cold war quotes for in-class essay

revisionist marshall plan

revisionist marshall plan

British historian Eric Hobsbawm states that the USSR “presented no immediate danger”, and was in no way “expansionist”

orthodox marshall plan

-        This view is shared by American historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr, who stated that the Marxist-Leninist ideology of the USSR was “inherently expansionist”, and that the American responses (such as the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan) were “brave and essential” to “free men” from “communist aggression”.

post-revisionist marshall plan

Post-revisionist historian Michael J. Hogan describes the Marshall Plan as a “complex mix of altruism and self-interest”, which aimed to create a stable economic and political environment that would be “resistant to communism".

revisionist cuban missiles crisis

American historian Noam Chomsky likewise suggests that the Cuban Missile Crisis was not “a mere case of Soviet aggression” but rather a “predictable response” to American policies that threatened Cuban sovereignty, such as the embargo on Cuba and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion one year prior to the Crisis.

orthodox cuban missiles crisis

Schlesinger also wrote about the Cuban Missiles Crisis in 1965 suggesting American leadership was “unsurpassed in the responsible management of power”, and that it “dazzled the world”, thus further displaying the omnipotent, all-righteous position the orthodox school placed on the USA.

post revisionist cuban missiles crisis

Historian Michael Dobbs suggests the crisis was “an unintended consequence of mutual misperceptions and mistakes" from both the US and USSR, due to neither side fully understanding the other's intentions

revisionist soviet afghan war

Historian David N. Gibbs suggests that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was caused by “covert” US operations which generated instability, and thus forced the Soviets to invade to prevent an American-sponsored “hostile regime on their border”.

post-revisionist soviet afghan war

Historian Steve Coll suggests that the CIA's “covert operations” (i.e. sponsorship of anti-communist groups) in Afghanistan were designed to “provoke Soviet intervention” and thus “bog them down in a costly quagmire”. However, Norwegian historian Odd Arne Westad argues that the Soviets were compelled to invade Afghanistan to help stabilise “a friendly regime in Kabul” and prevent the “spread of Islamic radicalism near their borders".

orthodox soviet afghan war

Polish-American historian Richard Pipes confirms this view, stating the war was a “direct manifestation” of the USSR’s “ideological commitment to spread communism globally”. He further stated the invasion “marked a bold move” to “project power” beyond their sphere of influence