The Cold War Encyclopedia is the first reference to offer a truly balanced look at the defining conflict of recent times: the decades-long ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union, which lasted from the end of World War II until the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Written with the aid of Moscow's newly opened archives, The Cold War Encyclopedia gives us, in a single volume, a complete and highly readable account of this important era. It uniquely brings these forty-five critical years to life, with 700 alphabetical entries of people, places, terms, weapons, and concepts; a chronology of relevant events from 1917 to 1991; and more than one hundred photos from the period.