...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...
Words: 1461 - Pages: 6
...The Birth of Communism In 1917 when the world was at war Russia formed a government that would change the world. The Russian Revolution was an uprising of the people of Russia to overthrow the imperialistic rule of Tsar Nicholas II. This uprising was lead by the communist Vladimir Lenin. These communist were called the Bolsheviks. This Revolution led to the USSR or Soviet Union that was a communist country. Communism is a philosophy that seeks to establish a classless, stateless, society based on common ownership. The idea of communism was “invented” by Karl Marx in the 1840-70. After the creation of the USSR the US was extremely scared and concerned about this new idea of communism. During WW2 the US and the USSR were on the same...
Words: 715 - Pages: 3
...Australia’s response to communism after WW2 (bibliography-skwirk.com) * The Korean War * The ANZUS Treaty and SEATO Alliance * Outlaw the Communist Party * The Petrov Affair Introduction: The conclusion of World War 2 quickly provoked the Australian government to react to the spreading threat of Communism. The end of the war dramatically changed every nation in the word, dividing the East and West into two different political parties, the Capitalists and Communists. This brought about a dreadful atmosphere of fear and tension to sweep around the post World War 2 World. Australia faced many difficulties and hardship prior to WW2. Just as many other countries in the west, Australia also feared the wide spread of communism. Communism, both democratically and physically went against the basis of Australian human rights and the social equality which every men and women worked so hard to accomplish. Communism is a form system of government composed by Karl Marx, which abolishes free market, private property and ownership, freedom of speech, unequal pay and human beliefs. The Australian government responded to the threat of communism in varies ways, by using a number of techniques such as participating in the ANZUS and SEATO alliance, rewriting the constitution to outlaw certain political groups and assisting American troops overseas to discontinue uprooting dictatorships. Firstly, Australia’s involvement in the Korean War was an successful decision made by Prime...
Words: 1153 - Pages: 5
...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 were attributed to each other however it was the USA’s economic interests what was the most key factor as the policies introduced directly opposed communism therefore causing conflict. Nonetheless, Soviet Expansion also played a decisive factor in the development of the Cold War from 1945-1948. Source 7 from Robert Wolfson’s Years of change: European History 1890-1997 highlights...
Words: 1608 - Pages: 7
...“The real cause of the Cold War between the two superpowers after 1945 was due to ideology differences between the two sides” Ideology differences were a major factor in causing the Cold War, however, many other issues did have a part to play. For example, Stalin’s paranoia in the insurance of the protection of the USSR and Truman’s need to stamp out communism led to the creation of COMINFORM and COMECON by Stalin and the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan by Truman in 1947. Both countries did not trust each other and disagreed over many things. The big disagreements surfaced from ideology differences. The two countries could not have been more different! America was a Democratic country, where the government was chosen by free democratic elections; whereas, Russia was a Communist state, where it has a one-party dictatorship. The USSR did have elections, but only communist candidates participated. In America business and property where privately owned; this meant that any profit making was encouraged to benefit one self and therefore the economy. There was a clear divide in the country’s wealth. In the USSR profit making was still encouraged, however all money went into the state; there was a general class of living with very few cases of poverty. The Americans were glad to be free from the government while the US Constitution made everyone equal. Communists were tightly controlled with their rights being valued as less important than the state. Both countries believed that...
Words: 776 - Pages: 4
...bars and from Hitler to Gandhi the Black Market rose during World War Two, but it was the result that helped shape the Black Market in Germany. The USSR and the United States of America fought against each other, but they also had to fight against the Black Market around Europe, and that is a war that has yet to end. The United States of America and Afghanistan have been at war and threatening one another for a long time, but in Afghanistan, American soldiers find a way to settle their differences with the Afghans with the one thing all people want, money. A well-known fact is that the...
Words: 1662 - Pages: 7
...Causes WW2 Treaty of Versailles: * Peace treaty after WW1 * 28 June 1919 * The treaty was registered by the League of Nations * The League of Nations was established in 1920 after WW1. It should prevent the outbreak of another war * Germany: * Germany saw the treaty as a punishment * Had to give up part of their territories (Rheinland) * Germany had to admit the war guilt for WW1 * Pay preparations cost to France and Britain Rise of fascism: * Fascism is a totalitarian form of government: * Glorifies the state * Has one leader and one party * All aspects of society are controlled by the government * No opposition or protests are tolerated * Propaganda and censorship are widely practiced * Italy: Benito Mussolini (1922) Great depression, unemployment level high * After WW1 many countries had to suffer from unstable European economy * However to boom in the U.S. helped to sustain worldwide trade * 1929 stock market crashed (Great Depression) * Unemployment level rose * Power leaders and government promised success through military buildup and imperialism Japanese Expansionism: * 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria for raw materials * Sino-Japanese war 1937 * 1938 Japan and Soviet war Fascism Vs. Communism * Production is controlled by the government * Media and all other aspects of society are property of the government *...
