A `New', `International' History of the Cold War?

Abstract

Taking as its point of departure the recent openings of Soviet, east European and Chinese archives, the article discusses present and future directions in Cold War historiography. While a `realist' approach, in different forms, still dominates the field, a closer look at some recent publications indicates an emerging criticism of realism, both in terms of historical analyses and in terms of research orientation. This is particularly true of scholarship on the history of Soviet and Chinese foreign affairs, both promising fields being developed by younger scholars. In conclusion, the article points to some of the issues of core relevance to Cold War history and around which the international debate will develop.