...The development of the cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union between 1945-53 was primarily due to traditional great power rivalry The USA and the Soviet Union worked together to defeat Hitler in WW2. Towards the end of the war relationships between them began to break down, although in 1945 there remained possibility of continued cooperation. By 1947, this prospect had disappeared and tensions between the two powers continued to increase for the rest of this period. Some historians, including those belonging to the economic revisionist school of thought, argue that traditional great power rivalry was primarily responsible for this development. This is defined as developing power through trade in order to achieve financial dominance. Undoubtedly, this factor was a major contributor to cold war tensions, however other factors such as ideology, individuals and WW2- many of which are invariably linked to economic influence- also played a large part. Great power rivalry can be seen as the main cause of increased cold war tensions between 1945 and 1953 as both powers sought to increase their relationships with other countries to obtain economic dominance. America, although benefitting economically from the war, feared the possibility of a recession, both as demand for arms fell and poverty in Europe threatened an insufficient international demand for US goods. They believed free trade would prevent this from happening, as well as increasing interdependence between countries...
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...modern times. Indeed, as we ‘over here’ love reminding our American friends ‘over there’, the United States was in the beginning a mere by-product of Europe – initially created by a rising European power in the form of Great Britain, then born out of a long war between Britain and France, and finally transformed into a world power in large part because of large-scale European migration between 1814 and 1914. Europe’s long twentieth century crisis, however, had a massive impact on the balance within this relationship, and by 1945 not only had Europe lost its place at the head of the international table but had become highly dependent on the United States itself. Still, in uncertain times, the US continued to need as many friends as it could muster, and whether one prefers to view the nature of the postwar relationship in the more liberal sense of being a ‘community’, or in more realist terms as being one in which an American hegemon dictated terms to weak dependencies, matters less than in recognising how important the relationship was to become to both countries during the Cold War. Thus, Europe needed the US to survive in a bipolar world: the United States, however, required Europe in order to protect that world from the threat posed by its many anti-western enemies around the world. This short article says nothing about how the Cold War was fought, or how Europe and the United States then managed to navigate their way from one era of more or less Cold War unity (sometimes...
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...The outbreak of the Cold war could be blamed on one of the three without a doubt. Ideologies differed heavily, and, Stalin, according to Truman, wanted to create a ‘sphere of influence’; ‘expanding Communism’. The traditional, or orthodox, view of the Cold War is that it started because of Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe after WWII. The orthodox view places blame for the Cold War firmly on the Soviets, and claims that the mutual buildup of arms, the espionage, and all the other stuff was just the West responding to the Soviets enlarging their area of influence and exercising influence on the governments behind the Iron Curtain. However, Stalin stated precisely that his desire was to create security for the Soviet Union, based on previous invasions from the West, especially from Germany, who crippled the country twice. It was merely a case of USA versus the Soviet Union, and Britain playing more of a supporting role for the US. The ideologies in conflict were Communism versus Capitalism/democracy, again between the two huge superpowers. Nonetheless, it could also be argued that personalities had been the prime cause. Before Truman became president and Attlee Prime Minister, Churchill and Roosevelt were in post. They were considerably easy with Stalin, and were willing to make ‘arrangements’ to meet his needs. And by many this was considered dangerous for Western countries as the threat of communism was potential. Thus, Truman became president and was much tougher in his approach...
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...The cold war took place from 1947 to 1989. The term “Cold War” was first used by an American journalist called Walter Lippman. The reason that this term was used was because the war could not be described in the same way “conventional” war. The term was really used to describe the mistrust that existed between the two superpowers, The USA and The Soviet Union. However it is no argued that the war was just like any others but it was fought over other peoples countries and caused destruction for others rather than the two sates actually "at war” There was a huge amount of mistrust between these two major powers which is strange as they had been allies against Germany in the Second World War which had only ended a few years earlier. This alliance was one of mutual need in order to defeat the Germans and once the war was over a massive rift opened between the two countries because they had radically different views on world politics. This then raises the question of whether either country had any right to try and ‘influence other countries and world politics, which of course many argue they did not. Both countries wanted their politics and views to be adopted throughout the world, mainly simply for defensive purposes. The fact that that this was the main aim of the two major players in the war (and the world) meant almost by definition that the third world would be brought into the “Cold War”. The fact that both countries did not want to fire on each other for fear of total world...
