Background
Leffler, Melvyn P. was born on May 31, 1945 in New York City. Son of Louis and Mollie Leffler.
( The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affo...)
The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics. The Specter of Communism is a concise history of the origins of the Cold War and the evolution of U.S.-Soviet relations, from the Bolshevik revolution to the death of Stalin. Using not only American documents but also those from newly opened archives in Russia, China, and Eastern Europe, Leffler shows how the ideological animosity that existed from Lenin's seizure of power onward turned into dangerous confrontation. By focusing on American political culture and American anxieties about the Soviet political and economic threat, Leffler suggests new ways of understanding the global struggle staged by the two great powers of the postwar era.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809015749/?tag=2022091-20
(In the United States the Cold War shaped our political cu...)
In the United States the Cold War shaped our political culture, our institutions, and our national priorities. Abroad, it influenced the destinies of people everywhere. It divided Europe, split Germany, and engulfed the Third World. It led to a feverish arms race and massive sales of military equipment to poor nations. For at least four decades it left the world in a chronic state of tension where a miscalculation could trigger nuclear holocaust. Documents, oral histories, and memoirs illuminating the goals, motives, and fears of contemporary U.S. officials were already widely circulated and studied during the Cold War, but in the 1970s a massive declassification of documents from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Department of Defense, and some intelligence agencies reinvigorated historical study of this war which became the definitive conflict of its time. While many historians used these records to explore specialized topics, this author marshals the considerable available evidence on behalf of an overall analysis of national security policy during the Truman years. To date, it is the most comprehensive history of that administration's progressive embroilment in the Cold War.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804722188/?tag=2022091-20
(Leffler argues that American officials did not disregard ...)
Leffler argues that American officials did not disregard European developments after World War I but, rather, they sought to settle the war debt and reparations controversies, to stabilize European currencies, and to revive European markets. Leffler bridges the gap between revisionist and traditionalist studies by integrating the diverse aspects of foreign policy and elucidates many new aspects of the foreign policymaking process in the postwar period. Originally published in 1979. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807813338/?tag=2022091-20
Leffler, Melvyn P. was born on May 31, 1945 in New York City. Son of Louis and Mollie Leffler.
Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, 1966. Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, 1972.
Assistant professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 1972-1977; associate professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 1977-1986; international affairs fellow, Council Foreign Rels. Department Defense, Washington, 1979-1980; professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1986-1994; Edward R. Stettinius professor of history, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, since 1994; chairman history Department, University Virginia, Charlottesville, 1990-1995; Edward R. Stettinius professor of history Department, University Virginia, Charlottesville, 1995-1997; dean College and Graduate School Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, since 1997.
(Leffler argues that American officials did not disregard ...)
(The Elusive Quest: America's Pursuit of European Stabilit...)
( The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affo...)
(In the United States the Cold War shaped our political cu...)
Member American History Association, Organization American Hists., Society Hists. American Foreign Relations (vice president 1993, president 1994, Bernath Article prize 1984).
Married Phyllis Koran, September 1, 1968. Children: Sarah Ann, Elliot.