desirable in the short run, because his country had been devastated; but war was likely in the long run, so the Soviet Union needed to be prepared for every eventuality” (pg. 39). On the American side, “If victory over the Axis was to usher in a period of peace and stability, Roosevelt believed, Soviet-American amity would need to be a component of that postwar order” (pg. 45) Domestically, “religious ultraconservatives often joined with right-wing extremists and racial segregationists. They equated the struggle against Communism with the eternal battle between Satan and Christ and with the quest to preserve a white-dominated regime in the South” (pg. 60). To this end, “Gradually, between 1947 and 1950, the United States took on the role of hegemon in the international system and in so doing accepted responsibility for revitalizing the international economy, thwarting the spread of Communism, and guaranteeing the security of its partners” (pg. 65). Leffler continues, “A Cold War consensus formed. Truman was willing to fight domestic subversives, as the Republicans demanded, in return for their support of his foreign policy” (pg. 78).
Leffler concludes, “Politicians like Richard M. Nixon initially found anti-Communism an irresistible tool to clobber political foes, win votes, discredit the New Deal, and attack the executive branch. Over time, anti-Communism took on a life of its own. Many Americans found that it helped them make sense of a complex world, a world they knew little about. Its appeal stemmed from the fact that it resonated with their fears or served their interests” (pg. 119). Further, “As the United States became more involved in waging the Cold War and fighting the Korean War, statism, repression, and executive authority appeared to be on the rise rather than free markets and free discourse” (pg. 127).
The Specter of Communism is a useful primer on the early Cold War for both academics and non-academics alike. ( )