The Cold War

Ralph B. Levering is professor of history at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. He also taught at George Mason University, Western Maryland College, and Earlham College. He received his advanced degrees from Princeton University. He is the author or co-author of eight books, including American Opinion and the Russian Alliance, 1939-1945 (1976); The Public and American Foreign Policy, 1918-1978 (1978); The Kennedy Crisis: The Press, the Presidency, and Foreign Policy (1983); Citizen Action for Global Change: The Neptune Group and Law of the Sea (1999); and Debating the Origins of The Cold War (2002 ). He also has been elected to the governing councils of the Peace History Society and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and has served as a teaching consultant for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools. A teacher first and foremost, he has taught twenty different courses covering U.S. history from colonial times to present, with emphasis on U.S. foreign policy and twentieth-century America. Because of his love for teaching, he is most proud of being voted "best teacher" by members of the senior class at Western Maryland College.

Foreword / VII Preface / XI Prologue: Uneasy Allies, 1941-1945 / 1 Chapter One: Downward Spiral During the Truman-Stalin Years, 1945-1953 / 14 The Cold War Begins, 1945-1946 / 14 Containment and Countercontainment, 1947-1949 / 25 The Most Dangerous Phase, 1950-1952 / 33 Conclusion / 45 Chapter Two: The Institutionalized Cold War, 1953-1962 / 47 The Cold War at Home / 50 A Modest Improvement in East-West Relations, 1953-1955 / 57 The Second Dangerous Phase, 1956-1962 / 65 Conclusion / 88 Chapter Three: The Shift Toward Relative Detente, 1963-1972 / 91 An Improved Atmosphere in 1963 / 93 Vietnam at Center Stage, 1964-1968 / 98 Toward a New Balance of Power, 1969-1972 / 109 Conclusion / 124 Chapter Four: The Roller-Coaster Years, 1973-1984 / 126 Detente Bogs Down, 1973-1976 / 128 Carter Rides the Roller Coaster, 1977-1979 / 144 The Third Dangerous Phase, 1980-1984 / 153 Conclusion / 170 Epilogue: The Cold War Ends, 1985-1991 / 172 Bibliographical Essay / 181 Index / 199 Photo Essay: The Cold War at Midpassage, 1957-1973 / follows page 90 Maps / 41, 69, 101, 148, 167