HST31018 The United States and the Cold War, 1945-1975

40 Credits

ACADEMIC YEAR

Aims/Description: The Cold War shaped American foreign policy as well as domestic politics and culture for much of the second half of the 20th century. But how all-encompassing was the Cold War? How did non-state actors react to and influence the course of its development? And how 'cold' was the Cold War? This module will examine the Cold War with fresh perspective. We will revisit the traditional historiography, which focuses on high policy actors and U.S. relations with the Soviet Union. But we will also gain new insight from an emerging literature that challenges such a deterministic and elite framing of what was a global conflict that involved multiple actors at all levels of society, many of whom brought with them complex motivations that existed prior to, or outside of, the rigid Cold War binary. In addition to these secondary sources, we will explore a wide range of primary source material, from declassified State Department documents to Third World assertions of sovereignty to popular films and novels.

Restrictions on availability: Students must have taken 40 credits from HST202 - HST2999

Staff Contact:	NIC DHAIBHEID CAOIMHE
Teaching Methods:	Seminars, Tutorials, Independent Study
Assessment:	Formal Exam, Project/ portfolio

Information on the department responsible for this unit (History):

Departmental Home Page

Teaching timetable

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Teaching methods and assessment displayed on this page are indicative for 2025-26.