"Poland was the most important factor in the deteriorating US-Soviet relations"

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Khal H.

Do you agree with the statement, “Poland was the most important reason for deteriorating US-Soviet relations in 1944-1945?

The breakdown relationship between Soviet Union and USA was inevitable; one country’s policies were far too radical for the other. However, after the World War 2, Soviet Union and USA were leaning towards co-operation; Stalin agreed to give Poland free elections and ‘democracy’ at Yalta conference in February 1945. Concessions made showed that both countries realized that it was in the best interest to continue to co-operate. Yet, US-Soviet relations persist to deteriorate. Many argued that Poland was the major factor for the origins of Cold war, while some believed that the dispute over Poland was a trigger to an already doomed collaboration together with conflict over post-war economic reconstruction and threats of atomic weapon.

Britain, USA and Russia or the ‘anti Hitler coalition’ attended the Yalta conference in February 1945 to discuss the aftermath of the war on Europe. It was easy to agree to bring Nazi war criminals to trial, admit Russia into the United Nations and divide Germany into four zones. But tension was raised over the kind of government to be set up in Poland. Many believed that the conflict over Poland was important such that it highlighted the incompability of USA and Russia policies. At the Yalta conference, Stalin agreed to sign the Declaration of Liberated Europe agreeing to set up self-governing states. Through this, the ‘Open Door’ policy could be implemented which would allow America to import goods into the Polish state. After Yalta, Stalin proved to be untrustworthy as he denied free elections and any kind of democracy in Poland despite agreeing to do so. He was more interested in the security of his nation rather than America’s economics interest. Through eastern Poland, Stalin would regain back its 1914 boundaries which act as a buffer against Germany. Stalin ran a communist dictatorship which would force Poland to adopt the same policy as USSR now that they were under Russia’s sphere of influence. Roosevelt saw Stalin as an expansionist and was worried he would create a separate trade bloc between Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. The conflict over Poland was made much more complex by Roosevelt’s fickle and inconsistent policy. This and Stalin’s refusal of giving democracy in Poland, the level of trust between America and Russia was weakened. Through ‘43-’44 Roosevelt had supported and endorsed Soviet sphere of influence in eastern Europe. Due to the upcoming American election in 1944, Roosevelt advocated democracy to appeal to the American public and tried to retrieve what had been given to Stalin at previous meetings at Yalta. Furthermore, he misled his nation into thinking that Stalin had consent to a democratic state of Poland. This only worsened the already failing relationship between Russia and America as it intensified suspicion of Soviet’s motives within the United States. The outcome of this conflict made the Poland dispute very important; it confirmed to American policy makers that Stalin was indeed an expansionist and a major concern would be to contain Communist Russia’s influence anywhere else and it confirmed to United States and Soviet Union that both nations were untrustworthy and post-war co-operation was almost impossible.

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It is no doubt that Poland was an important reason for the deteriorating relations between the two great power nations but some argue that it highlighted the long term cause of the Cold War rather than providing a new short term cause. Differences in ideology caused the friction between both countries; the USA was a capitalist democracy and USSR was communist dictatorship. Both sides believed that they held the key to future happiness of the human race. Poland was just one of the series of clashes and misunderstandings which widened more and more into open hostility. Prior to Yalta, ...

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