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...How far did peaceful coexistence ease Cold War tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union in the years 1953-61? The idea of peaceful coexistence emerged after the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. His eventual successor, Nikita Khruschev wanted a complete overhaul in the policies of the Soviet Union leading to his ‘Secret Speech’ in which he denounced Stalin and brought his horrendous actions to light. This was known as destalinisation and marked the start of peaceful existence, the idea that both the Soviet Union and the United States of America could peacefully exist without waging a war. While peaceful coexistence did indeed ease tensions to some extent between the USA and the USSR in the years 1953-61, it largely had the opposite effect and actually increased tensions. Firstly, in regards to diplomacy, it can be argued that peaceful coexistence did ease tensions between the USA and the USSR in the years 1953-61. Although nothing of crucial significance was agreed at the Geneva Summit of July 1955, the fact that both superpowers had agreed to meet, and it being the first summit between the two since Potsdam must show that peaceful coexistence had eased tensions to an extent. The summit marked a change in attitudes and almost presented the two superpowers to have matured simply by the fact that they had agreed to meet. Similarly, although the Paris summit never took place due to the U2 spy plane incident, the choice to have it in the first place, and the Vienna summit...
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...Cold War and Communism Living under the threat of nuclear war could cause anxiety, panic, mayhem and distrust, depending on the person and their coping mechanisms. Nuclear weapons still exist, and worse still, more and more countries are developing them. We have been living under the threat of nuclear war since the day more than one country has had nuclear weapons. The threat of nuclear war is no less now than back during the Cold War. When comparing the Cold War to terrorism today, we must understand they are both becoming an equal risk. During the time frame with the Cold War with Russia, the U.S and Russia came very close at times to a nuclear war on many occasions. In the Cold War era, both the U.S.S.R. and the U.S each had the fire power to wipe all existence of the planet and split the earth in half; can you imagine any type of greater threat than that? Now in current time, we have rogue countries like North Korea helping and selling nuclear weaponry to extremist Islamic groups. North Korea is selling nuclear weapons to Syria and Iran, meaning the threat of nuclear war is very much real today. The Russians developed their nuclear arsenal to serve as a counter threat to the U.S nuclear technology and they never intended to use the weapons unless they were attacked. Iran is indeed developing nuclear weapons with the same concept as Russia, but it would not be hard to imagine those using nuclear weapons against Israel. In the 50’s Americans feared nuclear war, where now...
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...Strategic Uncertainty and Alternative Futures: Evaluating Our Options in the Post-September 11 World Eric K. Clemons Steve Barnett 23 April 2003 Draft 3.6 1. Introduction Our perception of our world changed dramatically on September 11, 2001. Our sense of safety, security, and certainty were altered, perhaps for years to come, perhaps for the rest of our professional lives. Although it is clear that our personal, political, and business environments have all been altered, it is not immediately clear how they have been changed; this is, it is not clear what the details of these changes will be, or how we must respond. We now live in a period of greater strategic uncertainty. This brief paper summarizes the results of two workshops held by the Reginald H. Jones Center that attempted to provide some insight into the origins of the current conflict that the U.S. faces in the Middle East, as religious (Islam vs. the West) or economic (the developed West vs. the developing Middle East), or a clash of cultures, or some other form not as yet identified1. The hope was that by developing an understanding of the origins of the conflict, we would develop some insights into the form of the conflict and its duration; this in turn would lead to an understanding of the business implications that might result and strategies that might provide appropriate responses in different strategic contexts. We faced a high level of uncertainty about what had happened and what was likely to happen...
