Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security PolicyWhen Strategies of Containment was first published, the Soviet Union was still a superpower, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, and the Berlin Wall was still standing. This updated edition of Gaddis' classic carries the history of containment through the end of the Cold War. Beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt's postwar plans, Gaddis provides a thorough critical analysis of George F. Kennan's original strategy of containment, NSC-68, The Eisenhower-Dulles "New Look," the Kennedy-Johnson "flexible response" strategy, the Nixon-Kissinger strategy of detente, and now a comprehensive assessment of how Reagan-- and Gorbachev-- completed the process of containment, thereby bringing the Cold War to an end. He concludes, provocatively, that Reagan more effectively than any other Cold War president drew upon the strengths of both approaches while avoiding their weaknesses. A must-read for anyone interested in Cold War history, grand strategy, and the origins of the post-Cold War world." |
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User Review - chellinsky - LibraryThingThis exceedingly dense book recounts the Cold War policies of the United States from Truman through Reagan. This is one of the better history book I have read as it refuses to repeat the same themes ... Read full review
Contents
Prologue Containment Before Kennan | 3 |
George F Kennan and the Strategy of Containment | 25 |
Implementing Containment | 54 |
NSC68 and the Korean War | 89 |
Eisenhower Dulles and the New Look | 127 |
Implementing the New Look | 164 |
Kennedy Johnson and Flexible Response | 198 |
Implementing Flexible Response Vietnam as a Test Case | 237 |
Nixon Kissinger and Détente | 274 |
Implementing Détente | 309 |
Epilogue Containment after Kissinger | 345 |
Common terms and phrases
Acheson action administration administration's adversaries affairs aggression ahility ahle ahout allies American Foreign Policy April August Bundy capahilities China Chinese comhination commitment communist DDE Diary Dean Acheson Decemher defense deterrent Dulles Dulles's economic Eisenhower Papers Eisenhower's estahlished Europe Fehruary forces halance of power hased hecame hecause hecome heen hefore helieved hest hetween hillion homh hoth hring hudget huild hureaucracy ICBMs ihid interests January John Foster Dulles Johnson June Kennan Papers Kennedy Kennedy Papers Kissinger's Korea Kremlin March March 26 McNamara means memorandum ment military missile Moscow National War College negotiations Nixon and Kissinger Novemher NSC Files nuclear weapons NWC lecture Octoher ohjective peace Pentagon Papers political possihle President press conference prohlem puhlic responsihility Roosevelt Rostow Russians Secretary Septemher South Vietnam Soviet Union speech Staff stahility strategy therehy threat tion troops Truman United Vietnam Washington White House Whitman File York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security Policy Volume 690 of A Galaxy book Oxford paperbacks |
| Author | John Lewis Gaddis |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 1982 |
| ISBN | 0195030974, 9780195030976 |
| Length | 432 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |