...would we do it? That’s when George Kennan, a US foreign service agent suggested the policy of containment. What was containment and what did it look like in action? Containment was what we were going to use to stop the flow of communism. The Berlin Airlift, Korean War, and Cuban Missile Crisis are what I will be using to define containment and what it does. Let’s start with the Berlin Airlift, that is one example of containment. From June 1948 to May 1949 Joseph Stalin blockaded all of the routes and tunnels on land that let people in and out of West Berlin. Even with the blockade the US, England, and France found a way to break the blockade by using an airlift to send supplies into West Berlin for almost a year. They ended up sending in 270,000 planeloads of item the were anything from food to coal. The airlift was a pretty good example of containment. It kept Western Berlin free from communism and and also prevented communism and the Soviet power from expanding....
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...How did the Cold War develop between 1944-53? 1947 – Truman Doctrine (March) Marshall Plan (June) 1948 – Communist regime established in Czechoslovakia (Feb) Berlin blockade begins (June) US relationship with Europe after WWII: * Truman was under pressure to adopt a more hard-line approach towards communism following Kennan’s Telegram and Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech and the threat of communist takeover in Greece. * No suggestion that the US envisaged any long-term military or political entanglement in Europe beyond the time it took to establish political and economic reconstruction there. * Each side regarded the other as a threat to national security and being expansionist and a global strategic threat. * By September 1946 the emergence of the Cold War was seemingly irreversible. Why Truman introduced his Doctrine (first step containment?) * Keep the SU from aiding the Greek communist movement * Protect democracy and freedom in response to Soviet aggression and ideological expansionism in Eastern Europe * Demonise SU and Communism * Threaten and provoke USSR * Truman wanted a Cold War because that would justify the US’s role as a defender of the freedom and function as world power * Develop the US’s global economic power – if the US is protector, other sates would be militarily and economically dependent of the US – close trade relations. Truman emphasised in his doctrine the differences between Capitalism...
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...After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s most powerful nations. However, both nations had different views on economics and government, the clash of their ideas was known as the Cold War. United States is a capitalist country, meaning that they allowed people to control their businesses and their production. On the other hand, the Soviet Union is a communist country, meaning that the government controlled the production of good and resources. Both sides struggled for international power and tried to expand. Both nations exploited every opportunity of expansion anywhere in the world, which led to the Cold War. Asia The Cold War had influenced the split of Korea and Vietnam. Korea had split along...
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...The Cold War was an indirect interaction between the U.S.A and the Soviet Union. The different ideas of government were one of the main reasons of why there was a war between the U.S and the Soviet Union. Not only that, many factors came along with the war, starting from 1945 other Countries and Nuclear weapons created tension between them. Economic competitions, policies, and plans also contributed to the creation of the Cold War and the finalization of it in 1991. The presidents at the time also influenced in big decisions making, and lead to a better or worse situation not only in the U.S and the Soviet Union, but also in many countries that were involved. During the late 19th Centaury the Soviet Union (USSR) was encouraging the pro-communist...
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...Famine, war, and ultimate destruction is the theme for the 1950’s and 60’s. The us after world war 2 became aware of the soviet agenda to spread communism. This lead to a policy of containment. Which was the main reason for the cold war. The cold war unlike any other war was not fought with bullets but with word of mouth and how that can change the ideologies of country. The cold war lasted from 1945 till 1991 making it the longest conflict in us history. During the cold war the us tried to contain communism by providing aid , going to war, and political games of chicken. The us combated communism using airdrops full of critical supplies. In document B it describes how the us supported the democratic east berlin by sending supplies. This was done because of the soviet blockade of supplies to east berlin on June 27,1948, because it was completely surrounded by communist neighbors Airdrops were used to bring supplies such as food and coal this gave east berlin the supplies it needed to fight back communism. This combated communism by making it seem less attractive than a capitalist society....
