Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
At defining the framework for a history of East-West relations between 1945 and 1991, mainstream historiography has habitually been resorting to "the Cold War", often reducing it to the confrontation between two superpowers. This book challenges the pertinence of the Cold War concept and substitutes the framework of a "long d tente" - energetically rehabilitated - for the years from 1953 to 1991. The authors of the essays - an impressive group of young European historians of diverse backgrounds and perspectives - take the Old Continent as the heart of the analysis, making it not a passive instrument in the hands of the two superpowers, but rather a fully-fledged actor in East-West relations. Studying d tente in its many facets (strategic, geopolitical, economic and social), the authors of the essays in the volume also refine the chronology and stress the interaction between foreign policies and domestic priorities, with implications for contemporary diplomacy as well.
Synopsis
This book presents pieces of evidence, which - taken together - lead to an argument that goes against the grain of the established Cold War narrative. The argument is that a "long d tente" existed between East and West from the 1950s to the 1980s, that it existed and lasted for good (economic, national security, societal) reasons, and that it had a profound impact on the outcome of the conflict between East and West and the quintessentially peaceful framework in which this "endgame" was played.New, Euro-centered narratives are offered, including both West and East European perspectives. These contributions point to critical inconsistencies and inherent problems in the traditional U.S. dominated narrative of the "Victory in the Cold War." The argument of a "long d tente" does not need to replace the ruling American narrative. Rather, it can and needs to be augmented with European experiences and perceptions. After all, it was Europe - its peoples, societies, and states - that stood both at the ideological and military frontline of the conflict between East and West, and it was here that the struggle between liberalism and communism was eventually decided.