Luke Rogers
5-1-00
“Why have historians found it difficult to reach agreement in assessing responsibility for the Cold War?”
The Cold War is a product of the combined folly of both the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, historians have seen both sides making mistakes, acting aggressively, and pushing one and other to make further mistakes throughout the years. Furthermore, it is human nature to wish to assign blame to one side or the other. Meanwhile, it has been difficult to tell what one side has been doing as neither the US or the USSR has wished to point out the other side what they had been doing.
Of course, no issue in recent history has sparked quite so much discussion in historical circles. Assessing not only the blame but also the damage caused by the Cold War has given rise to many a book and historians have often argued quite aggressively for either side. Nevertheless, historians such as Thomas A. Bailey have argued that the US was reacting to Soviet expansionism and attempting to stem the tide of Soviet aggression. “Revisionists” historians such as William A. Williams have written that the US acted for its own concerns in keeping the world economy open to American trade and therefore fought the Soviets for the purposes of maintaining its economic stronghold. Finally, “post-revisionists” such as Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr have argued that no actual fault lies in either country, as the Soviets only wanted a buffer zone against perceived US aggression while the US demobilized 11.2 million men and had little trade with Eastern Europe, and therefore couldn’t have made military or economic advances on Soviet territory. Not to outdone, this writer falls into the post-revisionist category. But where might blame be found in the activities of the countries? Who started what, and who was reacting to what?
