Was the division of Europe after World War II inevitable? In this powerful reassessment of the postwar order in Europe, Norman Naimark suggests that Joseph Stalin was far more open to a settlement on the continent than we have thought. Through revealing case studies from Poland and Yugoslavia to Denmark and Albania, Naimark recasts the early Cold War by focusing on Europeans? fight to determine their future. As nations devastated by war began rebuilding, Soviet intentions loomed large. Stalin?s armies controlled most of the eastern half of the continent, and in France and Italy, communist parties were serious political forces. Yet Naimark reveals a surprisingly flexible Stalin, who initially had no intention of dividing Europe. During a window of opportunity from 1945 to 1948, leaders across the political spectrum, including Juho Kusti Paasikivi of Finland, Wladyslaw Gomulka of Poland and Karl Renner of Austria, pushed back against outside pressures. For some, this meant struggling against Soviet dominance.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Naimark, Norman M.
Title
Stalin and the Fate of Europe. The Postwar Struggle for Sovereignty
Details
English text, paperback. 361 pages.
State
new
John Wiley & Sons Limited The Atrium, Southern Gate P019 8SQ Chichester, West Sus. Vereinigtes Königreich
