The Cold War and After: Capitalism, Revolution and Superpower Politics

The Cold War is often presented as a power struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. Richard Saull challenges this assumption. He broadens our understanding of the defining political conflict of the twentieth century by stressing the social and ideological differences between the superpowers and how these differences conditioned their international behavior.



Saull argues that U.S.-Soviet antagonism was part of a wider conflict between capitalism and communism involving states and social forces other than the superpowers. The United States was committed to containing revolutionary movements that emerged out of uneven capitalist development. Saull not only provides a richer international history of the Cold War than has been offered by mainstream approaches, but he also explains why revolutionary domestic transformations caused international crises. Tracing the origins of resistance to American power, Saull's book provides an ideal alternative perspective on the Cold War and its end.



"Saull provides us with major new insights into the turbulent history of the twentieth century. A must read for those looking for another way of thinking about our dark times."
---Michael Cox, Director of the Cold War Studies Centre, London School of Economics



"An indispensable book."
---Marilyn Young, Department of History, New York University



"Sophisticated and illuminating. The book exposes the thin superficiality of mainstream efforts to explain the dynamics of the Cold War. Saull's fascinating book will be indispensable not only for students of Cold War history but for students of international relations."