ABSTRACT
The theme of continuity and change is visible in the Cold War. In many ways, this era marked a break with the past. It ushered in the nuclear age and featured the absence of great power war. Thus, the Cold War is described by historian John Lewis Gaddis as the “long peace” because of the remarkable absence of such wars in contrast to earlier eras.2 In other ways, the period reveals continuity, with continuing emphasis on the role of great powers in driving global politics and the ever present possibility of conflict. We shall see through the remainder of the text that our understanding of Cold War politics profoundly affected the manner in which we – laypersons, scholars, and policymakers – understand and react to contemporary global issues.
