Triggering the Cold War: New Perspectives on Misperceptions and Misjudgments with Shen Zhihua
Overview
Why and how did the Cold War begin? The origins of the Cold War have been the subject of extensive study and debate. Through thorough, multilingual, and multi-archival research, China's leading historian of the Cold War Shen Zhihua argues that the conflict between the US and the USSR was rooted in mutual misperceptions and misjudgments regarding economic policies. Domestic-focused speeches and policies were mistakenly seen as signs of aggressive global ambitions. Even George Kennan’s famous “long telegram” and “X” article misinterpreted Stalin’s ultimate intentions. This history provides a crucial lesson for the 21st century: understanding the impact of perception and misperception on international relations.
Professor SHEN Zhihua is a distinguished historian and the Director of the Center for Cold War International History Studies, as well as the Dean of the Institute for Studies of China’s Neighboring Countries and Regions at East China Normal University (ECNU). He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of International and Area Studies at Tsinghua University and co-directs the NYU Shanghai - ECNU Center on Global History, Economy, and Culture with Professor CHEN Jian. Widely regarded as China's foremost historian on the Cold War, Professor SHEN is a pioneering figure in archival research, particularly in the areas of Soviet Union, Sino-Soviet, and Sino-Korean relations. He is the author of a number of major Chinese-language works on Cold War history, and he is the co-author, with Yafeng Xia, of Mao and the Sino-Soviet Partnership, 1945‒1959: A New History (2015) and A Misunderstood Friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, and Sino-North Korean Relations, 1949–1976 (2018), and, with Danhui Li, of After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War (2011). Most recently, he published a new book in Chinese entitled “Economic Vortex”, in which he revisits the origins of the Cold War, contending that it was sparked by mutual misperceptions and misjudgments over economic issues between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Speaker
Shen Zhihua
Director, Center for Cold War International History Studies, East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, China
Hosted By
History and Public Policy Program
The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
The Kissinger Institute works to ensure that China policy serves American long-term interests and is founded in understanding of historical and cultural factors in bilateral relations and in accurate assessment of the aspirations of China’s government and people. Read more
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more
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