Premium Essay

The Cold War

In:

Submitted By WinAndChyun
Words 974
Pages 4
The Cold War was the time of rivalry and conflict between the USA and the Soviet Union. It started at the end of World War II and ended with the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s. It was a time of political tension, in which both superpowers tried to prevent each other from gaining too much power. Even if the conflict did not result in a real war, there were many situations in which the world was very close to it.

After World War II
Although the United States and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II, they had different ideas about the future of the world. At the end of the war the Soviets controlled much of Eastern Europe and installed Communist governments there. The United States, on the other side, wanted to stop Communist ideas from spreading. It helped Western European countries to stay free and also gave them big sums of money to help rebuild their weak economies. The border between the Communist east and the free west was called the Iron Curtain and ran straight through the middle of Europe.

The Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain blue = NATO countries red = Warsaw Pact Countries green = bloc-free
Grey = neutral

Military Blocs after World War II
After World War II two military organizations emerged. In 1949 the United States and other western countries founded NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), on the other side the Soviets led the Warsaw Pact, a military organization of eastern European countries. Both military blocs wanted to defend themselves in case the other attacked.

Berlin
Two of the major events of the Cold War took place in Berlin. After World War II the city was divided into four zones. The French, British and American zone became West Berlin and the Soviet zone became East Berlin. When the Soviets tried to cut off supply routes to the city the Americans reacted by airlifting food,

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Cold WarPatricia Hamilton Kaplan University OnlineSS310-Exploring the1960s- An Interdisciplinary ApproachMay 29, 2012Professor Rookstoolii Cold War I will be writing about longest war in history the Cold War . First, about the historical and political conditions of the Cold War. Explanation of specific threat against United States during the Cold War. Third, my preparation to prepare my family for Cuba Missile Crisis in the Cold War. Lastly, the question I was asked about the Cold War. Historical and Political Conditions of the Cold War The Cold War begin in 1945 until 1991. The Cold War starts with conflict between the Communist nation of Soviet Union and United States. Also, what type of government should rule Eastern Europe. Their three historical and political factor in 1960s about the Cold War Bay Of Pig, Vietnam War, and Cuba Missile Crisis. Also, United States and Soviet Union competed with each other through the arm race. The Arm Race to be first to build manufacture atomic and hydrogen bomb. Also, Both developed short and intermediate – range missile that will armed with nuclear warhead and to make a nuclear weapon to battle in war. Next, is the space race the Soviet build Sputnik and United States send man to walk on the moon. According to (Naranjo,May 6,2003) “The longest conflict of the twentieth century, the Cold War affected everything, from political ideology, foreign and domestic policy, to the presidency and the personal lives of Americans. With the...

Words: 623 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...The Cold War Soon after the WWII ends, the difference in political beliefs and policies of the two superpowers soon developed into a lot of conflicts and struggles called the Cold War. Cold War, which is the war between the United States and its allies called NATO, and the Russian and its allies called the Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union) without real military attack, was a race on how strong a country is by showing what it got in terms of supporting countries that were in state of war with other nation; in terms of nuclear weapons; In terms of science and technology (Space war); and even in terms of sport competition (Olympic). In the end, the Cold War ended by the United States and the Soviet Union themselves by the failed system of the communist. I’m the one that believed that “In the cold War the United States was the good guy who fought against the evil empire of the Soviet Union to defend freedom, democracy, and human rights around the world.” Firstly, the two countries had fundamentally different beliefs. So, how do we know who really was the good guy and who really was the evil? The first thing we need to do is to consider their different beliefs, because these factors could link to different actions such as the political and economic systems they used, including the way they dealt with the situations. The Ideology of Democracy gives freedom to all individuals to express their idea to other and agree on the majority; promote human rights and equality; and uses the economic...

Words: 1118 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...The Cold War The cold war was a time in American history and world history that nuclear war was threat to all people. This was also a time of struggle between democracies versus communism throughout the world. The political and historical conditions plaque all countries throughout the world. The cold war dictated foreign and national policies of all nations (ehistory.com). The political side of the cold war played a part in domestic policy in many different ways such as socially and economically in the United States (ehistory.com). The social issues associated with the cold were new laws and changes took a long time. The economics of the cold war proved to be successful and allowed both countries on both sides to grow substantially (ehistory.com). The cold war changed the world as we know it and the foreign policy that is enacted. The actual cold war ended when the Berlin wall came down. The issues are still present in Russia such as reform and the overall health of the country. The specific threats of the cold war to the American citizens were the attack of nuclear weapons and the spread of communism. These threats were considered to be the start of the arms race of the world (washoe.com). The arms races allowed both countries to stock pile weapons on both sides in the case of attack. The threats were mainly used to get the political goals and agendas completed. The main specific threat to Americans citizens at the time was the stock pile of Soviet missiles in Cuba...

