Research Resources - PAID 112 Section 02 - Pedlar (Spring 2025)

Introduction

These resources have been selected as a place to get started with research in your section's topic. Preus Library has many more resources than this. If you cannot find something, please ask at the Research Help Desk or email the librarian working with your section.

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Reference Sources on the Politics of the Cold War

Reference materials are the place to begin your research. Reading in specialized encyclopedias will anchor your research in an historical context and will give you the key terms and concepts to conduct successful database searches.

Print Reference Sources

(sorted by call number)

The Encyclopedia of the Cold War by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor)
Call Number: Ref D840 .E63 2008 v.1-5

This five-volume set covers all aspects of the Cold War as it influenced events around the world. This title provides authoritative information on all military conflicts, battlefield and surveillance technologies, diplomatic initiatives, important individuals and organizations, national histories, economic developments, societal and cultural events, and more. The nearly 1,300 entries, plus topical essays and an extraordinarily rich documents volume, draw heavily on recently opened Russian, Eastern European, and Chinese archives.
Masterpieces of History: the peaceful end of the Cold War in Europe, 1989 by Svetlana Savranskaya (Editor)
Call Number: Ref DJK50 .M383 2010

This collection presents 122 top-level Soviet, European and American records on the superpowers' role in the events of 1989. This volume offers a rare insider's look at the historic, world-transforming events that culminated in the end of the Cold War. Complementing the documents are the proceedings of face-to-face mutual interrogation of Russian and American former senior officials from 1998.
The Encyclopedia of the Korean War by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor)
Call Number: Ref DS918 .E53 2010 v.1-3

A comprehensive resource on the confrontation that became the first shooting war of the Cold War, the first limited conflict of the Atomic Age, and the war that led to a dramatic escalation of the national security state while foreshadowing U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
The Cold War Presidency by Thomas S. Langston
Call Number: Ref E176.1 .L265 2007

Contains a collection of documents alongside crafted, objective analysis of all the key events of the Cold War. This title presents analytical essays on the presidents and their roles during the Cold War from Harry Truman through George H W Bush, and over 150 important primary source documents with explanatory headnotes.
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
Call Number: Ref E183.7 .E52 2002 v.1-3

Provides in-depth interpretive essays, commissioned from foreign policy experts, explaining the concepts and historical trends that have guided and influenced American foreign policy throughout U.S. history.
Available in PRINT and EBOOK formats
Historical Dictionary of U. S. Diplomacy During the Cold War by Martin Folly
Call Number: Ref E744 .F74 2015

The Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy during the Cold War history offers a definitive reference of this turbulent period through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography.
The Cold War (1945-1991) by Michael Shally-Jensen
Call Number: Ref E813 .C65 2016

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
The Cuban Missile Crisis by Laurie Collier Hillstrom
Call Number: Ref E841 .H548 2015

Publication Date: 2015-03-15
Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations by Richard C. S. Trahair
Call Number: Ref UB270 .T73 2004

Nearly 300 A-Z entries provide a glimpse into the subterranean world, events, people, and operations of the Cold War. Each entry is thoroughly cross-referenced and concludes with suggested readings. It also contains an extensive annotated chronology and is thoroughly indexed.
Historical Dictionary of Atomic Espionage by Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey
Call Number: Ref UB270 .T74 2011

Publication Date: 2011-06-16

Online Reference Sources

(sorted by title)

The Cambridge History of the Cold War: Volume 1, Origins by Melvyn P. Leffler (Editor); Odd Arne Westad (Editor)
Call Number: EBOOK

Publication Date: 2010-09-28
The Cambridge History of the Cold War: Volume 2, Crises and Détente by Melvyn P. Leffler (Editor); Odd Arne Westad (Editor)
Call Number: EBOOK

Publication Date: 2010-09-28
The Cambridge History of the Cold War: Volume 3, Endings by Melvyn P. Leffler (Editor); Odd Arne Westad (Editor)
Call Number: EBOOK

Publication Date: 2010-09-28
Cold War Reference Library by Lawrence W. Baker
Call Number: EBOOK

Covers the Cold War period between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II through 1989. Includes discussion of the historic causes of the tension and information on the lives and actions of major figures, such as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.
The Longman companion to America, Russia and the Cold War, 1941-1998 by John W. Young
Call Number: EBOOK

