British cartoon, 2 nd March 1948

1. starter activity British cartoon, 2nd March 1948 Who is being blamed for Cold War in this British cartoon of the 1940s? What are the limitations in using this source?  Instead of asking who was to blame for Cold War is there another line of enquiry that could be pursused?

2. How far was the US responsible for the Cold War?  LOs To identify and explain the differences between orthodox, revisionist & post-revisionist historians of Cold War To assess the part played by President Truman (1945-53) in emergence of Cold War To develop skills in analysing the views of different historians studying the development of Cold War

3.  Your task • Read p.49 and in your own words summarise the key ideas by these three schools of historiography: • Orthodox or traditional • Revisionist • Post-revisionist • Note down the names of historians associated with each school • Extension. Which do you agree with? What evidence would you use to support your judgement?

4. Key schools of thought • Historiography – study of historians views • Traditional (orthodox) – conventional, western view, USSR to blame • Revisionist – looking at history from different, ‘revised’ perspectives, the US must share the blame • Post-revisionists – not who but what was to blame, e.g. break down of diplomacy, economic factors

5.  Your task • Read p.49-51 and note down evidence to support each of these statements: • Truman was to blame for the emergence of Cold War • Truman wasn’t entirely to blame • Economic factors were responsible • Extension. Reach a judgement on which statement was the most accurate. Choose 2 pieces of evidence to support your judgement

6. Truman was to blame! • Change of policy from conciliation under Roosevelt to ‘Iron Fist’ • Truman lacked Roosevelt’s negotiating skills • Truman felt less secure in his position, e.g. challenges from Dixiecrats over Civil Rights policies like Fair Deal • His approach hardened divisions between East & West Truman confounded critics & won 1948 presidential elections

7. It wasn’t all Truman’s fault • Truman was responding to hostility within US administration to USSR caused by communist expansion in Eastern Europe • Key advisers, e.g. George Kennan, ‘Long Telegram’ (1946) spoke about ‘steady advance of Russian nationalism’ • Previous administrations had been too soft on communism • Soviet aggression gave Truman no other choice than to adopt an Iron Fist to avoid war

8. Economic factors • Military-industrial complex encouraged conflict to secure capitalist markets and provide continued investment in military spending after WWII

9.  Your task • Study sources D, E & F on p.51-2 and complete the table your teacher provides. •  Extension. Which interpretation offers the most accurate view of US responsibility? Write a short judgement paragraph

10. “The US was to blame for the development of Cold War between 1947 and 1953.” Debate

11.  Extension task • Keep a log of examples of orthodox, revisionist & post-revisionist historians of Cold War • Find examples of different schools of thought from other periods of history you’ve studied at GCSE or AS, for example Nazi Germany or the Russian Revolution. Explain your decisions.

12.  Plenary • Why is it important to ask what caused Cold War as much as who caused it? • What does ‘historiography’ mean? • Give 3 examples of historical schools of thought • How far was the US to blame for the development of Cold War after 1947?