Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N. Stearns
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War

This introductory chapter discusses societies that have deliberately undertaken a program of demilitarization, with deep consequences in public and political culture as well as statecraft. The developments have occurred in decades dominated by the arms races of the Cold War and the assumption of most governments that the logics of success and security called for more weapons. Exploring the history of explicit demilitarization raises two related issues, both of which provide context for future studies. First, demilitarization as a term can be validly applied to a number of patterns of change—there is no heroic single definition. Second, while contemporary demilitarization has some distinctive features, it links with and builds on earlier historical precedents of several types.

Closing Pandora's Box: Arms Races, Arms Control and the History of the Cold War

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Gregory F. Treverton ◽  
Patrick Glynn
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Arms Control ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War

scholarly journals The Caribbean Crisis in the Memory Politics of the USSR (Russia) and the United States: Comparative Characteristics

2020 ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
V.E. Dergacheva ◽  
Yu.G. Chernyshov
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Memory Politics ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
Museum Exhibitions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Cold War

This paper discusses and compares two national versions of memory politics (Soviet/Russian and American versions) in the context of the Caribbean crisis, one of the most resonant events of the Cold war. The paper describes how each country interprets the Caribbean crisis in the context of the changes that took place in the international arena and in domestic political life. The main methods of memory politics implementation that are typical for each of the parties to the conflict are analyzed. An attempt is made to identify common approaches to memory politics implementation and distinctive features specific to each of the parties. The authors pay special attention to the coverage of the Caribbean crisis in schoolbook, in declassified archival documents, in museum exhibitions and memorials dedicated to the history of geopolitical and ideological confrontation between the two superpowers. The paper describes the areas where the policy in question is most often applied. The issue of how the memory politics was related to the evolution of the identities of the two states during the Cold war and after its end is also touched upon.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sara Lorenzini
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Development Institutions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Global Project

This introductory chapter provides an overview of how development became a Cold War global project from the late 1940s until the late 1980s. Narrating the political, intellectual, and economic history of the twentieth century through the lens of development means dealing with ideas as much as with material transformation, recounting the ways ideas and projects affected local realities, transnational interactions, and, eventually, notions of development. In describing this trajectory, the book makes three main points. First, it argues that the Cold War was fundamental in shaping the global aspirations and ideologies of development and modeling the institutional structures that still rule foreign aid today. Second, it contends that the role of the state was crucial, and that though development projects were articulated in global terms, as narratives to frame problems and provide solutions, they actually served national purposes. Third, it argues that development institutions tried to create a universal and homogeneous concept of development but ultimately failed.

Global Development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Lorenzini
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Berlin Wall ◽  
History Of Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War

In the Cold War, “development” was a catchphrase that came to signify progress, modernity, and economic growth. Development aid was closely aligned with the security concerns of the great powers, for whom infrastructure and development projects were ideological tools for conquering hearts and minds around the globe, from Europe and Africa to Asia and Latin America. This book provides a global history of development, drawing on a wealth of archival evidence to offer a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a Cold War phenomenon that transformed the modern world. Taking readers from the aftermath of the Second World War to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the book shows how development projects altered local realities, transnational interactions, and even ideas about development itself. The book shines new light on the international organizations behind these projects—examining their strategies and priorities and assessing the actual results on the ground—and it also gives voice to the recipients of development aid. It shows how the Cold War shaped the global ambitions of development on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and how international organizations promoted an unrealistically harmonious vision of development that did not reflect local and international differences. The book presents a global perspective on Cold War development, demonstrating how its impacts are still being felt today.

Louis Menand: The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America. 2001. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 546 pp.

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-204
Author(s):  
Lance Kenney
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cold War ◽  
William James ◽  
The United States ◽  
History Of Ideas ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
Oliver Wendell Holmes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Charles Peirce ◽  
The Cold War

Louis Menand’s The Metaphysical Club, daunting in its choice of subject matter, closely aligns itself with the ancient sense of the word ‘history’ as a fluid, almost epic narrative. The Metaphysical Club of the title was a conversation group that met in Cambridge for a few months in 1872. Its membership roster listed some of the greatest intellectuals of the day: Charles Peirce, William James, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Chauncey Wright, amongst others. There is no record of the Club’s discussions or debates—in fact, the only direct reference to the Club is made by Peirce in a letter written thirty-five years later. Menand utilizes the Club as a jumping-off point for a sweeping analysis of the beliefs of the day. The subtitle of the book belies its true mission: ‘a story of ideas in America.’ Menand discusses the intellectual and social conditions that helped shape these men by the time they were members of the Club. He then shows the philosophical, political, and cultural impact that these men went on to have. In doing so, Menand traces a history of ideas in the United States from immediately prior to the Civil War to the beginning of the Cold War.

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