Words: 666 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Cold War

...The Cold War The Cold War by Jeremy Isaac and Taylor Downing is a book about the history of the U.S. In this book the author talks about how communism has been a part of U.S. history since the eighteenth century. Soviet Union leaders, such as Marx, Lenin, and Stalin continued to spread communism to other nations. The Cold War was not a war of weapons but a war to stop the spread of communism. The book goes into details about how the United States used every media outlet to convince the public of the horrors of communism. America was never really threatened by the Cold War. It was nothing more than two super powers battling for control. This book informs us that the start of the Cold War was caused by U.S. fear of the spread of communism and other events. The authors Sir Jeremy Isaacs is a British television producer and executive, winner of many BAFTA awards and international Emmy Awards. The other author Taylor Downing is an award winning TV producer, head of independent production company Flashback Television for 25 years and writer of best sellers. The two put together a very informative book covering the 50 yearhistory of America. I. The Iron Curtain: America knew they could not trust the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin leadership. During the invasion of Germany the concerns about the Soviet was put aside. During World War II the U.S. and Soviet became allies. Stalin used aggressive tactics to gain control of countries near the Soviet...

Words: 1168 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Discuss when, why and how the Cold War began. Then cite at least one factor that perpetuated the Cold War in each decade from the 1950s-1980s and discuss how the item you selected affected America at home as well. Last, discuss when and why the Cold War ended To begin with, it should be specified that the Cold War was a state of political, economic, ideological and other confrontations existed between the Soviet bloc countries and The United States-led Western powers. There were several prerequisites of the Cold War beginning, but the main one was a refusal of the USSR to compromise with the USA and leave occupied areas of Eastern Europe, moreover its potential interest in communist regimes in Greece, Italy and France. The Truman Doctrine that was suggested by the president with a support of George Marshall, George Kennan and Dean Acheson in February 1947 became an ideological substantiation of the Cold War. According to this doctrine a conflict between Western democracy and communism was inevitable, thus the Cold war began. The most significant event that happened in 1950s was the threat of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that were successfully tested by the USSR in August, 1957. Reacting to such danger, the USA created a system of anti-missile defense in big cities and started to construct nuclear bombers. 1960s were marked by Berlin crisis, when a physical symbol of the Cold War – the Berlin Wall was built. According to the decree of Khrushchev the Wall separated...

Words: 544 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Preface The Cold War was a struggle for global influence between the United States and the Soviet Union. To that end, the two countries employed a variety of methods, all short of a direct, all-out attack on each other's homelands. The methods they used included the creation of rival alliances, the extension of military and economic aid to client states and would-be client states, a massive and expensive arms race, propaganda campaigns, espionage, guerrilla warfare, counterinsurgency warfare, and political assassinations. The Cold War was one of the longest conflicts in human history, over seventy years in duration, with periodic lulls in the level of hostility. It was also the widest in scope of all the world's wars; it was fought on every continent on the globe and, considering the space race, over every conti- nent as well. The Cold War was also one of the costliest of the world's conflicts, not only in numbers of lives lost but also in resources expended. In the end, the Soviet Union collapsed, and communism, at least in the form that existed in the Soviet Union, expired. But, as Mikhail Gorbachev pointed out, both sides lost much in the Cold War. The United States lost many lives and consumed huge financial resources as well, and the demo- cratic principles on which it was founded were endangered. For decades, historians have argued about the origins of the Cold War. Who, or what, was primarily responsible? Was it inevitable? One...