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...Every county has a reason for why the do the things they do, they must right? World War II ended in 1945 and was considered the deadliest war in World history. During the war, Russia, the United States, and others rallied up to but a stop to Hitler's mission of Holocaust. However, as one war came to an end, another one started. The Cold War in 1947, as the name dictates, was based on a race of who can get to the top first, between the United States and Russia, but shots were never fired between the two countries. This paper explains the legacy leading up to the Cold War, the various elements, and the conflicts going on today. The legacy begins with the Yalta Conference, where not very much was agreed between the attending countries. Nevertheless,...
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...The Cold War Overview * Arms Race * Communism * Glossary and Terms * Space RaceMajor Events * Berlin Airlift * Suez Crisis * Red Scare * Berlin Wall * Bay of Pigs * Cuban Missile Crisis * Collapse of the Soviet UnionWars * Korean War * Vietnam War * Chinese Civil War * Yom Kippur War * Soviet Afghanistan War | People of the Cold War Western Leaders * Harry Truman (US) * Dwight Eisenhower (US) * John F. Kennedy (US) * Lyndon B. Johnson (US) * Richard Nixon (US) * Ronald Reagan (US) * Margaret Thatcher (UK)Communist Leaders * Joseph Stalin (USSR) * Leonid Brezhnev (USSR) * Mikhail Gorbachev (USSR) * Mao Zedong (China) * Fidel Castro (Cuba) | http://www.ducksters.com/history/cold_war/summary.php The Cold War Communism Communism is a type of government and philosophy. Its goal is to form a society where everything is shared equally. All people are treated equally and there is little private ownership. In a communist government, the government owns and controls most everything including property, means of production, education, transportation, and agriculture. History of Communism Karl Marx is considered the Father of Communism. Marx was a German philosopher and economist who wrote about his ideas in a book called the Communist Manifesto in 1848. His communist theories have also become known as Marxism. Marx described ten important aspects of a communist government: * No private property * A single central bank...
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...the Soviet Union wanted to prevent any further casualties. Therefore, the Soviet’s policy was the expansion of not only the country itself but also communism. With major disapproval of communism, the US made a policy of containment which prevented the Soviet Union and Soviet communism from spreading. Thus marking the beginning of the Cold War, which will last from 1947-1991....
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...APUSH Cold War Lecture Notes Define Cold War- • An era of distrust, threat of nuclear war. & ideological expansion between the superpowers, USA & USSR. What change occurred with Stalin between the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences? • He agreed to allow self determination in Eastern Europe, He extended his control over eastern Europe to create a buffer zone between USSR and its future enemies. What major decisions were difficult to agree upon at the Potsdam Conference? • Because Britain, France, the USA, & USSR could not agree on German war repararations Germany was divided into occupied zones at the Potsdam Conference. What is the Iron Curtain? • Imaginary boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War 2 Define the US policy of Containment • Strong resistance to the USSR would stop Russian expansion & the spread of communism. The 3 parts to the Containment plan- define each one. Truman Plan • Offered U.S. military and economic assistance to any nation threatened by communism. NATO Plan • Created to provide collective security for Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Greece, & Turkey Marshall Plan • Offered aid to help Europe recover Stalin responded to Containment with the Berlin blockade- what was the Berlin blockade? • USSR responded to Containment by cutting off all traffic to Berlin in East Germany ...
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...How far do 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. ...
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...World War II left Germany and much of Western Europe in ruins. The fall of Nazism damaged about every aspect of German industry, culture, and politics while helping shape a new global order. World superpowers emerged, forming organizations such as NATO and the United Nations. But, in this time of global reconciliation, superpowers such as the US and the Soviet Union began to emerge. Both countries thought that their way of economics, government, and ideology was the best way- and Germany became ground zero. This tension elevated into a Cold War that compelled world superpowers to consider nuclear warfare. While events in Germany between 1945 and 1961 reflect and defend the United States and Soviet Union's views and agendas; it does not...
