...Security Council's "Cold War Objectives" (NSC-68) document a description of the fundamental design of the Kremlin portrays a grim image of inevitable confrontation with the Soviet Union. In the context of describing the Kremlin’s design, the document positions the US as a perceived obstacle and adversary of the Kremlin and assumes that the Kremlin view includes an imperative to destroy or subvert the US by any means necessary. While the document called for a massive peace time mobilization and increase in spending to contain the military threat in the Soviet Union, decades later, the fall of the Soviet Union can be seen as either the ultimate success of the policies it advocated or rather the repudiation of its gross exaggerations of Soviet power. Contrary to assumptions in NSC-68, the economic power of the Soviet Union would turn out to be on path of decline rather than improvement and it would eventually lead to the unraveling of the Soviet Union. With indicatives lead by Soviet leaders Boris Yeltsin and Gorbachev, the Soviet Union aligns itself towards marketization in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With the economy in limbo, a re-alignment of Soviet foreign policies ensues virtually ending the cold war. Gorbachev pursues what is seen as concessionary foreign policy based on the idea that the world is all interdependent and that global relationship would prevail over East-West divide, effectively an annulment of the idea of the Cold War. In the 1950’s, NSC-68 had portrayed...
Words: 532 - Pages: 3
...Thesis: The U.S had many policies that affected the cold war. A few of these policies were Containment, Truman Doctrine, and the NSC-68. During the Cold War the United States came up with away to isolate or contain the spread of communism and it was known as Containment. According to Quizlet this policy “stated that communism should be kept from spreading, but not attacked at its source. Intended to keep other countries from falling under the control of the USSR.” The policy affected the American foreign policy by causing tension. This policy also affected the cold war by causing relations with the U.S and the Soviet Union to be very untrustworthy and antagonistic. Ultimately this would lead for aid and support when avoiding communist....
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...NSC 68 was a top-secret policy document by the US National Security Council during the presidency of Harry Truman. This important document was one of the reasons the Cold War was triggered for two decades. During the Cold War (1947-1991), there was a need for a new strategy in order to have a successful outcome. Due to this, Truman wanted a complete analysis of what was occurring. This was the primary reason for the NSC-68. Truman did not want a defeat in war under his belt during the time of his administration so having this evaluation would allow him to acknowledge what could be improved to be successful. However, this report took four months (which was a bit of a setback) but ended up being completed during April of 1950. The report included information stating that the United States was changing drastically. This was due to most of their allies suffering from devastation of wars. However, this meant that the United States was one of the two dominant world powers. Yet, the second other dominant power (the Soviet Union) was now known as a threat to the U.S. The Soviet Union confidently viewed themselves...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...world, we have seen our fair share of conflict and battles. From the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, and even the war to end all wars, World War II, our country proved time and time again, that if you attack us, we will come out swinging. What has also been unchanged, is that if the reason for war is blurred and it is unclear who our enemy is, the American people are reluctant to take the word of their political leaders and rush into a conflict. Through this essay, I will present arguments for the American people’s reluctance to enter the Cold War arms race against the Soviet Union and the war on terrorism post September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. It was in the late 1940s when the Soviet Union was developing itself...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...The end of World War II saw the rise of tensions and hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union, an era of time known as “The Cold War.” It resulted from the expansion of Soviet influence, specifically communism, into Eastern Europe, which worried the democracies of the west that had established political primacy in Western Europe. America and the Soviet Union promoted opposing economic and political ideologies and competed for international influence. The American response to Soviet actions was justified by condoning it as a necessary policy, believing it to be a counterattack, and by saying that the United States has to set an example to lead other nations of the free Western world. President Harry S. Truman discussed the...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Was the Korean War a turning point in the Civil War? The Korean War was thus a turning point in the development of the Cold War in that it marked a shift in the focal point in the development of tensions, from Europe to East Asia, with many indirect conflicts being largely confined to Europe. The Korean War was the first time that communism and capitalism were to fight against each other. It was hence a turning point in the development of the Cold War — instead of tensions developing between the two countries directly, the conflicts are now manifested through a proxy, which is Korea. This not only altered the field of rivalry between the two superpowers from Europe to Asia, but also changed the method through which the two powers conflicted. While the Cold War in Europe was "fought" mainly through all means short of direct armed confrontation, the Korean War saw the escalation of the conflict to a "hot war”. The idea of puppet states emphasized that the Korean War conflict was merely the Cold War fought on another front, with USSR and USA in control. It is also evident that the two superpowers were control in Korea. The US manipulated the United Nations (which was a first real test) so as to send a mostly American force into the region to address its strategic goals of preventing a possible domino effect and executing NSC-68. Stalin’s limited aid and lack of restraint against Kim also led to the prolonging of the war, but could also be seen as Stalin being hesitant to become...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...Institution America as a World Leader Before the Truman Doctrine, the Cold War was rapidly accelerating (Voices of Freedom, n.d.). Additionally, the United States started wars against communism during the confrontations of the Soviet Union and the United States over the Berlin and the Southern and the Eastern Europe, the inauguration of the communist government in China, and the development of an atomic bomb by the Soviet Union (Voices of Freedom, n.d.). As a result, the National Security Council approved America’s global call to bring communism to an end. In 1950, the council approved what was to be called NSC 68 which contained details of what was dubbed as “the free society” (Voices of Freedom, n.d.). The manifesto sought to tell the world that the Soviet Union was pursuing global domination as well as the elimination freedom in the world. NSC 68, albeit it was never made public was to be a struggle between “the idea of freedom” and that of slavery under Kremlin (Voices of Freedom, n.d.). On the other hand, America was also pursuing “the idea of freedom” when it intervened in World War II. This essay aims to show that even though America saw the increase in military spending, its involvement in World War II and Cold War was good in the sense that America became a world leader that pursues global freedom and peace. At the outset, while America was pursuing the idea of freedom as well that of slavery, the wars that it participated in led to tremendous distribution of power. Firstly...
