“Between 1945 and 1991, the struggles between capitalism and communism played out on the world stage, leaving few countries unaffected. Presented here is a chronological, blow-by-blow account of the Cold War's major occurrences, largely drawn from Salem's "Great Events" series. Divided into 179 essays and presented in three volumes, this work covers the economic, cultural, athletic, diplomatic, and military events of this time period as superpowers from the East and the West vied for world dominance. Essays average in length between three and four pages and are divided into several sections, including "Summary of Event" and "Significance." These are followed by "Further Reading" sources, and See also references. Gorman (political science, Texas State Univ.) introduces the period with a discussion of the roots of the Cold War "against the backdrop of the collapse of European dominance," while a lengthy epilog summarizes the conflict's post-1991 legacy. The readable essays are supplemented with photographs and maps to illustrate the events described…