...democracy through out the world, while the Soviet Union felt that communism was better politics because it would enhance their economy and up their status. This relationship gave birth to their clash known as The Cold War, in which the USSR tried to spread their ideas about government and socialist economy, while The United States tried to contain it. In 1946, G.F. Kennan, and American Diplomat stationed in Moscow, wrote the Long Telegram that gave an outline on his views about the Soviet Union. Shortly before it was scribed and sent to Washington, the U.S. Treasury questioned the U.S. Embassy in Moscow about why the Soviet’s were not in support of the new World Bank. This is what prompted Kennan to write the telegram. In it he tells that the Soviet Union does not seek “peaceful coexistence” between communism and capitalism, that according to them capitalism was untrustworthy and could not influence the USSR. He also wrote of their other views, and how they desired to go about their expansion of communism, but the overall theme was that according to the Soviet Union communism was the answer and must be spread and capitalism must fall. In the last section of the telegram, Kennan tells of the Soviet’s weakness to force and also made a proposal for U.S. strategy. This telegram later goes on to be published as The Sources of Soviet Conduct, in the Foreign Affairs, magazine and it does in fact inspire U.S. policy on containment, a term coined by Kennan. President Truman announced his...
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...The Cold War was period spanning several decades beginning after the conclusion of World War II (WWII). Tensions between the United States (USA) and the Soviet Union (USSR) were at an all-time high. Together, they fought as allies during WWII, but after the war the friendly relationship seemed to dwindle and many Americans became concerned. At the time, the Russian leader, Joseph Stalin scared Americans for his communist and tyrannical behavior. Many felt he wanted to rule the world because of Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe following the war. USSR on the other hand perceived America to be just as controlling and power envy because of their interventionist approach of international affairs. Over the next 40 years the U.S. employed several...
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...America and World War I World War I was a world conflict lasting from 1914 to 1919 (2006). Soon after the war began Britain, France, and their allies set up a naval blockade of Germany and Austria. The Wilson Administration complained bitterly that the blockade violated international law (2010). It was not the conventional surface vessels used by Britain and France to enforce its blockade that enraged Americans, but the German submarines used. When American ships were intercepted by the British, the crew treated well. German submarines attacked without warning, and passengers had little to no chance of surviving (2010). While Wilson weighed his options regarding the submarine issue, he had to also evaluate Germany’s attempt at a secret alliance with Mexico. On January 19, 1917, British naval intelligence intercepted a telegram sent by Arthur Zimmerman, a German Foreign Minister, to the German Ambassador in Mexico City (2010). The “Zimmerman Telegram” promised the Mexican Government that Germany would help Mexico recover the territory it had lost to the United States following the Mexican-American War. In return for this assistance, the Germans asked for Mexican support in the war (2010). Initially, the British had not shared the news of the “Zimmerman Telegram” with U.S. officials. However, on February 24th, the British shared the note in hopes of persuading American officials to join the war. The British finally forwarded the intercept to Wilson. Even with this news, Wilson...
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...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...
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...After World War II tension between the two super powers of the time, The Soviet Union and the United States increased. Many believed a third war would break out and the world as we know it would have possibly been destroyed or at least most of it due to the nuclear warfare. The soviets could not handle the fact that the United States had nuclear weapons thus making the soviets envious and them wanting to be superior to the United. On the other hand the United States wanted the world to be peaceful or at least have no communism in the world, seeing that the two superpowers in the world did not agree nor get along the race to prove to the world which super power was superior began, starting the Cold War. During the Cold War there where...
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...How far was the USSR responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War 1945-1949? To a certain extent, the USSR’s responsibility of the Cold War cannot be underestimated as their policies following the Second World War may have been seen as aggressive by USA. The forceful take-over of Eastern Europe through the Red Army occupations, especially in distinctive cases such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, can be seen as being far from the “liberation” over which the two war-time allies had agreed, while the rigging of elections did not conform to the Yalta agreement of the organisation of free ones. Stalin responded to the Americans’ policies of containment by creating his own agencies, therefore creating even more hostility between the two superpowers, while also refusing the existence of anything but Soviet puppet states in Eastern Europe. However, the event which cemented the outbreak of the Cold War was Stalin imposing the Berlin Blockade, taking direct action towards weakening the Americans’ position. One may see that Stalin’s blockade resulted in the official creation of two separate German states, one of the most significant events of the Cold War. On the other hand, revisionists point out that the USSR was taking defensive measures to protect itself from anything that could have caused as much damage as the Second World War, while the Americans, who were superior economically, adopted provocative policies. They challenged the patience of the Russians by hiding crucial events from...
