CAMBRIDGEIGCSEHISTORYREVISION6WHOWASTOBLAMEFORTHECOLDWAR?

TRADITIONALISTSVIEWS

TRADITIONALISMTraditionalism is heavily rooted in the realist school of thought. It is simply just an extension of the realist interpretation of the early events of the Cold War. The argument changes slightly under the traditionalist approach.

THEORTHODOXVIEWThe historical position known as the "Orthodox" or "Traditional" view generally holds that the Soviet Union was responsible for the Cold War. It states that the Soviets were inevitably expansionist due to their suspicion of the West and their Marxist theory which advocated the need to spread revolution throughout the world. Thus, Stalin violated the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, occupied and imposed Soviet control in Eastern Europe, and 'plotted' to spread Communism throughout the world with Moscow at its centre. The United States, therefore, had to act defensively, from the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to the establishment of NATO.

HEROVSVILLAINSCENARIOTraditionalists still maintained that the Soviet Union was a ruthless aggressor, but they painted the United States in an even more positive light. Interpretations suggested that the United States pursued a peaceful post-Second World War, but it had to establish itself as a global force to serve as a bulwark against the Soviet Union. Returning to the hero/villain scenario, the Soviet Union was still painted as the villain, but now the United States, as the hero, was expected to protect the interests of the world from the alleged dangers of communism.

ITWASTRADITIONALTOBLAMETHERUSSIANSUntil the 1960s, most historians followed the official government line – that the Cold War was the direct result of Stalin's aggressive Soviet expansionism.Allocation of blame was simple – the Soviets were to blame! This view of the Cold War has never really gone away, and there have always been people who have seen the Soviet Union as the cause of the confrontation. It is, by far, the most common opinion of people coming from America or Britain.

THEPOLICYOFCONTAINMENTA very important concept was developed out of the traditionalist school of thought: the policy of containment, which called for the United States to prevent the spread of communism. Individuals, such as George Kennan and Herbert Feis, argued that the United States must adopt a containment strategy as a means of harnessing the expansion of communism. As you can see, both schools of thought supported the United States' battle against the Soviet Union.

THEDOMINANTVISIONUntil the 1960s, the traditionalist vision was predominant. The traditionalists placed the responsibility for the Cold War on the expansionist policy of the Soviet Union under Stalin, shortly after the Second World War. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union tried to dominate its neighbours and set up a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. The aggressive intentions of the Soviet Union were, among other things, reflected by the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, the Berlin Blockade and the attack by North Korea on South Korea in 1950. According to the traditionalists, it was this Soviet expansionist policy that forced the United States to intervene, which subsequently led to the Cold War.

Political historian Arthur M. Schlesinger gave a clear analysis from the Orthodox perspective (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr, Origins of the Cold War, Foreign Affairs, October 1967, pp. 49−50)

“Marxism-Leninism gave the Russian leaders a view of the world according to which all societies were inexorably destined to proceed along appointed roads by appointed stages until they achieved the classless nirvana. Moreover, given the resistance of the Capitalists to this development, the existence of any non-Communist state was by definition a threat to the Soviet Union. An Analysis of the origins of the Cold War which leaves out these factors − the intransigence of Leninist ideology, the sinister dynamics of a totalitarian society and the madness of Stalin − is obviously incomplete.”

THEANALYSISOFARTHURSCHLESINGER

This is a summary of Michael Hart’s argument justifying placing Mikhail Gorbachev in his top 100 most influential persons in history. Michael Hart worked for NASA and is currently a professor of astronomy and physics in USA. He holds degrees in physics, astronomy, and law and is author of The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (1986).

“The Cold War was caused by the military expansionism of Stalin and his successors. The American response was basically a defensive reaction. As long as Soviet leaders clung to their dream of imposing Communism on the world, the West had no way (other than surrender) of ending the conflict. When a Soviet leader appeared, who was willing to abandon that goal, the seemingly interminable Cold War soon melted away.”

THEARGUMENTOFMICHAELHART

THEADDRESSOFPAULWOLFOWITZAn address by Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, at the Ninety-fifth Annual Meeting of the American Jewish Committee, 2001.

“International conflicts are often caused by the character of national regimes, not by any kind of international misunderstanding. The cold war was caused by the evil regime in the Soviet Union, not by a failure of diplomacy. In a similar way, Slobodan Milosevic and his evil cronies were responsible for the tragedies and suffering in the Balkans. The American Jewish Committee worked for years against Milosevic, speaking out forcefully on behalf of his victims, especially the Bosnian Muslims.”

THEREPORTOFCHRISTOPHERANDREWReport of a Q&A session with Christopher Andrew (a Cambridge University don and expert on Cold War espionage) at the first Raleigh International Spy Conference, August 2003.

The truth of the matter, Andrew insisted, responding to the statement of Dr James Leutze that US intellectual thought places blame for the Cold War equally between the US and the Soviet Union, is that the whole cost and length of the Cold War rests almost completely with the men who led the Soviet Union to its ultimate implosion. “The Cold War was caused by the Soviet Union , was sustained by the Soviet Union, and was ended by the Soviet Union when it collapsed,” he said emphatically. It was—and is—as simple as that.

THEREVIEWOFEUGENEROSTOWUS Naval War College Review of Eugene V. Rostow, Violent peace and the management of power: dilemmas and choices in US policy (1988).

The cold war was caused by the USSR's 'imperial appetite'.

THEVIEWOFJRNYQUISTJ.R. Nyquist styles himself a World Net Daily contributing editor and a renowned expert in geopolitics and international relations. He is the author of Origins of the Fourth World War.

Stalin's bad behaviour was the primary cause of the Cold War.