...intended to cause the Cold War? Historians have many different viewpoints of who is responsible for the Cold War. The post revisionist group is integrated by the ones who support the fact that neither the U.S nor the USSR was responsible. Meanwhile, countering this argument there are two more groups, the first one is called the Orthodox view who blame the USSR and the second one is the Revisionist view who blame the U.S. The historical position known as the Orthodox places the responsibility for the Cold War on the Soviet Union and its expansion into Eastern Europe. Their main argument is based on Soviet expansionism; they said Stalin had an aggressive policy towards Eastern Europe. For example, the Salami tactics were a way of expanding and securing communist control over Easter Europe by initially establishing a broad alliance of anti-fascists with Moscow as the Central government. Moreover, the most important event which confirmed this aggressive policy of the Soviet Union towards expanding and securing control over East Europe is the Berlin Blockade, were Stalin ordered the cut of railways, roads and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied control. His aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to supply Berlin, thereby giving the Soviets practical control over the entire city. Furthermore, the Kennan telegram warned the U.S of the Soviet expansionists ideas and that they fed communism by controlling poor countries who were willing to be controlled...
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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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...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 it’s 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 kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted and heightened through provocative, and at times, aggressive actions on foreign policy, taken by Stalin. An example...
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...the development of the Cold War in the period 1945-50 was the result of Stalin’s foreign policy? 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 it’s 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 kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted and...
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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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...causes of the world wars? World War one have seven causes; the Franco-Prussian war, the alliance systems, the Balkan Powder Keg, imperialism, Nationalism, Arms Race, the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand occurred. The Assassination of the Archduke, top off world war one, once he was killed, the people were looking for reason to start a war, so they did. World War two also had several causes, such as; nationalistic tensions, unresolved issues, and disapproving result from World War I and the interwar period in Europe, and all these causes were in addition to the Great Depression in the 1930s. What role did nationalism play in the world wars? Nationalism played a major role in World War 1 as well as World War 2. During both of the wars, Germany was involved in both wars. Germany had such a strong patriotism that they felt they would do whatever they had to keep it that way. How are imperialism and colonialism related to the world wars? Imperialism and colonialism related to the world wars because during the wars, the smaller nation were being bullied by the German government and were basically force to do things the German way What was the role of industrialization in the world wars? Basically during the wars, factories were built so they can make weapon for wars better and faster. How do the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality relate to the world wars? The enlightenment ideas of liberty can be related to the world wars, because during this...
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...that the development of the Cold War in the period 1945-50 was the result of Stalin’s foreign policy? 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 it’s 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 kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted and heightened...
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...the Origins of the Cold War In the second half of 20th century, one conflict, the Cold War, stands unchallenged as the preeminent organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. A central question in the historiography of the Cold War is simply, whose fault was it? During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were allies against the fascist Axis powers. In the waning years of that always uneasy alliance, greater signs of strain began to show, and soon a complete break would follow. Was this unavoidable? If not, who carries the greater blame for creating this division, which after all, repeatedly threatened nuclear holocaust and created the ideological justification for a series of horrendously destructive interventions into the so-called “Third World.” While there remains a great diversity of opinion regarding these questions, it has become commonplace in many academic discussions to refer to three broad “schools” of thought regarding the origins of the Cold War: “orthodox” explanations, “revisionism,” and “post-revisionism.” Of course, this categorization is not nearly as “neat and tidy” as one might be inclined to believe; it tends to mask the depth and diversity of the efforts of many historians. What follows will be a discussion of these three main perspectives, an evaluation of their arguments, and thoughts regarding the future of the field of Cold War historiography. For the first ten to twenty years after the end of World War II, the “orthodox”...
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...During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were once allies to defeat the axis powers once and for all. After the war had ended there was much tension between the two nations. Their political differences made the world a hostile environment and an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust grew amongst the nations. Historians throughout these years have debated the issue of who was most responsible for what the Cold War. Based on my studies, readings and work I have concluded that Soviet Union was more to blame for the Cold War because they initiated the construction of the Iron Curtain, created an environment that was oppressive and harsh for the people the living in Communist nations and were committed to having the most weapons at their disposal....
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...the view that the development of the Cold War in the years 1945-48 owed more to Soviet expansionism than to the USA’s economic interests? It is evident that, as Source 7 argues, the development if the Cold War in the years 1945-48 owed more to Soviet expansionism. However, it was not the main factor. The USA’s desire to boost their economy and influence in Eastern Europe, discussed in Source 8, and the need to secure the USSR’s boarders, the focus of Source 9, also l,aged s key role in the development of the Cold War. Perhaps one can argue that all three aims of both superpowers acted as catalysts and contributed to the development of the Cold War. In essence, Source 7 argues that the USSR had an “ambitious aim” of insuring Communist control in its sphere of influence. This is true in the sense that Stalin aimed to take advantage of the military situation in Europe and strengthen Soviet influence which resulted in occupying as much of Eastern Europe as possible. Following the Yalta and Potsdam conferences of 1945, Pro-Communist governments were set up in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. As well as this, the Soviet Union allowed Communist politicians to hold key positions in Coalition governments before elections were held meaning that elections could be manipulated to ensure communists controlled the levers of power. As a result of such measures, by the end of 1947 every state in Eastern Europe, except from Czechoslovakia, was controlled by a Communist government...
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...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....
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...Who Is Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan is the former governor of California, a former Hollywood actor, but he will most be remembered as the 40th President of the United States of America. Ronald Reagan is the most underrated President in the history of this great country. His contributions to the growth of the United States economy throughout his two terms in office are un-matched. He successfully curbed inflation and reduced government spending, ended the Cold War, fought hard against the war on drugs, and successfully survived several assassination attempts. Ending the Cold War The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc and powers in the Eastern Bloc. The cold was started in 1947 and lasted until its official ending in 1991. It was referred to as the “Cold War” because instead of using actual weapons the two sides used verbal weapons in the form of information and threats. Enter Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States. Reagan was determined to end the Cold War and therefore introduced what would become known as the Reagan Doctrine. The Reagan Doctrine took the United States cold war plan into Third World Countries and provided military and economic support to various dictatorships in these countries to help aid the resistance of any revolutionary movement. He also armed oppositional armies so that they may rise up against any pro-Soviet government. The outcome of all of Reagan’s efforts...
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...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...
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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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...The Iron Curtain Post-World War II attitude transitioned from relief to immediate paranoia and suspicion. World War II was responsible for roughly 55 million deaths. The most devastating war in modern history led to a great shift in power around the world. Many questions regarding the future of Europe arose. The Cold War was caused by a clash between capitalist and communist ideologies that ultimately led to the United States winning the Cold War. The Cold War was a post-World War II stalemate between the world’s two reigning superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. The world now saw opposition between the United States’ capitalist visions verses the Soviet Union’s communist visions. Various roots contributed to the start of the Cold War. Even before the end of World War II, suspicions of the Soviets were present. In October 1917, a revolution in Russia led by Lenin Bolshevik and the communists alarmed many Americans. The Communists had seized power and often used violence to achieve their goals. With a Marxist view, they rejected religion and the idea of private property. It was obvious that the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism throughout the world. After World War II, there loomed a danger of appeasement, because of the familiar events that occurred with Hitler and Germany. Hitler made demands that allowed the Nazis to expand further, and many believed that the Soviet Union was more fixed on world domination ...
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