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