Karan Agarwal 12 E To what extent was the cold war a result of World War II? ESSAY PLAN Introduction v What was the Cold War? v Differences between USA and USSR Yes, it was a result of the Second World War: v v v v The question of a ‘second front’ during the war had worsened relations between USSR and USA USA had used the Atomic bomb without informing USSR (distrust) The USSR had suffered enormously from the war while the US emerged stronger (threat to USSR). The was a power vacuum in the heart of Europe was filled by The Red Army, that controlled Eastern Europe, which increased the USSR’s sphere of influence (threat to USA). v v Yalta conference agreements resulted in Germany being divided into zones of occupation and Berlin was to have a western zone.
Chapter 32 Summary The Cold War is defined as the ideological struggle between communism (Soviet Union “Warsaw Pact”) and Capitalism (United States “NATO”) for world influence. In 1948 the united states begin to view the Soviet Union as an adversary and threat. Prior to the Cold War Was World War II. World War II (1939-1945) the United States decided to develop the Marshall Plan to aid European recovery from the devastation of World War II. During The Cold War there began a development of nuclear weapons; It was a race for nuclear supremacy.
With reference to the Marshall Plan, the Berlin blockade and airlift and the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is shown that America’s various attempts to contain communism from spreading throughout the world, eliminated the Soviet threat and controlled the spread of communism. Works Cited Simkin, J. (n.d.). The Marshall Plan. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmarshallP.htm Bureau of Public Affairs, U. D. (n.d.).
While Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all had the same same Cold War intention of ending communism, their ways of achieving their goal were different.The Cold War was an angry dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union about whether we should spread or contain communism (Ayres 817). According to Edward Ayres in American Anthem: Reconstruction to the Present all three Presidents used some form of Economic Aid, how we help other countries financially; Military Aid, how we help other countries’ militaries; and finally, Military Use, how we utilise our military (Ayres 817). Their end goal was to completely contain, or confine communism(Truman).
The Cold War lasted for around 46 years, from the year 1945 to 1991. After the devastation of the Second World War came to an end, representatives from the United Kingdom, United States, and Soviet Union held the Yalta Conference to discuss Europe’s reorganization. Winston Churcill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin represented their respective countries. Churchill and Roosevelt also had the underlying fear that tension with the Soviet Union would arise during the post-war rehabilitation. Both the United States and United Kingdom decided to settle on an agreement with Stalin.
The Second World War ended in 1945 with the victory of ‘the Grand Alliance’ of the USSR, the USA and Britain. Although on the surface it appeared the West and the Soviets had reached a mutual understanding in their quest to defeat the Axis powers, strains in their relationship during the war and in the years preceding it suggests that conflict was imminent. Thus, certain actions by both the USA and the USSR can be interpreted as prompting the Cold War as early as 1945. As the Cold War did not involve direct conflict between the USA and USSR, locating its origin is a topic of contention. However, the breakdown in relations between the emerging superpowers during the war and the consequences of the disbandment of the Grand Alliance can be interpreted as the start of the Cold War.
To what extent did events in the final year of the Second World War turn wartime allies into Cold War enemies? I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against our neighbour, all of us against the foreigner. This Bedouin proverb strikingly summarizes the transition from wartime allies to enemies in 1945: it is the compulsion to fight the enemy that glues together even the most unlikely of allies. The reason why the USA and UK fought alongside the USSR during the Second World War was their common will to defeat Nazi Germany. This was also the motivation behind Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill’s cooperation during the Yalta conference of February 1945, as the war against Germany, although in its final stages, was still raging.
It outlined a policy that would evolve to become known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. This doctrine was announced to retroactively justify the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 that ended the Prague Spring, along with earlier Soviet military interventions, such as the invasion of Hungary in 1956. These interventions were meant to put an end to democratic liberalization efforts and uprisings that had the potential to compromise Soviet hegemony inside the Eastern bloc, which was considered by the Soviets to be an essential defensive and strategic buffer in case hostilities with NATO were to break out. The Invasion and Doctrine was “therefore of great significance for strengthening the socialist community”. In practice the policy meant that partial independence of communist parties was allowed.
How the Cold War Began The Cold War began because the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism, the United States was worried about nuclear warfare, and the space race had put the Soviets and the United States under pressure. First, the United States had to keep the spread of communism to a minimum. The iron curtain was used to divide communist countries from non-communist countries (notes pg 7). This was issued by Prime Minister Winston Churchill who wanted the United States, Britain, and France to form an alliance to stop the Soviet aggression. The Marshall Plan was established to aid European countries after WWII.
This was the start of Stalin not trusting the United States and Great Britain. It is not clear why the United States and Great Britain didn’t launch their attack, but possibly they didn’t want to show weakness to the Soviet Union. The Yalta (now the Ukraine) was the second conference that took place in February 1945 between President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and Premier Stalin. They came out of the conference with the Yalta declaration that declared to destroy Germany Nazism and an agreement to never disturb the peace in the world