The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War: Waging Political Warfare, 1945–1950

Author:   Kaeten Mistry (University of East Anglia)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
ISBN:  

9781107035089


Pages:   308
Publication Date:   15 May 2014
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Our Price $245.79 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War: Waging Political Warfare, 1945–1950


Add your own review!

Overview

This international history of the origins and nature of 'cold war' offers the first systematic examination of the complex relationship between the United States and Italy, and of American debates about warfare in the years between World War II and the Korean War. Kaeten Mistry reveals how the defeat of the Marxist left in the 1948 Italian election was perceived as a victory for the United States amidst a 'war short of war', as defined by influential planner George Kennan, becoming an allegory for cold war in American minds. The book analyses how political warfare sought to employ covert operations, overt tactics and propaganda in a co-ordinated offensive against international communism. Charting the critical contribution of a broad network of local, religious, civic, labour, and business groups, Mistry reveals how the notion of a specific American success paved the way for a problematic future for US-Italian relations and American political warfare.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kaeten Mistry (University of East Anglia)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 14.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.580kg
ISBN:  

9781107035089


ISBN 10:   1107035082
Pages:   308
Publication Date:   15 May 2014
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Uncertain bonds (1945–6); 2. Catalysts of convergence (1946–7); 3. Italy in American visions (1947); 4. The consolidation of DC-centrists (1947); 5. Means short of war (1946–8); 6. The 1948 election campaign; 7. Rocky relationships (1948–50); 8. Organising political warfare (1948–50); Conclusion; Bibliography.

Reviews

A highly sophisticated analysis of American policies towards Italy at the start of the Cold War. By concentrating on US capabilities of political warfare, Mistry sets the stage for a half-century of American political interventions abroad. Arne Westad, London School of Economics and Political Science


'An indispensable guide to the crucial Italian episode in early Cold War history and America's first experiment in peacetime political warfare.' David Ellwood, Johns Hopkins University 'Kaeten Mistry has managed two important feats in this book. He has carefully examined the bundle of diplomatic, economic, strategic, and political problems that beset Italian-US relations during the early Cold War and ably traced Washington's evolving European policy in the late 1940s centered on measures short of outright warfare. His thoughtful treatment of this vital subject will repay close attention by specialist scholars and general readers alike.' David Mayers, Boston University 'Kaeten Mistry offers a new and innovative interpretation of US intervention in early Cold War Italy. He highlights the ambitions, successes and contradictions of US policies in Italy and the lasting impact they had on Washington's Cold War strategy.' Mario Del Pero, SciencesPo, Paris 'A skilful investigation of the intricacies of political warfare at a crucial moment in the making of the early Cold War (and of trans-Atlantic relations), Mistry's book explores the composite set of actors and interactions that made the 'West', and unveils the intellectual fallacies and self-serving myths that would later sustain US interventions abroad.' Federico Romero, European University Institute, Florence 'A highly sophisticated analysis of American policies towards Italy at the start of the Cold War. By concentrating on US capabilities of political warfare, Mistry sets the stage for a half-century of American political interventions abroad.' Arne Westad, London School of Economics and Political Science 'Mistry is especially adept at analyzing how key American policymakers, such as George Kennan, Allen Dulles, and Harry Truman, sorted and carried out their plans. Readers will certainly be interested to know more about what happened after the 1948 election in Italy and Mistry has opened this question for other scholars. His bibliography is rich and of tremendous use to anyone researching the Cold War or the immediate postwar period in Italy. Mistry has incorporated an impressive number of archival documents from both Italian and American sources ... a solid and very detailed study of US political warfare in the early Cold War that also offers a clear and effective account of the reaction of a small, yet critical, country and its related non-state actors.' Wendy Pojmann, H-Diplo 'In The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War: Waging Political Warfare, 1945-1950, Kaeten Mistry sets out to complicate the writing of American diplomatic history, challenging the simplistic notion that foreign policy emanates entirely from the upper echelons of the government ... this is a fine book both in its detailed explication of the conduct of America's political warfare in postwar Italy and, perhaps more importantly, in its entirely convincing challenge to traditional assumptions of top-down policymaking.' Andy Buchanan, H-Socialisms 'The 1948 Italian election has been a powerful founding myth for covert operatives throughout the Cold War ... The myth is evocative and influential but also partial and misleading. Kaeten Mistry does well to set the record straight and he deserves to be widely read.' Journal of Intelligence History '... [a] thoughtful and tightly argued book ... Impressively researched and informed by a deep understanding of Italian, United States, and intelligence history ...' Richard Immerman, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Kaeten Mistry knows how to see the big picture ... [The] interdisciplinary approach complements the author's remarkable mastery of the historiography on US-Italian relations ... offer[s] a conclusion about US politics of stabilization in Italy that stands out for its nuance ... I find Mistry's rendition of Kennan's role (and subsequent disappointments) in defining political warfare masterful.' Alessandro Brogi, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Well written and driven by a compelling argument ... A much-needed comprehensive work on US-Italian relations ... succeeds in bridging the gap between the literature on US-Italian relations and the history of early Cold War policy-making.' Sara Lorenzini, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Kaeten Mistry offers a sophisticated and informative telling of the 1948 election saga and the US role based on an impressive command of archival resources and secondary literature ... Mistry's telling American involvement in Italy's 1948 vote should be the standard work of scholarly reference. He deserves a lot of credit for his research, his careful reconstruction, and his sophisticated judgements ... The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War is a welcome addition to the literature.' James Edward Miller, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Kaeten Mistry, in [this] book, has adopted an original approach, thus providing a significant contribution in a broad perspective of international history.' Guido Formigoni, H-Diplo Roundtable Review '... stimulating and valuable ...' John L. Harper, H-Diplo Roundtable Review


