...What factors led to the end of the Cold War? The Cold War, which is a much discussed topic till today in the political corridors, was an extended conflict at worldwide level between two great powers, where one favored communism and the other favored capitalism (Baylis and Smith, 2007:770). It started in 1947 and ended after a long haul in 1989 and resulted in the collapse of one side, which was Soviet power in Europe. There were many factors which played role in the end of the Cold War. But the major factors were: the reforms brought about by Gorbachev, weakening economy of Soviet Union, the Satellite States refraining from supporting USSR, and various external factors. The different external factors which led to the end of the cold war were: diplomatic relations between USSR and United States, several treaties signed between them which limited the use of arms. While all the above mentioned factors were important, the leading factor contributing to the end of Cold War was the radical reforms brought by Gorbachev which made all the systemic problems turn into systemic crises. This in turn led to the unwilling initiation of the divide of the Soviet Union and as a result to the end of the Cold War (Crockatt, 2007:115). There was a difference in attitude of Gorbachev from his predecessors as he was not strongly adhered to Stalinist Legacy (Crockatt, 2006:114). The reforms brought by him such as perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) are considered as the most important...
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...accomplished through lowering taxes and cutting government spending. Many people consider Reagan an outstanding president but this paper contends he was an overrated president. This is based on the management of three issues facing his presidency. These are: economic policies, ending the Cold War, and the Iran-Contra affair. Economic Policies Throughout Reagan’s campaign he assaulted the Carter administration’s free-spending (Moss & Thomas, 2013, pp-208-210). He made promises to cut spending, but ultimately spent more. The most common misconception is that Reagan saved our economy with his famous Reaganomics. This of course included the modern trickle-down theory or supply-side economics, which included major tax decreases, specifically on the wealthy. These tax decreases, coupled with high military spending, created a massive debt and led the country into one of the worst depressions since the Great Depression. When Reagan entered the presidency in 1981 the national debt was at $900 billion. By the time he left it had over tripled to $2.8 trillion. To top it off, many of the military projects the money was used to create went unused or incomplete. One project that was deserted was the Star Wars program. Skyrocketing debt was not the only problem. With recession obviously came unemployment. After the Reaganomics policies were put into place unemployment steadily and quickly grew until it peaked at 11%, one of the highest unemployment rates on record (Newport, Jones, &...
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...political powers. • The Iron Curtain “descends” and conflict between US and SU superpowers spreads to conflict globally- especially within Asia. • The Cold War breaks out and breaks up replacing the fear of world end via nuclear weapons and resilient political parties with reassuring the global people of peace. 2. The United States and the Soviet Union continuing conflict within Europe regarding individual ideas of the Yalta agreement and the political superpowers of democracy and communism is a largely important tipping off point for Chapter 7. The Yalta agreement, created to regain trust between the two world powers and provide for the basis of world peace, fails and creates exactly what it is set out to end. By competing for political domination, the rest of the world outside of Europe is eventually dragged in. By including continents such as Asia, the United States is forced to fight despite lack of support on the home front. The “Iron Curtain Descends” is the first headline, which I feel is important to the chapter because it illustrates the collapse of the grand alliance via miscommunication of the Yalta agreement. The descending of the iron curtain split Europe in two and leads to important documents such as the Truman Doctrine (gave money to countries threatened by communism), the Marshall Plan (rebuild war torn Europe), and the NATO Pact (mutual assistance). These documents served as national security interests. The Iron Curtain splitting Europe into two isolated...
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...James Bennett Professor George J. Prokopiak HIS-114-OL010 Written Assignment 5 16 February 2015 Vietnam War and a New World Order with the End of Cold War Written Assignment 5 Question #1: As far as Vietnam is concerned, how did President Johnson "Americanize" the war? What was Nixon's policy of Vietnamization? Was anything achieved at the peace talks? What are the legacies of the Vietnam defeat? President Johnson “Americanized” the Vietnam War by many different avenues of approach taking a more aggressive posture. The president first started by supplying the South Vietnamese army with American military and economic assistance (Roark, 976-981). He significantly increased the American troop presence from 16,000 in 1964 to over 553,000 by 1969 displaying a much larger American presence (Roark, 976-981). America had stepped up bombing throughout Vietnam and neighboring countries (Roark, 976-981). In hopes of getting the backing of the American people and government, he strategically thought out who and where the bombs would be dropped (Roark, p. 980-981). He did not bomb near the northern border of Vietnam (Roark, p. 980-981). President Johnson did not want to provoke China or the Soviet Union into the war (Roark, p. 980-981). He did not want to make the same mistakes as Korea with the Chinese. He also thought about collateral damage. He tried to focus the bombings to low populated areas to minimize civilian casualties (Roark, p. 980-981). The bombing campaign was known...
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...NIXON’S LEGACY The Seventies and Nixon’s Legacy Carlos Michael Padilla HIST145: The American Experience Since 1945 Marvin Frohock March 5, 2008 The Seventies and Nixon’s Legacy “Streaking to the 1970s” was a phrase a group of former high school students made up as they reminisced about the butt dancing, cheek planters, also known as the BBITNs (pronounced BEE-bittens), which meant buffalo buffs in the nude who dashed brazenly, almost daringly across a playing field, the heart of a school campus, and even across a television screen during a major award ceremony. Such was the decade that preceded the conformity and complacency of the 1950s, and the sexual revolution and cultural renaissance that echoed during the 1960s. The decade of the 1970s ushered in the resignation of a president, the ending of a major Southeast Asian conflict, and the birth of two new forms of youth culture identity – streaking and disco. The 1970s began with the Beatles releasing Let It Be, which would be their last album, the Kent State shooting involving the death of the four students, the conviction of Charles Mansion for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, and the conviction of American soldiers for killing entire towns of Vietnamese villagers. This action marked the beginning of the end for America’s support of the American soldier. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War lasted between 1959 and 1975, ending with the fall of Saigon. This war or police...
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...In the book The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy, Hoffman focuses on the arms race during the Cold War, and the events that led up to finally bringing it to an end. Hoffman’s book also goes into detail about the secret decisions and motives the United States and the Soviet Union had during the Cold War. Hoffman also draws in top secret documents deep within Kremlin, interviews, and memoirs from both the Soviet Union and the United States, which he introduces the soldiers, scientist, diplomats, and spies all witnessed the world going towards what was thought as a complete disaster. From this, the author draws in the official leaders and their influence in the Cold War during that time, telling stories of President Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, and others who fought to bring the arms race and the Cold War to an end. The author’s purpose for writing this book was that he wanted to deliver a narrative how the arms race during the Cold War officially came to an end, along with explaining the...
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...During the period of 1945 to 1950 the Cold War developed between the Superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. The end of the Second World War had resulted in a power vacuum over war-torn Europe and left a legacy of mistrust and suspicion between the two superpowers. The Yalta and Potsdam conferences proved this as they failed to agree on certain issues and as the leaders of the United Kingdom and United States changed in between the two conferences. The relationship and trust between the leaders that once stood close during the war had broken down. During this period Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union and President Truman of the United States had conflicted with each other nations in a series of events in Europe such as the Czechoslovakian Crisis and the Berlin Blockade The leader of Czechoslovakia was defenestrated and communists ruled the country. The Czech crisis showed that Stalin's expansion through Eastern Europe brought increasing fear across Europe. There was little America or the west could do to stop the Coup without bloodshed or escalation. The Czech crisis seems to suggest that it was totally Stalin's fault in terms of starting the war as he expanded across Europe he came ever closer to America and tension was boiling point. It wasn't just Stalin's policies that are considered to have had a role to play in the formation of the Cold War. It was also Truman's policies that were also to blame as he aimed to 'roll back' communism. Truman gave...
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...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. This began after the success of their temporary wartime alliance against Nazi Germany, leaving the USSR and the US as two superpowers with profound economic and political differences. A neutral faction arose with the Non-Aligned Movement founded by Egypt, India, and Yugoslavia; this faction rejected association with either the US-led West or the Soviet-led East. The name "Cold War" was coined by the English writer George Orwell, after the dropping of the first atomic bombs in 1945 had ushered in a new world also foreseen by H.G. Wells. It described a world where the two major powers—each possessing nuclear weapons and thereby threatened with mutual assured destruction—never met in direct military combat. Instead, in their struggle for global influence they engaged in ongoing psychological warfare and in regular indirect confrontations through proxy wars. Cycles of relative calm would be followed by high tension, which could have led to world war. The tensest times were during the Berlin Blockade (1948–1949), the Korean War (1950–1953), the Suez Crisis (1956), the Berlin Crisis of 1961, the Cuban missile crisis (1962), the Vietnam War (1955–1975), the Yom Kippur War (1973), the Soviet war in Afghanistan...
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...The “Age of Reagan” comes from how Ronald Reagan’s presidency changed the lens through which Americans viewed politics and politicians. As a whole, Sean Wilentz framed Reagan as a new brand of president because of his previous career, his dealings with the Soviet Union, his popularity, and his legacy. Although Wilentz was vague about the successfulness of the Reagan administration, he emphasized the impact that all of these different aspects of Reaganism had on the country. To Wilentz, Reagan continued to come across as a charismatic star, and that reputation only grew after he left office. Part of this increase in popularity came from conservatives attributing the end of the Cold War to Reagan, as many conservatives were “conveniently glossing over their own records and their criticism of Reagan in 1987 and 1988…celebrating Reagan as a cunning statesman who had purposefully caused the downfall of the Soviet Union” (p 313). While...
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...The fall of the Soviet empire has presented various political and economic opportunities and threats to the world, for these reasons it’s considered one of the major events taking place since the Second World War. The Soviet fall besides various internal factors has been facilitated by US and Western counter parts to attempt to contain further Communism. The Truman doctrine was a US strategy to halt expansion of Soviet Union in the course of the Cold War. In this doctrine the then US President Harry S. Truman vowed to contain the spread of communism in the world particularly in Europe. This doctrine encouraged the US to back every country with both economic and military assistance if the Soviet Union or communism threats its stability. The aim of this paper is to review The Truman Doctrine was one of the significant historical approaches deployed between 1945 and 2008 that has had both negative and positive outcomes for the world. Historical Background In order to analyze the Truman doctrine and its different elements, it is necessary to consider the complex historical context in which it originated, and one that explains how a president such as Harry Truman, laid the foundations seated on the principles of the emerging American political realism after the Second World War (Bostdorff, 2008). The creation of international organizations like the UN itself and its Security Council, had brought hope back to the role, they were going to have to condition the behavior of the great...
