Premium Essay

Who Started the Cold War and Why?

In:

Submitted By TheBigG
Words 1219
Pages 5
Who started the cold war and why?

The Cold War was started by the principal victors of World War II: the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and to a lesser extent Britain. The Cold War was essentially an ideological struggle which but soon adopted all facets of full international conflict with its geopolitical, economic and also scientific-technological aspects.

The earliest stages of the Cold War coincided with the final defeats of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in the first half of 1945. Both Communists and Capitalists were anxious to fill the power vacuums that the defeated Axis powers were leaving behind in Central Europe and the Pacific. From the setting of the scene at Yalta in February 1945, to the embittered conclusion of the Warsaw Pact on 14th May 1955, the worst obstacle to achieving a peace settlement was a mutual and deep-seated sense of suspicion, which the powers on either side of the 'Iron Curtain' must be held responsible for.

"Twenty years ago I strove with all the energy in my power against Communism, because at that time I considered Communism, with its idea of world revolution, the greatest danger to the British Empire ... Nowadays German Nazism, with its idea of the world hegemony of Berlin, constitutes the greatest danger for the British Empire ... If the danger for the British Empire from the side of Fascism were to disappear and the danger from the side of Communism were to rise again, I - I say this absolutely frankly - would begin to strive against you again."1

For Winston Churchill the danger from the side of Communism returned almost instantly once Germany had surrendered on 8th May 1945. This is not surprising for Churchill had been a fierce and long-standing enemy of Communism, which he famously described as "a pestilence more destructive of life than the Black Death or the Spotted Typhus."2

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

John Gaddis Argument For The Cold War

...The Cold War, by John Lewis Gaddis, is an extremely researched, and stunningly written historical account of the Cold War. Gaddis is the Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University. Gaddis is best known for his work on the Cold War. John Lewis Gaddis was born in 1941 in Cotulla, Texas. Gaddis received his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, and has since taught and at multiple universities and has received numerous awards and distinctions. Gaddis won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his biography of George F. Kennan. John Gaddis was born during World War II and grew up experiencing the Cold War first hand in America. Gaddis’ perspective is that of an American historian that has drawn from other Cold War historians as well....

Words: 1030 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Causes Of The Cold War Dbq

...By the end of the Second World War, a significant conflict arose between Allied powers. The United States and the Soviet Union were the two major nations who had their differences within their goals, values, and beliefs. It was a political and economic struggle for the U.S. and the USSR. Their tense relationship was because they wanted to spread their ideology across the world. The dispute among the powers lasted from 1945 up to 1991. This crucial disagreement between the Americans and the Soviets is known as the Cold War. The United States is responsible for the start of the infamous Cold War because they started the arms race and tried preventing communism by spreading democracy. Nuclear threats were made by the U.S. during the arms race....

Words: 1199 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cold War

...The Battlefield with no Blood The Cold War was the elongated tension between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. It started in the mid 40's after WWII had left Europe in shambles and Russia and the USA in superpower positions. The Cold War was a clash of these super giants in political, ideological, military, and economic values and ideas. Though military buildup was great on both sides neither one ever directly fought each other. In this essay I'm going to bring forth the following points: Rise of the Cold War, events in and because of the Cold War, and the fall of Russia. Again Germany had been thwarted in its plans of total domination. It had been a combined effort by all the Western powers and a few Eastern powers too. England was devastated, France had been literally burnt to the ground, and many small nations had suffered economic failure. To the East Russia had suffered many losses from the vain siege of the Nazi's. But they were in better shape than Europe. They still had a military and a running, somewhat, economy. In the late 40's through early 50's the Soviet Union started to spread the Lenin ideological as it started moving in the Westward position. In 47 the US started funding the rebuilding of European infrastructure in a system called the Marshall Plan. Russia in turn brought forth its own funding called the Molotov Plan. Because of that, they were able to spread communism through many countries. Some of these nations were: Poland, Romania, Bulgaria...

Words: 1105 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Korean War Causes

...The Korean War was over communism itself and that was what this war was about. “By July, American troops had entered the War on South Koreas behalf, as far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself”(history.comstaff). This relates because this quote was talking about the forces of international communism and how the war was mainly over communism. It was also talking about how the war entered on South Korea’s behalf and South Korea is a communist nation. 2 started and then that is when the Korean War came to an end and around 5 million people lost their lives and over 100,000 people were injured” (History.comstaff). My thesis was talking about the violence that this war caused and...

