France Restored - by William I Hitchcock (Paperback)

About the Book

France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe, 1944-1954

Book Synopsis

Historians of the Cold War, argues William Hitchcock, have too
often overlooked the part that European nations played in shaping
the post-World War II international system. In particular,
France, a country beset by economic difficulties and political
instability in the aftermath of the war, has been given short
shrift.
With this book, Hitchcock restores France to the narrative
of Cold War history and illuminates its central role in the
reconstruction of Europe. Drawing on a wide array of evidence
from French, American, and British archives, he shows that France
constructed a coherent national strategy for domestic and
international recovery and pursued that strategy with tenacity
and effectiveness in the first postwar decade. This once-occupied
nation played a vital part in the occupation and administration
of Germany, framed the key institutions of the "new" Europe,
helped forge the NATO alliance, and engineered an astonishing
economic recovery. In the process, France successfully contested
American leadership in Europe and used its position as a key Cold
War ally to extract concessions from Washington on a wide range
of economic and security issues.

Review Quotes

[A] solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University

A fine example of the new Cold War history that aims at transcending a purely US-Soviet framework.

"Choice"

A valuable contribution to the University of North Carolina Press's 'New Cold War History' series.

"American Historical Review"

Elegantly written and thoughtfully argued, Hitchcock's book will be indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe.

Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia

This is a first-rate study of French foreign policy during the early Cold War period.

Marc Trachtenberg, University of Pennsylvania

ÝA¨ solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University

"[A] solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University"

"Elegantly written and thoughtfully argued, Hitchcock's book will be indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe.

Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia"

"This is a first-rate study of French foreign policy during the early Cold War period.

Marc Trachtenberg, University of Pennsylvania"

About the Author

William I. Hitchcock is assistant professor of history and
associate director of International Security Studies at Yale University.