William Appleman Williams

William Appleman Williams (1921-1990) was one of the 20th century's most prominent historians of American diplomacy. His major body of writings was published while he was on the faculty of the History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Related Topics:
1921 - 1990 - 20th century's - Historian - American - Diplomacy - University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Williams tacked a course as a historian which departed from traditional history. Whereas many U.S. historians wrote the story of the U.S. in terms of the spread of freedom, Williams argued that the U.S. had also spread as an empire. Williams believed that the United States was as much responsible for the Cold War as was the Soviet Union. Williams argued that American politicians, fearful of a loss of markets in Europe, had exaggerated the threat of world domination from the Soviet Union. Amid much criticism, Williams made no moral distinction between the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin and the democratically elected leadership of U.S. presidents.

Related Topics:
United States - Cold War - Soviet Union - Europe - Joseph Stalin

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Williams inspired a generation of historians to re-think the Cold War, including Lloyd Gardner and Walter LeFeber, who along with Williams argued that the Vietnam War was neither democratizing nor liberating but was an attempt to spread American dominance.

Related Topics:
Lloyd Gardner - Walter LeFeber - Vietnam War

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Wiliams' The Tragedy of American Diplomacy is often described as one of the most influential books written on American foreign policy, particularly by academics on the political left.

Related Topics:
Foreign policy - Political left

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