Surveys East-West relations, in all their manifestations, from the Grand Alliance of the Second World War to the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Though centered on the international policies of the USA and the USSR, the book throws light on almost every aspect of postwar international history.
The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations: Volume 4, Challenges to American Primacy, 1945 to the Present by Warren I. Cohen
Call Number: EBOOK

Publication Date: 2013-06-05

Reference Sources on Society and Culture in the Cold War Era

Print Reference Sources

(sorted by call number)

Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History
Call Number: Ref E169.1 .E624 2001 v.1-3

Good background information on American culture during the period you are studying. Use the index in v. 3 to search for specific topics or people.
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture by Sara Pendergast (Editor); Tom Pendergast (Editor); Jim Cullen (Introduction by)
Call Number: Ref E169.1 .S764 2000

Publication Date: 1999-12-01

Provides information on various elements of popular culture in the United States during the twentieth century, covering the major areas of film, music, print culture, social life, sports, television and radio, and art and performance. Includes time frame, category, and title indexes.
American Decades, 1950 - 1979 by Matthew J. Bruccoli (Editor); Richard Layman (Editor)
Call Number: Ref E169.12 .A419 1994 v.6-8

The contents pages provide an outline of the topics covered. Consult the introduction and the chronology. The vols. cover the years of 1950 through 1979.
Encyclopedia of American History by Gary B. Nash (Editor)
Call Number: Ref E174 .E53 2003 v.1-11

This comprehensive Encyclopedia offers about 3,500 entries. Each of the volumes cover a different period in American history with an alphabetical list of entries. A chronology of important events for that period, reprints of important documents, and an index specific to each volume are included. The last volume includes a comprehensive index.
Encyclopedia of America in the Twentieth Century by Stanley I. Kutler (Editor)
Call Number: Ref E740.7 .E53 1996 v.1-4

Essays on the social, political, economic and cultural issues of the 20th century. Use the index in v. 4 to search for specific topics.
Cold War Culture by Richard A. Schwartz
Call Number: Ref E813.S39 1998

A comprehensive A-to-Z reference that describes the various people, works of art and literature, movements and influences in American culture that significantly reflected or responded to the Cold War.
Encyclopedia of American Social History by Mary K. Cayton (Editor); Elliott J. Gorn (Editor); Peter W. Williams (Editor)
Call Number: Ref HN57 .E58 1993

A three volume work which treats periods and process of social change as well as topics such as ethnicity, work and labor, popular culture, etc. Each article has its own bibliography. Use the Contents or the Index to find articles of interest.

Online Reference Collections

Oxford Reference Online
This online source provides access to subject and language reference works from Oxford University Press. In addition to text, access is provided to maps and illustrations, timelines, web sites, and bibliographies.
Credo Reference
An online collection of over 600 full-text reference works, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more.
Cambridge Histories Online
Provides full text online access to the complete 250-plus volumes of Cambridge Histories reference series. Provides political, economic and social history, philosophy and literature of selected countries and subjects. Use the lower "Search Cambridge Histories" search box to find Luther-held content.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
A collection of over 3,000 reference works, covering all disciplines.

Recommended Journals & Research Databases

Search or browse through these online journals to find articles on the Cold War period.

Cold War History (Journal)
This journal publishes historical literature on the Cold War era, its origins, impact on regions and alliances, the military, economy and social and intellectual growths. This collection includes articles published between 2000 and the present.
Journal of Cold War Studies
The first peer-reviewed journal to feature research based on new archival materials and memoirs from the former Communist world and Western countries. Coverage from 1999 - present.
Foreign Affairs (Journal)
Reviews current events as they affect US relations worldwide, focusing on international, political, commercial and cultural relations. Coverage available from 1922 - present.

Expand your search using these online journal collections to find additional relevant articles.

Academic Search Elite (EBSCO)
An excellent starting point for research across a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals. This database is sourced with PDF images for the great majority of journals; many of these PDFs are native (searchable) or scanned-in-color.
JSTOR
A full-text collection of over 3,400 major scholarly journals and over 100,000 scholarly monographs. The digitized archive includes the first issue published for each journal (some are from 1665 to the present); but excludes the most recent 2 to 5 years for most journals.
Project Muse
Full text access is available to over 380 journals and over 13,000 scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. Managed by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Coverage from 1993 - present.
America: History & Life (EBSCO)

Indexes scholarly journal articles, books, and dissertations in the history of U.S. and Canada from prehistory to the present.

