Shadow Cold War - (New Cold War History) by Jeremy Friedman (Paperback)

About the Book

"Jeremy Friedman's SHADOW COLD WAR examines the battle for political and ideological influence in the newly emerging states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America between China and the Soviet Union from 1956 to 1976. Though both nations espoused Marxism/Leninism, Friedman argues that the Russian and Chinese revolutions were actually the products of two different agendas: anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism, respectively. Those ideological differences fostered different domestic and international policies, a harbinger of the political fissure to come"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War has long been understood in a global context, but Jeremy Friedman's Shadow Cold War delves deeper into the era to examine the competition between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China for the leadership of the world revolution. When a world of newly independent states emerged from decolonization desperately poor and politically disorganized, Moscow and Beijing turned their focus to attracting these new entities, setting the stage for Sino-Soviet competition.

Based on archival research from ten countries, including new materials from Russia and China, many no longer accessible to researchers, this book examines how China sought to mobilize Asia, Africa, and Latin America to seize the revolutionary mantle from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union adapted to win it back, transforming the nature of socialist revolution in the process. This groundbreaking book is the first to explore the significance of this second Cold War that China and the Soviet Union fought in the shadow of the capitalist-communist clash.

Review Quotes

"Shadow Cold War is a must-read book for scholars of Cold War history, foreign relations, Soviet history, and Chinese history. Original, innovative, and thought provoking, it redefines the Sino-Soviet relationship and the contours of ideological debates about communism in the Cold War. This is a major work of history." -- Jeremi Suri, University of Texas at Austin

"A fascinating book." -- Slavic Review

"A formidable work of historical scholarship which sheds dazzling new light on the global rivalry between the Chinese and the Russians. . . on top of the erudition, Friedman is a punchy writer." -- Bloomberg Business

"A landmark study. . . . Establishes Friedman as a first-rate exponent of the 'new cold war history.' Globally minded, enviably multilingual, painstakingly archival, his book poses and answers ambitious questions that educate us about our past and make sense of our present." -- The Guardian

"A very important, well-written, and well-researched book that anybody interested in the Sino-Soviet conflict of the 1960s and 1970s must read." -- American Historical Review

"A very thoughtful and rich chronicle of the 'behind-the-scenes' Sino-Soviet relationship of the 1950s that asks the questions we need to ask, and illuminates the importance of the developing world in the history of the Cold War. This is a very welcome addition to the existing literature." -- The China Quarterly

"If you want to learn how much of the Third World got screwed up during the 1960s and 1970s, read this book. . . . A compelling story." -- The Russian Review

"Jeremy Friedman has written an impressive, engaging book rooted in an astounding base of research. Shadow Cold War has the potential to significantly reshape the way historians understand the Cold War." -- Sergey Radchenko, Aberystwyth University

"Presents and proves novel arguments on an important subject frequently alluded to but rarely dealt with in depth by previous scholars." -- Passport

"Well-written and well-thought through. . . . A useful and enjoyable book."--Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society