The War of Nerves: Inside the Cold War Mind

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[Sixsmith] has found another way of telling the story of the Cold War, one that laces history with the mind games that were played by both sides' - The Times

More than any other conflict, the Cold War was fought on the battlefield of the human mind. And, nearly thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, its legacy still endures - not only in our politics, but in our own thoughts, and fears.

Drawing on a vast array of untapped archives and unseen sources, Martin Sixsmith vividly recreates the tensions and paranoia of the Cold War, framing it for the first time from a psychological perspective. Revisiting towering personalities like Khrushchev, Kennedy and Nixon, as well as the lives of the unknown millions who were caught up in the conflict, this is a gripping account of fear itself - and in today's uncertain times, it is more resonant than ever.

Reviews

'An ambitious study of the cold war ... filled with fascinating insights into the psychology of one of the most dangerous periods in world history ... illuminating' - P.D. James

'There have been many histories of the cold war, but the virtue and originality of Mr Sixsmith's is to see almost every aspect of the stand-off in psychological terms' - Economist

'Written with exemplary clarity and full of succulent anecdotes ... Sixsmith's huge canvas encompasses the Space Race, the motivations of the Cambridge spies, and the details of Project MK Ultra' - Daily Telegraph

'[Sixsmith] has found another way of telling the story of the Cold War, one that laces history with the mind games that were played by both sides ... a good read ... peppered with anecdote, archival nuggets and short flashes of insight ... The book stands out from other Cold War narratives by its introduction of psychological theorising ... It was time for a vivid popular history of the Cold War, and this is it.' - Roger Boyes

'This fascinating study of Cold War psychology also has much to teach us about contemporary tensions' - Vin Arthey

Author Bio

Martin Sixsmith studied Russian at Oxford, Harvard, the Sorbonne and in St Petersburg, and psychology at Birkbeck and London Metropolitan University. He witnessed the end of the Cold War first hand, reporting for the BBC from Moscow during the presidencies of Gorbachev and Yeltsin. He is the author of two novels and several works of non-fiction, including Philomena and Russia: A 1,000 Year Chronicle of the Wild East.