Words: 968 - Pages: 4
...The United States has always tried to protect its citizens throughout her history, dating back from the Magna Carta in 1215 to the more current event of Operation Neptune Spear. Although many documents and plans have been beneficial to the well being of Americans, The Patriot Act and NSC-68 have been the most influential in American culture. They fundamentally have shaped the way we think, act and carry out government ideas. Even though the Patriot Act and NSC-68 involve two separate incidents, they still talk about some of the same issues. In the NSC-68 document, it highlights key differences between the military in the United States and that of the Soviet Union. It states that the military of the United States has a goal in doing things...
Words: 809 - Pages: 4
...Revolution was an important theme throughout the Cold War. Revolutions begat, molded and then finally brought an end to the Cold War. In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution forced Vladimir Lenin, the new communist leader, to withdraw from World War I on the side of the Western Allies and to sign a separate peace agreement with Germany. The suspicions that this aroused among the Allies were the seeds of the Cold War. In 1949, the New Democratic Revolution of China ended the Kuomintang (KMT) rule and established a communist government, thus guaranteeing the existence of the Cold War. Throughout its existence, the Cold War appeared to be something that was constantly present and unchanging. However, revolutions in Europe and Asia after 1953 continued to shape the Cold War until revolution inevitably destroyed in 1989. In 1954, after failing to contain communism in Korea, America involved itself in the Vietnam Conflict. At this time, France had just lost control of its colonial holdings in Vietnam. After the French were defeated by a communist contingent lead by Vo Nguyen Giap at Dien Bien Phu, the French decided that they could no longer retain their Indochinese colonies. In the summer of 1954, France and Vietnam signed the Geneva Peace Accords. It was agreed that Vietnam would be temporarily divided along the 17th parallel such that the north would be communist and the south would not be. As a result of this, the United States decided to intervene in the South Vietnamese affairs...
Words: 2495 - Pages: 10
...Part I: Identification Terms (5 @ 5 points each) Eight of the following terms will appear on the test, of which you will need to address five. Each will be worth 5 points, for a total of 25 points for the whole section. A good ID will be more than a sentence. You should write at least 4-5 sentences for each ID, being sure to define the term, explain its context, and identify its significance. Terms in BOLD are primarily from American Society since 1900. Paul Robeson: African American singer and actor who became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. He became politically involved in response to the Spanish Civil War, Fascism, and social injustices. His advocacy of anti-imperialism, affiliation with Communism, and his criticism of the US government caused him to be blacklisted during McCarthyism. Furthermore, Native Land was labeled by the FBI as communist propaganda. Anschluss: the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.[2] This was in contrast with the Anschluss movement (Austria and Germany united as one country) which had been attempted since as early as 1918 when the Republic of German-Austria attempted union with Germany which was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles peace treaties. Germany became a dictatorship in 1933, when Adolf Hitler became chancellor. Hitler openly defied the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which stated that Germany was not to acquire new territory or build up its military. Hitler...
Words: 2687 - Pages: 11
...Throughout the history of the United States, war riddles its short existence. The United States had nineteen eventful years of foreign policy after World War II ended in 1945. It was a time of economic growth and prosperity for the US but involved conflict with the countries from World War II, the Cold War, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This period had an active foreign policy designed to rescue Europe and Asia from the devastation of World War II and to prevent the expansion of Communism taking place in the Soviet Union and China. Much of the United States’ efforts focused on containment for these nineteen years, which ultimately ended in failure. Another issue that changed foreign policy in the United States was the powerful nuclear weapons...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...The NSC-68 and the Patriot Act There have been tens thousands since the early days of human-beings. Millions of people were killed in wars throughout the human history. There are several reasons of wars. Although there is no single cause of war, wars always occurred over religious, political, territorial, or militarism conflicts. Some of the causes of WWII were Italian Fascism, Japanese militarism, and the German invasion of Poland. After WWII, there were several ideological, political, and economic differences between the United States and the Soviet Union. On January 31, 1950, President Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, ordered the Department of State and Department...
Words: 330 - Pages: 2
...Truman | In 1950, Truman sent U.S. troops to aid South Korea from being invaded by North Korean communist armies. The UN had successfully cleared the North Korean invaders from South Korea; however, Truman with the support of General MacArthur decided cross the 38th parallel to fight communism in North Korea which ended up backfiring. Truman discharged General MacArthur because he went against his orders and made public statements about expanding the war into China. | Truman’s decision to get involved in the Korean War reinforced the U.S. as a global police. Many civilians were supporters of MacArthur and were outraged when Truman discharged him. Much of the outrage stemmed from civilians not fully understanding the war and their disappointment with Truman not going forth and taking over North Korea. | Moving OnCh.2 p. 36-40 | 38th Parallel | This is the latitudinal line that divides North Korea and South Korea. North Korea initially crossed the boundary in 1950 which prompted U.N. involvement ultimately resulting in the Korean war. Truman tried going north of the line in order to defeat communism in North Korea. However, Chinese troops pushed U.S. forces back across the parallel. After the armistice in 1953, the line was re-established as the border between North Korea and South Korea. | This line signified the distinction between communism and capitalism as well as Soviet and U.S. power. The 38th parallel is still considered the border between North and South Korea. | Moving...
Words: 1114 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...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 ...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
