Wrting an essay about the Cold War has its own set of unique challenges, beyond those associated with writing a history essay on any topic. There are pitfalls to avoid, as well as things that you should take into account. The most important are:
1. The Cold War Is Over, But...
Hindsight is a wonderful tool, but sometimes it can skew your perspective. Specifically, don't write a history paper from the perspective that the way events turned out is the only way that they could have turned out. Always put yourselves in the shoes of the people of the time—at least as best as you can.
With regard to the Cold War, it's vital that you don't write your essay as if the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Yes, the United States exists and the Soviet Union does not. Yes, Communism as a political movement is largely discredited while "Western capitalism" is alive and well. However, Cold War policymakers, journalists, and generals didn't know, in 1963, that within the next thirty the Soviet Union and its ideology would collapse. Heck, political scientists in the 1980s were flabbergasted when 1989 rolled along! Therefore, when you're trying to understand and later explain Cold War decisions, you can't explain them from your own, hindsight-deluded, perspective. Think back in time, to when the red menace still ruled the Earth...
For example, the Soviet crushing of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 is nowadays often seen as one of the first steps in the eventual dissolution of the Soviet empire. But, in 1956, it may have seemed like exactly the opposite: a Soviet show of strength that proved just how powerful the USSR still was!
2. ...it's Politics Still Reverberate.
The further you go in your education, the more political it gets. This is especially true in the Humanities and Social Sciences; this is especially true in History and Political Science.
By the time you get to college and university, getting a good grade usually means—to a greater or lesser extent—appealing to your professor's political point of view. You can whine about it, but that's the way it is.
Now, ten or fifteen years ago, this meant, quite simply, being liberal. What did this entail, in a few blunt words: sucking up to the Soviets. Those days are being left behind, however, and the political spectrum at institutes of higher learning is beginning to level out. While this may be a good development in many ways, it makes writing papers a bit trickier, too. Now, you can't just assume your prof's a hardcore liberal and write a love letter to Khrushchev. Instead, you have to read your prof (ask him or her pointed questions about current events, for example) and find out what he or she is like. Then tailor your essay to fit your prof's political views. You may not like it, but it's certainly a part of writing a "good" Cold War paper.
Incidentally, since the Bush administration has done a fine job of raising the level of anti-Americanism beyond the US as well as within its own borders, you also have to factor that in. Writing papers critical of US Cold War-era involvement in Latin America, for example, will get you better grades in this type of environment than an equally well-researched and well-written paper on why, for example, staging a coup in Chile and putting Pinochet into power wasn't so bad.
Politics isn't just in the past.
3. Sources
Finally, be aware of who you're reading. Cold War historians are infamous for filling their books with moral judgments—sometimes well hidden, so look carefully—of not only their subjects but also of other historians. Their works may still be useful, but filter them by finding out a bit about who their authors are. Did they work in the State Department, did they stage small pro-Mao rallies in their spare time?
This is good historical practice anyway, but even more so when dealing with modern history, and subjects like the Cold War. Because there are historians who'll tell you, with a straight face, that America is the greatest thing to hit the world since sliced bread (hello, Niall Ferguson!); and, God knows, Marxist historians still persist (The Age of Hobsbawm ain't over yet). So take the time to get to know the personality behind the words. It'll pay off.
Well, that's the end of this week's Cold War History Essay Writing Tips. Tune in next week for more. Same Cold War time, same Cold War channel!
1. The Cold War Is Over, But...
Hindsight is a wonderful tool, but sometimes it can skew your perspective. Specifically, don't write a history paper from the perspective that the way events turned out is the only way that they could have turned out. Always put yourselves in the shoes of the people of the time—at least as best as you can.
With regard to the Cold War, it's vital that you don't write your essay as if the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Yes, the United States exists and the Soviet Union does not. Yes, Communism as a political movement is largely discredited while "Western capitalism" is alive and well. However, Cold War policymakers, journalists, and generals didn't know, in 1963, that within the next thirty the Soviet Union and its ideology would collapse. Heck, political scientists in the 1980s were flabbergasted when 1989 rolled along! Therefore, when you're trying to understand and later explain Cold War decisions, you can't explain them from your own, hindsight-deluded, perspective. Think back in time, to when the red menace still ruled the Earth...
For example, the Soviet crushing of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 is nowadays often seen as one of the first steps in the eventual dissolution of the Soviet empire. But, in 1956, it may have seemed like exactly the opposite: a Soviet show of strength that proved just how powerful the USSR still was!
2. ...it's Politics Still Reverberate.
The further you go in your education, the more political it gets. This is especially true in the Humanities and Social Sciences; this is especially true in History and Political Science.
By the time you get to college and university, getting a good grade usually means—to a greater or lesser extent—appealing to your professor's political point of view. You can whine about it, but that's the way it is.
Now, ten or fifteen years ago, this meant, quite simply, being liberal. What did this entail, in a few blunt words: sucking up to the Soviets. Those days are being left behind, however, and the political spectrum at institutes of higher learning is beginning to level out. While this may be a good development in many ways, it makes writing papers a bit trickier, too. Now, you can't just assume your prof's a hardcore liberal and write a love letter to Khrushchev. Instead, you have to read your prof (ask him or her pointed questions about current events, for example) and find out what he or she is like. Then tailor your essay to fit your prof's political views. You may not like it, but it's certainly a part of writing a "good" Cold War paper.
Incidentally, since the Bush administration has done a fine job of raising the level of anti-Americanism beyond the US as well as within its own borders, you also have to factor that in. Writing papers critical of US Cold War-era involvement in Latin America, for example, will get you better grades in this type of environment than an equally well-researched and well-written paper on why, for example, staging a coup in Chile and putting Pinochet into power wasn't so bad.
Politics isn't just in the past.
3. Sources
Finally, be aware of who you're reading. Cold War historians are infamous for filling their books with moral judgments—sometimes well hidden, so look carefully—of not only their subjects but also of other historians. Their works may still be useful, but filter them by finding out a bit about who their authors are. Did they work in the State Department, did they stage small pro-Mao rallies in their spare time?
This is good historical practice anyway, but even more so when dealing with modern history, and subjects like the Cold War. Because there are historians who'll tell you, with a straight face, that America is the greatest thing to hit the world since sliced bread (hello, Niall Ferguson!); and, God knows, Marxist historians still persist (The Age of Hobsbawm ain't over yet). So take the time to get to know the personality behind the words. It'll pay off.
Well, that's the end of this week's Cold War History Essay Writing Tips. Tune in next week for more. Same Cold War time, same Cold War channel!