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...During the years 1945-1948, the development of the Cold war seemed to have been catalysed by various factors. The Second World War created a power vacuum in Europe into which the USA and the USSR were both drawn; large areas of Europe were left without meaningful government or administration. Subsequently much of Europe was left devastated and was in desperate need of reconstruction. The USA and the USSR were to provide the inspiration for alternative methods of recovering Europe, the USA aimed to invest billions into Europe hopefully mending the economy and to prevent the temptation of communism which seemed very attractive to those countries whose economy were in ruins. Moreover by doing this, the American economy also benefitted as countries who accepted the financial aid would have to open up there economy to American capitalist interests. On the other hand the Soviets were looking to expand Soviet territory and create a sphere of influence, whether this was to create a buffer zone for the USSR or to spread communism, it developed the Cold War as America felt threatened. Many historians have differing views on the matter which is evident in sources 7, 8 and 9, all of which feature modern historians posing some very different arguments. Some historians, as stated in the question believe that the expansion of the Cold War within 1945-48 was due to Soviet Expansionism whereas others believed it was because of USA’s economic interests. Either way, it seems most likely that both...
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...The Cold War The Cold War, often dated from 1947 to 1991, was a sustained state of political and military tension between powers in the Western Bloc, dominated by the United States with NATO among its allies, and powers in the Eastern Bloc, dominated by the Soviet Union along with the Warsaw Pact. Role of USSR and USA to the conflicts in the Cold War The Cold War began after World War II. The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly. In a "hot war," nuclear weapons might destroy everything. So, instead, both sides fought each other indirectly. They supported opposing sides in conflicts in different parts of the world. They also used words as weapons. They threatened and denounced each other. Or they tried to make each other look foolish. Over the years, leaders on both sides changed. Yet the Cold War continued. It was the major force in world politics for most of the second half of the twentieth century. The Cold War world was separated into three groups. The United States led the West, including countries with democratic political systems. The Soviet Union led the East. This including countries with communist political systems. The non-aligned group included countries that did not want to be tied to either the West or the East. Harry Truman was the first American president to fight the Cold War. He used several policies. One was the Truman Doctrine. This was a plan...
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...The Cold War period lasted for nearly 45 years, from 1945 to 1991. It began at the end of the Second World War and with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The war was the stage for the West's struggle against communist ideas and changes. This long wearing conflict brought to pass an increase in production and trade of arms and an appearance of a new world order formed by America. The main principle of the cold war can be seen as the East-West competition in ideas, arms and spheres of influence. (REF) After Afghan terrorists dramatically attacked the United States on September 11, 2001; America declared a war on terror and flew its troops into Afghanistan in pursuit of avenging their nation and capturing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Again America found itself in opposition to the East, nevertheless this time a different region. And Again the East was fighting against this new world order and America's quest for world domination in a globalising world. The aim of the essay is to explore the relationship between the cold war and the ‘war on terror' in Afghanistan and to find similarities in political patterns and warfare, in order to answer the question Main Body - History Main question - Relationship The cold war marked the struggle between America and the USSR after the Second World War. The war influenced international affairs majorly. It influenced the way conflicts were handled, the way countries were divided up and the increasing growth in weaponry production...
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...term with no real, inherently meaningful definition and, with the war being waged against it in its tenth year, one that has divided the world. One reason for the division stems not from the nature of its ambiguity or any fundamental change in its manifestation, but in the West’s difficulty in conceptualizing the motivations behind its many faces. ‘Terrorism’ does not define the motives behind an act of terror. It characterizes them, and this is what has led to its increasing use as a political term, particularly since 9/11. The reasons go beyond mere semantics however and, in the context of the Global War on Terror, have fueled not just the conflict but the surge in recruitment and sympathy that has taken place for terrorist causes across the world. It needs to be recognized that the use of terrorism as a political term has actually had more of a negative impact on the world than any terrorist attack to date. Introduction: Since the coinage of the term ‘terrorism’, its characteristics have always been synonymous with organized violence and a political end-goal. Until recently, however, its employment had been more of a vernacular convenience than a political expression. Over the last decade though, the social impact of terrorism has been out of all proportion to anything hitherto seen and this has led to its increasing application in advancing not just political objectives but political strategies. Indeed, since the 2001 attacks on New York, it has evolved from what was...
