The russian archives and the reinterpretation of cold war history. Sep 30, 2012 assess the importance of ideological differences in the outbreak of the cold war. The cold war was essentially a face off or completion between the united states and the soviet union after world war ii. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, the daily beast sorts through the best new and old books on the cold war and the fall of communism. The cold war rivalry between the united states and the soviet union lasted for decades and resulted in anticommunist suspicions and international incidents that led. At the time, the soviet union was a communist nation that was based on the principles of collectivism, while the united states was a modern liberal nation based primarily on. The first five are history books that lean towards the social and cultural. Rethinking the role of ideology in international politics. It is a system of ideas that aspires both to explain the world and to change it. Chapter 9 the cold war at home and abroad, 19451953.
The cold war was a period of geopolitical tension between the soviet union and the united states and their respective allies, the eastern bloc and the western bloc, after world war ii. Using examples from europe, asia, and the middle east, explain how the cold war affected global history in the years following world war ii. The paintings importance for a certain strand of cold war cultural politics is part of the story of how it got to us, a generation or more later, and that history is worth knowing, because bits. Adams shows that contemporary ideological thinking is thriving, despite the end of ideology proclaimed after the capitalist wests triumph in the cold war. A critical evaluation of mikhail gorbachevs role in ending. Assess the importance of ideological differences in the outbreak of the cold war. In fact, each nation uses a number of particular ideologies or ideological principles as well as a general ideology for explaining and justifying its actions. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Font fontsymbol font democracy triumphed in the cold war because it was a battle of values between one system that gave preeminence to the state and another that gave preeminence to the individual and freedom 316. Fundamental to the continuing debate on the nature of the cold war was the question of origins. Top 10 books about the cold war books the guardian. To oppose one ideology was not necessarily to subscribe to another, although there was a strong body.
Ideology in this very special sense has made an intellectual comeback, and the discussion here is intended as a contribution to the ongoing debate about the role of ideology in postwar international politics. There is no unanimity amongst scholars regarding the origin of the cold war in 1941 when hitler invaded russia, roosevelt the president of usa sent armaments to russia. The ideas of influential leaders, both right and wrong, are more potent in war than what is universally understood. The field of cold war history has consistently been one of the most vibrant in the field of international studies. He understood that the cold war was ultimately about ideology. It was his skillful diplomacy that prevented a violent end to the cold war. History, but it also offers an excellent opportunity for students to become more economically literate through understanding the consequences of the most extensive socialist experiments in history. During the cold war there were two main powers, nato which was led by the united states of america, and the communist countries, led by the soviet union. We were very concerned about the spread of communism.
The significance of the cold war is that it changed the course of the world in a number of ways and by its end, ushered in a new world order. The period is generally considered to span the 1947 truman doctrine to the 1991 dissolution of the soviet union. For them the cold war had evolved into a limitless contest between freedom and tyranny, a totally revolutionary struggle propelling history down its final, dangerous course. The ideologies animating the cold war had centurieslong pedigrees, emerging by the early twentieth century as powerful and compelling visions for social change. Aug 10, 2016 kramer, ideology and the cold war, 57475. The two opposing ideologies of the 20th century were capitalism and communism and some consider them to be responsible for the growing tensions of what would later become the cold war. This new handbook offers a wideranging overview of current scholarship on the cold war, with essays from many leading scholars. The cold war the persistent tension between the united states and its western supporters against the soviet union and other communist nations between the end of the second world war and the dissolution of the soviet union in 1991. Palgrave advances in cold war history is a multidisciplinary account of the cold war, examining ten key concepts that underpinned the period, while drawing on the work of established scholars. Westad opens with a pair of summary chapters on the usa and soviet union leading up to the beginning of the cold war. Top 10 books about the cold war the long, nucleararmed standoff that followed the second world war was a terrifying parody of peace which inspired some brilliant literature francesca kay. With the two world superpowers, the united states and the union of soviet socialist republics, as the primary players in the cold war, the standoff lasted from shortly after world war ii until the end of the 1980s. Ideology of the cold war what came to be called the cold war in the 1950s must be understood, to a large extent, as an ideological confrontation, and, whereas communism was manifestly an ideology, the noncommunism, or even the anticommunism, of the west was negatively ideological. Describe the creation of the united nations and outline its organizational structure.
