Overview

Exploring the visions of the end of the Cold War that have been put forth since its inception until its actual ending, this volume brings to the fore the reflections, programmes, and strategies that were intended to call into question the bipolar system and replace it with alternative approaches or concepts. These visions were associated not only with prominent individuals, organized groups and civil societies, but were also connected to specific historical processes or events. They ranged from actual, thoroughly conceived programmes, to more blurred, utopian aspirations - or simply the belief that the Cold War had already, in effect, come to an end. Such visions reveal much about the contexts in which they were developed and shed light on crucial moments and phases of the Cold War.

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9781782383864

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Reviews

The book's value lies in its multinational and archive-based perspective on individuals and groups who offered ideas on how to end the Cold War. Readers thus receive a panoramic view of the conflict. The book also points the way for future research on the visions of other countries, individuals, and institutions not covered here. * H-France As this pioneering [volume] clearly and convincingly highlights, perceptions were important, as they influenced foreign policy objectives, international relations and personal chemistry between leaders, strategies for anti-Communist movements and civil society as well as the memory of the Cold War and historical assessments of its leading figures. That the work is able to achieve this through a daunting format that balances 21 separate entries by distinguished scholars in the fields of history, political science and international relations is itself remarkable. The editors must be applauded for organizing the contributions - into a cohesive, chronologically structured work that traces visions of the Cold War from George Kennan's Course to President Ronald Reagan's American exceptionalism in succinct chapters. * Reviews & Critical Commentary (Council for European Studies) This is an excellent collection of articles on an extremely interesting subject. The multinational and multi-archival nature of the selections is very impressive, and it attests to the health and vitality of international relations research in today's academy. This is the type of book that should be examined by both policymakers and scholars, since it raises so many good and provocative questions about one of the most important events of our time, namely the end of the Cold War. * Thomas A. Schwartz, Vanderbilt University This is an outstanding, well integrated volume that is not only excellent as a history of the Cold War, but focuses on an issue hitherto unexplored in the discussions on the Cold War. [It] is a very good read by some outstanding scholars. * Michael Cox, London School of Economics The editors have brought together an intriguing collection of essays. They explore visions of how the Cold War would end; the twist is that all of these visions were articulated before the actual end. The resulting essays shed light not only on the hopes and nightmares of participants, but also on the nature of the Cold War itself. * Mary Elise Sarotte, University of Southern California

Author Information

Frederic Bozo is Professor of History and International Relations in the Department of European Studies at the Sorbonne (University of Paris III). His publications include Mitterrand, the End of the Cold War, and German Unification (2009) and Two Strategies for Europe: De Gaulle, the United States and the Atlantic Alliance (2001).

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