Cold War

Question 1

Michael Hart

Answer 1

Orthodox - 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.

Question 2

William Appleman

Answer 2

Revisionist - Williams argued that America’s chief aim in the years after the war was to make sure that there was an “open door” for American trade, and that this led the American government to try to make sure that countries remained capitalist countries like the USA.

Question 3

Gar Alperovitz

Answer 3

Revisionist - The US used the atomic bomb not only to defeat the Japanese, but also to intimidate Stalin.

Question 4

John Lewis Gaddis

Answer 4

believed that both America and Russia wanted to keep the peace after the war but that conflict was caused by mutual misunderstanding, reactivity, and above all the American inability to understand Stalin’s fears and need to defend himself after the war.