Words: 432 - Pages: 2
...from Tsar Ruler Nicholas the Second. (A Tsar or Czar was a totalitarian ruler of Russia which linked back to the 1500’s to Ivan the Fourth or better known as Ivan the Terrible) Lenin was fed up with Nicholas’ tyranny so he went to Karl Marx for guidance. Karl Marx or the Father of Communism was the man who came up with the idea of communism. What Karl basically said to Lenin was “All men were born free, but society has cut to such a state where majority is in chains. If people would treat people like people and we all shared...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...Asia in 1950? (30) After the end of the Second World War, the two war time allies the USA and Soviet Union became involved in a war of ideologies, the cold war. The US saw communism as a threat to democracy and capitalism. Therefore the US set out a new foreign policy, the policy of containment, in the Truman doctrine. There were however other reasons for the USA’s involvement such as their military confidence, UN agreement, domestic pressure which called for Truman to be more tough on communism and their economic interest in Japan which led to the US government’s decision to intervene in the Korean War. One of the main reasons for the US’s involvement was due to the ‘Policy of Containment’. The aim was for the USA to work with its allies to contain the spread of communism in eastern Europe and Asia using political, economic and if necessary military pressure to prevent the spread of the every growing ideology of communism. The US’s main worry was the communism would spread as most of the eastern European countries were devastated by the war were weak and communism could easily spread through these weakened countries such as Hungary. Europe was divided by ‘an Iron curtain’, the west with capitalism views, and the east with growing communism views. Furthermore, China had fallen to Communism under Mao, which may have been a huge wake up call for President Truman. In addition, Mao had signed the treaty of friendship with Stalin; therefore the spread of communism in Asia and eastern...
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
...The Paris Peace Conference The Paris Peace Conference, convened to build a lasting peace after World War I, approved the proposal to create the League of Nations (French: Société des Nations, German: Völkerbund) on 25 January 1919.[24] The Covenant of the League of Nations was drafted by a special commission, and the League was established by Part I of the Treaty of Versailles. On 28 June 1919,[25][26] 44 states signed the Covenant, including 31 states which had taken part in the war on the side of the Triple Entente or joined it during the conflict. Despite Wilson's efforts to establish and promote the League, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1919,[27] the United States did not join the League. Opposition in the U.S. Senate, particularly from Republican politicians Henry Cabot Lodge and William E. Borah, together with Wilson's refusal to compromise, ensured that the United States would not ratify the Covenant." In other words it was created BECAUSE of WW1, to premote the peice and stop anything like that from happening again. "Germany expected a treaty based on these fourteen points. However, negotiations between the 'big four' Lloyd George of England, Orlando of Italy, Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of America did not go smoothly. Wilson believed that his fourteen points was the only way to secure everlasting peace. The French however, wanted the defeated nations to be punished severely and believed Wilson's plan too lenient. Privately...
