Conclusion of the Cold War Research Paper

BACKGROUND

Following World War II, antagonism developed between the Communist bloc countries and the free world. Major political and moral differences, especially between the United States and the Soviet Union, led to the buildup of nuclear weapons on both sides and an atmosphere of tension, hostility, and fear. In 1985, with the emergence of enlightened Soviet leadership, relations improved and the Cold War was on its way out.

BROWSE FOR BOOKS ON THE SHELF USING THESE CALL NUMBERS

327.73–327.73047

361.23

303.4827

LOOK UNDER THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS IN THE CATALOG (CARD OR COMPUTER)

United States—Foreign relations—1989–1993

Soviet Union—Foreign relations—1985–1991

Detente

Cold War

USE PAMPHLET FILE (ALSO CALLED VERTICAL FILE) UNDER THE HEADINGS

Soviet Union

Russia

REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT MAY HELP (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

Arms, Thomas S. Encyclopedia of the Cold War, 1994.

Parrish, Thomas. The Cold War Encyclopedia, 1995.

General encyclopedias

PERIODICAL INDEXES TO SEARCH (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

EBSCO Magazine Article Summaries

InfoTrac

NewsBank and other newspaper indexes

SIRS (Social Issues Resources Series)

WILSONDISC

ONLINE DATABASES TO SEARCH

America Online

CompuServe
Dialog

Internet

Prodigy

KEY WORDS AND DESCRIPTORS FOR PERIODICAL INDEX AND ONLINE SEARCHES

Post–Cold War

New world order

Geopolitics

World politics

U.S. foreign relations

Russian foreign relations

Soviet foreign relations

VIDEOTAPES ON THIS TOPIC

The Cold War: Europe and the Third World. WGBH and Metropolitan Museum, 1989.

U.S.-Soviet Relations. Close Up Foundation, 1988.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

American Committee on U.S.-Soviet Relations, 109 11th St., S.E., Washington, DC 20003.

Department of State, Office of Public Communication, Public Information Service, Bureau of Public Affairs, Rm. 4827A, Washington, DC 20520.

SUGGESTIONS FOR NARROWING THIS TOPIC

Choose a superpower and discuss its impact on the Post–Cold War era; e.g., Japan, Russia, Germany.

Define and discuss several of the terms associated with the end of the Cold War; e.g., detente, glasnost, perestroika.

Investigate the arms control situation at the end of the Cold War.

What has been the role of the United Nations in bringing the Cold War to an end?

SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED TOPICS

George Bush

Independent republics of the former Soviet Union

Mikhail S. Gorbachev

Reuniting of East and West Germany

This RESEARCH TOPIC GUIDE is intended to help the library user find information and materials on a particular topic in many sources throughout the library. Resources on this topic are not limited to those described and availability will depend upon the individual library. Feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.