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...and hurt the middle class and poor, however. In 1981, Reagan made history by appointing Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ronald Reagan was a true hero to many Americans. He was a strong president who cared for this country dearly, and Reagan really proved this by his actions during his presidency. He also proved his love for country by serving in the U.S Army during World War II. Ronald Reagan also came through as a hero by fixing the American Economy that was heading for disaster just like today’s. If you can reflect on what he had accomplished throughout his administration you can clearly see why he was a popular two term president. Ronald Reagan took on many challenges that shaped his legacy, and many people consider him a hero. A couple of the heroic values that Reagan possessed were strength and courage. Most people would agree that it took an agglomeration of strength and courage during the cold war era to make his ever famous, “Tear Down This Wall Speech” in Berlin. This speech made a positive effect toward ending the cold war. Reagan, who survived a...
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...Carter and the Doctrine The Cold War and US Diplomacy Dr. Igor Barsegian Pol 300 Contemporary International Problems February 7, 2015 Abstract This paper is about the Carter Doctrine and the Cold War. I will address the wars that are affected by the speech to protect the interest of the Persian Gulf. The wars started in 1991 and they continue on today. The name has changed but the message hasn’t. The last item to address is the final chapter before Jimmy Carter left office. Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the US narrowly beating Gerald Ford for the most coveted office in the US. The margin was 297 to 240 Electoral votes (American Experience, 2006). Carter’s State of the Union was focused on oil since we were coming out of an oil shortage in the early 70’s. His speech sent a strong message to the Soviet’s the US was going to protect the Persian Gulf region by any means necessary (2006). In 1947 President Truman made a similar declaration to protect Greece and Turkey from being controlled by outside forces such as Russia, this is why the Cold War has been in existence. The Soviet started taking over smaller vulnerable countries after WWII. The Carter Doctrine provided in some ways many foreign diplomatic affair episodes involving the use of force by the United States. The first Afghanistan War was a result of protecting the interest of the Persian Gulf region. The US had to use military force to prevent the Soviets from taking over the smaller area in and around...
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...drastically since 1945, so much so that there are entire classes dedicated to the change brought about by the end of World War II. Between 1945 and 2018, the world has seen the rise and fall of communism governments, has witnessed countries formed and others torn apart. The world has seen empires fall and superpowers rise to take their place, only to become locked in the ideological Cold War that left all in fear of nuclear war. No country remained unaffected by the conflict of the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Consequently, Cold War politics continue to affect modern the actions and reputations of countries globally even long after its end in 1989. The Cold War refers to the...
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...toward Vietnam Veterans is changing, and faith in the military has returned, there is still a lot of skepticism toward the U.S. Federal Government. Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into another seemingly pointless war. One of the major consequences on U.S. society created by the Vietnam Conflict was the enormous strain on the American economy, due to the estimated $167 billion spent on the war. Inflation and increasing federal debt had a major negative effect on the US economy and seriously lowered living standards from the late 1960’s until the 1990’s. Another consequence on society was the public rejection of the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Vietnam vets were considered vicious killers, immoral human beings, drug addicts; they were treated like the lowest form of human existence ("Cold war in," 2011). The Vietnam conflict was a viewed as a devastating loss and resulted in a loss of pride and self- confidence in the American people. The U.S. experienced a reappraisal of American power and glory. At the beginning of the war the American public supported it, because they believed it was part of stopping the spread of communism. After seeing all the graphic war scenes in the media, and realizing that this war had no real purpose the American public became opposed to it. In fact, they were so opposed to it that demonstrations and violent riots became a big problem here on the home front. When Vietnam soldiers came home, instead of welcome home...
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...There were many tourists participating who could hire axes to hit the wall and contribute to the atmosphere. The fall of the Berlin Wall occurred when the people of East Berlin had had enough. The fall of the Berlin Wall also marked the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new life for the Germans. Border crossing points all along the wall were opened to anyone who wanted to cross on 9 November 1989 which ended the conclusion of an international press conference in East Berlin when greater freedom of travel was announced for people of the German Democratic Republic. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a key movement in the history of Europe as it was the symbol of the end of the Cold War. The European Union and NATO were able to expand in pace when Europe was no longer divided into East and West. The power in the world changed when the Cold War ended. A truce between the nuclear threats of two superpowers the USA and the Soviet Union was created as soon as the Berlin Wall fell also preventing both superpowers from dominating the world. Europe was no longer divided into two groups with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. The possibility that Europe could become independent of any superpower is a legacy from the fall of the Berlin Wall. There is now a possibility that there may be more development in peace in Europe. After the Berlin Wall was torn down East Germany and West Germany were reunified in...
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