History and International Relations - Research Paper Example

?Bibliography Bahr, Colin. Divided The Berlin Wall. Berlin: Jaron Verlag, 2008. Print This is a book on the of Berlin and its development throughout the years from the time the Second World War broke out to the building and the destruction of the wall. It is a look into Berlin’s history through pictures, historical facts, personal accounts of East and West Berliners, and its current impact on the lives of Berliners today. This book provided a more visual basis for the paper as it mostly showed photographs and personal details of the impact of the Berlin Wall on those who were on the East and West side of the wall. This book made the Berlin Wall a more emotional experience for me as a reader. Beller, Miles. American datelines: major news stories from colonial times to the present. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2003. Print This book highlights landmarks and milestones in American history, based on news stories from the colonial period until the present. It is a compilation of news articles from the initial copies of Boston News to the current major publications. This book features newsworthy additions on the accounts of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as the Clinton Impeachment and the OJ Simpson trial. This book helped me gain a general perspective of various landmark events in American history. It provided an account of the fall of the Berlin wall which was written from an American perspective. Through such accounts, I was able to gain a general perspective of the Berlin wall. Brager, Bruce. The Iron Curtain: the Cold War in Europe. London: Infobase Publishing, 2004. Print. This book presents an analytical approach to the issue of political boundaries in the world. It studies the Central European part of the Cold War, presenting the peaceful and dangerous competition between the US and the Soviet Union. It also establishes the origins of the Iron Curtain from its start during the end of the Second World War to its end during the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This book provided a European perspective of the Cold War, including the impact of the Berlin Wall on Germany and on the rest of Europe. This perspective enabled me to understand why the wall was built in the aftermath of the Second World War and in the advent of the Cold War. Chapin, Wesley. Germany for the Germans?: the political effects of international migration. London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Print. This book evaluates the impact on migration on German society. It reviews migration in the face of its political and modern history. This analysis indicates the impact of Germans, in the immediate aftermath of WWII, migrating to other countries on the countries they were migrating to as well as to their homeland. This study was undertaken in order to provide an analytical discussion for international relations, comparative politics, and migration. This book provided an analysis of the Berlin Wall based on the trends of migration and their impact on the Germans. It helped me understand the Berlin wall based on the discussion of emigration, in the light of the actual building of the wall and its impact on the economy of Germany with its recruitment of foreign guest workers. Davey, Thomas. A generation divided: German children and the Berlin wall. London: Duke University Press, 1987. Print. This book is largely based on the author’s interviews with children at both sides of the Wall. The author also gathered information by participating in their daily lives, collecting their drawings, conversing with their teachers and family members, and basically assessing how children can be attentive to what is going on in their country. This study presents a powerful book and a dramatic image of the younger generations of Berliners coping with the complicated political scenes which have caused the division of Berlin. This book gave another personal outlook of the Berlin Wall and its impact on the citizens, most especially the younger generation of Berliners. It gave me a different outlook on the impact of the Berlin Wall as I was able to compare the impact of the wall on the older and the younger generations of Berliners. Felkay, Andrew. Out of Russian orbit, Hungary gravitates to the West. London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Print. This book relates Hungary’s transformation from a USSR ally to an independent nation. It chronicles how Hungary was able to stand uniquely separate from the post-communist world. This book also indicates the priorities on foreign policies made by Hungary’s elected governments. This book also discusses how Hungary was able to step away from the agreements laid out in the Warsaw Pact carried out with communist nations. This book also discusses how Hungary was eventually able to ally itself with Western Europe economically and politically. I was able to use this book to supplement my knowledge about the Cold War in as far as Hungary was concerned. This book informed me how Hungary slowly gravitated away from communist Russia and into a more Western European policy. This change was able to help Berliners cause as they found harbor in Hungary, passing through it to reach Austria. Gray, Colin. War, peace and international relations: an introduction to strategic history. London: Taylor & Francis, 2007. Print. This book reviews the theory and the applications of war and of peace in the more modern context. It discusses the lows and highs of international relations and it presents a possible analysis of the future into 2025. It presents the different events which have impacted on the world and on our current history focusing on the causes and consequences of wars and conflicts. This book helped me in writing the paper because it provided a more theoretical outlook of war, peacetime, and international relations. It gave me a wider perspective of the war and peace, giving me a more long-term conceptualization of these phenomena. Hildebrandt, R. It Happened At The Wall. Berlin: Verlag Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, 1992. This book is a photo-essay paperback which includes about 120 pages of black and white images of events related to the Berlin Wall. These images focus on the early years of the Berlin Wall and the different escape attempts of East Berliners fleeing communism. It details escape attempts including the use of cable drums, self-manufactured