Words: 1140 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Cold War

...Cold War Ella Cooke Prof: Sharon Squires April 28, 2014 Cold War When people hear the word war, what are some words that are used to describe it? Most people would naturally say battle, conflict, fighting, injuries, death, opinions, and these would all be true, however when we hear of the “Cold War”, would it also include all the words that were just mentioned? Wars are typically fought between two opposing sides who don’t agree with one another, and it usually involves using weapons. With that being said is the “Cold War” the same type as other wars such as the Civil War, World War 1 and 11, the answer could be yes and no. While it was a war involving two different sides, it wasn’t fought using weapons, but with words, which some might find confusing. Upon doing research on this particular subject it finally made sense on how a war could be fought without using weapons, only words, stay tuned. The easiest way to start anything is to start at the beginning, so what is exactly is the “Cold War”, what parties were involved, and why was it fought. Although there is not concrete answer as to when it has started, it is estimated to have begun in 1947-1991. It was between two different countries the United States, and the Soviet Union, but keep in mind that it wasn’t fought with weapons, rather in words. Both parties wanted to be in control of the world that we refer to as America and since neither one was going to give in or compromise they were going to war. The only positive...

Words: 682 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Essay On Canada And The Cold War

...Canada And The Cold War By Bryce Churchill Canada surprisingly had a lot more of a impact on the Cold War than you would expect. Whenever most people think about the Cold War, it usually comes down to two different things. The first one being a non-direct fight between the U.S.S.R and the U.S.A. The second being a war fought way up north. Canada as a country was actually a middle power during the events of the Cold War which means that Canada was not quite as large or powerful as the U.S.A during the Cold War but Canada still had some influence on a international level. This is most apparent in their involvement in the Korean War, involvement in peacekeeping operations around the world, and Lester B. Pearson actions that stopped a nuclear war around the world (the Suez...

Words: 1490 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...The Cold War By Gloria Rodriguez Exploring the 1960s: An Interdisciplinary Approach December 17, 2012 Hector The first person that I interviewed was my Uncle Hector. He was in the Vietnam War as a Marine and served his country for 20 years. I remember as a child when he had told me that his best friend died in his arms he was split in half. I will never forget the sadness in his eyes. I started to cry because it broke my heart seeing my Uncle so sad. Every year on that day of the death of his best friend he is quiet and wants to be left alone. That is why I chose him and he was willing to talk to me about his thoughts about the cold war and what it means to him. What the Cold War means to my Uncle Hector, is that it reminds him of all the terrible things he witnessed in the Vietnam War. Watching innocent people dying, civilians and soldiers. And then whole villages being moved whenever the leadership figured they were in the way. For Uncle Hector the Cold War was very hot. He continues to say that the troops could not wait to get out and return home to their families whom they missed so much. The soldiers would talk to each other and they would say, “If I don’t make it send this letter to my family so they would know how much I love them.” “I Thank God that I came home and had a chance to see my children grow up, get married and that they did not have to enter into the military like I did.” George George is my roommate and best friend. He was in grade...

Words: 1043 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Cold War

...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer...

Words: 739 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Space Exploration

...Most debate and controversies surrounding space exploration could be seen becoming most prevalent after the cold war when the Soviet Union collapsed. As both the U.S and Russia's past rivalry were left behind, the incentive for space exploration dwindled and eventually became more about a "cheaper" and "faster" way to provide results. The result from a "cheaper" and "faster" method has made a post-cold war generation question the mere importance of space exploration. Matters that include poverty, war, disease, or politics have become more prevalent in the 21st century. People today raise many arguments including the mere cost of just funding space programs, let alone send a shuttle to space. Why spend billions of dollars to send a few people into space when there are homeless people starving on Earth? The cost of space travel is a reasonable point that most people for and against space exploration would agree with. A simple reason people in favor of space exploration would agree with a cost argument is due to a growing concern with where billions of dollars of funding is going and how...

Words: 1348 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Civil Right

...1. 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. 2. Discuss the origins of the Vietnam War, the course of the war over thirty years in the 1940s, and wars' impact on the United States, both at home and in terms of foreign policy. 3. Write an essay on the civil rights movement since 1953 in which you discuss the major factors that have contributed to its success and its major gains. Be sure to discuss more than one group and to cite examples from each decade of the 1950s through the 1990s. 4. Discuss the reasons for America's economic growth or decline in each decade from the 1950s through the 1990s. Then explain how various presidents have dealt with economic problems and why they succeeded or failed. 5. Write an essay about the impact of television on the history of the United States over the past fifty years in which you describe in detail at least one historical event of national importance from each decade of the 1950s - 1990s that was affected by TV. Civil Right: The WWII can be recognized at the origin of the period when United States started it political and economical dominant compare to other nations. WWII reshaped Americans’ understanding of themselves as a people. The struggle against Nazi tyranny and its theory of a master race discredited...

Words: 1612 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

How Did Joseph Mccarthy Changed Our Lives

...The Powerful: Joseph McCarthy Imagine being a communist during 1950-1954 when Joseph R. McCarthy hated all communists. He was very powerful against them. Joseph R. McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin,was the leader of this in the United States of America. Other people that had to do with McCarthyism was the government. McCarthy's point of this was to get all of the communists out of America. Because the Senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy was powerful and the Cold War was in full effect, McCarthyism changed many people's lives. One cause of why people changed their lives was how powerful McCarthy was. According to the author of History.com, “Senator McCarthy spent almost five years trying in vain to expose communists and other left-wing ‘loyalty risks’ in the...

