Misjudgements

post-revisionist response to the Cold War. Dismisses Orthodox and Revisionist responses on the basis that they are highly partisan and oversimplify a complex historical process.

USA

• • US had no neighbouring enemy. Not invaded since the 19^th century, the American Government was not well placed to empathise with the Soviets’ deep sense of insecurity in 1945. Wealthy continent surrounded by a body of water.

  • Difficult to understand motives behind expansion:
  • Germany: treatment of East Germany as a seperate economic entity, exploited (factories shifted to Russia) women ***** etc. However, arguably this was a clumsy attempt to neutralise it and gain vital reperations rather than result of deep-laid plans to take over former Reich.  Misunderstand demands for reperations (April 1946, 10bn.) October 1949, shotgun marriage, dissolve out Socialist party members from SED.
  • As for the rest of Europe, the US misunderstood defensive expansion: amalgamated Lenin and Stalin under same brand of evil Communism. However, though Lenin had advocated World Revolution, Stalin's principal preoccupation was the greatness of the Russian state. 'one Soviet tractor is worth ten good foreign communists.'  
  • Dardanelles, reflected trade interests, but US saw as ideologically driven expansion.
  • Truman Doctrine based on false assumption that the USSR was actively supporting the Greek…