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...After World War II, the American government actively engaged with the communist government of The Soviet Union. Politicians and the public alike could not form a practical foreign policy because they did not fully understand the complexities of Soviet ideas and power. America desperately needed help. George Kennan, on the other hand, was a scholar of Russian history and political thought, a diplomat in Moscow, and a leader in the State Department. His expertise offered insight into the well-known foreign policy of containment. Kennan, through his policy of containment, sought to uphold American national interests amidst the growing threat of the USSR and an ignorant American public. In "The Sources of Soviet Conduct", George Kennan aimed to...
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...The Americans were more responsible in terms of their attitudes in 1945 for creating the Cold war. As we can see the USSR and the United States, both had different ideologies and points of view which set the base for confrontation after the Second World War. The soviet attitudes were straight-forward. Stalin´s main aim was to safeguard and rebuild the Soviet Union. However, his actions created hostility over the West. His foreign policy was based on taking advantage of the military situation in Europe to strengthen the Soviet influence and prevent another invasion from the west. To the nations of the west this was seen as evidence of the expansionist nature of communism, but Soviet aims were based on attitudes that were more complicated than this. Russia had been invaded from the west 3 times in the 20th century; by Germany in WWI, by those helping the whites during the russian civil war, and by Germany again in WWII. Each time russian loses had been substantial, but the sacrifice required during the WWII was unprecedented. The need to ensure such a devastating war was was not again inflicted upon the Soviet Union was undoubtedly a weighty and pressing concern. The situation in Europe in 1945 provided Stalin with an opportunity to establish a buffer zone of Soviet-influenced states in Eastern Europe, which would act as a barrier against further invasion of the USSR from the West. The soviet obsession with security was difficult for the American government to understand. To...
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...How far do you agree with the view that the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8 owed more to Soviet expansionism than to USA’s economic interests? My opinion is that the development of the Cold War was due to Soviet expansionism rather than the USA’s economic interests in the years 1945-48. The Sources all present to some extent the idea that Soviet expansionism was to blame. Source 7 argues Soviet expansionism as the most important factor as it claims that the USSR were ‘seeking to expand its influence into Western Europe’ and so causing Western Attitudes to increasingly worsen. However there is still evidence in the sources to support the view that the USA’s economic interests owed more to the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-48. For example in source 8 it suggests that the USA wanted a war with the USSR to help its economy, emphasising the impact of Truman’s ‘military industrial complex’ on aggressive foreign policy which played a huge role in the development of the Cold War. Furthermore it can be argued that it was the misunderstanding and confusion, caused by fear and suspicion, between the two nations which owed more to the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8. Soviet Expansionism played a huge role in the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8. Evidence to support this view is found in source 7 which claims that although in 1945 the West had accepted the Soviet’s influence in Eastern Europe; the West became suspicious of...
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...June 2010- Section B – How far do you agree with the view that the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8 owed more to Soviet expansionism than to Usa’s economic interests? I do agree with the view that the development of the Cold War owed more to soviet expansionism than USA’s economic interests in the years 1945-48. All three of the sources show evidence that soviet expansionism played a huge role in the development of the Cold War. Source 7 especially emphasises Soviet expansionism as the most important factor claiming the USSR were “seeking to expand its influence into Western Europe” causing Western Attitudes to harden. However there is evidence in the sources to support the view that the USA’s economic interests owed more to the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-48. Such as in source 8 which claims the USA wanted a war with the USSR to help its economy, emphasising the impact of the Military Industrial Complex on aggressive foreign policy which played a huge role in the development of the Cold War. Furthermore it can be argued that it was the misunderstanding and confusion between the two nations which owed more to the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8. Soviet Expansionism played a huge role in the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-8. Evidence to support this view is found in source 7 which claims that although in 1945 the West accepted the Soviet’s influence in Eastern Europe, the West became suspicious of the USSR’s...
