The Cold War and Soviet Insecurity The Stalin Years [Paperback]

In this long-awaited sequel to his acclaimedRussia's Road to the Cold War(1979), Vojtech Mastny offers a thorough history of the early years of the Cold War, drawing upon his extensive research in newly opened Soviet archives. Just as the earlier volume offered the definitive portrait of Joseph Stalin's foreign policy during World War II,The Cold War and Soviet Insecurityaffords readers an equally superb account of Stalin's foreign policy during his last years. Combining important new data with the fascinating insights of one of our leading authorities on Soviet affairs, this book illuminates a crucial period in recent world history.

A major achievement.... --Foreign Service Journal

A masterful account of Soviet policy during the Cold War....Offering new and fascinating insights on the Tito-Stalin conflict, the Stalin-Mao polarization, the Korean War, and other crises in US-Soviet relations between 1945 and 1953, Mastny's study is a major contribution to Cold War historiography. --CHOICE

[This book offers] a peerless account of [Stalin's] blunders in foreign affairs....Mastny presents the most informative and richly documented account we have of Stalin's dealings with Mao Zedong, Kim Il Sung, Josip Broz (Tito), and lesser Communist leaders, based on communications drawn from previously inaccessible archives. --American Historical Review

A weighty contribution to the newest literature on the early Cold War. Essential reading for specialists as well as for students struggling to understand the behavior of authoritarian states.... --Slavic Review

[T]his work incorporates the most recent information from Russian and East European archives, and presents valuable perspectives on the early Cold War. --The Journal of Slavic Military Studies

Vojtech Mastnyhas taught history and international relations at Columbia University, the Unlc¶