A New Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War

Abstract

School ____________________ ABSTRACT ___________________________________________________________________ The Cold War that occurred between 1945 and 1991 was both an international political and historical event. As an international political event, the Cold War laid bare the fissures, animosities, mistrusts, misconceptions and the high-stakes brinksmanship that has been part of the international political system since the birth of the modern nation-state in 1648. As a historical event, the Cold War and its end marked an important epoch in human social, economic and political development. The beginning of the Cold War marked the introduction of a new form of social and political experiment in human relations with the international arena as its laboratory. Its end signalled the end of a potent social and political force that is still shaping the course of the political relations among states in the 21 st century. The historiography of the Cold War has been shrouded in controversy. Different factors have been given for the origins of the conflict. This work is a historical and structural analysis of the historiography of the Cold War. The work analyses the competing views of the historiography of the Cold War and creates all-encompassing and holistic historiography called the