Discuss the reasons why Germany was central to Cold War rivalry between 1945 and 1949.

Discuss the reasons why Germany was central to Cold War rivalry between 1945 and 1949 Germany surrendered to the allied forces in May 1945, this signalled the end of WW2 in Europe. The expected calm after the war, which may have been expected, was not to be. Trouble had already surfaced at the conferences of Tehran and Yalta conferences. The Potsdam conference in July and August of 1945 was to prove that relations between the USA and Russia were not going to run smoothly especially on decisions concerning Germany. Both camps wanted different things to come out of the post war Germany but this evidently caused problems. Not only was there a lack of decision concerning Germany but in the years that followed the implication of the Marshall Plan and other American economic initiatives in Germany proved to cause friction with Russia. The Berlin Blockade in June 1948, which lasted until May 1949, was a further reason why Germany was central to Cold War rivalry during the years in question. Other reasons such as the Czech coup in 1948 were key to Cold War rivalry but Germany was the key reason why rivalry emerged. This was because it was geographically in the centre of Europe, its economy was seen as the lynchpin of the European economy as a whole especially in the USA and it controlled the Ruhr, which was seen by George Kennan as one of the 5 key economic areas of the world.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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The Cuban Missile Crisis Describe how relations between the superpowers worsened between 1959 and the summer of 1962.

The Cuban Missile Crisis Coursework. Question 1. Describe how relations between the superpowers worsened between 1959 and the summer of 1962. The Cold War started after world war II ended, and Germany was defeated. Germany was to be governed partly by the U.S.S.R., and by the U.S.A. who at the time were the two most powerful nations in the world. They had briefly been allies, once the war was won, the differences in their ideas and beliefs about how the country should be run caused major disagreement. The U.S.S.R believed in communism, which meant that they put equality and the community first. Farms, factories and transport were all owned by the Government, and there were fixed wages and prices. This meant that there were no very rich people and no very poor people. People were unable to travel, and the there was censorship of the press, which meant people often didn't know what going on. However, education, health and housing were all controlled, which meant that everyone got the care that they needed. The U.S.A on the other hand believed in Capitalism, which meant that they put freedom and individuality first. There was freedom of speech, freedom of travel and freedom of beliefs. However, there was a large gap between the rich and the poor, and some people were living in poverty, whilst others were millionaires. Each nation disagreed entirely with what the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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How did the Red scare and McCarthyism become such a dominant force in the USA, in the late 40's and early 50's? Describe the legacy of McCarthy.

After the Second World War, there developed a growing suspicion between USA and The Soviet union. The friendly faces were disappearing, after the development of the first nuclear weapon by USA, USSR, were sure it was to be used against them Meanwhile, the newly elected President of USA, Truman, was beginning to distrust Stalin, leader the USSR. This was the beginning of an era in American history. It affected many thousands of lives, and had a massive impact on American society. The Red scar, as it was also known, McCarthyism was about to begin. This was the fear communism, and it taking over the American government. Being invaded in this way, is fear in any nation, but it was played upon by people such as McCarthy (hence McCarthyism), and increased to an unrealistic scale. Anyone could be suspected of being communist, with no evidence or proof, but would still have his or her life taken apart. The USA and USSR, had emerged as super powers, after WWI, and this was undoubtedly going to lead to some tension, so much tension that it would lead to the Cold war. Stalin was becoming very suspicious of the USA, assuming that they were out to destroy the USSR, their 'rivals'. This suspicion was massively increased after the USA announced that they had created an Atomic bomb, and even more so, in 1945, when they used it against the Japanese in Hiroshima. On the other hand, The USA

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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To what extent were Fulgencio Batista's weaknesses the cause for Fidel Castro's rise to power?

