TOPICS AND THEMES OF THE COLD WAR, 1953 AND TODAY

Class

TOPICS AND THEMES OF THE COLD WAR, 1953 AND TODAY

October 9 – November 13, 2025 · 5 sessions · Thursday · 12:30 – 1:30pm
Swarthmore Borough Hall · 121 Park Ave · Swarthmore, PA 19081
Instructor: Jeffrey LaMonica
Class #2 · History · New Classes

Registration opens Thursday, August 28, 2025.

NOTE: NO class 11/6

This course is based on the instructor’s 2019 book Between Deterrence and Détente: British Ambassador Sir Roger Makins’ Perspective on US Foreign Policy in 1953 (not required for the course). The year 1953 represented a pivotal moment in the Cold War and set the course of global affairs for the next sixty-five years. The cessation of hostilities in the Korean War resulted in the creation of two opposing countries separated by a contentious demilitarized zone. The US moved toward a policy of coexistence with the People’s Republic of China. The Vietminh’s struggle against French imperialism in Indochina began its evolution into the US’s fifteen-year military entanglement in Vietnam. The recent formation of the United Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and abortive European Defense Community (EDC) gave rise to aspirations for both collective security and a global balance of power. The world’s growing appreciation for the destructive potential of atomic technology provided the impetus for international agreements concerning the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The book examines the events of this critical year through the eyes of a British diplomat providing a fresh perspective on the Cold War.

SBH Council Room