'A highly sophisticated analysis of American policies towards Italy at the start of the Cold War. By concentrating on US capabilities of political warfare, Mistry sets the stage for a half-century of American political interventions abroad.' Arne Westad, Harvard University, Massachusetts 'An indispensable guide to the crucial Italian episode in early Cold War history and America's first experiment in peacetime political warfare.' David Ellwood, The Johns Hopkins University 'Kaeten Mistry has managed two important feats in this book. He has carefully examined the bundle of diplomatic, economic, strategic, and political problems that beset Italian-US relations during the early Cold War and ably traced Washington's evolving European policy in the late 1940s centered on measures short of outright warfare. His thoughtful treatment of this vital subject will repay close attention by specialist scholars and general readers alike.' David Mayers, Boston University 'Kaeten Mistry offers a new and innovative interpretation of US intervention in early Cold War Italy. He highlights the ambitions, successes and contradictions of US policies in Italy and the lasting impact they had on Washington's Cold War strategy.' Mario Del Pero, SciencesPo, Paris 'A skilful investigation of the intricacies of political warfare at a crucial moment in the making of the early Cold War (and of trans-Atlantic relations), Mistry's book explores the composite set of actors and interactions that made the 'West', and unveils the intellectual fallacies and self-serving myths that would later sustain US interventions abroad.' Federico Romero, European University Institute, Florence 'Mistry has incorporated an impressive number of archival documents from both Italian and American sources ... His bibliography is rich and of tremendous use to anyone researching the Cold War or the immediate postwar period in Italy ... a solid and very detailed study of US political warfare in the early Cold War that also offers a clear and effective account of the reaction of a small, yet critical, country and its related non-state actors.' Wendy Pojmann, H-Diplo 'In The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War, Kaeten Mistry sets out to complicate the writing of American diplomatic history, challenging the simplistic notion that foreign policy emanates entirely from the upper echelons of the government ... this is a fine book both in its detailed explication of the conduct of America's political warfare in postwar Italy and, perhaps more importantly, in its entirely convincing challenge to traditional assumptions of top-down policymaking.' Andy Buchanan, H-Socialisms '... [a] thoughtful and tightly argued book ... Impressively researched and informed by a deep understanding of Italian, United States, and intelligence history.' Richard Immerman, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Kaeten Mistry knows how to see the big picture ... [The] interdisciplinary approach complements the author's remarkable mastery of the historiography on US-Italian relations ... offer[s] a conclusion about US politics of stabilization in Italy that stands out for its nuance ... I find Mistry's rendition of Kennan's role (and subsequent disappointments) in defining political warfare masterful.' Alessandro Brogi, H-Diplo Roundtable Review 'Kaeten Mistry offers a sophisticated and informative telling of the 1948 election saga and the US role based on an impressive command of archival resources and secondary literature ... Mistry's telling American involvement in Italy's 1948 vote should be the standard work of scholarly reference. He deserves a lot of credit for his research, his careful reconstruction, and his sophisticated judgements ... The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War is a welcome addition to the literature.' James Edward Miller, H-Diplo Roundtable Review '... stimulating and valuable ...' John L. Harper, H-Diplo Roundtable Review '... for understanding the rapidly evolving strategic vision of postwar American planners, including the revolutionary commitment of policymakers to a new global US posture, and for deep understanding of one part of the American imperial repertoire, Mistry has produced a very fine book.' Journal of American Studies '... the book is impressive, engaging with wider historiographical debates and keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Extensively researched, it points to the origins of political warfare and in so doing draws out the wider significance of Italy in the early Cold War. Indeed, the subtitle is crucial here - the book deserves an audience far beyond specialists in US-Italian relations.' Diplomacy and Statecraft 'Mistry's fine book is thought-provoking ... ably researched and argued.' Roy Domenico, Journal of Cold War Studies '... an in-depth, comprehensive, and sophisticated look at one of the crucial chapters of the early Cold War as well as of the history of post-World War II Italy ... Mistry's work is based on an impressive command of the classic interpretations and new directions in the study of US foreign relations, as well as on a remarkable amount of archival work in US and Italian archives. It also benefits from the author's familiarity with Italian history, politics, and public life ... its most significant and original contribution transcends the Italian case and sheds light on how the victory of De Gasperi in the Italian elections of April 1948 led to a widespread, delusional 'perception of success' ... Mistry convincingly shows how Italian events generated 'illusions of coherence' and a mystique of political warfare whose implications were felt in larger, more important contexts.' Marco Mariano, H-Italy A highly sophisticated analysis of American policies towards Italy at the start of the Cold War. By concentrating on US