INDEX Section Page SECTION A: Plan of the investigation 2 SECTION B: Summary of evidence 3 SECTION C: Evaluation of sources 6 SECTION D: Analysis 8 SECTION E: Conclusion 11 SECTION F: List of sources 12 SECTION A: Plan of the investigation (150 words- maximum: 150 words) The event I am interested in is the rise to power of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Not the revolution itself, but the factors that caused it. Specifically, my inquiry is: to what extent were Batista's weaknesses the cause for Castro's rise to power? In order to answer this, I will focus on Fulgencio Batista's last years in power. My intention is to search for evidence on his government policies and his loss of popularity; I intend to analyze the socio-economic crisis of the time and Batista's weaknesses, trying to study their effects on the Cuban situation. Simultaneously, I will examine other causes for the revolution and evaluate their significance. Thus, I will analyze a source according to which Batista's character played a leading role in the revolution, and another source where other causes are considered (1). Altogether, after this analysis, I will arrive at an answer to my question. SECTION B: Summary of evidence (593 words-maximum: 600) -During the 1940's, food prices in Cuba trebled and the cost of living doubled. Wartime (2) brought about import scarcities and postwar economic opportunities

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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The relationship between the two superpowers of USA and Russia worsened between 1959 and the summer of 1963 because of Castro's revolution in Cuba. This increased tensions between the two superpowers, as Castro was a Marxist who had overthrown Batista

Assignment 1 . The relationship between the two superpowers of USA and Russia worsened between 1959 and the summer of 1963 because of Castro's revolution in Cuba. This increased tensions between the two superpowers, as Castro was a Marxist who had overthrown Batista who was a pro America dictator. This angered America as now they had a communist country right next to them. America did not want communism to spread out of Eastern Europe, and they were using policies of containment to stop the spread. This revolution led America to stopped buying Cuban sugar, which caused a further build up of tension between the USA and Russia. They stopped buying the sugar in an attempt to weaken the Cuban economy and therefore try and get Cuba to become a capitalist state. To help Cuba, Russia stepped in and started buying their sugar helping Cuba, which is not what the American's wanted. This then created more tension between USA and Russia and their relationship worsened. The result of this revolution and the Russian trade with Cuba was the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which again worsened the relations between the superpowers. It was an American attack on a communist state. The invasion was a total disaster, Russia viewed it as an American attempt to overthrow Cuba's legal government, and thus helped Cuba. This led to Russia seeing Kennedy as a weak leader, as he made too many mistakes such

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Why did the Cold War End?

Why did the Cold War End? Tauseef Ahmed United States History May 13th 2004 Why did the Cold War End? One of the main events of the war-filled twentieth century was the Cold War - a state of tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union from nineteen forty five, at the beginning of the Soviet expansion of communism in newly formed countries after Word War II, opposed by the United States to nineteen eighty nine with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The main focus of this research will be to state the reasons as to why this hugely acknowledged war comes to an end. It was the most unexpected event that happened and the credit must be given to the leaders on both sides. The Cold War eventually came to an end in 1989 as a result of Gorbachev's Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (reconstruction) policies; the Soviet's declining communist economy, the costly arms race, and the freedom issues among Baltic Republics, Poland, and East Germany within the Soviet bloc itself. When Mikhail Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985, he was determined to end corruption in the Soviet economy and get the U.S.S.R. back on its feet. To achieve this goal he announced two new policies Glasnost and Perestroika. Glasnost or openness was the policy that ended the strict censorship, allowed Soviet citizens to speak openly about their society's problems

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Cuban Missile Crisis

Andrew Taylor Cuban Missile Crisis 1) You can learn a lot from this source about President Kennedy's reaction to the photographs taken by the U-2 spy plane. We can infer from the source that he saw the missiles were a very bid threat to the country as he said to Robert Kennedy that they were facing great trouble. We can also infer that he was very worried and concerned about this as the meeting with Robert Kennedy was at 9 O'clock in the morning so it was the first thing on his agenda. Also from this source it suggests that he jumped straight to the conclusion that it was the Soviets that were placing the missiles on Cuba. As he called Robert Kennedy and told him that it was the Soviets. This reaction shows the tension between the two superpowers of the USA and the USSR and the lack of trust that they had for each other. But we cannot be sure of this reaction, but the source itself doesn't give other information explaining otherwise. We can also infer that the relations weren't very trusting because of the U-2 spy planes being sent over Cuba, this also shows that Kennedy wasn't comfortable with the fact that Cuba was communist. We can also infer from this that Kennedy was also very concerned with the fact the Cuba was only 90 miles from the US, so this would also make him exceedingly worried about the situation, and since Cuba is only 90 miles away, and he expected the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Suez Canal Crisis

