An overview of Cold War Historiography. Cold War Historiography The orthodox interpretation The...
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Transcript of An overview of Cold War Historiography. Cold War Historiography The orthodox interpretation The...
An overview of Cold War Historiography
Cold War Historiography
The orthodox interpretation
The revisionist interpretation
Moderate revisionistview
Revival of orthodoxyThe post-revisionist view
Return to orthodoxy in thePutin-Medvedev era???
The orthodox interpretation• Why the Cold War?
– Soviet aggression• Why the aggression?
– Ideological evangelism?– Russian imperialism?– Does not matter– Its monolithic nature
• The US reaction?– US sought to continue
wartime cooperation– Forced to stand up to
Soviet behaviour• The Truman Doctrine?
– All the Soviets’ fault
Why the orthodox interpretation?
• Breakdown of the anti-Nazi alliance
• Soviet domination of Eastern Europe– Complete by 1948– Berlin (1948)
• Spread of the Cold War to Asia:– The “loss of China”– Korea (1950-53)– Indochina
• McCarthyism
The revisionist interpretation• Breakdown of the
wartime alliance– US fault– Soviet behaviour? What
would you expect?• US imperialistic- why?
– Markets/ investment/ raw materials
– Regimes to look after US interests
Why the revisionist interpretation?
• The Vietnam War– Questioning of the war led
to questioning of the bases of US foreign policy
• The 60s: an era of protest and challenge
• Nixon engendered opposition thinking– The man– The Pentagon Papers– Watergate
The moderate revisionist interpretation
• Personality focussed– If only FDR and not
Truman• Truman surrounded by
fanatically anti-Russian advisors– Kennan– Clifford– Nitze– Acheson
Why the moderate revisionist interpretation?
• FDR’s willingness to trust and work with Stalin– Truman’s hardline
approach– His inexperience?– Beholden to his advisors?
• But blame still on US
Revival of orthodoxy
• When?– The 1980s
• What?– Back to it’s all the fault of
the Soviets• Why?
– The Reagan era– “the evil empire”– Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan– End of détente
The post-revisionist interpretation
• Washington and Moscow– Both sides had their faults– Both sides pushing their
national interests• Ignorance of each other
– Led to misunderstanding– Nearly nuclear war
• Stalin?– Security his concern– But: couldn’t be sure
• Gaddis particularly hard on the role of Stalin
Why the post-revisionist interpretation?
• Opening up of the Soviet archives– But do not overplay this
• The Cold War was now over– Allows a non-partisan
approach– Avoids the Soviet
apologist approach