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...Seeds of conflict What were the characteristics of Cold War? Ideologies : Communism v. capitalism Capitalism: production of goods and distribution is dependent on private capital with a view to making profit; capitalist economies run by individuals rather than by state Communism: hostile to capitalism, which exploits workers; ideally all property, businesses & industry should be state-owned, ‘each gives according to their ability to those according to their need’ Economics: Marshall Plan (1947) – provision of fuel, raw materials, goods, loans, food, ……………..machinery advisers US exploited it financial power to export Western values – dollar imperialism 1948-52, US Congress voted nearly $13bn economic aid to Europe Trade war with Communist countries, e.g. Cuba Military tensions: Korean War (1950-3), Vietnam (early 1960s -1973); US …………military …………..build-up, e.g. 1960 2.4 US military personnel around world; …………1959, 1,500 ………….military bases in 31 countries Treaties: NATO (1949) – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation SEATO (1954)– South East Asia Treaty Organisation Warsaw Pact (1955)– military defensive pact amongst eastern European nations COMECON (1949)– Council for Mutual Economic Assistance Propaganda: European Recovery Program – propaganda as much as economic ………..exercise Benefits of Marshall Plan advertised Italy became a focus of economic rebuilding after WWII - ‘Operation Bambi’ used minstrels, puppet shows and film Espionage: CIA (1947)...
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...After the WWII nobody was expecting it but another war was coming up! The problem was that the WWII went by pretty agressively and the people runned out of sources,water,and one of the most important,money. On that time people was struggling with money! And the worst thing that could happened on that time was another war. This war was called The Cold War,in this war the U.S clashed with the Soviet Union. This war became too a World Conflict,not just America was in this war. Besides the war after the WWII,The Cold War I’m going to talk about the After Depression,economically America went into a big depression with no money and also it went into a big depression with the society too.Also how I said before and what the despression contains...
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...There are many different reasons for the development of the Cold War’s in 1945 – 48. This period could be argued as being the transitional period from the USSR and USA being allied powers creating a peaceful post-war Europe to two powers fighting for control over post-war Europe. The development throughout these years, on the one hand, could be seen as being a result of Soviet expansionism, as suggested clearly in sources 7 and 9. On the other hand, in line with evidence from sources 8 and 9, USA’s economic interests could have been seen as having the most impact on the development of the Cold War. A further argument could be to suggest that it was in fact due to ideological differences, which is backed by evidence from all three sources. Overall, the development of the Cold War from 1945 – 48 owed more to the USA’s economic interests than any other factor. There is evidence in all three sources of ideology coming in to play during the development of the Cold War. “Russia wanted friendly governments on its western borders” is a clear statement that Soviet ideology of creating “buffer” states to protect them from “future attacks from the west” had a part to play in the development of the Cold War. Source 8 supports this by contributing the capitalist ideology of the US which was to use Marshall Aid (1948) to “bring economic recovery to western Europe”. The relevance of this to development of the Cold War is clarified in source 9, which explains that Stalin did not accept Marshall...
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...I disagree with the question that it was the American foreign policy that was the cause of the cold war, but instead agree with the fact that it was the difference in ideological views that was the most important factor. The American foreign policies, national interests and the personalities of the leaders all had input to the War and therefore, the War reached such extent. The Cold War was a power vacuum which was to drag the bipolar powers into, which happened to be the USA and the Soviet Union. The American foreign policy did have an impact on the Cold War however, was not the cause. This revisionist view presents America to be the cause of the Cold War. America’s main foreign policy was to secure free markets in which they saw the Soviet Union as an obstacle to achieve this. This led to tension between the two superpowers and a more aggressive War between the bipolar powers. The US also used the atomic bomb as a deliberate foreign policy to pressure the Soviet Union. Source K also holds this view that 'after the atomic bomb was created and used... it left the Soviets with but one real option: either they acquiesce in American proposals or be confronted with American power and hostility.' This led to more aggressive Soviet behaviour because by the USA not informing Stalin of such major equipment, he felt as though he could no longer trust the West. However, the Baruch plan in June 1946 proposed joint US and USSR control over the production of atomic weapons in which the...
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...Latin American Politics and DevelopmentThe Cold War, the Cuban Revolution, the spread of guerilla warfare and the doctrine of National Security in Latin America | During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. However, the relationship between the two nations was a tense one. Americans had long been wary of Soviet communism and concerned about Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical rule of his own country. For their part, the Soviets resented the Americans’ decades-long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community as well as their delayed entry into World War II, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of Russians. After the war ended, these grievances ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity. Post-war Soviet expansionism in Eastern Europe fuelled many Americans’ fears of a Russian plan to control the world. Meanwhile, the USSR came to resent what they perceived as American officials’ rhetoric, arms build-up and interventionist approach to international relations. By the time World War II ended, most American officials agreed that the best defence against the Soviet threat was a strategy called “containment.” In 1946, in his famous “Long Telegram,” the diplomat George Kennan explained this policy, The Soviet Union, he wrote, was “a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with the U.S. there can be no permanent modus vivendi...
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