Book
Checkmate in Berlin : the Cold War showdown that shaped the modern world / Giles Milton.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250247568 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xvi, 377 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Henry Holt and Company, 2021.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | The road to Berlin -- Flag on the Reichstag -- Red Berlin -- Loot -- Arrival of the allies -- Life on the edge -- Dividing the spoils -- Let battle commence -- Enter the overlords -- The Iron Curtain -- Ministry of lies -- Crime and punishment -- Playing dirty -- Shifting sands -- Breaking point -- The perfect siege -- Flying high -- The sky's the limit -- Checkmate -- Fruits of victory. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | World War, 1939-1945 > Germany > Berlin. Cold War. Berlin (Germany) > History > 1945-1990. Berlin (Germany) > Strategic aspects. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 943.1550874 Mil | 31681010243103 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"The lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II that fired the starting gun for the Cold War"-- - Baker & Taylor
The bestselling author looks at the furious race to seize Berlin after World War IIâthe first battle in the Cold Warâand how that fight had a profound effect on our world thatâs still felt today. 40,000 first printing. Illustrations. - McMillan Palgrave
From a master of popular history, the lively, immersive story of the race to seize Berlin in the aftermath of World War II as itâs never been told before
BERLINâS FATE WAS SEALED AT THE 1945 YALTA CONFERENCE: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up among the victorious powersâ the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility towardâand suspicion ofâone another. The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin. Rival systems, rival ideologies, and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground.
The warring leaders who ran Berlinâs four sectors were charismatic, mercurial men, and Giles Milton brings them all to rich and thrilling life here. We meet unforgettable individuals like Americaâs explosive Frank âHowlinâ Madâ Howley, a brusque sharp-tongued colonel with a relish for mischief and a loathing for all Russians. Appointed commandant of the cityâs American sector, Howley fought an intensely personal battle against his wily nemesis, General Alexander Kotikov, commandant of the Soviet sector. Kotikov oozed charm as he proposed vodka toasts at his alcohol-fueled parties, but Howley correctly suspected his Soviet rival was Stalinâs agent, appointed to evict the Western allies from Berlin and ultimately from Germany as well.
Throughout, Checkmate in Berlin recounts the first battle of the Cold War as weâve never before seen it. An exhilarating tale of intense rivalry and raw power, it is above all a story of flawed individuals who were determined to win, and Milton does a masterful job of weaving between all the key playersâ motivations and thinking at every turn. A story of unprecedented human drama, itâs one that had a profound, and often underestimated, shaping force on the modern world â one thatâs still felt today.
