Cold war
International History. Option W - 1919-63 Part 2 1945-1963 (Key Issues 7-9) Key Issue 7- Why did the USA and the USSR become rivals in the period 1945-49 The breakup of the wartime alliances . A. What united GB, USA and the Soviet Union between 1941-5 In 1941 Hitler launched an attack on Russia, this breached the terms of the Nazi-Soviet pact. The USA GB and Russia had disliked the Germans for a long time because of their political ideas but this united them together against the Germans. 2. What disagreements were there between the USA and the Soviet Union during this period? The USA and Soviet Union had many differences during this period despite being allies. The main differences between the two countries were their political ideas. The Soviet Union was communist and a one party state, whereas the USA was a democratic country. In America there were numerous parties, all of whom were allowed to be a part of national elections which decided who would take control of their country. They also had social, economic and cultural differences. In the Soviet Union all industry was owned by communists and living standards were poor. Whereas in the USA living standards were higher and industry was privately owned 3. What was agreed at the Yalta conference of February 1945? The Yalta conference took place in February 1945, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met and wanted to come
The Cold War
The issue of Germany in the Cold War has long been a controversial question in that in what ways, and with what results, was Germany the key focus on the early stages of the Cold War. While some historians have held that the Truman Doctrine was the key focus during the Cold War, there is a more valid interpretation. It would appear to be that Germany indeed was the key focus of the early stages of the Cold War as show by the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the four occupational zones of Germany and Berlin, Germany's division into two countries, the East and West disagreements, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, as well as the Marshall Plan. As some historians would argue, the Truman Doctrine was the key focus of the early stages of the Cold War. In February 1947, President Truman was faced with a grave problem. In Greece, communist guerrillas were attempting to take over the country. Britain, with 40 000 troops in Greece, had been lending the government a hand in the fight against communists. Without warning, Ernest Bevin, the British foreign minister, told Truman that Britain was no longer able afford to keep their troops in Greece. Close by, Turkey was under that very same threat.[1] The USSR, waiting for just the right moment to invade, had positioned troops all along the Turkish border. President Truman was very worried about this problem. He feared that communism would
The Cold War.
The Cold War Introduction During the Second World War, the USA and the USSR fought on the same side against Nazi Germany. At the end of the war the two sides fell out. This was because the USA was a capitalist country and the USSR was a communist country. After the war the USSR took control of a large part of Eastern Europe and helped Eastern Europe countries to set up communist governments. By 1949 Europe was divided between the East and the West. The dividing line became known as the 'Iron Curtain'. The USA and the Soviet Union were enemies but a 'hot war' never developed. Instead, from the 1940s to the 1980s, the two superpowers entered into a cold war using espionage and propaganda. On its borders, the USSR was surrounded by Western powers. This made the USSR feel threatened which meant it closed in on its-self. The USA wanted to learn about how technologically advanced in the arms race and space the USSR was. However, the USA was unable to do so as information was being restricted. The U2 Plane Incident On May 1st 1960, an American U2 spy plane was shot down over the USSR. Francis Gary Powers was the pilot of the daring mission to fly completely over Russia taking pictures of secret military bases in order to find the status of the USSR's military capabilities. Before this historic U2 flight no American spy plane had been shot down over the USSR during the Cold
The Origins of the Cold War.
The Origins of the Cold War are widely regarded to lie most directly within the immediate post-Second World War relations between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union in the years 1945 - 1947, leading to the developed Cold War that endured until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Both the superpowers contrasted in their views, and their political regimes were totally different. Some historians look back to Lenin's seizure of power in Russia (the Bolshevik Revolution of late 1917) as forming the more extended origins of the Cold War; others, such as Walter LaFeber, go back to the 1890s, when the U.S. and Tsarist Russia became political and economic rivals in Manchuria. From 1933 to 1940 the United States and the Soviet Union had a sort of detente, but relations were not friendly. After the USSR and Germany became belligerents in 1941, Roosevelt made a personal commitment to help the Soviets (Congress never voted any sort of alliance). The wartime cooperation was never friendly, and it became increasingly strained by February 1945 at the Yalta Conference, as it became increasingly clear that Stalin intended to spread communism to Russia's neighbouring countries (of which he succeded and of which lead to the birth of Cominform) and then, to spread communism throughout Western Europe. [edit] Escalation and Crisis Two opposing geopolitical blocs had
The Cold War
After the end of WWII, relations between the two superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, began to break down. As a result, the Cold War began in the late 1940's, named so because neither power came into direct military conflict.coea ear From 1955 to 1958, U2 spy planes from America had been flying photographic missions over the Soviet Union. It showed mistrust toward the SU and broke international law. The Soviets could not detect them, even though the arms race was in progress, as shown in Source A1, a non biased primary source of good utility published in a British magazine. It makes a joke of how the arms race can be compared to an Olympic running race, where "The important thing is not winning, but taking part". The Americans and the Soviets are neck and neck, showing the tension and pressure to win the race. On May 1 1960 a U2 plane, piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down by a SAM-2 missile. Source A2 demonstrates the type of plane that he flew. It is a primary source, however, the provenance is unsure and the utility of the source, limited. The caption infers that the SU knew the Americans were flying overhead. This would add to the tension that was building between the powers at this point. The flight path of the reconnaissance missions is shown in Source A3, a primary source, published the day Powers was shot down. The reliability of the source is bad due to the
Origins of the Cold War.
Chapter 29 Cold War Salil Shah Per 3 I. Origins of the Cold War A. Sources of American Soviet Tension Had difference in view of post war world. US supported the view in which nations gave up traditional military alliances, and dealt with each other in a democratic process, with an international org. as mediator. Britain and Soviets favored view where system of traditional European balance of powers would reemerge. B. War time Diplomacy By Jan 1943 a strain in relations with soviets was evident as Stalin refused to meet with Churchill and Roosevelt. The 2 refused Stalins'most immediate demand to have a 2 european fronts, but assured him that they would have unconditional surrender of Axis powers and they would not leave soviets out of peace negotiations. In Teharan Conference relations between Stalin and Roosevelt became better as Stalin agreed to enter Pacific once hotstilities in Europe died down, and US agreed to 2 front western war. However there was tension on who would lead Poland once war was over. They avoided the issue by leaving it unresolved. C. Yalta In Feb. 1945the big three met in Soviet Union. Stalin was promised some territory lost in Jap Soviet war of 1904, in pacific. Also agreed to UN charter with a security council, with members from 5 major powers. Issue of Polish government was compromised. Soviets had occupied Poland and installed the pro
The Cold War
The term `Cold War' was first used by an American banker in 1947. He was describing the hostility that existed between the USA and the USSR. By calling the war `cold' he meant that the two countries were doing all that they could to harm each other without using their own armed forces to fight a `hot' war. There has always been controversy concerning the causes of the cold war. The orthodox view of the late 40's/ early 50's was that the `expansionist USSR was responsible for the outbreak and continuation of the Cold War.' The revisionist view of the 70's and 80's stated that the `blame was on the US for misunderstanding and over reacting to the Soviet Union.' The post-revisionists believed the Cold War was the `product of mutual mistrust and over -reaction on both parts.' However, when discussing the causes of the Cold War it is also necessary to consider the context on the war and the other factors involved such as different ideologies, post -WW2 Europe and feelings on mistrust and suspicion. Most historians would agree that the root cause of the Cold War was the opposing ideologies of the USA and USSR; Communism vs. Capitalism. This conflict of ideology can be dated back to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and successive Russian Civil War. The Americans hoped thee revolution would bring about an age of democracy in Russia but watched I alarm as Lenin and
Discuss the reasons why the wartime conferences resulted in cold war rivalry by the end of 1945.
Discuss the reasons why the wartime conferences resulted in cold war rivalry by the end of 1945 During the Second World War the USA, Britain and Russia were allied in their fight against NAZI Germany and her allies and Japan. As the war progressed the leaders of the alliance, Roosevelt (replaced by Truman at Potsdam), Churchill (replaced by Atlee at Potsdam) and Stalin met for a number of conferences. At these conferences the matters discusses ranged from launching a second front in the west to ease pressure on Russia due to the German attack to what to do with Germany after the war had ended. The conferences took place at Tehran in November 1943, Yalta in February 1945 and in Potsdam in July and August 1945. The conferences managed to create a "honeymoon" atmosphere in the alliance but many of the controversial issues were left unresolved which caused much ambiguity in the final meanings of the terms decided at the conferences. This meant actions by members of the alliance were often taken in the wrong way by another member for example the USA's dropping of the atomic bomb on 5th August 1945 which was two days before Russia was due to join the attack on Japan caused unrest in Moscow. Many factors were left unresolved during the conferences of the Second World War but why did the unresolved factors lead to Cold War rivalry by the end of 1945? The conference of Tehran was
The Cold War
In April 1950, the Secretaries of State and Defense published a document that was known by the name "NSC 68." NSC 68 was a report on the objectives and programs the US should pursue in its dealings with communism. It outlined the weaknesses and strengths of both the United States and the Soviet Union, the two nations it identified as world super powers. With warring ideologies and high tensions, these two countries were the primary combatants in the conflict known as "the Cold War." However, the conflict between these two countries spread to other nations, and created other situations. The Cold War became a world war, affecting regions and nations far removed from either the United States or the USSR. In judging NSC 68, it becomes necessary to examine incidents in which the document's objectives and programs could be applied. Such a task is relatively simple, as there are a multitude of incidents of conflict between communism and capitalism during the period of 1950 to 1975 (when NSC 68 was released to the public). In this report, evidence will be shown that, during the period of 1954-1961, government officials were sporadic in their applications of NSC 68. Using the Guatemalan Coup of 1954, the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the Bay of Pigs incident of 1961, this paper will show that the United States government of this time applied the principles expressed in NSC 68 in
Causes of the Cold War
Causes of the Cold War There were far reaching ideological, economic and political differences between the United States and the Soviet Union before the start of the Second World War, of which were intensified as a result shared suspicions following the Second World War. . Primary Causes Ideological: The United States and the Soviet Union represent two opposing systems of government. In the United States, the government is elected, and thus influenced by the freedom of elections. The public is able to form political parties in order to express their political positions. Americans also possess the right of assembly, of press, and the right of speech. Now, in the Soviet Union of Russia, the government is fashioned by the hands of the Communist Party. Unlike the United States, the Russian people do not have the right to form their own parties. In addition to this, they are not entitled to the right of assembly, of press, or of speech. These two systems of government are entirely opposed to each other. As a result, there was little room for any compromise whatsoever between Russia and the United States. Economics: The U.S. desired to push for free trade throughout the world; however, Russia desired to defend her own area from international commerce. The fear from the Russian perspective was that trade with the West would involve risking Russia's totalitarian regime at the
