Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

The Soviet Union developed its influence in Eastern Europe in the years 1945 1949 because it simply wanted to guarantee its security in the future. How valid is this assessment?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

'The Soviet Union was aggressively expansionist and showed little enthusiasm for d�tente.' How valid is this statement? The Soviet Union had been known for being aggressively expansionist in the past, but in d�tente the Soviet Union acted more out of security reasons rather than expansionist such as in Afghanistan which was on the USSR's border and could of possibly handed the USA a geostrategic position over them, also during d�tente they showed real enthusiasm for d�tente and more so than the USA, this spawns from the USSR having a much more serious view of the meaning of d�tente. The statement isn't valid because firstly in the Arab-Israeli and Angola conflicts although they did get involved with aiding one side, the acted second, after the USA which shows that they were acting less out of their 'aggressive expansionist' nature and more out of a response to their rival, the USA. ...read more.

Middle

SALT and the basic principles treaties were signed by the USSR even when the USA were trying to play China against the Soviets which shows a degree of commitment. The technology in this is obviously a large factor as the USA had what both the USSR and China wanted. The USSR also showed increased enthusiasm for d�tente in theory. The two superpowers had two very different views on what d�tente was and how it should be or was intended to be operated. The USA saw d�tente as a set of guidelines that should be followed but more importantly they saw it as a chance to exploit the USSR. On the other hand, the Soviets saw d�tente as a more strict set of rules and aims that would have to be achieved if there was ever to be peace, the severity of this outlook on d�tente shows an increased commitment. ...read more.

Conclusion

The USSR can also be criticised in d�tente for its contribution in Angola, with Cuba already involved they didn't really need to become involved as there was already one communist nation supporting the MPLA. It can be seen as the USSR were acting in Angola to counter the USA's and China's involvement rather than for the preservation of communism. To conclude it isn't fair to agree with the statement because throughout d�tente the USSR showed enthusiasm, often that greater than the USA's and were only aggressively expansionist over Afghanistan and that can be argued that it was for security. The main point regarded the USSR's enthusiasm is that they perceived d�tente to be much more important and have a greater meaning on a global scale than the USA and they weren't aggressively expansionist due to them not putting troops on the ground in places outside their sphere of influence (Arab-Israeli and Angola conflicts) and were acting in response to the USA getting involved in these places first. ?? ?? ?? ?? Ryan Wheatley ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level International History, 1945-1991 section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

4 star(s)

There are many positive features of this response; the author writes analytically throughout and stays firmly focused on the precise question in each paragraph. Judgements are sound and usually supported by evidence, although this could be expanded in places. However, the lack of dates is a weakness and grammatical errors detract from the clarity of the argument. 4 stars .

Marked by teacher Natalya Luck 04/04/2012

Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level International History, 1945-1991 essays

  1. Marked by a teacher

    "Asses the successes and failures of Mao's domestic policies between 1949 and 1976."

    5 star(s)

    Many were opposed to this system as it meant they had to give up the land they had fought to own privately; by 1957, more than 90% of peasants belonged to co-operatives. During the 1950's villagers were taught the basic reading and writing skill by the party workers as Mao was only interested in simple literary skills.

  2. Marked by a teacher

    To what extent is the oil crisis of 1973 a turning point in postwar ...

    5 star(s)

    to order Israel to withdraw from Arab territories occupied during the Six Day War-- the OPEC nations ordered an embargo on the shipment of oil to US, Japan and Western Europe. The cut in output allowed OPEC nations to force the price of crude oil up fivefold in dollar terms

  1. Assessing the impact of the first world war on international relations in the decade ...

    Furthermore, when Germany raised the question of Moratorium after experiencing greater inflation of the currency, just after the first payment, a partial of it was granted. When she attempted to make her revised payments, the mark again sank and she requested a moratorium on all cash payments until January 1925.Because

  2. Why did tension increase in Europe between 1900 and 1914?

    But after Bismarck's resignation, his policy was dropped. * 1894: France and Russia signed the Dual Entente, which was intended to be a counterweight to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. * 1904: Britain and France signed The Entente Cordiale, the friendly agreement. It was not a treaty as such, but a settling of long-standing sources of friction.

  1. To what extent did the foreign intervention influence the outcome of the Spanish Civil ...

    However, the USSR was never as committed to the conflict as Germany and Italy were and Stalin was only interested in supplying the right amount of armaments to keep the Republicans fighting. Furthermore, International Brigades supported the Republicans because they were against Nazism and Fascism and wanted to sustain democracy against the right wing threat.

  2. How far were White weaknesses responsible for Red success in Russian Civil War?

    Furthermore, the Whites did not only lack numbers but were scattered around the edges of the central area of Russia, separated by large distances. This made communications difficult, especially moving men and weapons, coordinating the attacks of different White armies and even conscripting men as the areas were not as populated as the central, Red held ones.

  1. Why did the Communists come to power in China in 1949?

    After the Japanese were fully removed from China, the CCP took advantage of their location and quickly moved into liberation areas. These liberation areas saw the implementation of reforms seen in already significant soviets such as Yanan. This brought more people to see the fantastic leadership the CCP could bring to China.

  2. Why did the USA become involved in the Korean War in the years 1950-53?

    The resolution called for member states to assist SK to defend against armed attack and restore international peace. Therefore by using the UN the US government was able to gain support of its allies. The US was able to use the UN to ratify its own decisions and involvement in

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work