position on communism. I was a believer that the Cold War was a stalemate between the two superpowers Russia and the U.S. in nuclear arms. The book is well written and help fills some gap in my American history. The book explains how the conflict between U.S. and Russia affected other nations. The strength of the book is how it goes in details about communism showing how it influenced America’s decision in the past, present, and the future.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s the Soviet Unions satellite states established the Brezhnev doctrine. The Brezhnev Doctrine was established because of the Soviet Union’s ability to maintain such governmental control over Eastern Europe. An intervention of such domestic affairs with military power provided the Soviet Union a unique Political power. Surprisingly by the 1970’s the Soviet Union and the United States of Americas formed a treaty agreement to reduce the nuclear missiles both possessed. Nuclear missiles were the reasons such turmoil was established between the Soviet Union and other nations.
In order to fight the Cold War, President Harry S Truman oversaw a revolution in American foreign policy. Characterized by policies and institutions such as the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, NATO, and the Berlin airlift, the strategy of containment redefined liberal internationalism and involved the United States in the world as never before. Despite such programs, however, the Communists made gains in atomic weapons, propaganda, Europe, and China in the late 1940s. In 1950, NSC 68 — primarily and theoretically — and Korea secondarily and practically — confirmed for Truman what he already believed: In the end, the Cold War would be won or lost on moral grounds. But he could not turn to the United Nations for moral authority, since
Mao was seen as an instrument of the Soviet Union’s bid to spread worldwide revolution. However, by 1958 relationships between the USSR and China began to deteriorate. One of the most dangerous points of tension during the whole of the cold war was the Taiwan Strait Crisis which occurred in both 1954-55 and 1958 between the USSR and China. The first Taiwan Strait Crisis ended when the Guomindang abandoned the Taschen Islands to the communists but held onto Quemoy and Matsu and at the same time the CCP took a more moderate line and negotiations was started. However, tension came to the
The aim of Cominform was to help the S.U to co-ordinate the communist parties around Europe. This ensured that all states in Eastern Europe followed Soviet aims in foreign policy. Also they introduces Soviet style economic policies such as collectivisation of agriculture and state control of industry. They also purged members of the states who disagreed with Moscow. Comecon, however, was supposed to me a means of giving financial support to Eastern Europe.
‘The main aim of Brezhnev’s policies was to maintain the Soviet system’ to what extent do you agree with this statement? Leonid Brezhnev assumed the position of chairman of the Presidium in 1977. He sought to make the Soviet Union the military equal of the United States and promote its political influence around the world through a continuation of Khrushchev’s policy of détente. Although in contrast to Khrushchev, his priorities were stability, continuity and conservatism. However, throughout his period as leader, Russia saw the dominance of corruption and nepotism.
In 1947, Stalin established Conform. This was a plan to organize activities of Communist parties in Europe to control capitalist ideas and spread communism hence, strengthen the Soviet’s power. Then two years later, another one of Stalin’s foreign policy, Comecon was set up to coordinate the economy of Eastern Europe. Although these methods were seen by the West, Stalin’s action to secure the Soviet Union’s power, these actions were self-defensive policies against US’s policies, the Truman Doctrine and the
In the 1960’s communism was trying to take over the world. Russia already took over many European countries and it was spreading too many parts of Asia. The definition of communism is “a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. (dictionary.com)” In the 1950’s senator Joe McCarthy helped elevate the red scare with the trials he conducted. “Marxists indeed advocated that the world should become Communist, but not by hostile takeover.
The revolutions led by him eventually led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in China. The outcome that was different was how they ran their economy, China relied more on agriculture and Russia relied on industrialization. This difference is mainly due to the fact that China never industrialized and Russia slowly
These actions support and represent a competitive capitalist economy, defense for the United States’ border, and encourage rights and democracy worldwide. After World War II, the Soviet Union had forced communism upon several Eastern European countries whom of which they had liberated. The United States feared that once a country became communist, other countries would follow forming the “Domino Theory.” Therefore the United States had shifted the American foreign policy to the policy of Containment. The United States must counteract all communist moves and decisions by the Soviet Union, therefore becoming involved with Vietnam. The goal was to contain countries with a communist government, and prevent the spread of communism to other countries.