The reinterpretation of past events has been a natural phenomenon of twentieth century historiography. Historical revisionism--the reshaping by contemporary scholars of traditional views of the past--has been an inevitable and necessary trait of the profession and has contributed to the growth of humankind's perception of previous generations. During the 1960s and 1970s, New Left or radical social criticism became dominant in the teaching of public issues. Radical revisionists, writing during the period of the Vietnam War, remade the past with powerful, thought-provoking themes and interpretations especially relative to Cold War origins. This overview for history teachers, especially those at the secondary level, reviews the legacy of New Left historians relative to their impact on trends in diplomatic history and the historical profession itself. (BZ)