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1989 and why we got it wrong
1989 und warum wir es falsch verstanden haben
[working paper]
Abstract The Cold War generated more discussion and controversy than any other topic since 1945. Yet, the possibility that the Cold War might end was neither on the radar of scholars nor of politics and the military. This essay seeks to explain why 'we' got it wrong by focusing in the main on how 'we' in the... view more
The Cold War generated more discussion and controversy than any other topic since 1945. Yet, the possibility that the Cold War might end was neither on the radar of scholars nor of politics and the military. This essay seeks to explain why 'we' got it wrong by focusing in the main on how 'we' in the West understood the Soviet system. Part one thus deals with the Cold War itself and its impact on what came to be known as western 'Soviet Studies'. Part two then looks at the way in which the USSR was understood by an emerging group of new social scientists in the 1970s and 1980s. Part three considers the Gorbachev problem. And part four examines the ways in which the socialist left thoughts about the USSR in the context of the Cold War. In conclusion, I offer reflections on how the generally flawed understanding of the Soviet Union precluded the anticipation of Soviet collapse.... view less
Keywords
transformation; true socialism; international relations; Europe; cold war; Western Europe; political change; reunification; political system; protest movement; USSR; political left
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Method
descriptive study
Free Keywords
Cold War; Soviet collapse; Soviet economy; Soviet Studies; social science; Gorbachev; Socialism; Stalinism
Document language
English
Publication Year
2008
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
14 p.
Series
Working Paper Series of the Research Network 1989, 1
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works