International Cold War History Research

Author: Li Danhui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The Cold War was a non-violent competition between the two major powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the groups and systems they represented. It was a competition between two opposing political and economic systems and ideologies. Each side questioned the legitimacy of the other's system in fundamental ways and, as a result, viewed the other as an irreconcilable enemy, determined to eliminate it. — Professor Melvyn Leffler of the Department of History at the University of Virginia The foundation of the United States' collective security policy in the Asia-Pacific is "containment," while the foundation of the United Kingdom's collective security policy in the Asia-Pacific is "imperial consciousness" and "Cold War consciousness." Exploring the relationship between the formation of the U.S. Asia-Pacific security system and the United Kingdom will help us move beyond the Cold War historiography centered on the United States and the Soviet Union, revealing the complexity of the origins of the Cold War in Asia. — Professor Cui Pi of the Department of History at Jinan University Cold War studies have been conducted both domestically and internationally for many years, yielding abundant results. However, it is the first time that Chinese scholars have published a specialized journal on this topic. The book primarily consists of three parts: research papers, archival publications, and book reviews. In addition to focusing on international Cold War history, the research papers also emphasize studies on China's diplomacy, politics, military, and economy during the Cold War, examining the impact of the international Cold War on China's internal affairs and foreign policy. It is particularly worth mentioning that the archival documents in this book are rich and diverse. They include Soviet declassified archives on how the secret report of Khrushchev came about, as well as Polish declassified archives related to the October 1956 Polish crisis and China's relationship with Poland. The publication of these archives provides important primary sources for scholars both domestically and internationally.