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