ABSTRACT
From the perspective of half a century, the early Cold War is distant history. As long as the seemingly interminable confl ict lasted, contemporaries were mainly preoccupied with its origins. Its unexpected termination changed the perspective, bringing to the fore the Cold War’s legacy. Trying to understand a legacy of history means focusing not so much on what was important at the time as on what counts as important in retrospect. This includes institutions that have survived, events that resulted in developments with lasting consequences, as well as ideas that continue to inspire. Outstanding legacies of the fi rst half of the Cold War are international structures established at its beginning, the long-term consequences of the Korean War of 1950-53, and the nuclear weapons that had started accumulating by the end of the period as a result of policies pursued during the preceding twenty-fi ve years.
