2013 Festival of Scholars
Declassifying the Cold War
| Date: | Tuesday, April 24 |
| Time: | 2:00pm - 3:30pm |
| Location: | Nygreen Hall 1 |
Description: |
Students present conference papers based on the declassified 1980’s documents of the CIA. In consultation with CIA representatives, students submitted the best papers dealing with the end of the Cold War and the Reagan Administration's role in that historical change. One of the highlights of the research was the release of the CIA papers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum for President Reagan’s centennial birthday on February 6, 2012. |
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Student Abstracts at this Session
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Student(s): Emmett Furlong Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michaela Reaves |
Choosing GorbachevBetween 1985, when Gorbachev was elected General Chief of the Politburo, to 1991, when he resigned as the Soviet Union disbanded, Gorbachev helped end the forty-five year old Cold War. Ascending to prominence only three hours after the death of Konstantin Chernenko, the question for historians is how did this youngest member of the Politburo come to rule the USSR? It was obvious soon after Chernenko rose to power that he was old and ill, but who stood next in line? Declassified documents from the CIA show that Mikhail Gorbachev emerged from obscurity, slowly gained power within the Politburo, and was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1985. The paper will present and evaluate this issue of the Soviet succession through declassified documents of the CIA using CIA document sources from September 1981 to June 1985. |
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Student(s): Chelsea Graf Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michaela Reaves |
Through the Looking GlassWhile America supported Ronald Reagan and his policies, the Soviet Union distrusted the US government and its intentions. In addition, the Soviets did not see Reagan as the head of the United States, instead they saw the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as leading the operations and the author behind the intent to destroy the USSR. Manifestations of this belief become evident through analysis of political and propaganda cartoons in the 1980s, specifically those cartoons in Pravda, Izvestia, and the newspapers of Eastern bloc countries. The declassified documents of the CIA reflect the focus on the Reagan Administration to fight the “Evil Empire.” However, the cultural cartoons of the “Iron Curtain” countries acknowledge their awareness of the intent of the CIA and literally replace Reagan with the CIA’s image as an eagle in their publications. |
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Student(s): Glynnis Jones Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michaela Reaves |
Taking the Moral High Ground: Reagan, Abortion, and the Cold WarFor many years, the Soviet Union continuously reformed abortion law and settled on a non-restrictive policy that helped shape the country’s demographic and social structure. Soviet abortion policy was unique to the rest of the world’s policies during the Cold War. Until 1973 the United States did not have a clear federal stance on the legality of abortion. As president, Ronald Reagan continuously expressed his opposition to abortion in speeches, articles and daily conversation. By speaking out against abortion, President Reagan was able to seamlessly link his own personal beliefs with the agenda of the anti-communism. Confidential CIA documents offer statistics, opinions and possible consequences of the Soviet stance on abortion. This information supported the U.S. ideological stance, allowed American opposition to the communist ideologies of the Soviet Union and indirectly linked this information to the anti-communist sentiment of the U.S. government throughout the Cold War. |
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Student(s): Cortney Jordan Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michaela Reaves |
Youth Revolts in the Soviet UnionAs the economic stability of the USSR declined in the early 1980’s, the urban youth began to respond. Much has been made of the labor unrest in Poland with the Solidarity movement and its role in breaking through the Iron Curtain, but little is known about the social unrest among the youth in the Soviet Union itself. However, CIA documents from the 1980's noted and reported this upheaval, unsure of what the result might be, but convinced it was a significant movement. These CIA drops became a part of the decision-making process in the Reagan White House. This paper investigates and explores the information the CIA obtained on the social unrest in the USSR and postulates the ways in which the Reagan White House responded |
