Cold War

Cold War: The Essential Reference Guide aims to introduce readers to the tensions between the USSR and the USA that absolutely dominated international affairs in the second half of the 20th century. A comprehensive overview essay, plus separate essays on the causes and consequences of the conflict, will provide readers with the necessary context to understanding the many facets of this complex era. The guide's expert contributors cover all the influential people and pivotal events of the period, encompassing the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa from political, military, and cultural perspectives. Reference entries offer valuable insight into the leaders and conflicts that defined the Cold War, while other essays promote critical thinking about controversial and significant Cold War topics, including whether Ronald Reagan was responsible for ending the Cold War, the impact of Sputnik on the Cold War, and the significance of the Prague Spring.

James R. Arnold is a military historian and the about the more than 20 books, including Grant Wins the War: Decision at Vicksburg and Jungle of Snakes: A Century of Counterinsurgency Warfare from the Philippines to Iraq. His most recent book, The Moro War: How America Battled a Muslim Insurgency in the Philippine Jungle, 1902-1913, was published in 2011. Roberta Wiener is managing editor of the Journal of Military History and a contributor to several ABC-CLIO encyclopedias, including The Encyclopedia of North American Colonial Conflicts to 1775: A Political, Social, and Military History.