After Sputnik

America, the World, and Cold War Conflicts

Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book After Sputnik by Alan J. Levine, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alan J. Levine ISBN: 9781351295109
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 12, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Alan J. Levine
ISBN: 9781351295109
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 12, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

On October 4, 1957 in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial earth satellite. For the West, and especially the United States, it was a shattering blow to national morale and pride. It led to a deep-seated fear that the Soviet Union would surpass the United States in both technology and power and that even nuclear war might be near.

After Sputnik shows that the late 1950s were not an era of complacency and smugness, but were some of the most anxious years in American history. The Cold War was by no means a time of peace. It was an era of a different kind of battle—one that took place in negotiations and in the internal affairs of many countries, but not always on the battlefield. While many choose to remember President Eisenhower as a near-pacifist, his actions in Lebanon, the Taiwan Straits crisis, Berlin, and elsewhere proved otherwise. Seconded by his able secretary of state, John Foster Dulles, he steered America though some of the most difficult parts of the Cold War, not always succeeding, but preventing disaster. The Middle East and Berlin crises, the Indonesian Civil War, Fidel Castro’s rise to power, and other events are all bluntly discussed in the light of Western, and other, illusions and delusions.

In this engaging history, Alan J. Levine delves deeply into this often misrepresented period of history, and provides new insight into one of the most formative decades in American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On October 4, 1957 in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial earth satellite. For the West, and especially the United States, it was a shattering blow to national morale and pride. It led to a deep-seated fear that the Soviet Union would surpass the United States in both technology and power and that even nuclear war might be near.

After Sputnik shows that the late 1950s were not an era of complacency and smugness, but were some of the most anxious years in American history. The Cold War was by no means a time of peace. It was an era of a different kind of battle—one that took place in negotiations and in the internal affairs of many countries, but not always on the battlefield. While many choose to remember President Eisenhower as a near-pacifist, his actions in Lebanon, the Taiwan Straits crisis, Berlin, and elsewhere proved otherwise. Seconded by his able secretary of state, John Foster Dulles, he steered America though some of the most difficult parts of the Cold War, not always succeeding, but preventing disaster. The Middle East and Berlin crises, the Indonesian Civil War, Fidel Castro’s rise to power, and other events are all bluntly discussed in the light of Western, and other, illusions and delusions.

In this engaging history, Alan J. Levine delves deeply into this often misrepresented period of history, and provides new insight into one of the most formative decades in American history.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Crime and the Rise of Modern America by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Structural Iron 1750–1850 by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book The Reading for Real Handbook by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book The New Economy in Transatlantic Perspective by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Continuous Improvement By Improving Continuously (CIBIC) by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Material Powers by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Philosophical Perspectives on Play by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Educational Resilience in inner-city America by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book History of the Incas, by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, and the Execution of the Inca Tupac Amaru, by Captain Baltasar de Ocampo by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Logico-Linguistic Papers by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book New Directions in Media and Politics by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book A Dictionary of British Institutions by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Literature in Post-Communist Russia and Eastern Europe by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Hospital Economics by Alan J. Levine
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy