Cold war 1945-1954
History Essay The Cold War 1945-1954 The Origins of the Cold War After World War 2, the Allies moved into Germany and Berlin in 1945, the US and Britain came from the west and the Russians came from the East. There was much dispute over who had the right to stay in Germany but in the end Russia stayed in the West and the rest of the allies stayed in the East. This created a lot of tension between the allies after World War 2 since Russia was strict about who left and who entered East Germany. Russians were angry at the West as they believed they had left Russian forces to fight more Germans as the war ended, thus costing Russian lives. Winston Churchill, the leader of Britain was concerned that the huge forces of Russia in Eastern Europe could become a threat to the UK and the rest of Europe. There were many meetings between the 'Big Three', Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Harry S. Truman, including the Potsdam meeting where Truman warned Stalin of a 'powerful new weapon' that the USA was developing, more specifically the atomic bomb. This was before the Japan bombings, and the Russians were also working on nuclear weapons. A week after the Potsdam Meeting Japan was attacked by the USA with atomic bombs and Japan surrendered a few days afterwards, Stalin was frustrated as the Russians had gained little influence in Japan and the US had dominated most of Japan. In
When did the Cold War Begin?
When did the Cold War Begin? The 20th century was, from my viewpoint, a century of major changes. At the outset of the 1900s, in 1914, WWI broke out demonstrating a totally new face of combat. Machine guns, heavy artillery, and war planes were tried for the first time after the sword and shield had been the basic fighting tools for the previous thousands of years. Almost 20 years later, WWII took place causing even more destruction than the preceding war. People thought that another change in the style of warfare was hundreds of years away. This projection was, obviously, incorrect. Another type of war, The Cold War (CW), grew out of WWII. I would define the CW as a war with no physical fighting, and a period of threat, intimidation, and conflicting ideologies. These three keywords are important because they brought many results. Threat and intimidation led to a build-up of arms, the formation of political organizations that work together against the enemy, and the use of other countries to work against the enemy. On the other hand, conflicting ideologies led to arguments between the leaders and to the exploitation of propaganda and media. However, it is difficult to identify a starting point for the CW. The main reasons are that there was no significant gap between WWII and the CW, there was no physical battle to mark the beginning of the war, and most of the
Imperialism, Expansionism, and the Cold War
Joseph Hagan HOTA Pd.1 Mr. Munro April 14 '2004 Imperialism, Expansionism, and the Cold War The Cold War developed after the Second World War as a blend of several unsolved disputes and diplomatic misinterpretations. Ideological differences worsened the matter and made interaction with either side less probable since each other was resented by the other's actions during the previous war. Even so, what really built up and intensified the war was the imperialistic and expansionist nature of the capitalist and communist nations since both sides struggled to obtain better relations with other strong countries and expand their rule or political influence. First of all, the ideological differences between the capitalist and communist parties were probably the main determining factors in the imperialist/expansionist decisions which were taken. In the case of the communists, it was their main principles which defied the capitalists since the communist main points were that the capitalists would eventually destroy themselves. Communists also felt the duty to help the capitalists and this is why they believed that they show impose their rule over these states in order to prevent self-destruction. This is exactly why the domino effect comes into play all around Europe and why the communist nations were thought to follow a strict policy of expansion. Stauchton Lynd put it best, "Why
How did the Cold War begin?
1K Ryutaro Tanno 28/10/07 Cold War How did the Cold War begin? How did the Cold War affect America's policy toward Vietnam? When the Second World War ended in 1945, many European countries that had once been powerful were in ruin and were exhausted by six years of fighting. Only two Super Powers - The USA and The USSR remained after 1945 and a state of extreme tension developed between them. This tense rivalry is called "The Cold War" and this strangely named rivalry is generally regarded as a conflict between communism (East) led by the USSR and capitalism (West) led by the USA, "characterized by mutual perceptions of hostile intention between political alliances or blocs" (quote 1; L. Dockrill and F.Hopkins, 2006, The Cold War Pg 1), without open armed direct fighting between the Great Powers. There were some conflicts in the Cold War but they were called proxy wars because the two Super Powers did not fight directly and just supported the interests of one of their allies against the other. The fabric of the rivalry was said to consist of the following two competitions - politically to compete for the ascendancy of each ideology, and economically for the wealth of people. However it was just a superficial front to hide the fact that the rivalry was a competition for spreading their ideology to as many countries as
Cold War and middle East
Rene' Barajas 04/24/08 Period 7 3. To what extent was the cold war a conflict between two irreconcilable ideologies? The Cold War was a conflict between the Communist nations led by the Soviet Union and the democratic nations led by the United States in the 1940's up until 1990, the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It was a hotly contested period filled with conflict, tension, and competition. It was a team of fear, pride, and nationalism. American children were taught to hide under their desks in case of the "Big One." Children in the Soviet Union were taught to work hard and to value Mother Russia over everything. This time period could have resulted in disaster, even a WWIII, but it did not. The cold war was due largely in part to a conflict in irreconcilable ideologies, those of capitalism and communism. Capitalism was the belief in a free market, every man for himself. Communism was a stark contrast, every man is equal and they all work for the state. These conflicting ideologies were the basis for the mistrust, disdain, and competition that was the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union represent two opposing systems of government. In the United States, the government is elected by free elections. The people can form political parties to voice their political opinions. They also possess the right of assembly, of speech and of the press. In the Soviet
Explain the origins of the Cold War.
James Rees Explain the origins of the Cold War. Germany's defeat in World War Two was inevitable by the beginning of 1945. The Soviet Union's army of 12 million soldiers had taken control of Poland and was preparing to cross the border into pre-war Germany and to attack Berlin. However on February 3rd 1945, the Red army was ordered to stop progressing for one week. From February 4th until February 11th 1945, the Presidents of the United States (Franklin Roosevelt) and the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) and the Prime Minister of Great Britain (Winston Churchill) met in the Russian city of Yalta, located on the Crimean southern shore of the Black Sea, to determine how World War Two should be finished. The famous meeting of the "Big Three" would also sow many of the seeds that would eventually develop into the Cold War. Many important decisions were made at Yalta, most notably the re-establishing and giving back independence to the countries, which had been conquered and destroyed by Nazi Germany. At the end of World War Two, most Western nations wanted to re-establish the liberated states of Eastern Europe as democratic states with capitalist economies. However the Soviet Union dictator, Joseph Stalin believed that the Soviet Union had the right to control Eastern Europe. Stalin had argued that since the Soviet Union had twice been invaded by Germany in less than
Who was responsible for the Cold War?
Who was responsible for the Cold War? The slave frees himself when, of all the relations of private property, he abolishes only the relation of slavery and thereby becomes a proletarian; the proletarian can free himself only by abolishing private property in general. (Engels, Principles of Communism) Private property was the original source of freedom. It still is its main bulwark. (Walter Lippmann) The 'Cold War' was an; economic, political, and ideological clash between two superpowers. The above quotes illustrate the fundamental differences between the beliefs of Western capitalists and 'Eastern' Communists, differences that dictated forty five years of competition and one-one-upmanship in the international arena. To understand why the Cold War took place and therefore who was responsible not only do the events that played out in the early 20th century need to be considered but also the inherent philosophy behind each 'bloc' and the driving forces on each side. This essay aims to assess the different historical view points that have developed since the 1950's including; the orthodox view, the revisionist view, and the post-revisionist view. Ultimately however the revisionist view point, that the United States and her Western allies were to blame for the Cold War, is the one that seems to be the most justified. The orthodox view is that the Soviet Union was mostly
Post-Cold War Realities
Post-Cold War Realities INTRODUCTION: THE ANTI-AMERICAN ALLIANCE In June 1995, the Speaker of the Majlis (parliament) told the visiting Deputy Chairman of the Russian Duma, Alexander Vengerovsky, that the two strategic states of Iran and Russia should form an alliance to limit the expansion of U.S. hegemony in the region.[1] This proposal effectively sums up the entire history of the Russian-Islamic Republic ‘strategic partnership’—anti-Americanism. During the final decade of the Cold War, mutual loathing for the United States held together a relationship of slightly less suspicion and disdain for each other. As the protracted conflict between Moscow and Washington began to thaw, so did relations with Tehran. Subsequently, in the face of intruding U.S. presence in the greater Middle East, the benefits of cooperation in the obstruction of Western influence became increasingly evident and useful. Both share an aversion to a unipolar world in which the United States wields unchallenged primacy, controlling the United Nations, dictating supplier unions, and deciding who receives advanced arms, technology, and industry. As a result, they have found common ground to further their own political, economic, and hegemonic aspirations. For Iran, Russia provides distinct opportunities to advance its goals of conventional and nuclear military buildup; extension of
Was the Korean War a Product of the Cold War tensions?
Was the Korean War a Product of the Cold War tensions? A. Plan of Investigation. The aim of this investigation is to asses if the Korean War was a product of the Cold war tensions. This investigation evaluates the long and short term causes of the Korean War. As well as looking at the Cold War as a factor for the Korean war I will also go on to evaluate the importance of internal factors such as Korea wanting to become self determined. I will be looking at the role of the opposing ideologies (communism vs. capitalism) and at the role China took in the Korean War. B. Summary of Evidence. In the long term the conflict occurred as a by-product of the Cold War tensions, this began after WW2. The USA no longer saw the Soviet Union as its ally but now as an enemy seeking to dominate the world. By 1949 the cold war tensions were at boiling point because of such events such as the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Aid, and the Berlin Blockade. These flash points had caused tension and misunderstanding between the USA and the USSR because of the actions they took. But because of the opposing ideologies (communism vs. capitalism) if the USA or USSR brought about any policies they would be a direct threat to each other because their ideologies want to achieve different things. After F.Roosevelt died in April 1945 H.Truman took over as president. He regarded the Soviet Union as an ideological
Was the Korean War a Product of the Cold War tensions?
Was the Korean War a Product of the Cold War tensions? A. Plan of Investigation. The aim of this investigation is to asses if the Korean War was a product of the Cold war tensions. This investigation evaluates the long and short term causes of the Korean War. As well as looking at the Cold War as a factor for the Korean war I will also go on to evaluate the importance of internal factors such as Korea wanting to become self determined. I will be looking at the role of the opposing ideologies (communism vs. capitalism) and at the role China took in the Korean War. B. Summary of Evidence. In the long term the conflict occurred as a by-product of the Cold War tensions, this began after WW2. The USA no longer saw the Soviet Union as its ally but now as an enemy seeking to dominate the world1. By 1949 the cold war tensions were at boiling point because of such events such as the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Aid, and the Berlin Blockade. The USSR and America also had opposing ideologies (communism vs. capitalism)2. After F.Roosevelt died in April 1945 H.Truman took over as president3. He regarded the Soviet Union as an ideological rival prepared to use treason, disruption, and bullying tactics to promote communism and gain ground and power in Europe4. He saw the creation of satellite states in Eastern Europe as proof of a Soviet aim to spread communist control abroad5. To counter
