Summary of Cold war for IGCSE history, includes useful links and percise summaries of crisis, proxy wars and events leading to tension. Received an A* with High acheiver certificate for History IGCSE.
School of thoughts
Orthodox or traditional:
Emerged among historians in the USA and other western powers in the late 1950s, Orthodox
historians attribute the outbreak of war to Joseph Stalin and the soviet union. They argue that
the soviet regime initiated the war by seeking to expand and exert power over Europe and Asia.
They also argue that Stalin broke the agreements forged at the Yalta and Potsdam
conference.The Orthodox view became the accepted historical position of the United States
during the 1950s – not surprisingly, since it aligned with American interests and justified US
policies like the Truman Doctrine. Some traditionalist historians included Arthur M. Schlesinger
Jr, Herbert Feis, Thomas A. Bailey and Louis J. Halle. It may come as no surprise that many of
these historians held official positions with the US State Department or other government
bodies.
Revisionist:
The first significant mention of the revisionist view was by William Appleman Williams in his
book The tragedy of American diplomacy, in which it states that since the 1890s the overriding
function of US foreign policy has been to secure foreign markets for the American
goods.Williams’ analysis shattered two popular illusions: first, that the United States was an
isolationist, anti-imperialist neutral power, and second, that US foreign policy during the Cold
War was reactive, peace-seeking and not agenda-driven. Revisionist perspectives gained
traction and popularity in the United states during the 1960s when the failure of Vietnam led
many to question America's foreign policy. Aside from Williams, other notable revisionist
historians include Denna Fleming and Christopher Lasch.
Post Revisionist:
This school of thought emerged in the late 1970s, where historians looked for a middle ground
between Orthodox and Revisionist histories of the cold war. This school of thought was
pioneered by John Lewis Gaddis. These academics synthesized ideas from both schools of
thoughts, however enjoyed the advantage of time and had access to newer documents.The first
significant Post-Revisionist account was Gaddis’ 1972 book The United States and the Origins
of the Cold War, 1941-1947. Gaddis considered existing explanations for the Cold War but
widened his focus, examining “external and internal influences.He also acknowledged the
limitation of not having access to official Soviet archives, meaning historians must assess Soviet
policy “from without”Gaddis identified several factors that contributed to the emergence of a
, US-Soviet cold war: historical problems pre-1941, including a lack of communication and formal
recognition; the delay in opening up a second Allied front in Europe, leaving the Soviets three
years to battle the Nazis unaided; Washington’s refusal to recognise a Soviet sphere of
influence in eastern Europe; and Truman’s ‘atomic diplomacy’ and refusal to share nuclear
technology with the Soviets.
Post-Post revisionist:
In 1991, Communism in the Soviet Union collapsed. This has allowed historians to get to see
the Russian archives, and to investigate what Russia was REALLY about in this period. In
Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: from Stalin to Khrushchev (1997), the Russian historians
Vladislav Zubok and Constantine Pleshakov, use declassified Soviet documents to analyze
Stalin’s part in causing the Cold War. They reveal a fanatic belief in Communism, lots of
personal faults and mistakes, but above all a genuine desire to avoid confrontation with the
USA. Therefore after 1991, a new thought of school emerged blaming Stalin and his behavior
for the start of the cold war.
Communism- USSR Capitalism-USA
● System of government is totalitarian ● System of government is democratic.
● Property is owned by the state ● Property is privately owned
● No free enterprise is allowed ● Driven by free enterprise
● Wealth is distributed equally ● Wealth distributed unevenly
● Education and healthcare is provided ● Education and healthcare provided by
by the state private entities
● Press controlled and owned by state ● Freedom of press
● Classless society ● Class distinctions
● Focus is on the progress of the ● Focus is on the individual and his or
community as a whole her own progress in life
How did the war change the relationship between the USSR and allies?
● Germany's invasion of the soviet union and Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941
created an Alliance between the USA and USSR.
● This was also due to Lend Lease, which was an act to promote the defense of the United
states, which was a policy where the USA supplied countries such as France and UK, and
even the USSR with material, food, weapons.
However, after the defeat of the Axis powers, both countries were transformed, turning both
nations into world powers.( Richest country and most powerful army). This gave way to start a
political, ideological rivalry between the two countries,
Although President Roosevelt hoped to see a lasting peace between the two countries, relations
with the Soviet Union complicated these things as the spread of communism past Russia
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