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...How far do you agree with the view that Stalin’s foreign policy was a major contributing factor to the emergence of the Cold War in the period 1945-50? Throughout the period 1945-50 there were a number of factors that caused the emergence of the cold war. One of these was Stalin and his aggressive foreign policy; another key factor to be considered is the American paranoia and resultant aggression at the time. Which of these factors was more significant is debatable but it is undeniable that soviet foreign policy was a major contributor to the outbreak of the Cold War. One of the key elements that led to the cold war was Stalin's expansionist foreign policy, with ideas “to dominate the continent as Hitler had sought to do so”. This view from American historian Gaddis shows the view of many Americans during the period; it highlights just how threatened the USA felt and demonstrates how pivotal Stalin's expansionist views were in the outbreak of war, his zeal and resolve to control the continent conjured fear in the Americans and source T shows that Stalin would use any means necessary. Such actions so as to cease control in Europe would not go without reaction from America and actions such as the communist coup d’état in Czechoslovakia would not go unnoticed. They were met with resistance; both the Marshall plan and Truman doctrine were arguably the response to soviet aggression. The Marshall plan aimed to prevent the further spread of communism particularly into Western Europe...
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...the Origins of the Cold War In the second half of 20th century, one conflict, the Cold War, stands unchallenged as the preeminent organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. A central question in the historiography of the Cold War is simply, whose fault was it? During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were allies against the fascist Axis powers. In the waning years of that always uneasy alliance, greater signs of strain began to show, and soon a complete break would follow. Was this unavoidable? If not, who carries the greater blame for creating this division, which after all, repeatedly threatened nuclear holocaust and created the ideological justification for a series of horrendously destructive interventions into the so-called “Third World.” While there remains a great diversity of opinion regarding these questions, it has become commonplace in many academic discussions to refer to three broad “schools” of thought regarding the origins of the Cold War: “orthodox” explanations, “revisionism,” and “post-revisionism.” Of course, this categorization is not nearly as “neat and tidy” as one might be inclined to believe; it tends to mask the depth and diversity of the efforts of many historians. What follows will be a discussion of these three main perspectives, an evaluation of their arguments, and thoughts regarding the future of the field of Cold War historiography. For the first ten to twenty years after the end of World War II, the “orthodox”...
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...Does the Cold War have its roots in the period prior to WW11? There are many reasons to believe that the seed of conflict between the west and east was planted before the Second War World had begun. Amongst them being factors of ideological differences, agreements such Brest-Litovsk treaty and the Russian Civil War. Other less significant causes being USSR dishonouring their debts they owed to western countries like France as well as the murder of the Tsars. However, it should be asserted how even with these factors there was still a substantial reason for the allied countries to be able to have stable relationship if other causes in the later future after the second war did not occur. These later causes include agreements such as the Nazi-Soviet Pact and Chamberlain’s Appeasement Policy. Events such as these helped increase tensions between the USSR and the USA as well as bringing the conflict into more focus and attention by two parties, causing increased mistrust and panic from both sides. This query will examine whether the Cold War did indeed have its roots in the period before War World Two and if so then to what extent are the factors significant as causes. Starting with the causes prior to the second war, one of the biggest and initial disputes between USSR and the other allies were their differing ideologies. USSR’s values as a communist state were entirely different to the capitalism of the West. Unlike Capitalism, communism supported closed economy in which trading...
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...Development of the Cold War, in the five years between 1945 and 1950, could be argued as taking place for a number of reasons and due to various individuals. It could be easy to simply site Stalin as the main reason responsible for it’s outbreak and growth, clear through his approach on communist expansion, use of Red Army and inability to uphold agreements. However for a war of any kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted and heightened through provocative, and at times, aggressive actions on foreign policy, taken by Stalin. An example...
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