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...The Cold War was a period starting in around 1946, consisting of political and military tension and economic competition. The Cold War was ‘fought’ between the Communist Soviet Union, and the Capitalist West, mainly the United States. As opposed to a hot war, wherein two nations or faction conflict in an armed battle, in a Cold War, the major military forces never engage in physical warfare with each other. Instead, the conflict is expressed via military occupations of various nations, propaganda, strategic conventional force deployments, for example the Berlin Airlift, and providing aid to vulnerable nations, like the Marshal and Molotov Plans. The two superpowers also competed against each other in terms of technological and military advancements; the Space Race and Arms Races respectively. The main reason for this tension was the opposing systems of government and their ideologies, with each seeing a threat in the other. Though the two nations acted as allies in the war against Nazi Germany, their conflicting beliefs and ideologies soon left them as enemies. The Soviet Union soon occupied Eastern Europe, while the Western Allies occupied West Europe. Unsurprisingly, tension began to rise. The US’ Marshall Plan was put into effect to provide financial aid in the rebuilding of nations ravaged by the war in Europe. However, the Soviets denied their nations they occupied to participate. The USSR also funded and aided in communist revolutions in countries occupied by the West...
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...By 1955 the two blocs had emerged from the post war states to a large extreme of tense polarized views on the other being fueled by the polarized views of the two controlling forces being USA and the Soviet communist. the Making of this state was Inevitable to a certain extent as due to the opposing ideological views. To polarization of the twin states starts with the soviets increasing the eastern states sphere of control with a series of violent uprisings, coups and in most cases legitimate gaining power such as in Hungary where power was taken via democratic means however still installing a single party government. this was Stalin creating a polarized bloc that would only back Stalin's views on how to deal with the western capitalist views, this then furthers the extent to which the two polarized blocs emerged by 1955 as the views were now pro communist in the soviet spheres of influence however in countries like Hungary it wasn’t as polarized as they were still having free elections free press in 1947 parliament were allowed to debate and the borders in the west open and most medium sized business still were in private hands which is then showing that the polarized division was not Inevitable but was slow with major co operation in the border countries like Hungary. Another cause of the polarization was the Western rearmament. this was another source of polarization as it had tensed up the already harsh relations that the two blocs had. As in April 1949 the US had formed...
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...Berlin Airlift In June 1948, the Russians–who wanted Berlin all for themselves–closed all highways, railroads and canals from western-occupied Germany into western-occupied Berlin. This, they believed, would make it impossible for the people who lived there to get food or any other supplies and would eventually drive Britain, France and the U.S. out of the city for good. Instead of retreating from West Berlin, however, the U.S. and its allies decided to supply their sectors of the city from the air. This effort, known as the “Berlin Airlift,” lasted for more than a year and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo into West Berlin. Korean War The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea (with the principal support of the...
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...Joseph Stalin was born 18th December 1878 and died on 5th March 1953, was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. Stalin was born in Gori in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire, to Besarion Jughashvili, a Georgian cobbler who owned his own workshop, and Ketevan Geladze, a Georgian who was born a serf. He was the youngest of their three boys; their two previous sons died in infancy. Stalin's chief aim was to expand industrial production. For this, he developed three Five-year Plans between 1928 and 1938. Gosplan, the state planning agency, drew up targets for production for each factory. The first two plans concentrated on improving heavy industry - coal, oil, steel and electricity. Some keen young Communists, called Pioneers, went into barren areas and set up new towns and industries from nothing. There were champion workers called Stakhanovites, named after a coal miner who broke the record for the amount of coal dug up in a single shift. Education schemes were introduced to train skilled, literate workers. The Soviet Union also gave opportunities to women - crèches were set up so they could also work. Women became doctors and scientists, as well as canal diggers and steel workers. At the same time, many of the workers were slave workers and kulaks from the gulag. Strikers were...
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