Words: 664 - Pages: 3
...Doctrine in 1947. Both providing evidence to support this view are sources 8 and 9, with source 7 giving the impression that it was the errors of Stalin that contributed most. In addition to these two factors, conflicting ideologies also played a small role in provoking the Cold War, as shown in source 8. Despite this, it was fundamentally the economic and national interests of the USA that was mainly to blame for the start of the Cold War in 1945 and its development through to 1949. Europe was destroyed physically and economically after the Second World War. America saw this as a chance to become a world hegemony, as well as economically advancing the nation - source 9 proves this, saying, “The liberal capitalist US economy needed ever-increasing trade and investment opportunities”, as well as “The Marshall Plan was designed to implant an informal American Empire in Europe”. This shows that the USA not only used Europe’s fragile situation after WW2 to prosper itself, but more importantly increase its world influence, aiming to produce some sort of Empire of its own. For this to happen, the USA became hostile towards its rival superpower, the USSR. This point is supported by Source 8 by quoting “the illusion of being all powerful, fostered by American economic strength”, suggesting that the US government blindly influenced Europe, ignoring the Soviet sphere of influence. Supporting the evidence in sources 8 and 9 are the key events of the...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...Word count= 2000 Word count= 2000 World War Two (WW2) and the situation it created within Germany saw the creation of two rival political systems which were influenced by rival foreign powers. In this aspect, it can be seen as the key turning point in German political systems. When Germany at the end of WW2 was conquered and occupied by the allies between the years 1945-1949 (point zero), the subsequent rift between the capitalist allies (Britain, France and America) and the communist allies (Russia) formed two opposing democratic Germany’s; The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is significant, due to foreign powers controlling Germany’s political system, as well as the departure from Sonderweg, meaning Germany no longer followed a unique path of development and that nationalism and militarism were on the decline. The significance of the previous German eras, Kaiser Reich (Semi-Autocratic Empire), Weimar Republic (Federal Democracy) and the Third Reich (Dictatorship) are also significant, however in political terms they are not as significant as post 45. The significances of post 1945 can be seen by its success of creating a working democracy in Germany after 1945, the FRG. One reason why the FRG was successful revolves around the sudden decline in German militarism and nationalism. This is evident in the fact that the FRG’s constitution was based on the Weimar Republics concept of ‘Grundgesetz’, which means basic law. The implications...
Words: 2807 - Pages: 12
...Ho Chi Minh, an advocate for the freedom of Vietnam...and communism. Yea I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about it either. My topic, Ho Chi Minh, was basically the sole reason that the Vietnam war happened, because of him trying to take leadership of Vietnam. Then, Ho Chi Minh, “He Who Enlightens”, became a symbol of Vietnam’s struggle for unification. Ho Chi Minh helped found the Indochinese Communist Party in the 1930s after he learned about Communism from studying in France(History.com/ Fitgerald, Brian). He then brought it back to his home country, Vietnam, with good intentions to spread his newfound political system. But America saw that as dangerous because Russia’s leading system, Communism, and at the current time America’s biggest enemy happened to be Russia. It’s kinda ironic that because America thinks of Ho Chi Minh as the enemy, even though his name means “He who enlightens”. Ho Chi Minh saw it has his goal to bring independence to Vietnam (NYtimes.com). But his idea of peace was to turn Vietnam into a communistic state. America didn’t think too fondly of that because they feared that Communism would take over the majority of all systems on earth. America took it in their own hands and went to Vietnam to stop Ho...
Words: 828 - Pages: 4
...Why did the US become militarily involved in Korea? In June 1950, 90,000 soldiers from the communist Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. The most important reason for a military response from the US was the document NSC 68, which stated that they must meet communism wherever it arises. Due to this document, it was the US assumption that the invasion on South Korea was not a Civil War due to the events in Korea, and the permanent divide in 1948. However, there was also US domestic policies, and Truman’s fear of being accused of being ‘soft on communism,’ as well as the US based organisation, the UN, which was a new institution, which Truman had to support. Furthermore, containment in Europe and Asia and the threat to the balance of power in these continents prompted US retaliation, as did the threat to Japan and the US defence perimeter. NSC 68 highlights the importance of the defeat of Communism due to the threat of the ‘destruction of civilisation itself,’ and that the ‘peace of the free world’ is in peril. Due to the US assumptions that communism is evil, which is demonstrated in countries such as Czechoslovakia, where political parties and freedom of speech were banned, Hungary, where political opposition meant imprisonment, and Bulgaria, when any opposition was executed, Truman understood the importance of this document. It recommended rearmament and increase of defence, as well as ‘keeping the US public fully informed and cognizant of...
Words: 1727 - Pages: 7
...sinister subtext into our actions from 1945 to 1991 this simple objective was the only really important thing to the US during the Cold War. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. The primary threat was an unstable world that would descend back into WW III and a nuclear confrontation. The American policy called the Truman Doctrine of containment was not some hysterical fear that the Communists were going to invade America. The fear was that one of their little military adventures would get out of hand and blow up into a worldwide military confrontation that would end in a nuclear exchange. The policy was intended to keep a lid on small and/or regional wars and confrontations and keep them small and regional. Americans were in fear that maybe communism would expand through the world and so they came up with the domino theory and president Truman came up with the Truman doctrine to help Greece and Turkey by giving them aid so they wouldn’t fall to communism, later on the passed the Marshall plan which gave aid to the allies and countries in need of it, in order for communism to be contained, in 1949 the soviet union made their...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
