Ethics & International Affairs Volume 10 (1996): Articles: On Moral Equivalency and Cold War History [Abstract]

Dec 4, 1996

What is the relationship of morality to the writing of Cold War history—or any history?

To mark our Centennial, this article is free online until December 31, 2014.

The controversies over the "National History Standards" and the Smithsonian's abortive effort to mount a fiftieth anniversary exhibit on the decision to drop the atomic bomb, along with insights drawn from the opening of former Soviet and Eastern European archives, highlight the "moral equivalency" debate being waged over the writing and teaching of Cold War history. Gaddis suggests the need for historians to rethink some of their academic approaches to this subject, using a moral as opposed to a materialist framework.

To read or purchase the full text of this article, click here.

You may also like

AUG 9, 2023 Podcast

Nuclear Ethics for this Moment

This panel explores ethical questions surrounding nuclear weapons and builds upon a symposium published in the most recent issue of "Ethics & International Affairs."

empty United Nations General Assembly hall

MAY 22, 2023 Article

Sitting on the Sidelines: The Global Divide on Ukraine

Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal reflects on the global divide in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

President Biden observes vaccine dosage preparations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, January 29, 2021. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/51145157658/">Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz</a> (<a href="https://www.usa.gov/government-works">U.S. Government Works</a>)

MAY 19, 2021 Article

Vaccine Nationalism versus Vaccine Diplomacy

Health security is a fundamental "doorstep" issue in terms of the intersection of domestic and foreign policy. In this blog post, U.S. Global Engagement ...

Non traduit

Ce contenu n'a pas encore été traduit dans votre langue. Vous pouvez demander une traduction en cliquant sur le bouton ci-dessous.

Demande de traduction