Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Incisive, compelling arguments. May 14, 1999
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
No, this book doesn't come too soon after the end of the Cold War. As Gaddis says at appropriate points, "we now know," suggesting we know much more and can evaluate much better than we could even at the end of the Cold War, but the "now" is just a temproary point. Obviously, we will eventually know more, perhaps much more. But, for now, Gaddis sheds new light on numerous events, and he does so in a serious but almost self-deprecating manner. For someone just plunging into the Cold War, this would be an excellent place to start. For those who lived through most of the Cold War as I did, and have studied it now and again, this work provides a wonderful reality check.
A 'must-read' for students of the Cold War March 22, 2000
3 out of 10 found this review helpful
Gaddis has done it again. This time using recently released archives and resources, Gaddis synthesizes together cogent arguments about the Cold War. It is not just another re-hash of his old work but new compelling arguments about Stalin's role in the Cold War for example comes about. Do you know that Soviet troops raped more than 2 million women in East Germany?
Astounding scholarship and graceful writing September 6, 1997
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dr. Gaddis is one of the finest historians of his generation. This book tackles the hard work of looking at the Cold War in light of the flood of documents now available from the Soviet archives. It is a work of deep scholarship and Gaddis writes with style and clarity. Anyone interested in foreign affairs should read this book
An outstanding work! July 26, 1998
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
To understand the beginnings of the Cold War and some of its major themes, this is the book to read. Its insights, analysis and documentation make it the single best book to date on the subject.
 Interesting but not groundbreaking June 2, 2003
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Gaddis' recent work on the Cold War has been somewhat hampered for many of the same reasons as most other Realists since the end of the Cold War. "We Now Know" makes big boasts that it doesn't entirely fulfil, but makes a cogent argument for laying the blame at the door of authoritarianism. Fluidly written and deceptively deep post-revisionism is the order of the day, and there are few contemporary authors to rival Gaddis for sheer persuasiveness.
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