Beginnings of the Cold War Arms Race: The Truman Administration and the U.S. Arms Build-Up

by Raymond Ojserkis

Overview

The Truman administration's decision to embark on an arms build-up in 1950 was a critical event. For the first time other than a World War, the United States became a global military presence. Unlike the World Wars, in this instance the deployment lasted decades, altering the nature of the Cold War and the United States' global role. Such a decision deserves a book dedicated to understanding the strategy and politics behind it. The Beginnings of the Cold War Arms Race serves that purpose.

The Beginnings of the Cold War Arms Race reviews the state of American military affairs in the late 1940s and describes the role of atomic power in American strategy. It also outlines the factional fighting within the Truman administration over military spending and deployments and considers the Truman administration's perceptions of Soviet military power and intentions. The author presents a fascinating account of the strategy and politics behind the Truman administration's decision to engage in a massive arms build-up that initiated the Cold War arms race.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275980160
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/2003
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1880L (what's this?)

About the Author

RAYMOND P. OJSERKIS received a D.Phil. in International History from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Demobilization
Consolidation
Reconsideration
Transformation
Globalization
Actualization
Conclusions
Bibliography