Vladislav Zubok

Why are there so few gripping histories of the Cold War? Many standard accounts are sensationally boring. This book is much better: brisk, spiky and unafraid to make provocative judgements... Zubok makes you think

Monumental and still highly readable... by smartly knitting together the past with the present, Zubok’s book brings a prescient and fresh perspective

Immensely scholarly, and its sweep is considerable... Zubok has complete command of his narrative, based on a deep knowledge of his subject

Always sensible... Make(s) comprehensible a Russian perspective on a key question of 20th-century history that we generally see only from the American side

Among the scholars writing about the history of Soviet/ Russian foreign policy, Vladislav Zubok is one of the most distinguished.  We are fortunate that he has now turned his attention to writing an overall account of the Cold War. This  provocative, comprehensive, and insightful analysis not only incorporates the latest scholarship but is also remarkably lucid and accessible. Students will be enlightened; experts will be challenged to reassess their thinking. This volume is a major contribution

Vladislav Zubok’s accomplishments eminently qualify him to write this epic and exciting reconsideration of Cold War history. Along with new information from Soviet archives is a compelling interpretation of how capitalism itself, not just geopolitics, was changed by the Cold War - with consequential ramifications for our time

From Moscow’s liberal intelligentsia, distinguished for decades in British and American academia, Vladislav Zubok brings relevant experience and perceptive scholarship to this finely judged  retelling of the Cold War. It’s a pleasure to read

The Cold War is not just history – it also reflects many aspects of our current turbulent world. Vladislav Zubok’s outstanding new account of that period not only shows deep historical scholarship but also his ability to see the era from multiple angles, not just the victorious west, but the view of the Soviets, the newly emergent postcolonial world, and figures ranging from diplomats to economists to technologists. A short history that says a very great deal about a crucial period

With conviction and unique insight, Zubok argues that global decolonization, inherent Soviet weakness, and political contingencies led to the end of the Cold War.  A masterful study, which should be read by everyone interested in contemporary international history

1945-1991

Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union? 
 
In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war Europe, through the tumultuous decades of confrontation, to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond. 
 
With remarkable clarity and unique perspective, Zubok argues that the Cold War, often seen as an existential battle between capitalist democracy and totalitarian communism, has long been misunderstood. He challenges the popular Western narrative that economic superiority and democratic values led the USA to victory. Instead, he looks beyond the familiar images of East-West rivalry, shining a light on the impact of non-Western actors and placing the war in the context of global decolonization, Soviet weakness and the accidents of history. Here, he interrogates what happens when stability and peace are no longer the default, when treaties are broken and when diplomacy ceases to function. 
 
Drawing on years of research and informed by Zubok’s three decades in the USSR followed by three decades in the West, The World of the Cold War paints a striking portrait of a world on the brink.

Vladislav Zubok

Praise for The World of the Cold War

Why are there so few gripping histories of the Cold War? Many standard accounts are sensationally boring. This book is much better: brisk, spiky and unafraid to make provocative judgements... Zubok makes you think

Monumental and still highly readable... by smartly knitting together the past with the present, Zubok’s book brings a prescient and fresh perspective

Compelling and timely

Why are there so few gripping histories of the Cold War? Many standard accounts are sensationally boring. This book is much better: brisk, spiky and unafraid to make provocative judgements... Zubok makes you think

Monumental and still highly readable... by smartly knitting together the past with the present, Zubok’s book brings a prescient and fresh perspective

Compelling and timely

Why are there so few gripping histories of the Cold War? Many standard accounts are sensationally boring. This book is much better: brisk, spiky and unafraid to make provocative judgements... Zubok makes you think

Monumental and still highly readable... by smartly knitting together the past with the present, Zubok’s book brings a prescient and fresh perspective

Compelling and timely

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter