A Brief History of the Cold War Audiobook By John Hughes-Wilson cover art

A Brief History of the Cold War

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A Brief History of the Cold War

By: John Hughes-Wilson
Narrated by: Philip Franks
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The Cold War was an undeclared war, fought silently and carefully between ideological opponents armed with the most fearsome weapons mankind has ever seen. Hughes-Wilson takes a cool look at this war, from the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 to the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the USSR thereafter.

He examines the suspicion and paranoia -- on both sides -- of the greatest stand-off in history. Written by one of Britain's leading, popular, military historians, this book makes accessible for the first time one of the key periods to shape our world.

©2006 John Hughes-Wilson (P)2014 Audible Ltd 20th Century Military Modern World War Soviet Union Cold War Imperialism Interwar Period
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Very good overview of Cold War between USSR and the USA, and the UK. Only a little on Communist China though, more focused on former Soviet Union, with Eastern Europe v. the US and NATO. Definitely worth the time if you like the subject of the Cold War.

Good overview of USA v USSR Cold War.

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For a casual learner of history, I found this an easy to follow and easy to understand history of the Cold War.
My only criticism is that it is not strictly chronological in order, and when presenting certain aspects of the war jumped between multiple decades within minutes, and assumes the reader remembers the names and positions of key people, which if listened over the space of a few weeks is not possible for most listeners.
I would recommend this to most listeners

An informative listen

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Good factual stuff about the cold war .
But dwells a bit too much on the
American perspective, not too much about other NATO members

Informative

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I got the impression that the author was very pro American and his take reflected that.

A bit one sided

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A very insightful overview of the Cold War that keeps the reader intrigued. Exactly what the title suggests.

A plus

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A great book
I have enjoyed every chapter
If it’s in your interest, this is the book for you.

One of the best

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What did you like best about A Brief History of the Cold War? What did you like least?

The fact that it is one of the few books that focus on the entire span of the Cold War is definitely it's force.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The fact that it covers the entire Cold War period is the sole claim to fame for this book. The fact that it is one-sided, biased and written in an incredibly condescending and arrogant tone detracts a lot from the merits.

What does Philip Franks bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a good work of reading the book.

Did A Brief History of the Cold War inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to at least try to be neutral when I, myself, try to make a narrative about a conflict. Also it inspired me not to view the world through a lense of haughty arrogance.

A woefully unbalanced and haughty view

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