Cold War Nations Historiography

Orthodox, Revisionist, Post-revisionist, Marxist and Recent view on US economics

• Orthodox – (such as Herbert Feis): US Cold War spending was a rational defence investment; military-industrial complex spurred prosperity.

• Revisionist – Gabriel Kolko: Cold War entrenched corporate–state alliances; “militarised Keynesianism” distorted US economy.

• Post-revisionist – Melvyn Leffler: Military spending was costly but provided stability; balance between security needs and economic health.

• Marxist – Ellen Meiksins Wood: Cold War economy was capitalist imperialism disguised as defence, ensuring US global hegemony.

• Recent – Michael Hogan: Marshall Plan reshaped Western economies, cementing US economic leadership.

Orthodox, post Revisionist, Marxist, recent views on Soviet Union economics

• Orthodox – Richard Pipes: Command economy unsustainable; military burden crippled USSR.

• Post-revisionist – Stephen Kotkin: USSR “overdetermined” collapse; Cold War pressures exposed deep inefficiencies.

• Marxist – Alec Nove: Command economy structurally flawed but Cold War militarisation accelerated decline.

• Recent – Chris Miller: Arms race + oil price collapse (1980s) critical in economic implosion.

Orthodox, Revisionist, Post-revisionist and Marxist views on US social impacts

• Orthodox – Arthur Schlesinger Jr.: Cold War consensus unified US society; civil rights progress improved America’s moral standing.

• Revisionist – Ellen Schrecker: McCarthyism fostered repression; Cold War culture narrowed freedoms.

• Post-revisionist – Walter LaFeber: Cold War social impact was contradictory — prosperity + education vs. inequality and protest.

• Marxist – Howard Zinn: Cold War served elite interests; dissent crushed while inequality persisted.

Orthodox, Post Revisionist and Recent views on Soviet Union social impacts

Orthodox – Robert Conquest: Surveillance, repression, and stagnation dominated Soviet social life.

Post-revisionist – William Taubman: Soviet society a mix of modernisation (literacy, education) and deep malaise (alcoholism, shortages).

Recent – Serhii Plokhy: Nationalism, long suppressed, exploded under glasnost, accelerating disintegration.

Orthodox, revisionist, post revisionist, marxist, recent views on US cultural impacts

• Orthodox – Frank Ninkovich: Cultural diplomacy (jazz tours, exhibitions) successfully projected freedom and creativity.

• Revisionist – Reinhold Wagnleitner: “Coca-Colonization” — consumer culture was cultural imperialism.

• Post-revisionist – David Caute: Cold War culture mixed coercion and creativity; blacklists and cultural diplomacy coexisted.

• Marxist – Fredric Jameson: Consumer culture masked capitalist contradictions; Cold War cinema commodified ideology.

• Recent – Yale Richmond: Exchanges and soft power significantly shaped perceptions in Eastern Europe.

Orthodox, revisionist, post revisionist and recent views on Soviet Union cultural impacts

Orthodox – Adam Ulam: Cultural repression stifled creativity; Cold War propaganda dominated.

Revisionist – Richard Stites: Soviet culture vibrant in underground forms — samizdat, magnitizdat, unofficial art.

Post-revisionist – Juliane Fürst: Youth culture (stilyagi, rock) showed resilience within constraints; Cold War shaped generational identity.

Recent – Alexei Yurchak: Late Soviet culture was paradoxical — “everything was forever, until it was no more”; Cold War rituals maintained façade until collapse.