The End of the Cold War

What is the primary question or issue driving this chapter?

D’Souza:

How does he suggest explains the lack of interest by scholars in who won the Cold War?

What evidence does he cite that Reagan was responsible for the victory?

How does he see Gorby?

 

Deudney and Ikenberry

How does their interpretation of Reagan differ from D’Souza?

How did they see or explain the impact or significance of his military buildup?

How do they see Reagan’s hardline, anti-containment policy as explanation of US victory?

What do the authors conclude about Reagan school’s argument that US and Reagan won the ideological front?

 

Pessen

What is the premise of his view? How does he differ from the other two pieces?

What were some of these costs Pessen noted?

How does Pessen evaluate US role in defeating Soviets in Cold War?

 

Schlesinger, “Some Lessons from the Cold War”

How has Cold War historiography evolved over the last half-century?

Why must historians and people reject setting blame in order to understand the Cold War?

How does the author explain the causes of the Cold War?

What is the fallacy of overinterpreting the enemy?

What is the fallacy of overinstitutionalizing policy?

What is the fallacy of national self-righteousness?

What is the fallacy that the Cold War was just a US-USSR duopoly?

What is the fallacy of the zero-sum game and what was its impact?