ziplines, airplanes, balloons, and tunnels. This is another book which provides a visual picture of the Berlin Wall. This gave me a more detailed understanding of the years when the wall was in place. The more personal details and examples of escapes and difficulties experienced by Berliners during the time of the Berlin Wall gave me a more personal understanding of the wall. The wall became a more tangible structure to me because of this book. Katz, Samuel. Raging Within: Ideological Terrorism. New York: Twenty-First Century Books, 2003. Print This book presents a slightly sensationalized take on the different events which occurred within the past 50 years. It presents graphic images, detailed accounts of killings and kidnappings, and discussions on the elements of terrorism. It focuses on narratives from different parts of the world, from Japan to Colombia and other areas of the world, including post WWII Germany and Europe. This book helped me understand the different terrorist acts which have been carried out in the last 50 years in different parts of the world. It helped me write the book as this book was able to provide details of the abuses and the difficulties encountered by the Berliners, especially those in the side of East Berlin, under communist rule. Manghani, Sunil. Image critique & the fall of the Berlin Wall. London: Intellect Books, 2008. Print. This study presents the concept of image critique, whereby images are critiqued while they are also used to draw in contemporary interest groups. This book evaluates the discussions on culture from history thesis to East German films. It presents a coordinated view of history and politics, by applying a visual cultural analysis. The author also builds his analysis based on images, especially images from the fall of the Berlin Wall. Manning, Martin and Wyatt, Clarence. Encyclopedia of Media and Propaganda in Wartime America. London: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. This is a compilation of writings based on documents on the relationship between the mass media, the US military, and propaganda. This study notes the start of this relationship before the American revolution – a relationship which may sometimes be cooperative and combative. Since it is basically an encyclopedia, this book provided a fact based description of the Berlin Wall and the events surrounding it. In a portion of its writings, it provided an analysis of the wall which was propaganda based. This helped me understand the concept of the wall, beyond its physical representation. Rottman, Gordon and Taylor, Chris. The Berlin Wall and the Intra-German Border 1961-89. London: Osprey Publishing, 2008. Print. The authors set out to evaluate the international circumstances which led to the rise of the Berlin Wall, with a focus on the barrier systems which were apparent in the Cold War era. It discusses the formation of the barriers, how these barriers evolved, and the defenses which were established by the individuals involved. It also discusses how the people were affected by their desire for freedom. This book was able to assist me in writing the paper by providing various details on the events leading up to and on the actual building of the wall. The focus on the international barriers gave me a glimpse of the political power plays which were in place in the post-Second World War period. Sheehan, Sean. The Cold War. New York: Black Rabbit Books, 2003. Print. This book presents a detailed discussion on the main causes of the Cold War, mainly from 1945 to 1991 when US and the USSR lived in distrust and fear of each other. It highlights events which marked clear opposing relations with each other, including the building of the Berlin Wall, propaganda, and espionage. This book helped me write the paper by providing a factual basis for the Cold War and the actions of USSR and Germany which eventually led to the building of the wall. It gave me an opportunity to understand the ideals of both nations and how they set forth their ideals on Germany. Van der Wee, Herman. Prosperity and upheaval: the world economy, 1945-1980. California: University of California Press, 1986. Print. This book presents a review of recent history and economic happenings in the face of wars and armed conflicts. It presents the impact of such happenings on the world economy and on the trade deficits seen in the post WWII period and in the wake of terrorism in the Middle East. This book assisted me in writing the paper in the sense that I was able to conceptualize the economic impact of world events. The time period covered by the book gave me a chance to understand the happenings in the post-WWII era, and its impact on the economy of nations involved including occupied Germany. Mead, Louise. “How had the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall affect Germany?” This study assessed the various ways in which the Berlin Wall has Germany. This paper sought to explain the different events which led to the building of the Berlin Wall. This study was constructed based on an interview with an East Berliner in relation to the immediate effects of the wall and how the lives of the East and West Berliners changed during the separation. The paper also considered the fall of the wall, the process of reunification, and the continued effects of the 27 year long separation. This paper helped me in completely and comprehensively understanding the political plays between East and West Berlin. The author provided an analysis which spanned the beginning up to the end of the Berlin Wall. Through this paper, I was able to understand the wall as both a physiological and a mental barrier as well. Andrews, M. “One hundred miles of lives: The Stasi files as a people's history of East Germany” This study considered the assumption about oral history – that it empowers the people. This study provides the context of the Ministerium fur Staatsicherheit the "MfS" or "Stasi" files gathered by the communist East Germany during the cold war. This study presented observations on the Stasi files and the accounts of oral history which consider the impact of communist actions on the East and West Berliners during the Cold War period. I was able to use this book to understand the covert activities going on within the existence of the Berlin Wall. This book gave me an understanding also of the impact of the Stasi on East Germany and how they lived their lives in constant scrutiny and control by their government. Read More