Menlo School Library: Cold War: Topic resources

Websites

20th Century Latin America
Primary sources from Latin America, from the Modern History Sourcebook.
Africa Since 1945
Primary sources from Africa, from the Modern History Sourcebook.
American Presidency Project
A comprehensive collection of presidential papers, speeches, executive orders, etc. from President Washington through the current president.
Cambodian Genocide Program
From Yale University's Genocide Studies Program.
Cold War - BBC
Overview, primary and secondary sources.
Cold War - GlobalSecurity
Background information and links to many primary sources.
Cold War: Soviet Relations
Background and primary sources, including the Soviet perspective.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Information posted online by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Cuban Missile Crisis: The 40th Anniversary
From the National Security Archive, a collection of primary sources from the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and several historical perspectives.
Eastern Europe Since 1945
Primary sources from Eastern Europe, from the Modern History Sourcebook.
Eurodocs: European History
Large collection of links to primary documents.
Middle East Since 1944
Primary sources from the Middle East, from the Modern History Sourcebook.
Slideshow: Iranian Revolution 1979
Photographs and audio news coverage from the time of the revolution, courtesy of the BBC.
Space Race - Smithsonian
Website for an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum.
Sputnik and the Dawn of the Space Age
Website celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sputnik. Includes historical US and Soviet documents.
Suez War of 1956
Overview of the Suez war, with links to related information.
Timeline: A Modern History of Iran
A timeline of events in Iran since 1921.
U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare Policy
This 2014 report from the US Air Force Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies includes a large number of primary source documents illustrating US weapons policy from 1952-1980.
Western Europe Since 1945
Primary sources from the western Europe, from the Modern History Sourcebook.
Winston S. Churchill "Iron Curtain Speech"
The full text of the March 5, 1946 speech.
World on the Brink
A day-by-day presentation of the events during the Cuban Missile Crisis, from the Kennedy presidential library.

Books

There are many books about the Cold War in our library. The majority of these can be found in the 909.82 section of the library, though many of these will focus on the US perspective. There are also books in the American history section that pertains to each of the presidents in office (973.2). Look for general histories in the area of the library that pertains to your country of interest. Use the library catalog to find books; be sure to put the words "cold war" inside quotation marks. You might search "cold war" russia, "cold war" nuclear, "cuban missle crisis", etc.

Subscription databases

A lot of information about aspects of the Cold War can be found using our subscription databases:

America's Historical Newspapers (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Look here for newspaper articles from many cities across the US.
- What’s included?
  350 years of newspapers and broadsheets.
History Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This history database is both a useful research starting point and a good place to find sources to fill research gaps.
- What’s included?
  This is a very large collection of tertiary, secondary and primary sources. Use the Advanced Search screen to narrow your search to a particular type of source.
World History: The Modern Era (ABC-Clio) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This database is a good place to begin history research projects.
- What’s included?
  Reference articles and primary source documents from the Renaissance to the present day.