The Cold War presents 180 essays on specific events and developments of the Cold War. Topics include the most important world conflicts and crises of nearly a half century. Also included are essays about the economic, cultural, and even athletic conflicts, as well as the literary and film genres built around stories of espionage and intrigue that were epitomized in the fictional secret agent James Bond. A substantial introduction examines the origins of the Cold War and the rise of American and Russian power during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.