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Who Started the Cold War?

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The Cold War Whodunit?

Different views regarding the post war world order caused the Soviet Union and their leader, Joseph Stalin, to have conflicts with their allies (United State and Great Britain) after World War II. During the Second World War, the Allies had the common objective of defeating Nazi Germany and their ruthless leader, Adolf Hitler. Once the war was over, their difference in ideology led to Cold War which lasted much longer than World War II and it had a large impact on the economic, political, and cultural landscape of the world. The debate on who is responsible for the start of the Cold War has been debated for many years and is very complex. The Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill plays a key role for future actions taken by the United States. The introduction of the Truman Doctrine is an example of a reactionary measure undertaken by the Allies that may not have occurred if Churchill did not give his famous speech. This essay will argue that the actions taken by the Western Allies between 1945 and 1948, albeit aggressive, were merely reactive, precautionary and preventative measures in response to the aggressive actions already taken by the Soviet Union. The outbreak of the Cold War can be tied to the aggressive nature of the Soviet’s actions behind the “Iron Curtain”, not the reactive, aggressive measures taken by the remaining Western Allies.
The Iron Curtain Speech given by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a warning to the United States public that if precautionary measures were not taken, another ruthless leader and country would dominate Europe and possibly other parts of the world with their policies. In the months prior to giving his famous speech, “public trust of Soviet intentions reached 54 percent positive” in the United States. However leading up to the speech, Soviet actions behind what Churchill would

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