Reassessing Cold War Europe

This book presents a comprehensive reassessment of Europe in the Cold War period 1945-91. Contrary to popular belief it shows that relations between East and West were based not only on confrontation and mutual distrust but also on collaboration. The authors reveal that - despite opposing ideologies - there was in fact considerable interaction and exchange between different Eastern and Western actors (such states enterprises associations organisations and individuals) irrespective of the Iron Curtain. This book challenges both the traditional understanding of the East-West juxtaposition and the relevancy of the Iron Curtain. Covering the full period and taking into account a range of spheres including trade scientific-technical co-operation and cultural and social exchanges it reveals how smaller countries and smaller actors in Europe were able to forge and implement their agendas within their own blocs. The books suggests that given these lower-level actors engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation often running counter to the ambitions of the bloc-leaders the rules of Cold War interaction were not in fact exclusively dictated by the superpowers. . Language: English