...head: COLD 1 The Cold War Corwin Schneider HIS 104 Professor Patrick Williams June 19, 2012 COLD 2 The Cold War Keep your Finger Off the Button! The Cold War, how did these two countries get to this point in history? While the United States and USSR should have been more grown up and learned to work out their problems, who were the major players in the Cold War and how were the two sides involved in the space race, when did the Cold War start and end, and what were the two sides arguing over. The United States was in an intense war with the USSR for five decades. It started in 1945, shortly after Communist Leader Joseph Stalin learned of the first atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Japan August 6, 1945. “The Cold War was a strategic struggle that developed after World War II between the United States with its allies and the Soviet Union with its allies” (Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., & Streets, H. 2008 pg. 638). But, this was not an ordinary war between the two, it was a Cold War. It had more attacks of words and propaganda competing which was the better country. One reason these two superpowers never had direct military action against each other was they both possessed Nuclear Weapons. The major powers in the Cold War between...
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...politics, culture, and society, during the beginning of the Cold War. This episode of political repression lasted longer and was more pervasive than the Red Scare that followed the Bolshevik Revolution. Known as “McCarthyism” after Senator Joseph McCarthy, who made himself famous in 1950 by claiming that large numbers of Communists had wormed its way into the U.S. State Department, the second Red Scare predated and outlasted McCarthy, and its idea far exceeded the reach of a single individualist politician. Nonetheless, “McCarthyism” became the label for the strategy of undermining political opponents by making unconfirmed attacks on their loyalty to the United States....
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...Cold War Foreign Policy Foreign policy is how one sovereign state deals with another sovereign state and will dictate how a country will act with respect to other countries politically, socially, economically and militarily. Foreign policy is not a new idea, the act of foreign policy has been around for thousands of years when neighboring tribes and civilizations would co-exist without war. Today foreign policy is more complicated than just not going to war with near by villages. Today it is handled by foreign ministers, ambassadors and secretary of state. The United States is perhaps the youngest and most powerful nation today and through its short span of being a great civilization it has gone through many ideals of how to utilize its foreign policy, but what was the process that helped shaped United States foreign policy? How did other countries establish their foreign policy and what were the goals and outcomes? Ever since the United States became a country its foreign policy was to remain neutral to world conflicts and was largely based off of the idea of isolationism, but in December 1941 the United States was bombed by Japan and entered the war as a full fledged member of the allies. Unlike in world war 1 when the united states played a minor role in the war and only claiming to be an associate of the allied forces. During World War 2 the United States played large roles with fighting fronts on both the Atlantic sides and the Pacific sides of the war. After the end...
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...In 1945, the United States and Soviet Union were allies, together victorious in World War II, which ended with total victory for Soviet and American forces over Adolf Hitler's Nazi empire in Europe. Within just a few years, however, wartime allies became mortal enemies, locked in a global struggle, military, political, economic, ideological to prevail in a new "Cold War." (Causes of the Cold War Summary & Analysis) The name of the Cold War derive from the blameless and approachable relationship the United States and Russia had dating back from World War II. The war occurred from 1945 to 1980 and is considered the longest war America has ever fought. One of the most important aspects of the Cold War era that I have analyzed is the role the Bahamas played. The reason for this is the Bahamas is geographically located between the United States of America and Cuba. Throughout my interviews, I have found that the U.S. has use the Bahamas as a curtain to defend them from Cuba. They strategically setup missile and submarine bases on key islands located in the Bahamas. All in an effort to monitor soviet submarines heading to and from Cuba. One interviewer said as a child they enjoyed watching U.S. helicopters perform different operations performed on the island in preparation if Cuba was to strike. In my interviews account they recall key events such as the Korean War, the Cuban Crises, Creeping Socialism, and John F. Kennedy being newly elected President of the United States of America...
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...The second Red Scare alludes to the fear of communism that pierced American culture, society, and politics, during the beginning of the Cold War. This episode of political repression lasted longer than the Red Scare that followed the Bolshevik Revolution. It was known as “McCarthyism” after Senator Joseph McCarthy, who made himself famous in 1950 by claiming that large numbers of Communists had wormed their way into the United States. The second Red Scare outlasted McCarthy (Red Scare). Both of these sources are part of this second Red Scare. The Rosenberg’s, Julius and Ethel, were arrested in 1950 (charged with espionage). Julius was a member of the American Communist Party and he was arrested in July, and Ethel was arrested a couple of...
