Review

The so-called "end" of the Cold War and the opening of once closed archives in Russia and the former Eastern Bloc states have presented scholars with ample opportunity to reinterpret dated paradigms while telling for the first time the side of the story that has so eluded historians for decades. These unique circumstances have also given scholars in these former communist countries the chance to tell the history from their vantage point. The result has been, of course, a plethora of new editions from known scholars, fresh works from unknown scholars, and the opportunity to witness the rapid evolution of historiography first hand. All of this has made teaching American diplomatic history, the Cold War, and national security policy not only fascinating, but indeed challenging. Seeking the appropriate readings that combine the best scholarship with engaging prose in usable length under such conditions has not been easy. Students need to be exposed to the new scholarship, the new viewpoints, and the available primary sources so that they too can benefit from this wonderful time in the history of doing history.	1
Debating the Origins of the Cold War may indeed be the scholarly "utility infielder" that can answer these challenges. American historians Ralph Levering and C. Earl Edmondson have teamed up with Russian scholars Vladimir O. Pechatnov and Verena Botzenhart-Viehe to produce a solid, tidy, and very usable book that will give students firm grounding in the central issues of the beginning of the Cold War. The brief text is divided into two sections that examine the origins of the Cold War from first the American perspective (co-authored by Levering and Botzenhart-Viehe), then from the Soviet point of view (co-authored by Pechatnov and Edmondson). Both sections include several documents, such as Kennan's "Long Telegram," Truman's March 1947 address to Congress, the Norikov Report, and the preliminary report to Stalin on the first successful Soviet atomic bomb test. Combining American and Russian scholarship in each essay, this unique approach provides an insightful and intriguing look at American and Soviet perceptions by using a framework of combinations. For the American perspective, the authors focus on international and domestic influences on policy considerations, the role of government officials and private citizens and organizations in forming policy attitudes and public opinion, and the constant give and take of the interests versus idealism in national security objectives. For the Russian side of the story, the authors use Russia's complex and tragic history of empire and revolution, the colossal experience of World War II, the personality of Stalin, the contradictory and often incompatible opinions and viewpoints of Soviet officialdom, and the Soviet Union's conception of the post-World War II world to describe Soviet perceptions and decision making.	2
Through both perspectives, the authors create a balanced, thorough, and thoughtful synthesis that offers students a clear and concise picture of the various factors that contributed to the beginning of this long, odd, and potentially catastrophic conflict. The great strength of the book is indeed perception. How states, organizations, institutions, and individuals perceive the behavior, actions, and objectives of adversaries characterizes how nations choose and implement national strategies. In Debating the Origins of the Cold War, the authors conclude that based upon the respective perceptions of the United States and the Soviet Union, both nations had little alternative other than to follow the paths that they did. Perceptions, no matter how misguided in hindsight, remain perceptions nonetheless, and as states facing unprecedented security threats, the Soviet Union and the United States made appropriate and not illogical policy choices to defend their interests and protect their national security. This teaches history students a valuable lesson—in studying history, one must always consider context. Debating the Origins of the Cold War lets students stand in the shoes of those who had to make hard policy decisions based upon their own attitudes and interpretations of information they had at the time—hindsight was a luxury these people did not have. Teachers of Cold War history have an exceptional opportunity in using this book to combine sound scholarship, binational interpretation, and primary sources to explore the origins of the Cold War. Was it American policy toward the Bolshevik regime in 1917 that started the Cold War? Did Stalin's strategic objectives exacerbate already strained relations among the victors of World War II to ensure conflict in the post-war world? Did misunderstandings, misperceptions, and misguided advice steer both nations toward inflexible policies? The authors address such questions and issues in a brief, affordable book that should be seriously considered as an essential choice for courses that deal with Cold War history.	3
Air War College/Weber State University William Thomas Allison

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