Description
Book SynopsisThe Berlin Wall was the symbol of the Cold War. This book tells the behind-the-scenes story of the communists' decision to build the Wall in 1961. It portrays the different approaches favored by the East Germans and the Soviets to stop the exodus of refugees to West Germany.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2004 Marshall Shulman Book Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies "Harrison has turned over every archival rock in reconstructing the tense relationship between the Soviet Union and Walter Ulbricht's East Germany, from Stalin's death until the construction of the Berlin Wall... Harrison is not alone in teaching us that third parties played a significant role in shaping the Cold War, but hers is a particularly striking example."--Foreign Affairs "A smoothly written, clearly organized, and massively documented account ... [which] deserves to be read by every serious student of post-war Europe."--W.J. Lavery, History: Reviews of New Books "This aptly entitled book makes an outstanding contribution to what has become known as 'the new Cold War history.' Lucidly written and fascinating to read, it demonstrates how, under a unique set of circumstances, a satellite state in the depths of existential crisis could manipulate a superpower."--Peter Grieder, Central European History "Harrison has written a thoughtful, fluent, and meticulously researched study of Soviet-East German relations between 1953 and 1961. Driving the Soviets Up the Wall is a fine example of the new scholarship on the cold war that has emerged since 1991 and a rewarding read for anybody interested in finding out exactly how and why the Berlin Wall came to be built."--Alan McDougall, Journal of Modern History
Table of ContentsList of Maps ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Abbreviations xix Introduction: The Dynamics of Soviet-East German Relations in the Early Cold War 1 Chapter One: 1953: Soviet-East German Relations and Power Struggles in Moscow and Berlin 12 Chapter Two: 1956-1958: Soviet and East German Policy Debates in the Wake of the Twentieth Party Congress 49 Chapter Three: 1958-1960: Khrushchev Takes on the West in the Berlin Crisis 96 Chapter Four: 1960-1961: Ulbricht, Khrushchev, and the Berlin Wall 139 Conclusion 224 Notes 235 Note on Sources 311 Bibliography 315 Index 337
