Abstract
In the past, a diffuse interpretation of the role of the superpowers during the Cold War profoundly affected historical analysis. Identifying the Cold War essentially as the bipolar confrontation between Washington and Moscow led to a historical narrative that greatly weakened and often flawed our understanding of the rest of the world. In recent years, however, historians of international relations have managed to go beyond this prevailing “bipolar paradigm” and extend their analysis to the roles played by other actors—third actors—in the evolution of the Cold War system.
The author is grateful to Ambassador Gabriele Menegatti, Chen Baoshun, Yang Chengxu, and Cai Fangbo; and to Christian Ostermann, Professor Ennio Di Nolfo, Massimiliano Guderzo, Giovanni Andornino, Niu Da Yong, Gao Yi, Li Danhui, and Shen Zhihua for their support and encouragement throughout this research. The author also thanks Federica Cedro and Marco Bausi for their help in collecting some of the sources used, which have greatly benefited this work.
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© 2014 Maurizio Marinelli and Giovanni Andornino
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Fardella, E. (2014). The Normalization of Relations between Italy and the People’s Republic of China. In: Marinelli, M., Andornino, G. (eds) Italy’s Encounters with Modern China. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137290939_6
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