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 Sound, Society and the Geography of Popular Music by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book The Lesser Evil by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Public Art and Museums in Cultural Districts by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book European Security Governance by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Transitional and Transformative Justice by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Heritage, Diaspora and the Consumption of Culture by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book The Routledge Companion to Digital Consumption by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Change Forces in Post-Communist Eastern Europe by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Private and Public by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book What Really Works in Special and Inclusive Education by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Green Parties in Transition by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Political Language and Metaphor by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Routledge Revivals: The Ethnography of Malinowski (1979) by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book The Essential TV Director's Handbook by Alan J. Levine
Cover of the book Social Movement Dynamics 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