For half of the twentieth century; the Cold War gripped the world. International relations everywhere--and domestic policy in scores of nations--pivoted around this central point; the American-Soviet rivalry. Even today; much of the world's diplomacy grapples with chaos created by the Cold War's sudden disappearance. Here indeed is a subject that defies easy understanding. Now comes a definitive account; a startlingly fresh; clear eyed; comprehensive history of our century's longest struggle. In The Cold War; Ronald E. Powaski offers a new perspective on the great rivalry; even as he provides a coherent; concise narrative. He wastes no time in challenging the reader to think of the Cold War in new ways; arguing that the roots of the conflict are centuries old; going back to Czarist Russia and to the very infancy of the American nation. He shows that both Russia and America were expansionist nations with messianic complexes; and the people of both nations believed they possessed a unique mission in history. Except for a brief interval in 1917; Americans perceived the Russian government (whether Czarist or Bolshevik) as despotic; Russians saw the United States as conspiring to prevent it from reaching its place in the sun. U.S. military intervention in Russia's civil war; with the aim of overthrowing Lenin's upstart regime; entrenched Moscow's fears. Soviet American relations; difficult before World War II--when both nations were relatively weak militarily and isolated from world affairs--escalated dramatically after both nations emerged as the world's major military powers. Powaski paints a portrait of the spiraling tensions with stark clarity; as each new development added to the rivalry: the Marshall Plan; the communist coup in Czechoslovakia; the Berlin blockade; the formation of NATO; the first Soviet nuclear test. In this atmosphere; Truman found it easy to believe that the Communist victory in China and the Korean War were products of Soviet expansionism. He and his successors extended their own web of mutual defense treaties; covert actions; and military interventions across the globe--from the Caribbean to the Middle East and; finally to Southeast Asia; where containment famously foundered in the bog of Vietnam. Powaski skillfully highlights the domestic politics; diplomatic maneuvers; and even psychological factors as he untangles the knot that bound the two superpowers together in conflict. From the nuclear arms race; to the impact of U.S. recognition of China on detente; to Brezhnev's inflexible persistence in competing with America everywhere; he casts new light on familiar topics. Always judicious in his assessments; Powaski gives due credit to Reagan and especially Bush in facilitating the Soviet collapse; but also notes that internal economic failure; not outside pressure; proved decisive in the Communist failure. Perhaps most important; he offers a clear eyed assessment of the lasting distortions the struggle wrought upon American institutions; raising questions about whether anyone really won the Cold War. With clarity; fairness; and insight; he offers the definitive account of our century's longest international rivalry.
#658259 in Books Thomas P Slaughter 1988-01-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.38 x .61 x 8.06l; .85 #File Name: 0195051912300 pagesThe Whiskey Rebellion Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book on a fascinating topic; very fresh; insightful writingBy Howard Schulman"The Whiskey Rebellion" by Thomas Slaughter is an excellent book about a truly seminal event in early US history otherwise not well explained in numerous other books I have read covering the same time period. Chernow's book on Alexander Hamilton and Peterson's book on Thomas Jefferson; both absolutely first rate gold standard books; have barely a single page each on the topic.The United State had just come together under a new Constitution. The Federal government had just assumed huge wartime debts of the states; and in order to pay these debts; the government enacted an excise tax on whiskey; which the entire western section of the country refused to pay. It wasn't just western Pennsylvania; as Slaughter points out; it was the entire rural western US at the time. Slaughter points out and explains how the tax wasn't fair to the westerners and how the struggle over the tax; more than anything else; caused a division in government leading to the formation of the Federalist and Republican political parties....Big stuff!The book itself started out as Slaughter's PhD thesis at Princeton (my alma mater; too!) and was condensed (!) into this book. The book reads on the slower side; but I had a hard time putting it down because it contained so much fascinating insight. Slaughter does a great job of using primary source quotes to show the westerner's perspective; thankfully picking out the most juicy quotes and facts instead of asking the reader to wade through paragraphs of antiquated language.Slaughter also shows that by time Hamilton convinced Washington to send in the troops; the "Rebellion" was a lot more civil than many in the East had been lead to believe. In fact; future Secretary of the US Treasury (for Thomas Jefferson) Albert Gallatin was one of the leaders of the rebellion.In summary; this is a very fine book that covers a critical period in US history from a refreshingly different perspective. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in early US history; though I would also be reluctant to recommend it to those just beginning to read on this topic. I would also highly recommend the book on Shays's (spelling is correct; three "s"'s) Rebellion by Leonard Richards.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The Whiskey RebellionBy Eric B. MeyersI was curious about this little known event and thought that the book would be a good primer. To my pleasure the book is in great depth; well annotated; and from what crosschecking I have done quite accurate. This offers a picture window sized view of both the events and culture in the late 18th C particularly at the western edge of the new United States. The author offers insight into the the motives and thinking of both the "more primative frontier settlers" and their sophisticated Eastern countrymen. The politics of access to the Mississippi River; the Indian conflicts; the advent of the C O canal and the sense that the west felt poorly represented in Philadelphia are all well addressed. The politics and history offered here are very relevant today; and serve as a primer on taxation and representation. This should be included in any early American history course particularly at the High school level. This is not a quick read; but is very well worth an arm chair and several cups of tea.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Let's tar and feather the tax man.By DanielThis book encompasses two of my most favorite activities. Consuming generous amounts distilled spirits and getting rowdy doing so. Slaughter takes a historical perspective though. When our country was young and unsure of itself. It pits two apposing teams. One from the West with its frontier; loving liberty; freedom and cheap whiskey all tax free. The other from the East more concerned with law and order; insuring privilege ready to make an example out of the rabble. You can guess who wins.
