The Cold War - Annotated Bibliography Example

The paper “The United States and the Origins of the Cold War" is a thrilling example of an annotated bibliography on history. Among other authors, Bodden, Valerie in his book "The Cold War" examines the 20th-century confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. He examines the origins, nuclear plans, and the falling apart of the Soviet Union. The book record that the possession of nuclear weapons and other sophisticated weapons made America feel very robust and ready for any war. America thought that Soviets plan to erect a security buffer in Poland was a call for war and Soviet readiness for war.

Valerie Bodden believes that the Cold War was uncalled for, and the two powerful countries should have followed the peaceful channel.Dudley, William. The Cold War: opposing viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1992.William Dudley offers a two-sided argument on topics such as the causes of the Cold War, the extent of United States participation and its termination. Dudley takes a middle ground and notes that both the US and Soviet could have caused the war. The author believes that had the two nations given the dialogue a chance, the Cold War could not have happened.

The book states that the US has paid dearly for the war, it did not have to participate. The author believes that the Truman Doctrine was the primary trigger of the Cold War.Fink, Carole. Cold War: an international history. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2014.Carole Finks book expands her account of the history of the Cold War to include China and developing countries besides the US and USSR. The author states that the Third World countries were unlucky pawns in the whole war.

Fink observes that the Cold War brought much damage to the major and minor participants in terms of economy and politics. Fink believes that the Cold War started because of a supremacy war; both the US and the Soviet believed that they had both the military and economic power to be the superpower of the world. Although the US started the war, the author believes that the Soviet was also guilty.Gaddis, John L. The United States and the origins of the cold war, 1941-1947. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.

John Lewis Gaddis looks at foreign policy between the US and Russia after the end of World War II. In contradiction of the historians who blame the US for the Cold, Lewis emphasizes some options for the US. The author highlights some of the factors between 1941 and 1947 that minimized America’s willingness to reconcile with the Soviets. Lewis disapproves of the Roosevelt administration for lacking a proper strategy that caused Americans to expect credible elections in Eastern Europe.  Gaddis, John L.

The Cold War: a new history. New York: Penguin Press, 2005.The book was written by John Lewis Gaddis, who follows the relations between the US and the Soviet Union until the disintegration of USSR. Lewis outlines critical lessons learned from the Cold War. He argues that since the Cold War, military strength has never been the defining feature of power; when the USSR disintegrated, it had military and nuclear power in operation. The book points out that although some countries had authoritarian leadership, the regimes failed to spread to other countries.

The author argues that the Cold War age witnessed the expansion of democracy as depicted by the increase of democracies towards the 21st century. The book points out that the absence of wars, economic depressions, and increased literacy led to the spread of democracy. The book gives Lewis point of view concerning the events that resulted in the Cold War.Schlesinger, Arthur. "Origins of the Cold War." Foreign Affairs (1967): 22-52.The book points out that although Stalin may have been a Machiavellian tyrant, he was a conservative one.

Arthur Schlesinger argues that Stalin was only interested in offering protection to the Soviet Union, not dominating the world. The book argues that America incorrectly interpreted his legitimate firmness upon a security buffer in Poland to mean an aspiration for worldwide conquest. The author of the book reveals that Americas aggressive efforts to control the influence of the Soviet and to threaten the Soviet with the atomic bomb were the cause of the Cold War. The book dissociates Stalin from the Cold War but blames the US for it since it wanted to contain the Soviet at all cost.

Smith, Joseph, and Simon Davis. The A to Z of the Cold War. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2005.Smith and Davis’ book covers all the events of the Cold War by their year of happening in an alphabetical format. Other issues covered include information on leaders, crucial countries, and weapons used at that time. The book is critical for this project because it offers the timeline of key events that occurred. Besides, it entails the key speeches and doctrines that were major contributors to the war.

AnalysisThese sources help to capture the history of the Cold War by highlighting all the major events surrounding it. The sources explain the roles of the US, USSR and other nations that participated in the war. Some sources argue that the US caused the war while others believe that USSR or the two countries took part in the outbreak of the war.