\\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png HISTORY OF THE COLD WAR MVZB2091 THURSDAY 10-11:40 JAMES RICHTER \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png WHO AM I? •James Richter •Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 1989 •Taught at Bates College in Maine •Publications in history of the cold war, US-Russian relations, Russian domestic politics •Teaching in international politics, US foreign policy, Russian politics •Working knowledge of German, Russian, very little Czech MAINE BERKELEY Cursor Cursor \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png WHO ARE YOU? •Groups of four or five •Introduce Yourselves •Tell the others where you are from? •What does the Cold War mean to you? •What do you want to learn from this class? What do you want to discuss? \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png DIFFERENT WAYS TO UNDERSTAND THE COLD WAR 1. REALISM AND THE BALANCE OF POWER •FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF REALISM •SYSTEM OF SOVEREIGN STATES: ANARCHIC, NO AUTHORITY •ALL STATES MUST ENSURE THEIR OWN NATIONAL INTERESTS •HIERARCHY OF MILITARY POWER: GREAT POWERS ARE THE KEY ACTORS • BALANCE OF POWER IN THE COLD WAR • Two great powers with power to harm or even destroy each other • Europe and Asia: with massive resources, in disarray, so competition • Role of nuclear weapons • Much of Cold War combat fought in the peripheries • \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png DIFFERENT WAYS TO UNDERSTAND THE COLD WAR: THE ROLE OF IDEOLOGY (AND/OR NATIONAL IDENTITY) •Similarities Between the United States and the Soviet Union • Continental Powers—Alexis deTocqueville in 1831 • BUT: US sea and air power; USSR land power • Both unpracticed in diplomacy • Regimes legitimated by universalist ideologies; liberalism, communism • Both powers want to remake world in their image • Incompatible—US needs markets, Soviet-style socialism distrusts markets • difficult to negotiate, compromise • The very existence of competing ideology is a threat, • \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png DIFFERENT WAYS TO UNDERSTAND COLD WAR: DOMESTIC POLITICS •TWO LEVEL GAME: TWO SETS OF NEGOTIATIONS •First level: Between diplomats, leaders of different countries •Second level: Between leaders and domestic interests: bureaucracy, economic interests, public opinion •UNITED STATES: President has lots of power over foreign policy •But US domestic politics very decentralized: Congress, Economic Interests, Public opinion •Presidents must consider these interests if they want to succeed (Trump perhaps exception) •SOVIET UNION: Decision making usually very centralized •Party-State bureaucratic interests very strong, though, and leaders had to consider them to be successful (Stalin is exception; Khruschev shows why necessary) \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png DIFFERENT WAYS TO UNDERSTAND THE COLD WAR: INDIVIDUALS, ACCIDENTS, •The Role of Individuals: •What if Stalin died in 1946? What if Roosevelt lived until 1948? What if Khrushchev didn’t succeed Stalin, but Malenkov did? What if Kennedy had lived longer? • THE ROLE OF GORBACHEV AS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT • • \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png MY APPROACH •Each of the three elements are important: •Realism shows that’ some sort of competition is likely •Ideology helps explain why it is more severe than necessary •Domestic politics helps understand why reasonable foreign policy decisios become impossible domestically •Personality helps explain details of what choices are taken •Course will focus on Europe, with some discussion of Asia •Intellectual interest on relation between domestic and international politics •Two-level game •Competition required creation of institutions, military industries that still around •Affected foreign policies of both countries even today •Affected culture as well • • \\DROBO-FS\QuickDrops\JB\PPTX NG\Droplets\LightingOverlay.png MECHANICS OF THE COURSE •PLEASE BUY A COPY OF Vladislav Zubok’s, Failed Empire •Reading on Interactive Syllabus •Most are available on the syllabus •Some PDFs are sidewise. Download, then rotate. •Some you will need to look up on J-STOR. •Attendance (10% of final grade). (Three freebies) •3 Quizzes: October 10, October 31, November 21 (Each worth 10% of final grade, for a total of 30%) •Paper using primary and secondary resources to explain aspect of Cold War. (30 % of final grade) Due December 5 •Final Exam. (30% of final grade). •