As the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, scholars of contemporary international affairs started taking a new look at the basic conflicts that had dominated the latter part of the twentieth century. A plentiful new historical literature on the Cold War era has come into being, greatly helped by the increase in access to archives and other source materials in most countries of the world, from the former Communist states in Europe, to China, to South Africa and elsewhere.

Cold War History is based in the Cold War Studies Programme at LSE IDEAS, the London School of Economics Centre for International Affairs, Strategy and Diplomacy. It makes available the results of recent research on the origins and development of the Cold War and its impact on nations, alliances and regions at various levels of statecraft, as well as in areas such as the military and intelligence, the economy, and social and intellectual developments. The new history of the Cold War is a fascinating example of how experts – often working across national and disciplinary boundaries – are able to use newly available information to refine, or in some cases destroy, old images and interpretations. Cold War History publishes the best of this emerging scholarship, from a perspective that attempts to de-centre the era through paying special attention to the role of Europe and the Third World. The journal welcomes contributions from historians and representatives of other disciplines on all aspects of the global Cold War and its present repercussions.