Author Description

The author revisits the origins of the Cold War, the German question and the role of the Marshall Plan in the division of Europe as well as the still much debated process of the Sovietization of east-central Europe. He argues that the ongoing detente process, lasted from 1953 until 1991. He also introduces a novel typology for the crises of the Cold War, distinguishing real and pseudo crises, explaining that some of the most spectacular crises of the era, including the Hungarian revolution of 1956 were in reality not genuine East--West conflicts.