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CS92PROD
The End of the Cold War, 1981-1991

HIST 375
Spring 2014 not offered
Crosslisting: REES 375
Certificates: International Relations

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the relative stability that prevailed between the United States and Soviet Union since the end of the Cuban missile crisis (and more fundamentally, since the East and West German governments were formed in 1949) broke down. By mid-1982, well-informed figures in both Washington and Moscow feared nuclear war. Hostility between the two governments only intensified over the succeeding months. Yet by mid-1988, the Cold War ended and a new mode of cooperation between the Soviet and U.S. leaders emerged. How and why did this profound transformation occur? This seminar will concentrate on this question. It will call into question both the liberal and the conservative explanations for these developments that have reigned in the United States over the past two decades.

Students will read secondary works, memoirs of negotiators, and primary documents from both sides. In the concluding weeks, each student will do a research essay.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (HIST-MN)(HIST)

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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