SUEZ CANAL CRISIS ASSIGNMENT TWO: OBJECTIVES 2 AND 3 . STUDY SOURCE A WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM SOURCE A ABOUT ANTHONY EDEN'S REASONS FOR OPPOSING COLONEL NASSER. Source A is a primary source taken from a broadcast by Sir Anthony Eden. In the broadcast Anthony Eden explains what Colonel Nasser has done with the Suez Canal and expresses his feelings about it. From Source A I can learn that Sir Anthony Eden opposed Colonel Nasser. He felt that something important that had belonged to the British, was taken away by someone who had no-use for it all. The Canal was very important to the British because it opened up a passage way to the red sea and further onto India. The Suez Canal was a gateway to the other side of the world therefore, such a significant asset. However, the Canal had been taken out of their hands by Colonel Nasser. He believed the Canal belonged to the Egyptians as it was on his land. The British had no right to it in Nasser's opinion. In reality, Egypt did not need the canal for they already were connected to the red and Mediterranean sea via their coastline. Before the taking over of the canal Eden thought that Colonel Nasser could be trusted, but when he nationalised it he thought otherwise. By taking over the canal he had taken away that trust and put himself in the bad books of Sir Eden. He had also done so without consulting or giving consent to anyone

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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How important was the nuclear arms race in the development of tensions during the Cold War 1945-1962?

The Cold War was a silent war which took place between the USA and the USSR from 1945 to 1991. No physical war took place, hence it being a cold war. Despite the Cold War starting after World War Two, it is believed tensions arose prior to the Second World War. This period of time dramatically changed the political scene of Europe and the rest of the World. The war was built on a foundation of tensions caused by three factors: Eastern Europe, ideologies and an arms race. This essay explores the main factors contributing to the development of tension from 1945 to 1962. An arms race is a competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons. Historians believe that the arms race was the most prominent factor causing tensions. The significant turning point of the USA and USSR’s relationship, and trigger event to the arms race, was the bombing of Japan. In August 1945, the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed and thousands of people died. The bombs were the most powerful weapons invented. The fact that the USA had not informed their ally, the USSR, before dropping the bombs created suspicion from the USSR. Russia did not have any bombs and this meant that the USA could potentially attack the Soviet Union and they could not do a thing to prevent it. Adding to the tensions, both the USA and USSR had

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Cuban missile crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis Coursework . What can you learn from this source about President Kennedy's reaction to the photographs taken by the U-2 spy plane? This source tells us a good deal about Kennedy's reaction to the photographs, firstly because of the obvious urgency and importance of the photographs, as Kennedy calls his brother and adviser Robert at the earliest time possible, and requests his personal presence. This in itself demonstrates how important Kennedy believes the matter to be. Kennedy is obviously nervous about the situation, and was feeling extremely vulnerable as the missiles were so close (on Cuba) to the USA - 'he said that we were facing great trouble.' This shows how serious he believed the situation to be. He was also convinced that the Soviet Union was behind the missiles, and shows an obvious resentment and paranoia of the Russians. Kennedy is sure that something is going on; 'he was convinced that Russia was placing missiles and atomic weapons on Cuba.' He wants to resolve the situation as soon as possible and wants to start formulating a plan as soon as he can. This is why he calls his adviser so early. 2. Use the sources, and your own knowledge to explain why Kennedy decided to blockade Cuba. Source B is a map showing the area of the crisis, the range of the missiles, the position of the blockade, and other details. It highlights a reason why

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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