This set is a comprehensive five-volume reference on the defining conflict of the second half of the 20th century, covering all aspects of the Cold War as it influenced events around the world. The confrontation of Western capitalism and Soviet and Chinese Communism shaped world affairs for almost the entire second half of the 20th centurya period defined by pervasive political tension, nuclear-fueled nightmares, intense diplomacy, and the transformation of regional/national disputes into test-case ideological battlefields where the superpowers squared off.

v. 1. A-D -- v. 2. E-L -- v. 3. M-R -- v. 4. S-Z -- v. 5. Documents.