capabilities of political warfare, Mistry sets the stage for a half-century of American political interventions abroad. Arne Westad, Harvard University An indispensable guide to the crucial Italian episode in early Cold War history and America's first experiment in peacetime political warfare. David Ellwood, Johns Hopkins University Kaeten Mistry has managed two important feats in this book. He has carefully examined the bundle of diplomatic, economic, strategic, and political problems that beset Italian-US relations during the early Cold War and ably traced Washington's evolving European policy in the late 1940s centered on measures short of outright warfare. His thoughtful treatment of this vital subject will repay close attention by specialist scholars and general readers alike. David Mayers, Boston University Kaeten Mistry offers a new and innovative interpretation of US intervention in early Cold War Italy. He highlights the ambitions, successes and contradictions of US policies in Italy and the lasting impact they had on Washington's Cold War strategy. Mario Del Pero, SciencesPo, Paris A skilful investigation of the intricacies of political warfare at a crucial moment in the making of the early Cold War (and of trans-Atlantic relations), Mistry's book explores the composite set of actors and interactions that made the 'West', and unveils the intellectual fallacies and self-serving myths that would later sustain US interventions abroad. Federico Romero, European University Institute, Florence Mistry has incorporated an impressive number of archival documents from both Italian and American sources ... His bibliography is rich and of tremendous use to anyone researching the Cold War or the immediate postwar period in Italy ... a solid and very detailed study of US political warfare in the early Cold War that also offers a clear and effective account of the reaction of a small, yet critical, country and its related non-state actors. Wendy Pojmann, H-Diplo In The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War, Kaeten Mistry sets out to complicate the writing of American diplomatic history, challenging the simplistic notion that foreign policy emanates entirely from the upper echelons of the government ... this is a fine book both in its detailed explication of the conduct of America's political warfare in postwar Italy and, perhaps more importantly, in its entirely convincing challenge to traditional assumptions of top-down policymaking. Andy Buchanan, H-Socialisms ... [a] thoughtful and tightly argued book ... Impressively researched and informed by a deep understanding of Italian, United States, and intelligence history. Richard Immerman, H-Diplo Roundtable Review Kaeten Mistry knows how to see the big picture ... [The] interdisciplinary approach complements the author's remarkable mastery of the historiography on US-Italian relations ... offer[s] a conclusion about US politics of stabilization in Italy that stands out for its nuance ... I find Mistry's rendition of Kennan's role (and subsequent disappointments) in defining political warfare masterful. Alessandro Brogi, H-Diplo Roundtable Review Kaeten Mistry offers a sophisticated and informative telling of the 1948 election saga and the US role based on an impressive command of archival resources and secondary literature ... Mistry's telling American involvement in Italy's 1948 vote should be the standard work of scholarly reference. He deserves a lot of credit for his research, his careful reconstruction, and his sophisticated judgements ... The United States, Italy and the Origins of Cold War is a welcome addition to the literature. James Edward Miller, H-Diplo Roundtable Review ... stimulating and valuable ... John L. Harper, H-Diplo Roundtable Review ... for understanding the rapidly evolving strategic vision of postwar American planners, including the revolutionary commitment of policymakers to a new global US posture, and for deep understanding of one part of the American imperial repertoire, Mistry has produced a very fine book. Journal of American Studies ... the book is impressive, engaging with wider historiographical debates and keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Extensively researched, it points to the origins of political warfare and in so doing draws out the wider significance of Italy in the early Cold War. Indeed, the subtitle is crucial here - the book deserves an audience far beyond specialists in US-Italian relations. Diplomacy and Statecraft Mistry's fine book is thought-provoking ... ably researched and argued. Roy Domenico, Journal of Cold War Studies ... an in-depth, comprehensive, and sophisticated look at one of the crucial chapters of the early Cold War as well as of the history of post-World War II Italy ... Mistry's work is based on an impressive command of the classic interpretations and new directions in the study of US foreign relations, as well as on a remarkable amount of archival work in US and Italian archives. It also benefits from the author's familiarity with Italian history, politics, and public life ... its most significant and original contribution transcends the Italian case and sheds light on how the victory of De Gasperi in the Italian elections of April 1948 led to a widespread, delusional 'perception of success' ... Mistry convincingly shows how Italian events generated 'illusions of coherence' and a mystique of political warfare whose implications were felt in larger, more important contexts. Marco Mariano, H-Italy


Author Information

Kaeten Mistry is Lecturer in American History at the University of East Anglia. He specialises in the history of American foreign relations, US-Italian relations, and intelligence.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

MRG2025CC

 

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List