Truth can be stranger than fiction and also more exciting. A Cold War author, especially one whose work was well reviewed, may have written a book that will hold you enthralled in a way you never expected from a historical book. Although the stand-off between the Soviet Union and the United States was roughly from 1947 to 1989, the scope of its literature is greater. Many books deal with events leading up to this ideological struggle or immediately after the collapse of the USSR.
The grip of tyranny imposed on Eastern Europe was called the Iron Curtain by the West. The countries of the Soviet bloc were virtually isolated from the rest of the world. Their news was structured by the state, their lives rigidly controlled, their economy socialized, and their movements curtailed. People who tried to resist were imprisoned or killed, and failed escape attempts had terrible consequences.
Although the regime tried to hide conditions behind the Curtain and prevent contact with the outside world, courageous informers smuggled information out and organizations like Radio Free Europe sent information in. Chilling stories emerged of the secret police, the KGB, and their brutal suppression of dissent. Defying the party line could result in exile to Siberia, one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
Communism has lofty ideals of a classless system where workers could escape capitalistic oppression and share the fruits of their labor. In reality, a new elite made up of Party members was created. Ten percent of the population could go to university, practice a profession, shop in stores with plentiful merchandise, and vacation on the Black Sea. The other ninety percent worked in grim factories or communal farms, lived in cramped apartments, queued for hours in hopes of getting the necessities of life, and had no way to improve their lot.
The accounts of life behind the Iron Curtain can be grim, but there are also inspirational stories of freedom fighters, those who refused to give up their faith in God or love of country, and those who took great risks to escape to the free world. Outsiders worked hard to reach the people locked away, to get them Bibles, and to let them know they were not forgotten.
The era was not without confrontation, even though the US and The USSR never came to open warfare. Greece resisted a communist take over, China could not. South Korea survived while South Viet Nam did not. Control of the Suez Canal was disputed, and things almost exploded when Russia tried to install missiles to Cuba. President Reagan went against the advice of his staff and called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall while visiting West Berlin.
There are great novels, as well. James Bond made the world of espionage glamorous and gave us many memorable villains, not to mention lovely female allies or opponents. Tales of daring escapes, defections, and resistance to tyranny make great reading while they make history and Eastern European culture come alive.
It's a good time to search out a Cold War author who earned critical acclaim at the time of publication. Read the stories of people who watched or experienced the struggle between tyranny and democracy. Modern accounts that might be revisionist history can easily be balanced against period literature; make your own evaluation.
The grip of tyranny imposed on Eastern Europe was called the Iron Curtain by the West. The countries of the Soviet bloc were virtually isolated from the rest of the world. Their news was structured by the state, their lives rigidly controlled, their economy socialized, and their movements curtailed. People who tried to resist were imprisoned or killed, and failed escape attempts had terrible consequences.
Although the regime tried to hide conditions behind the Curtain and prevent contact with the outside world, courageous informers smuggled information out and organizations like Radio Free Europe sent information in. Chilling stories emerged of the secret police, the KGB, and their brutal suppression of dissent. Defying the party line could result in exile to Siberia, one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
Communism has lofty ideals of a classless system where workers could escape capitalistic oppression and share the fruits of their labor. In reality, a new elite made up of Party members was created. Ten percent of the population could go to university, practice a profession, shop in stores with plentiful merchandise, and vacation on the Black Sea. The other ninety percent worked in grim factories or communal farms, lived in cramped apartments, queued for hours in hopes of getting the necessities of life, and had no way to improve their lot.
The accounts of life behind the Iron Curtain can be grim, but there are also inspirational stories of freedom fighters, those who refused to give up their faith in God or love of country, and those who took great risks to escape to the free world. Outsiders worked hard to reach the people locked away, to get them Bibles, and to let them know they were not forgotten.
The era was not without confrontation, even though the US and The USSR never came to open warfare. Greece resisted a communist take over, China could not. South Korea survived while South Viet Nam did not. Control of the Suez Canal was disputed, and things almost exploded when Russia tried to install missiles to Cuba. President Reagan went against the advice of his staff and called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall while visiting West Berlin.
There are great novels, as well. James Bond made the world of espionage glamorous and gave us many memorable villains, not to mention lovely female allies or opponents. Tales of daring escapes, defections, and resistance to tyranny make great reading while they make history and Eastern European culture come alive.
It's a good time to search out a Cold War author who earned critical acclaim at the time of publication. Read the stories of people who watched or experienced the struggle between tyranny and democracy. Modern accounts that might be revisionist history can easily be balanced against period literature; make your own evaluation.
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