Cold War Historiography

The Soviet Union was responsible for the Cold War.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

Traditional view of American historians writing in the 1950s and 1960s.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

The Soviets were inevitably expansionist due to their suspicion of the West and in accordance with Marxist theory, which advocated the need to spread revolution throughout the world.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

This perspective flourished when the consensus over American foreign policy was crumbling during the Vietnam War, leading to more criticism of the United States.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

This was 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 and the Domino Theory.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

“The conflict was unavoidable owing to the nature of Soviet objectives and Stalin’s character. It was an illusion to believe that the “Uncle Joe” of pro-Soviet wartime propaganda corresponded to reality. Stalin was… a ruthless dictator determined to extend his totalitarian system far beyond the strict requirements of Soviet Security.”

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

Stresses the defensive action of Stalin’s foreign policy faced with an aggressive USA attempting to gain economic dominance over Europe.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

View that both sides were 'improvising' rather than following a well defined 'plan of action'.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

The collapse of the Soviet Union and opening up of Soviet archives has allowed this view to develop; many historians argue that Stalin played a key role in the development of the conflict.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist

Has sought to avoid blaming either side for the breakdown in relations and to approach the topic from a more objective standpoint; initially emerged in the mid-1970s as historians were more removed from the events of the early Cold War.

• Orthodox

• Revisionist

• Post-revisionist

• Post-post revisionist