Many people vividly remember at least one book written by a Cold War author. Significant events, causes and effects of this period of history, biographies of major players, and a wealth of fiction based on espionage, nuclear proliferation, and true-life efforts to escape to freedom made engrossing reading. From about 1947 to 1989, two huge superpowers held each other at bay because they both had the capability to destroy the world. What a scenario!
The grip of tyranny imposed on Eastern Europe was called the Iron Curtain by the West. The countries of the Soviet bloc were virtually isolated from the rest of the world. Their news was structured by the state, their lives rigidly controlled, their economy socialized, and their movements curtailed. People who tried to resist were imprisoned or killed, and failed escape attempts had terrible consequences.
Life behind the curtain was carefully hidden, but there are accounts written by reporters who interviewed defectors or got news through courageous informers. Stories of the dreaded KGB, the government police, chill the blood. The hardship of dissenters sent to Siberia became a by-word for extreme suffering. Hundreds of millions were killed in the many countries that made up the soviet bloc.
Communism has lofty ideals of a classless system where workers could escape capitalistic oppression and share the fruits of their labor. In reality, a new elite made up of Party members was created. Ten percent of the population could go to university, practice a profession, shop in stores with plentiful merchandise, and vacation on the Black Sea. The other ninety percent worked in grim factories or communal farms, lived in cramped apartments, queued for hours in hopes of getting the necessities of life, and had no way to improve their lot.
The accounts of life behind the Iron Curtain can be grim, but there are also inspirational stories of freedom fighters, those who refused to give up their faith in God or love of country, and those who took great risks to escape to the free world. Outsiders worked hard to reach the people locked away, to get them Bibles, and to let them know they were not forgotten.
The era was not without confrontation, even though the US and The USSR never came to open warfare. Greece resisted a communist take over, China could not. South Korea survived while South Viet Nam did not. Control of the Suez Canal was disputed, and things almost exploded when Russia tried to install missiles to Cuba. President Reagan went against the advice of his staff and called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall while visiting West Berlin.
Fiction heightened the romantic aspects of this period. James Bond novels gave the mysterious world of espionage glamour, fantastic villains, beautiful women, and intricate gadgets. The Space Race needed no embellishment, but it gave new scope to science fiction. The eternal themes of young love, loyalty to country and family, faith, and resistance to tyranny continued.
It's a good time to search out a Cold War author who earned critical acclaim at the time of publication. Read the stories of people who watched or experienced the struggle between tyranny and democracy. Modern accounts that might be revisionist history can easily be balanced against period literature; make your own evaluation.
The grip of tyranny imposed on Eastern Europe was called the Iron Curtain by the West. The countries of the Soviet bloc were virtually isolated from the rest of the world. Their news was structured by the state, their lives rigidly controlled, their economy socialized, and their movements curtailed. People who tried to resist were imprisoned or killed, and failed escape attempts had terrible consequences.
Life behind the curtain was carefully hidden, but there are accounts written by reporters who interviewed defectors or got news through courageous informers. Stories of the dreaded KGB, the government police, chill the blood. The hardship of dissenters sent to Siberia became a by-word for extreme suffering. Hundreds of millions were killed in the many countries that made up the soviet bloc.
Communism has lofty ideals of a classless system where workers could escape capitalistic oppression and share the fruits of their labor. In reality, a new elite made up of Party members was created. Ten percent of the population could go to university, practice a profession, shop in stores with plentiful merchandise, and vacation on the Black Sea. The other ninety percent worked in grim factories or communal farms, lived in cramped apartments, queued for hours in hopes of getting the necessities of life, and had no way to improve their lot.
The accounts of life behind the Iron Curtain can be grim, but there are also inspirational stories of freedom fighters, those who refused to give up their faith in God or love of country, and those who took great risks to escape to the free world. Outsiders worked hard to reach the people locked away, to get them Bibles, and to let them know they were not forgotten.
The era was not without confrontation, even though the US and The USSR never came to open warfare. Greece resisted a communist take over, China could not. South Korea survived while South Viet Nam did not. Control of the Suez Canal was disputed, and things almost exploded when Russia tried to install missiles to Cuba. President Reagan went against the advice of his staff and called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall while visiting West Berlin.
Fiction heightened the romantic aspects of this period. James Bond novels gave the mysterious world of espionage glamour, fantastic villains, beautiful women, and intricate gadgets. The Space Race needed no embellishment, but it gave new scope to science fiction. The eternal themes of young love, loyalty to country and family, faith, and resistance to tyranny continued.
It's a good time to search out a Cold War author who earned critical acclaim at the time of publication. Read the stories of people who watched or experienced the struggle between tyranny and democracy. Modern accounts that might be revisionist history can easily be balanced against period literature; make your own evaluation.
About the Author:
Check out the award-winning cold war author at www.war-author.com. You can also read the published content here on http://www.war-author.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment