What Was the Cold War?

What Was the Cold War? RCHA High School Teachers Institute David S. Foglesong Department of History, Rutgers University

How do you teach about the Cold War?

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today?

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today? Firestone: Republicans stoking fear of a foreign enemy, reverting to a cold-war posture Sanger: China s military has zero-sum cold war thinking Applebaum: the Cold War is back Russian government.. sees the world ideologically

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today? 2007 cartoon

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today?

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today?

Contemporary Anglo-American Meaning of Cold War? 2008 2007

I. What Does Cold War Mean Today? August 2014

I. Contemporary Meanings of Cold War? A. Russian Mentality (Not American?) B. Russian Assertiveness 1. Economic penetration and manipulation 2. Sphere of influence on periphery 3. Defiance of U.S. C. Russian Actions 1. War against Georgia, 2008 2. Annexation of Crimea 3. Intervention in southeastern Ukraine

I. Contemporary Meanings of Cold War? D. If Putin is not a Communist and communism was central to the Cold War, how could Putin cause a new cold war? E. To what extent are ideas of a new cold war Anglo- American ideological constructions rather than reflections of Russian (or other foreign) realities? F. If the United States is said to be involved in a cold war against Iran or China, what does that suggest are central dynamics to a cold war? Opposition or resistance to U.S. global policies that does not lead to hot war?

What do you think the Cold War was?

II. Conventional views of the Cold War A. Geopolitical rivalry between superpowers, 1947-1989 B. Bipolar conflict constrained by possession of nuclear weapons C. Communists driven by Marxist ideology D. Americans pragmatic, rational, reactive

III. Triumphalist views of the Cold War A. John Lewis Gaddis, The Cold War (2005): 1. A necessary contest that settled fundamental issues once and for all. (Millenarian) 2. Moral and spiritual critique of Marxism-Leninism by Reagan, Pope John Paul II, others most important factor in victory over communism. (Ideology & religion central) GADDIS BOOK COVER

Triumphalist Views of the Cold War

Triumphalist Views of the Cold War

Anti-Triumphalist View of Cold War Barack Obama in Moscow, July 7, 2009: This change did not come from any one nation. The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful.

Insistence on Triumphalist View of Cold War Conservative outrage at Obama speech: Liz Cheney in Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2009: The Cold War was a global battle between tyranny and freedom. The Cold War ended not because the Soviets decided it should but because they were no match for the forces of freedom

IV. Recent Scholarly Views of the Cold War Since the end of the Cold War historians have focused more than before on the ideological dimension. Odd Arne Westad: the Cold War was more about ideas and beliefs than about anything else. (page 1 of reading) Ideological constructions important on both sides.

IV. Recent Scholarly Views of the Cold War

IV. Recent Scholarly Views of the Cold War Cold War was not an objective reality but a constructed conflict Against seeing policymakers and intellectuals discourse as reality Popular myths, rumors, emotions not merely effects of Cold War but factors that created reality of that conflict Cold War not only between East and West but also within many societies; local internal divisions central to development of the global conflict

V. Soviet Views of the Cold War Cold War ( Kholodnaia voina ) = Western capitalist efforts to undermine Soviet Union through blackmail, slander, lies, threats, and provocations. (1949)

V. Soviet Views of the Cold War N.S. Khrushchev: Cold War = campaign of misrepresentation of USSR by some American politicians to justify military expenditures that profit arms manufacturers

Conclusions 1. Assumptions we know what the Cold War was obstruct deeper understanding of it. 2. Need to question and investigate multiple conceptualizations and meanings of the Cold War. 3. Need to question and explore different periodizations of the Cold War (topic of next lecture/discussion).