Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
Melvyn P. Leffler
メルヴィン・P・レフラー
Meruvin P. Reffurā
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1945-05-31 （New York City, New York, United States）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- New York City (birth) → Nashville (Vanderbilt University) → Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia) → Oxford (Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professorship)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Educator, Professor
- Active Years
- 1972-2025
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (former faculty), University of Virginia (Edward Stettinius Professor of History; Miller Center scholar), Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Fellow), Library of Congress (Henry Kissinger Fellow)
- Memberships
- Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (former president)
- Influenced By
- John Lewis Gaddis, Odd Arne Westad
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University | — | History | BS | 1962–1966 | United States |
| Ohio State University | — | History | PhD | 1966–1972 | United States |
Cornell University
History
Degree:
BS
Period:
1962–1966
Year of Graduation:
1966
Country:
United States
Ohio State University
History
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1966–1972
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Bancroft Prize | A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration and the Cold War | — | Columbia University Libraries (Bancroft Prize) | winner |
| 2008 | George Louis Beer Prize | For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War | — | American Historical Association | winner |
| 2014 | Thomas Jefferson Award (University of Virginia) | — | — | University of Virginia | recipient |
| 2012 | Laura and Norman Graebner Award (lifetime achievement) | — | lifetime achievement | Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) | recipient |
Bancroft Prize
1993
Work:
A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration and the Cold War
Organization:
Columbia University Libraries (Bancroft Prize)
Result:
winner
George Louis Beer Prize
2008
Work:
For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
winner
Thomas Jefferson Award (University of Virginia)
2014
Organization:
University of Virginia
Result:
recipient
Laura and Norman Graebner Award (lifetime achievement)
2012
Category:
lifetime achievement
Organization:
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration and the Cold War
1992 History (diplomatic history / national security)A scholarly analysis of U.S. national security policy during the Truman administration and the formation of the Cold War, based on documentary research. Discusses U.S. foreign policy decisions and the expansion of security institutions.
national securityorigins of the Cold WarTruman administration
For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War
2007 History (international history / diplomatic history)A broad study of U.S.–Soviet relations and the development of the Cold War using extensive primary sources and multiple perspectives, integrating ideological, diplomatic, and military dimensions.
U.S.–Soviet relationsideology and diplomacyCold War history
The Cambridge History of the Cold War (editor)
2010 History (edited volume)A comprehensive three-volume edited history of the Cold War with contributions from multiple scholars, reassessing the Cold War from an international perspective.
international historycomparative perspectivesplural interpretations of the Cold War
The Cold War: An International History (2nd ed.)
2005 History (survey / textbook)A survey reframing the Cold War as an international history, organizing major events, trends, and structures in a comprehensive narrative.
international historyCold War overviewforeign policy
Bibliography
- Safeguarding Democratic Capitalism: U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security, 1920-2015
- Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq
- For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War
- A Preponderance of Power: National Security, The Truman Administration, and the Cold War
- The Cambridge History of the Cold War (ed.)
- The Cold War: An International History (2nd ed.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly and analytical stylerigorous argumentation based on primary sourcesclear prose accessible to non-specialists
- Recurring Motifs
- institutions of national securityU.S.–Soviet relations and ideologyforeign policy decision-making
Legacy
A historian who has made major contributions to Cold War and U.S. diplomatic history. His major works are praised for rigorous documentary analysis and have bridged academic and policy communities.
Academic Societies
- Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
Archives
- University of Virginia Special Collections (related materials)
Trivia
- Married historian Phyllis Koran in 1968 (they have two children).
- Advised U.S. government bodies including the State Department and CIA on declassification of records.
- Won the Bancroft Prize in 1993 for A Preponderance of Power.
- Served as the Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford in 2002–2003.