Words: 761 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

C Grade Exam Answer

...Out of all the wars that influenced the development of Russian government, the first world war was the most significant’ How far do you agree with this statement? I feel the First World War is a very strong factor in Russian history and is a very good point to argue with it was the final disappoint that drove the people of Russia to not only take down the tsar but to later kill him. However in the development of Russian government I don’t think it had much importance, out of all the wars in Russian history I feel it was the revolutions in 1917 that played the most important role in the development of the Russian government. Russia involvement in world war one is a very big turning point in Russian history, it removed the tsar from power and left Russian on its knee’s as industries could not keep up with the demands of the war, many soldiers were without weapons and ammunition. But really didn't have a effect on the development of the Russian government it wasn't until the February revolution in 1917 that the development really started, it allowed the few remaining members of the duma including Kerensky to develop the provisional government, it was successful in installing a democratic government as it quickly allowed free elections and allowed legal political parties to be formed. However their freedom of speech and publishing of political materials from opposition was their downfall as it allowed the Bolsheviks to attack them, as there popularity increased the provisional...

Words: 870 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Coldwar

...in Peace and Conflict > The Cold War 1945-1991 > Overview of US-Soviet relations and the Cold War The Cold War 1945-1991 Overview of US-Soviet relations and the Cold War David Mclean Charles Sturt University Principal Focus: Students investigate key features and issues in the history of the Cold War 1945 - 1991 Outcomes Students: H1.1 describe the role of key features, issues, individuals, groups and events of select twentieth-century studies (Extract from Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus Board of Studies NSW 2004.) Key features and issues: • origins and development of the Cold War • influence of ideologies on the Cold War • impact of crises on changing superpower relations • the arms race • reasons for the end of the Cold War This is the transcript of a talk given at a seminar co-sponsored by the History Teachers’ Association of New South Wales and the US Information Service in Sydney on 2 September 1995. From this tutorial you will learn about: • influence of ideologies that led resulted in the division of the world into two opposed camps from 1945 • emerging differences between the superpowers Contents 1. US – Soviet relations were not synonymous with the Cold War 2. Chronology of the Cold War 3. Influence of ideologies of communism and capitalism on the Cold War 4. Soviet Objectives 5. American objectives 6. The Arms Race 7. The Third World was important for the Cold War 8. Why did the Cold War not end earlier? 9. Did the...

Words: 4442 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Hiroshima

...|Nuclear Threat Nuclear weapon and its physical damage | |weapon and it has insurmountable negative effects on societies in |Nuclear weapon deterioration of health – what kinds of radiation are | |terms of its physical destruction and deterioration on human health. |emitted in a nuclear explosion and what effect do they have on human | |Not a thesis statement but a statement of fact. |beings? | |Try: Why is it best for nuclear attack victims to be right at Ground |http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/ocr_gateway_pre_2011| |Zero? |/living_future/4_nuclear_radiation1.shtml | |Working Thesis Statement: Countries may use the nuclear weapons in |Oral Presentation Thesis Statement (must be based on PART of the | |future because of the possibility of religious war and the other |research project): The time between 1946 and 2012, no atomic bomb had| |reasons. |been used even as an overt thread threat in any warpolitical crisis, | |I will argue that there is a strong possibility that nuclear weapons |the reasons … (I will find by researching.) | |will be used in the near future. | ...

Words: 4481 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Cater and Diplomacy

...Carter and the Doctrine The Cold War and US Diplomacy Dr. Igor Barsegian Pol 300 Contemporary International Problems February 7, 2015 Abstract This paper is about the Carter Doctrine and the Cold War. I will address the wars that are affected by the speech to protect the interest of the Persian Gulf. The wars started in 1991 and they continue on today. The name has changed but the message hasn’t. The last item to address is the final chapter before Jimmy Carter left office. Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the US narrowly beating Gerald Ford for the most coveted office in the US. The margin was 297 to 240 Electoral votes (American Experience, 2006). Carter’s State of the Union was focused on oil since we were coming out of an oil shortage in the early 70’s. His speech sent a strong message to the Soviet’s the US was going to protect the Persian Gulf region by any means necessary (2006). In 1947 President Truman made a similar declaration to protect Greece and Turkey from being controlled by outside forces such as Russia, this is why the Cold War has been in existence. The Soviet started taking over smaller vulnerable countries after WWII. The Carter Doctrine provided in some ways many foreign diplomatic affair episodes involving the use of force by the United States. The first Afghanistan War was a result of protecting the interest of the Persian Gulf region. The US had to use military force to prevent the Soviets from taking over the smaller area in and around...

Words: 1094 - Pages: 5