{"product_id":"the-world-of-the-cold-war-1945-1991-9780141985107","title":"The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA sweeping, original history of the Cold War, from an acclaimed historian of the USSR - finalist for the Orwell Prize  Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union?  In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war Europe, through the tumultuous decades of confrontation, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond.  With remarkable clarity, Zubok argues that the Cold War, often seen as an existential battle between capitalist democracy and totalitarian Communism, has long been misunderstood. Challenging the popular Western narrative that economic superiority and democratic values led the USA to victory, Zubok looks beyond the familiar images of East-West rivalry towards the wider context of global decolonisation, Soviet weakness and the accidents of history. Here, he interrogates what happens when stability and peace are no longer the default, when treaties are broken and when diplomacy ceases to function.  Drawing on years of research and informed by Zubok's three decades in the USSR followed by three decades in the West, The World of the Cold War paints a striking portrait of a world on the brink.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9780141985107\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 544\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 04 Aug 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Penguin Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 18(H)x10.9(L)x2.5(W)304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 304\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eVladislav Zubok is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of several books, including Collapse and A Failed Empire, and is the recipient of the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Marshall Shulman Prize, as well as a finalist for the Cundill Prize.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eWhy are there so few gripping histories of the Cold War? Many standard accounts are sensationally boring. This book is much better: brisk, spiky and unafraid to make provocative judgements... Zubok makes you think -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eThorough and timely... Drawing on years of research, and informed by three decades in the USSR followed by three decades in the West, Zubok paints a striking new portrait of a world on the brink * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eCompelling and timely * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eMonumental and still highly readable... by smartly knitting together the past with the present, Zubok’s book brings a prescient and fresh perspective * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eShort, readable... Zubok’s new narrative is a welcome corrective to Gaddis’ triumphalist, US-centred history... A helpful primer for those seeking to understand the past that made our present * History Today *\u003cbr\u003eImmensely scholarly, and its sweep is considerable... Zubok has complete command of his narrative, based on a deep knowledge of his subject * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eAlways sensible... Makes comprehensible a Russian perspective on a key question of 20th-century history that we generally see only from the American side -- Sheila Fitzpatrick * London Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eA masterful study, which should be read by everyone interested in contemporary international history -- Odd Arne Westad\u003cbr\u003eThis provocative, comprehensive, and insightful analysis not only incorporates the latest scholarship but is also remarkably lucid and accessible. Students will be enlightened; experts will be challenged to reassess their thinking. This volume is a major contribution -- Melvyn P. Leffler\u003cbr\u003eVladislav Zubok’s accomplishments eminently qualify him to write this epic and exciting reconsideration of Cold War history. Along with new information from Soviet archives is a compelling interpretation of how capitalism itself, not just geopolitics, was changed by the Cold War - with consequential ramifications for our time -- Samuel Moyn","brand":"Vladislav Zubok","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49077110178009,"sku":"9780141985107","price":26.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9780141985107.jpg?v=1786457174","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/the-world-of-the-cold-war-1945-1991-9780141985107","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}