Words: 1632 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...The Cold War Celena Daley Kaplan University SS211: Prof. Jennifer Schmidt 03/12/2016 The Cold War began as a result of a dispute between The United States of America and The Soviet Union. Although the war was never “officially” declared, it began somewhere around 1947 and ended roughly around 1991. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, although there were major regional wars. The first phase of the Cold War began in the first two years after the end of the Second World War in 1945. Throughout this period, the rivalry between the two superpowers unfolded in multiple arenas: military coalitions; ideology, psychology, and espionage; sports; military, industrial, and technological developments, including the space race; costly defense spending; a massive conventional and nuclear arms race; and many proxy wars. There was never a direct military engagement between the US and the Soviet Union, but there was half a century of military buildup as well as political battles for support around the world, including significant involvement of allied and satellite nations in proxy wars. Although the US and the Soviet Union had been allied against Nazi Germany, the two sides differed on how to reconstruct the postwar world even before the end of World War II. Over the following decades, the Cold War spread outside Europe to every region of the world, as the US sought the "containment" of communism and forged numerous alliances...

Words: 1085 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cold War

...The Cold War (Russian: Холо́дная война́, Kholodnaya voyna) (1947–1991), was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after World War II (1939–1945) between the Communist World – primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies – and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States and its allies. Although the primary participants' military force never officially clashed directly, they expressed the conflict through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, extensive aid to states deemed vulnerable, proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race. Despite being allies against the Axis powers, the USSR and the US disagreed about political philosophy and the configuration of the post-war world while occupying most of Europe. The Soviet Union created the Eastern Bloc with the eastern European countries it occupied, annexing some and maintaining others as satellite states, some of which were later consolidated as the Warsaw Pact (1955–1991). The US and its allies used containment of communism as a main strategy, establishing alliances such as NATO to that end. The US funded the Marshall Plan to effectuate a more rapid post-War recovery of Europe, while the Soviet Union would not let most Eastern Bloc members participate. Elsewhere, in...

Words: 460 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Cold War Cold War is a war between USA and Soviet Union during 1945 to 1980.During this war Americans used new atomic weapons. The reason for using the name ‘cold war’ due to the good and friendly relationship between USA and Soviet Union. Actually in the cold both countries not fight each other. It is war between communist countries and democratic countries during this war Soviet Union support the North Vietnam it is a communist country. But America supports the South Vietnam it was an anticommunist country. Americans fight for the safe democracy, but the Soviet Union fought for the communism. During this war USA and Soviet Union tried to hold their values and beliefs. There are so many events happened during this time, some of the events are Defeat of Germany, Returns to parliament democracy in the west, Soviet Control of Eastern Europe, The Berlin Crisis - the Climax of the Conflict between the East and the West in Europe are some of the events happened during this cold war (Cold war 1945-1960, p.1). Interviews I interviewed three of my friends to find out about the cold war and their conception about the cold war. The first person I interviewed gives me the following answers for the questions. 1. What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term cold war. Bombs, Secrets. The trivial notion that a single button can end the world 2. Did you ever study the cold war in school? If so what are some aspects of the cold war that you remember? Yes. Planes...

Words: 328 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War

...1120-102 | The Cold War | Professor Gray | | Davante Henderson | 4/30/2015 | | Davante Henderson Professor Gray HIST 1120-102 30 April 2015 The Cold War “We have to get tough with the Russians. They don’t know how to behave. They are like bulls in a china shop. They are only 25 years old. We are over 100 and the British are centuries older. We have got to teach them how to behave.”-Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States. The Cold War was a period of East-West competition, tension, and conflict short of full-scale war, characterized by mutual perceptions of hostile intention between military-political alliances or blocs. The U.S. struggle to contain Soviet communism worldwide resulted in what came to be known as the "Cold War". Although full-scale war between the U.S. and Soviet Union did not occur, two major wars, (Korea and Vietnam), and many smaller conflicts occurred between 1946 and 1991 over the battle between democracy and communism. The Cold war was a product of many social and political reasons, a few but not limited to: The portioning of North Korea and Germany, the Marshal Plan, the Berlin Blockage and NATO. I’ll begin my explanation with the Yalta Conference, held in Yalta in February 1945 where Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill planned the final stages of World War II and agreed to the territorial division of Europe. “At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill discussed with Stalin the conditions under which the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan...

