Politics & Governance / International Politics / Cold War & Ideology

Origins of the Cold War: Soviet Foreign Policy and Its Transformation—Shen Zhihua’s book The Origins

The Origins of the Cold War

Shen Zhihua

Origins of the Cold War: Soviet Foreign Policy and Its Transformation— Shen Zhihua’s book The Origins of the Cold Wardeeply analyzes the evolution of Soviet foreign policy after World War II and its impact on the global political landscape. The book details Stalin’s strategic considerations in dissolving the Comintern, as well as the historical turning point when the Soviet Union and Western powers moved from wartime cooperation to bloc confrontation. Using extensive archival materials, the author focuses on the establishment of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the independent evolution of Yugoslavia’s system, and the international situation surrounding the outbreak of the Korean War. By analyzing U.S.-Soviet (contests) in Asia and Europe, the book reveals the internal logic and multiple factors behind the formation of the Cold War structure. It also objectively evaluates the Soviet strategic goals in deploying troops to Northeast China and its long-term effects on East Asian security.