This is essential reading for all serious scholars of the postwar era. The same rational dictum may be applied to the critical assessment of mikhail gorbachevs role in ending the cold war. During the cold war period, it was viewed as an officially sanctioned belief system that claimed a monopoly of truth, making a spurious claim to be scientific. As long as stalin was running the soviet union, a cold war was unavoidable. Responsibility for the development of the cold war.
This is particularly obvious in the origins of the korean war and in the berlin crisis of 1961. Choose from 500 different sets of ideology cold war flashcards on quizlet. Political and economic trends are important, but i always am interested in what everyone was else was doing and saying. A critical evaluation of mikhail gorbachevs role in. As a result, the walt disney company is a prime example of the inextricable link between pop culture and politics during the cold war. The sources include sections from the books the united states and origins of the cold war 19411947 by john lewis gaddis and the memoirs of marshal zhukov by marshal zhukov. Was the cold war due to conflicting ideologies history essay. Learn ideologies cold war with free interactive flashcards.
Ten histories of the cold war worth reading council on. Several of the studios most popular productions were made during the cold war. The cold war lasted for approximately 47 years during 19471989. Choose from 500 different sets of ideologies cold war flashcards on quizlet. This article discusses the shortcomings of previous analyses of soviet ideology and puts forth a more theoretically coherent approach, based on three explicit criteria for assessing ideological. Apr 26, 2018 several of the studios most popular productions were made during the cold war. It is only because the relationship between roosevelt and stalin was very good. Jul 30, 2012 common sense suggests that we should judge the value of peoples actions, both their merits and faults, by the relation of the actions outcomes to the initial intentions of the agents. Learn ideology cold war with free interactive flashcards. With the two world superpowers, the united states and the union of soviet socialist republics, as the primary players in the cold war, the standoff lasted from shortly after world war ii until the end of. The causes of the cold war look at how the superpowers had an almost equal desire for a balance of power. It has been said that ideology transformed international relationships in the 20th centuryin appearance at least. The list below are ten cold war books that go beyond the traditional narrative. The general ideologies of liberal democracy and communism acted as important factors of the cold war foreign policies of the usa and erstwhile ussr, and hence of international relations.
Indeed, without conflicting ideologies, there would be no call to use such a disparaging weapon. The soviet union and the horn of africa during the cold war. It uses rich, empirical cases, many of them never before presented in english, to explore the way in which the cold war reshaped east and southeast asia and how those developments in turn shaped the global cold war. What came to be called the cold war in the 1950s must be understood, to a large extent, as an ideological confrontation, and, whereas communism was manifestly an ideology, the noncommunism, or even the anticommunism, of the west was negatively ideological. The book also takes into account the growing importance of postmarxism, communitarianism, multiculturalism, and postmodernism. Feb 09, 2018 the list below are ten cold war books that go beyond the traditional narrative. Communism is a political and economic system that is very different than our system. In trachtenbergs view the central problem of the postwar world was power, specifically german power. The cold war 19471991 is not only an important topic in world and u. Between ideology and pragmatism the harvard cold war studies book series. So you can see that although at first glance ideology seems to explain the cold war, always consider other options in histroy.
The importance of ideology and public policy 1073 words. Nonetheless after the devastation of europe, two new superpowers emerged america and russia. In unequivocal terms, he blames the cold war on stalins personality, on authoritarian government, and on communist ideology. What characterized american thought on the cold war in the midsixties was the profound absence of agreement on every aspect of postwar sovietamerican relations. This article describes the nature, history, and significance of ideologies in terms of the philosophical, political, and international contexts in which they have arisen. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as. Between ideology and pragmatism the harvard cold war studies book series yordanov, radoslav a.