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...How far do you agree with the view that McCarthyism had little impact on US society in the years 1950-54? It is argued that McCarthyism had a vital impact on US society in the years 1950-54. This can be seen through the knock on effects it had on the people in America, as the fear of communism was rising as McCarthyism triggered a panic all across America during this period. The USA was already feeling very vulnerable after War as they feared communism would spread just the way It did in China, thus McCarthyism was significant as many Americans were scared that their society would come under the influence of communism. However, many historians argue that the impact John McCarthy was only short term as soon; the Red Scare was falling apart as everyone was being accused of being a communist. McCarthy influenced many Americans through radio and press and caused many Americans to panic from Communism. He raised the awareness of the impact that communism could have on American society and how it could change the American way of life, and during this period many Americans did not want any significant change as the economy was booming and prosperity was flourishing all over America, which was a major change. Therefore, people had a reason to fear Communism as Americans were living a better and more affluent life and they did not want their privileges to be taken away from them. McCarthy took advantage of this and manipulated the press, and released as many accusations as possible...
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...How far was the USSR responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War 1945-1949? To a certain extent, the USSR’s responsibility of the Cold War cannot be underestimated as their policies following the Second World War may have been seen as aggressive by USA. The forceful take-over of Eastern Europe through the Red Army occupations, especially in distinctive cases such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, can be seen as being far from the “liberation” over which the two war-time allies had agreed, while the rigging of elections did not conform to the Yalta agreement of the organisation of free ones. Stalin responded to the Americans’ policies of containment by creating his own agencies, therefore creating even more hostility between the two superpowers, while also refusing the existence of anything but Soviet puppet states in Eastern Europe. However, the event which cemented the outbreak of the Cold War was Stalin imposing the Berlin Blockade, taking direct action towards weakening the Americans’ position. One may see that Stalin’s blockade resulted in the official creation of two separate German states, one of the most significant events of the Cold War. On the other hand, revisionists point out that the USSR was taking defensive measures to protect itself from anything that could have caused as much damage as the Second World War, while the Americans, who were superior economically, adopted provocative policies. They challenged the patience of the Russians by hiding crucial events from...
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...American Combat Aircraft Superiority During the Cold War At the end of World War 2, Winston Churchill stated that an “iron curtain” had descended upon Europe. That “iron curtain” was the ideological and political barrier that separated Eastern and Western Europe. It could be speculated that when said curtain dropped, the Cold War began. Throughout the Cold War, numerous technological advances took place, despite combat never taking place. One of the most notable advances made during the war was the development and improvement of aeronautical weapons and technology. The two frontrunners of these advances were the two major “belligerents” of the war; the United States of America and the Soviet Union. As the war progressed, numerous fighter planes,...
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...you agree that the origins of the Cold War were mainly due to Stalin´s foreign policy of expansionism? Soviet actions after 1945 were seen in the West as part of a concerned attempt to expand the communist world. The collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945 had left a power vacuum in large part of central and Eastern Europe which Stalin, using the presence of the Red Army, took advantage of in order to strengthen the position of the USSR and spread communism. When looking at the events of the early years of the Cold War there would seem to be much evidence to support this. 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 its 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 king to develop, there is always more than one party involved and the USA and its President Harry Truman could also be said to have contributed to the development of the Cold War; partly because of being aggressive to Stalin- taking an Iron Fist on dealings with Russia through polices such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Issues such as Britain and Churchill´s Iron Curtain Speech can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers in the Cold War, and therefore playing a role in its development. It is correct...
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...Tension, conflict, division. The Cold War had many of these attributes and sometimes on a large scale. It’s no surprise then that there are traces of minor conflicts that occurred within the United States. Each of the sources “Why I Quit Working”, “A Purpose for Modern Woman”, and “The Army-McCarthy Hearing” display some form of clash. In “The Army-McCarthy Hearing” we see the bigger fight against communism that the Cold War was famous for and in “Why I Quit Working” and “A Purpose for Modern Women” we see the lesser-known struggle that women faced when they had to decide to work, or to stay at home and take care of their children. One of the biggest conflicts that the United States was involved in after World War II was the Cold War and the fight against communism. No source shows that conflict better than “The Army-McCarthy Hearing”. Joseph McCarthy, was a Senator who quickly became famous for his crusade against communism and his ruthless interrogations. The pinnacle of his political career was during the Army-McCarthy Hearing. The climax of the hearing was the famous statement by army lawyer Mr. Welch who exclaimed “Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have...
