The conflict played out between communism and capitalism for most of the second half of the twentieth century came quickly to be termed the Cold WarThe birth of communism in Europe can be traced as far back as Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto of 1848 but the ideology was first actively imposed only after the 1917 revolution in Russia under the leadership of Lenin followed by Stalin. During the Second World War, an uneasy alliance between capitalism and communism led to the defeat of Nazi Germany but with the coming of peace, that alliance was replaced by Russian domination of Eastern Europe, while China was overrun by Mao Tse-Tung’s communist forces.

The Cold War began immediately after the end of WW2 when the United States sought to prevent the spread of communism.

Mark Hichens has delivered a well researched, but accessible introduction to the Cold War and its lasting effects.