Study this source. Source F 'The traditional view that the Soviet Union was solely responsible for the Cold War has been challenged by revisionist historian...

This is a "how far do you agree" question worth [12 marks]. You must argue both sides using the source and your own knowledge, then reach a supported judgement.

Agreement - Soviet actions caused the Cold War [up to 5 marks]:

Using own knowledge, there is strong evidence that Soviet behaviour after 1945 alarmed the Western powers and drove the confrontation:

• Between 1945 and 1948, Stalin imposed communist governments across Eastern Europe in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia through rigged elections, political intimidation, and suppression of opposition parties. The Prague Coup of February 1948, where Czech communists seized power with Soviet backing, shocked the West.
• The Berlin Blockade (June 1948 to May 1949) was a deliberate Soviet attempt to force the Western Allies out of West Berlin by cutting road, rail, and canal access. This was direct confrontation with the West.
• Stalin refused to allow Eastern European countries to accept Marshall Aid, deepening the division of Europe into two hostile blocs.
• The Soviet acquisition of nuclear weapons in 1949 and support for North Korea's invasion of South Korea in 1950 further escalated tensions.
• Stalin broke the Yalta agreements on free elections in Eastern Europe, violating commitments made to Roosevelt and Churchill.

Disagreement - American actions also contributed [up to 5 marks]:

The source presents the revisionist argument that American actions were equally provocative. Using the source and own knowledge:

• The source notes that the US emerged from the war as the "dominant economic and military power, possessing nuclear weapons." The atomic bombing of Japan in August 1945 demonstrated American willingness to use these weapons, which alarmed the Soviet Union.
• The source argues that the Marshall Plan and NATO were "tools of American global expansion," not simply defensive measures. From the Soviet perspective, American economic aid was designed to create markets for US goods and tie Europe to American capitalism.
• The Truman Doctrine (1947) divided the world into "free peoples" and "totalitarian regimes," adopting a confrontational tone that left little room for compromise.
• The US intervened in the internal affairs of other countries, including supporting right-wing governments in Greece and Turkey and later overthrowing governments in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954).
• The source was published in 2003 and represents a scholarly secondary source that has the benefit of access to archives from both sides, giving it credibility as an academic analysis.

Reaching a judgement [up to 2 marks]:

Both superpowers contributed to the Cold War through a combination of ideology, self-interest, and mutual suspicion. The traditional view blaming the Soviet Union has validity given Stalin's actions in Eastern Europe, but the revisionist perspective correctly highlights that American policies also escalated tensions. Most modern historians adopt a post-revisionist position: both sides bear responsibility, though the relative weight of blame remains debated. The Cold War was not caused by one side alone but by the interaction of two incompatible systems and the decisions of leaders on both sides.

Exam technique: When a source explicitly presents a historiographical perspective (traditional, revisionist, or post-revisionist), demonstrate that you understand these schools of interpretation and can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. This shows sophisticated historical understanding and pushes your answer towards the highest mark band.