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...during a great part of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev sure left an imprint on world politics and history as we know it. Nikita Khrushchev was born to Sergei Khrushchev and Ksenia Khrushchev on April 15, 1894 in the peasant village of Kalinovka, Russia. Money was always short and his family did whatever they could to get by. When he was young, he worked as a herdsboy and only attended school for four years. Part of his schooling was in the village’s parochial school and the other part was spent in Kalinovka’s state school. His teacher, Lydia Shevchenko, told him to continue studying and to attend school, but his family’s economic state could not support it. In 1908 his father moved to Yuzovka to work as a miner and Nikita followed, fourteen at the time. At fifteen he became a mechanic’s apprentice. After his apprenticeship ended, a factory hired him. That job was lost because he collected money to help the families of victims of the Lena Goldfields Massacre. Later he was hired to fix underground equipment for a mine in Rutchenkovo. In 1914, World War I he did not have to join since he was a skilled metal worker. That same year he married Yefrosinia Pisareva. Later on the couple had a daughter named Yulia in 1915. They also had a son named Leonid in 1917. In 1918 Khrushchev joined the Bolsheviks. It was a year where the Russian Civil War between the Bolsheviks and the White Army was escalating. In 1919 he was sent into the Red Army to take on the role of political commissar....
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...Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century ALAN DUPONT Strategic discourse over the past decade has been dominated by a debate over the nature of future warfare and whether or not there is a ‘revolution in military affairs’ (RMA). Supporters contend that developments in military technology, especially precision guidance and high-speed data processing, in conjunction with advances in doctrine and strategy, will fundamentally transform the way in which future wars will be fought and privilege RMAcapable forces in the contest to achieve battlefield dominance.1 Sceptics, on the other hand, regard the RMA as being more evolutionary than revolutionary, and argue that many of the technical advances associated with the RMA do not necessarily presage a paradigm shift in warfare.2 However, all agree that timely, accurate and useable intelligence will be critical to the successful conduct of war in the twenty-first century, perhaps more so than in any previous era. It is surprising, therefore, how little academic attention has been devoted to the changes that are taking place in the technology, management and integration of the intelligence systems that will underpin any RMA. It is the contention of this article that the transformation of intelligence architectures, particularly in the West, is no less profound than that of the weapons, platforms and warfighting systems they are designed to support and enhance. Moreover, the cumulative weight of the changes in prospect will redefine the...
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...Phoenix University History 135 Instructor, Student, Assignment: Significant events in the decades after World War II Due date, Preface Americans faced many challenges in their lives; challenges on a variety of fronts shattered the American consensus. In the 50s, African Americans launched a crusade, joined later by other minority groups and women, for a larger share of the American dream. In the 60s, politically active students protested the nation's role abroad, particularly in the corrosive war in Vietnam, and a youth counterculture challenged the status quo of American values. Americans from many walks of life sought to establish a new equilibrium in the United States, the following time synopsis will shed some light on turning points in our American history. * 1940s, Civil Rights, a time for change. Harry Truman supported the civil rights movement. He believed in political equality, though not in social equality, and recognized the growing importance of the black urban vote. When apprised in 1946 of lynching’s and other forms of mob violence still practiced in the South, he appointed a committee on civil rights to investigate discrimination based on race and religion. The report, issued the next year, documented blacks' second-class status in American life. It asserted the need for the federal government to secure the rights guaranteed to all citizens. Truman responded by sending a 10-point civil rights program to Congress. When Southern Democrats...
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...ensuring you have a firm awareness of major events, individuals and ideas. 1. The seeds of conflict 2. Emergence of Cold War, 1944-53 3. The ‘Thaw’ & ‘Peaceful Co-existence’ 4. The arms impact of the arms race 5. Sin-Soviet relations 6. Détente 7. End of Cold War Reminder of the structure of Unit 3 • Unit 3 = 25% of total marks • Written exam: 2 hours • Answer ONE question from Section A (30 marks), and ONE from Section B (40 marks) - choice of 2 questions in both sections • Section A – discuss an historical issue • Section B – use source material & knowledge to discuss an historical event Section A – themes to explore in your revision: 1. The post-Stalin thaw and the bid for peaceful coexistence in 1950s: a) USSR: Khrushchev b) USA: the responses of Dulles, Eisenhower and Kennedy. • the continuation of the Cold War in the 1950s following the retirement of Truman & death of Stalin, despite the bid for improved relations on the part of the USSR in the form of unilateral cuts in the size of the Red Army and withdrawal from Austria and Finland. • the concept of peaceful coexistence & what motivated Khrushchev & the Soviet leadership, & why the USA under Eisenhower & his Secretary of State, Dulles, and later Kennedy and his staff, responded in the way they did. • the role of personality, particularly that of Khrushchev, in shaping relations in these years should be addressed & students should be aware...
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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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