Historical Writing

Different Schools Historiography

The Liberal School

- Historians who follow a liberal interpretation are opposed to racial discrimination and opposed to interference of the government in the lives of people and in business. They usually supported Capitalism.

The Nationalist School

-      Nationalist history often stresses the part played by women and men who are seen as heroes – people who follow. It is biased to one group/country over people over another.

The Revisionist School

-      ‘Revisionist’ indicates that there is something which needs to be revised, or changed. Their approach instead explains history of in economic terms. (Who is exploited? Who has the most to gain financially? etc. They see history as a clash between the classes (upper vs working class).

Historical Writing on the Cold War

The Orthodox View

The orthodox or traditional view was developed by Western historians in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They believed that the Soviet Union was primarily responsible for the outbreak and continuation of the Cold War.

The Soviet regime was seen as extremely antagonistic and threatening to the West.

The Revisionist View

This concept took the view that the US had started and sustained the Cold War.

The Post-Revisionist View

This view did not try to blame one or the other side for the Cold War. It argued that the Cold War was the product of mutual suspicions and over-reaction on both sides.