Cold War

COLD WAR
1. Define the term Cold War and give its contested meaning.
A cold war is a state of conflict between two nations that does not involve direct
military action.The conflict is primarily pursued through economic and political
actions, including propaganda, espionage and proxy wars, where countries at war
rely on others to fight their battles.The term cold war was rarely used before 1945,
and some credit 14th century Spaniard Don Juan Manuel for first using it when
referencing the conflict between Christianity and Islam.However, critics say he used
the word for tepid in Spanish, claiming the term actually originated in a mistranslation
of his work in the 19th century.George Orwell used the term in an essay at the end of
World War II.In his work "You and the Atomic Bomb", published October 19, 1945,
Orwell contemplated a world living in the shadow of the threat of nuclear war, warning
of a "peace that is no peace", which he called a permanent "cold war".The term has
now come to be fixed for any wars raged through indirect conflict.The most well-
known is the post-World War II geopolitical tensions between the USSR and its
satellites and the United States and its western European allies.1
2. Historiographical perspective of the start of the Cold War2

Many historians have come up with different theories and viewpoints about the cold war, some of
them are:
- The Orthodox school

“According to the influential Orthodox account, 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 no horse-trading statesman or American-style political boss, but a
ruthless dictator determined to extend his totalitarian system far beyond the strict
requirements of Soviet security. Nothing the United States or Britain might have
done would have persuaded him to moderate his designs.”
John Lamberton Harper, historian
- Revisionist View
The Revisionists disagree among themselves on a wide range of specific issues
[but] tend to divide into two recognisable groups. The ‘soft’ Revisionists place far
1
Petkar, Sofia. “What Is a Cold War, What's the Definition and Where Does the Term Come from?” The
Sun, The Sun, 14 Apr. 2018, www.thesun.co.uk/news/5815267/cold-war-definition-what-is-it-origins/.
2
“Cold War Historiography.” The Cold War, alphahistory.com/coldwar/cold-war-historiography/.
more emphasis upon individuals than they do on the nature of institutions or
systems. They see a sharp break between the foreign policies of Roosevelt and
Truman and the men around him. Truman, according to this view, broke apart a
functioning coalition soon after he took office… The ‘hard’ Revisionists raise more
fundamental issues [about] the American system as it developed over the years.”
Robert James Maddox, historian
The Post-Revisionists
“Starting in the 1970s, the study of the Cold War began to move beyond the simple
application of blame and responsibility. While still focusing mainly on the diplomatic
and military aspects of the Cold War, scholars started to view the conflict as a result
of a complex interaction between all the parties involved… As befits a general
international atmosphere of détente, most Post-Revisionists deemphasised the role
of ideas and ideologies and instead explained the Cold War increasingly in a realist
manner: decision-makers on all sides became, in effect, rational geopolitical
calculators, advancing their respective national interests in the unique context of
the post-war world.”
Jussi M. Hanhimäki, historian
3. What was the nature of the Cold War?3
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s
strongest nations. They were called superpowers. They had different ideas about
economics and government. They fought a war of ideas called the Cold War. The
Soviet Union was a communist country. In communism, the government controls
production and resources. It decides where people live and work. The United
States is a capitalist country. In capitalism, people and businesses control the
production of goods. People decide where they live and work.The Cold War began
in Europe after World War II. The Soviet Union won control of Eastern Europe. It
controlled half of Germany and half of Germany’s capital, Berlin. The United States,
Britain, and France controlled western Germany and West Berlin. In June 1948, the
Soviet Union blocked roads and railroads that led to West Berlin. The United
States, Great Britain, and France flew in supplies. This was called the Berlin
Airlift.After World War II, Korea was divided into North and South Korea. North
Korea became communist. South Korea was a capitalist country. North Korean
army invaded South Korea. The United Nations sent soldiers to help South Korea.
China sent soldiers to help North Korea. The war ended in 1953. Neither side won.
Korea is still divided.The United States and the Soviet Union were in a nuclear
arms race. In 1959, Cuba became a communist country and the Soviets secretly
put missiles there. President Kennedy was afraid the Soviet Union would attack the
United States. He sent warships to surround Cuba. He hoped a blockade would
force the Soviet Union to remove its missiles. This conflict was called the Cuban
Missile Crisis. For six days, nuclear war seemed possible. Then the Soviet Union
removed the missiles.
3
Summary:The Cold War. Houghton Mifflin Company,
www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/books/content/ilessons/5/ils_gr5a_u8_c17_l1.pdf.

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COLD WAR

2. Historiographical perspective of the start of the Cold War2

- The Orthodox school

3. What was the nature of the Cold War?3

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