Many people vividly remember at least one book written by a Cold War author. Significant events, causes and effects of this period of history, biographies of major players, and a wealth of fiction based on espionage, nuclear proliferation, and true-life efforts to escape to freedom made engrossing reading. From about 1947 to 1989, two huge superpowers held each other at bay because they both had the capability to destroy the world. What a scenario!
The totalitarian regime that controlled Eastern Europe established what was called the Iron Curtain. This system of closed borders, state controlled media, and strict control of major economic forces virtually cut its citizens off from the rest of the world. Travel into the USSR was restricted, and travel out of it was almost impossible for private citizens. Those who dared to try to escape were killed or imprisoned if caught.
Life behind closed and guarded borders was carefully hidden, but information leaked out. News from the outside world was sent in by Radio Free Europe, and courageous men and women on both sides kept some contact alive. The dreaded secret police, the KGB, became famous for brutality, and exile to Siberia, the punishment for not adhering to the party line, became a slang term for the worst case scenario.
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 literature can be grim, but inspirational tales of the endurance of the human spirit also abound. People took great risks to gain freedom. Others risked their lives to smuggle Bibles into regions where religion was illegal. People continued to help others although government watchers were stationed 'on every corner' to discourage this sort of humanity.
'Cold' refers to the lack of open warfare between the two superpowers, but there was confrontation. The US helped Greece resist a communist takeover, while Russia succeeded in spreading its doctrine to China. Korea and Viet Nam were regional wars that taxed both countries. Although the nuclear power of each superpower restrained the other, lines were drawn over the Suez Canal and conflict almost erupted when Russia tried to install missiles in Cuba.
Fiction heightened the romantic aspects of this period. James Bond novels gave the mysterious world of espionage glamour, fantastic villains, beautiful women, and intricate gadgets. The Space Race needed no embellishment, but it gave new scope to science fiction. The eternal themes of young love, loyalty to country and family, faith, and resistance to tyranny continued.
A Cold War author who lived through that dramatic time has much to offer us today. Modern books should be evaluated against the many accounts from those who knew the realities of The Iron Curtain, the arms race, and the struggle to shape the world.
The totalitarian regime that controlled Eastern Europe established what was called the Iron Curtain. This system of closed borders, state controlled media, and strict control of major economic forces virtually cut its citizens off from the rest of the world. Travel into the USSR was restricted, and travel out of it was almost impossible for private citizens. Those who dared to try to escape were killed or imprisoned if caught.
Life behind closed and guarded borders was carefully hidden, but information leaked out. News from the outside world was sent in by Radio Free Europe, and courageous men and women on both sides kept some contact alive. The dreaded secret police, the KGB, became famous for brutality, and exile to Siberia, the punishment for not adhering to the party line, became a slang term for the worst case scenario.
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 literature can be grim, but inspirational tales of the endurance of the human spirit also abound. People took great risks to gain freedom. Others risked their lives to smuggle Bibles into regions where religion was illegal. People continued to help others although government watchers were stationed 'on every corner' to discourage this sort of humanity.
'Cold' refers to the lack of open warfare between the two superpowers, but there was confrontation. The US helped Greece resist a communist takeover, while Russia succeeded in spreading its doctrine to China. Korea and Viet Nam were regional wars that taxed both countries. Although the nuclear power of each superpower restrained the other, lines were drawn over the Suez Canal and conflict almost erupted when Russia tried to install missiles in Cuba.
Fiction heightened the romantic aspects of this period. James Bond novels gave the mysterious world of espionage glamour, fantastic villains, beautiful women, and intricate gadgets. The Space Race needed no embellishment, but it gave new scope to science fiction. The eternal themes of young love, loyalty to country and family, faith, and resistance to tyranny continued.
A Cold War author who lived through that dramatic time has much to offer us today. Modern books should be evaluated against the many accounts from those who knew the realities of The Iron Curtain, the arms race, and the struggle to shape the world.
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