Newspapers

New York Times, Historical plus Index (ProQuest)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: the New York Times provides the full image of articles published in the New York Times from its first issue in 1851. It is searchable by keyword, author, article title, and first paragraph (abstract). You can browse issues by clicking Publications at the top of the screen. It includes illustrations and advertisements. The title changed from the New York Daily Times to the New York Times in 1857.
New York Times (NYTimes.com)
Full access to the New York Times online (1851-present). Includes international edition and Spanish and Chinese language editions. For full access and no monthly article limits, create an account using your Luther email address or register your account here: http://proxy.luther.edu/login?url=https://ezmyaccount.nytimes.com/grouppass/redir.
US Newsstream (ProQuest)
Full-text access to over 950 US news publications, including The Des Moines Register, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, & Washington Post. 1980-present.
Independent Voices
This collection chronicles the transformative decades of the 60s, 70s and 80s through the lens of an independent alternative press. Independent Voices provides access to over 1,000 titles of publications from feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Latinos, gays, lesbians and more.
Times Digital Archive (1785-2013)
The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of The Times (London), one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage, with every page of every issue from 1785 through 2013. This historical newspaper archive allows researchers an unparalleled opportunity to search and view the best-known and most cited newspaper in the world online in its original published context.

Primary Source Collections

Databases provided by Preus Library

American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate (ProQuest)
A compilation of document types from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies as well as records from federal agencies. Issues chronicled include women's rights, environmental issues, urban renewal, rural development, tax reform, civil rights, space exploration, international trade, War on Poverty, and the Watergate trials.
CIA Cold War Research Reports and Records on Communism in China and Eastern Europe: 1917-1976 (ProQuest)
Includes the CIA Research Reports from 1946-1976 and records collected by Raymond Murphy on Communism in China and Eastern Europe from 1917-1958, reporting on eight areas: Middle East; Soviet Union; Vietnam and Southeast Asia; China; Japan, Korea, and Asian security; Europe; Africa; and Latin America.
Documents on British Policy Overseas: 1898 - 1990 (ProQuest)
A collection of primary source documents from Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, shedding light on diplomatic history throughout the twentieth century.
FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972 (ProQuest)
Contains records of the FBI and the Subversive Activities Control Board from 1945-1972.
Life Magazine Archive (EBSCO)
Life Magazine Archive presents an extensive collection of the famed photojournalism magazine, spanning its very first issue in November, 1936 through December, 2000 in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. Published by Time Inc., the magazine has featured story-telling through documentary photographs and informative captions.
Time Magazine Archive (EBSCO)
The Time Magazine Archive presents an extensive collection of the prominent weekly news magazine dating back to its first issue in March 1923 through December 2000, presented in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format.
Revolution and Protest Online (Alexander Street)
Provides a comprehensive, comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of political processes through the lens of revolutions, protests, resistance and social movements occurring between the 18th and 21th centuries.
The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960-1974: Video (Alexander Street)
Includes diaries, letters, autobiographies and other memoirs, written and oral histories, manifestos, government documents, memorabilia, and scholarly commentary.

Additional Primary Source Collections

Visit the Preus Library Primary Source research guide to find a wide variety of collections, organized by time period and format:

Primary Sources at Preus Library

Open access web collections

CIA Reading Room
The FOIA Electronic Reading Room is provided as a public service by the Office of the Chief Information Officer's Information Management Services.
Cold War International History Project
Provided by the Woodrow Wilson Center, the site links to websites relating to the Cold War. In addition to links to museums, archives, and websites, new information, from new publications to news relating to the Cold war, is available from this site.
Cold War Studies at Harvard University
From Harvard University's Davis Center, this program promotes archival research in former East-bloc countries and seeks to expand and enrich what is known about Cold War events and themes. The site includes links to an archive of primary documents, and other resources.
Digital Public Library of America
A portal to library and archival resources from institutions across the United States, focused on American heritage.
National Security Archive
"The National Security Archive is an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)."