The cold war was a key turning point in international relationships and mass nuclear weapon production. Conservative thinkers like michael oakeshott treat ideologies as elaborate systems of thought that orient politics towards abstract principles and goals and away from practical and historical circumstances. Greene called this novel an entertainment, but like all the best jokes it has a serious side. Role of ideology in cold war essay example graduateway. The inception of an idea is more powerful than the atomic bomb. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the cold war. This article describes the nature, history, and significance of ideologies in terms of the. The cold war is the term used to define the period between the end of world war ii in 1945 and the ultimate collapse of the soviet union and its satellite states in 1991. Two sources used in this investigation will be analysed in respect to their origins, purposes, values and limitations.
Ideology the context of international relations britannica. The soviet union and the horn of africa during the cold. The protatgonists in the cold war were the west, led by the united states, and the eastern bloc, led by the soviet union. Learn how and when to remove these template messages the examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with western culture and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. A world history kindle edition by westad, odd arne.
Earlier centuries experienced dynastic wars, national, civil, and imperial wars, and diplomacy designed to further national security or national expansion or to promote mutual advantages and general peace. Nov 03, 2014 gaddis has revised and extended some of his analysis as a result, in books such as we now know. Ideology, a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones. Cold war ideology world war ii ended with the allied forces britain, america and russia winning against germany italy and japan or the axis power. At the end of the cold war, the united states looked out upon a world in which it. The foreign policy of the united states drew on a long tradition of liberalism originating in the ideas of john locke. What emerges generally from the post cold war new historians is that individuals and their actions, rather than the policies of whole governments, are of vital importance in explaining key events in the cold war. A new history by john lewis gaddis, command and control. The concepts discussed include the relevant ideology, culture, strategy, the international system, economics and trade, and science and technology. Ideologies and conflict in the postcold war article pdf available in international journal of conflict management 201. Ideology ideology the context of international relations. Throughout this time, walt and his business participated greatly in the creation and perpetuation of cold war culture.
Wormald, a vacuum cleaner salesman and inadvertent spy, sends british intelligence into a spin with his scale drawings of the parts of the atomic pile cleaner. While the cold war is remembered for many of the important events that occurred during its timeframe, including the major wars in both vietnam and korea, the cuban missile crisis and the buildup and fall of the berlin wall, it is also remembered for the ideological conflict that occurred during the time. Almost twenty years of struggle with the kremlin produced no consensus on the meaning of. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
The term cold is used because there was no largescale fighting directly between the two. Rethinking the role of ideology in international politics during the cold war. Therefore, i would argue that the relationship between leaders contributed to the cold war greatly and also that although ideology was important it was used largely as an excuse for war between two superpowers. Most overview monographs on the cold war concentrate on ussoviet relations andor the impact of the cold war in europe and japan. Our man in havana by graham greene the cold war as comedy. The task of weighing the relative importance of ideology is complicated, however, by the failure of most scholars to develop sound evaluative criteria. Even though conflicting ideologies were important to the cold war, they were just reasons to carry on pursuing the political battle for a balance of power. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The partial opening of eastbloc archives has sparked renewed interest in the study of ideological influences in soviet foreign policy.
Assess the importance of ideological differences in the. Explain the origins of the cold war in terms of diplomatic, political, and military history. But after the defeat of germany, when stalin wanted to implement communist ideology in poland. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. At the end of the cold war, the united states looked out upon a.
Ideology thus seemed to have returned to a central place in the analysis of the cold war. Moving beyond earlier controversies, this edited collection focuses on the inter action between geopolitics and threat perception, technology and strategy, ideology. Westad successfully attempts an overview and structural analysis of the cold war in the third world. Ideology and the origins of the cold war, 19171962. The cold war featured political, military, and economic rivalries between the west and the international.
157 1458 872 1166 562 875 804 1182 698 1473 117 624 1368 1346 1132 1147 52 447 1446 998 1591 628 1399 891 856 858 991 818 577 425 771 1208 322 999 196 906 966 571 1 924 1219 322 604 1432 1232 1199 86 76 870