Words: 2331 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Cold War

...head: COLD 1 The Cold War Corwin Schneider HIS 104 Professor Patrick Williams June 19, 2012 COLD 2 The Cold War Keep your Finger Off the Button! The Cold War, how did these two countries get to this point in history? While the United States and USSR should have been more grown up and learned to work out their problems, who were the major players in the Cold War and how were the two sides involved in the space race, when did the Cold War start and end, and what were the two sides arguing over. The United States was in an intense war with the USSR for five decades. It started in 1945, shortly after Communist Leader Joseph Stalin learned of the first atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Japan August 6, 1945. “The Cold War was a strategic struggle that developed after World War II between the United States with its allies and the Soviet Union with its allies” (Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., & Streets, H. 2008 pg. 638). But, this was not an ordinary war between the two, it was a Cold War. It had more attacks of words and propaganda competing which was the better country. One reason these two superpowers never had direct military action against each other was they both possessed Nuclear Weapons. The major powers in the Cold War between...

Words: 2023 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Conceptions of the Cold War Ceara E. Carrier SS310-98 Kaplan University The Cold War is a subject that I don’t remember being taught in school but I do know that it was. Before I conducted the interviews bellow I myself did not recollect as much as they did. Having talked to them I now have a better understanding and more knowledge on the Cold War. Below you will find the questions that I asked and their word for word answers. Interview Transcript Question 1: What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the cold war? Marty: “Communism, Iron Curtain, Berlin, Wall, Good vs. Evil, Olympic boycott, nuclear war dictator, freedom and poverty.” Rusty’s Mum: “Duck and cover, bomb shelter, air raid shelter, communism, missiles, nuclear attack, espionage and radioactive.” Adam: “Threat of nuclear war, heavy espionage, communism, "tear down this wall" and the KGB.” Question 2: Did you ever study the Cold War in school? If so, what are some aspects of the Cold War that you remember? Marty: “Yes. The word “war” didn’t mean fighting and killing. It was a competition between two super powers trying to dominate the world. Communism vs. Democracy.” Rusty’s Mum: “No. In my memory there were no studying materials. Maybe not available yet? I don’t know how often school books were replaced, but I also don’t really recollect any discussion of the Cold War.” Adam: “Yes it was taught in school but I don't remember it.” Question 3: Who were the parties...

Words: 731 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer...

Words: 739 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Cold War

...The Cold War SS310-28: Exploring the 1960s: An Interdisciplinary Approach Prof: Kathleen Marker November 20, 2012 The United States and the Soviet Union came together as allies to fight during World War II, soon after the war there were great tension between the two nations. This distrust and enmity made history and was known as the cold war. What were the causes that lead up to this historical event? American’s fear of communist attack, President Truman’s dislikes for Stalin, Russia’s fear of the American’s atomic bomb, Russia’s dislikes for capitalism, America’s refusal to share nuclear secrets, Russia’s need for a secure western border, and Russia’s aim to spread world communism. As stated in one source taken from history.com, “In 1949, the Soviets tested an atomic bomb of their own. In response, President Truman announced that the United States would build an even more destructive atomic weapon: the hydrogen bomb, or “super bomb.” Stalin followed suit.”(Cold War 2) American citizens were in fear of an attack from the Soviet Union some people started build bomb shelters in case of this nuclear attack. The Red Scare began in the 1947 where the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began a series of hearing to prove that communist subversion was alive and well in the United States. (Cold War 2) As stated in the source, “In Hollywood, HUAC forced hundreds of people who worked in the movie industry to renounce left-wing political beliefs and testify against one...

Words: 744 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...3.5 Cold War Your Name History 365 - Recent America: 1945 to the Present Your Professor The Date COLD WAR Beginning in 1947 and lasting until 1991, the Cold War can be defined as the sustained state of military, as well as political, tensions that existed between western hemisphere countries and their NATO allies and the Eastern hemisphere that was dominated by countries in the Warsaw Pact dominated redundant by the USSR. Following the success of the wartime alliance formed temporarily against Hitler’s Nazi Germany, the only two superpowers in global affairs were the United States and the Soviet Union. However, these two countries had profound differences in their political and economic ideologies, and this led to the beginning of the Cold War. This is the thesis. The Second World War had a profound repetitive effect on global politics, with the early efforts of leaders in the US and the USSR attempting to shape the international system that was emerging after the war. Here you make the thesis more explicit but should have done so in a way that would introduce the points you´ll develop below. In my opinion, the beginning of the Cold War can be traced from encouragement of what? de by the Europeans, especially the British. Their encouragement of the United States to make their policy tougher towards the USSR was vital in the beginning. From my reading of the article, The Origins of Post War America, I believe that former British Prime Minister Winston...

Words: 993 - Pages: 4