B.1 How far was the USA responsible for the Cold War

Question 1

Orthodox View

Answer 1

• the cold war was the result of Russia’s expansionism. they were trying to impose communism on people
• dominated west historians viewpoint until the 1970s
• result of the attitudes in the west in the development of the cold war

Question 2

Revisionist View

Answer 2

• USSRs motivations were defensive
• the US was trying to expand economically and gain dominance over Europe
• ‘New Left’ writers influenced by US foreign policy failure in Vietnam

Question 3

Post-Revisionist View

Answer 3

• examine wider range of factors in more detail, having multiple causes of the cold war
• many still blame Stalin
• emerged in the mid-1970s
• had more detachment from the early cold war events and had access to USSR sources

Question 4

Russian Writers Since 1991

Answer 4

• soviet foreign policy wasn’t just defensive. based on ‘the twin pillars of communist internationalism and soviet great power status’
• from Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union
• these writers had more of an insight into foreign policy and decision making in the USSR