Powaski argues that “That the Cold War was inevitable. From the Very Beginning of the Russian- American relationship, except for a brief period in 1917, the ideologies of the two nations were fundamentally incompatible. (1) For Powaski to verify his perceptive on the Cold war he provided an insight on American- Soviet relations in 1917. In 1917 Russia was in a revolution and a provisional government was formed and
In examining the factors that shaped the various strategies of the struggle, a more balanced post-revisionist approach must be taken. As such, an investigation of Cold War policy - from Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe to the US containment strategy; from Khrushchev's 'peaceful coexistence' to Eisenhower's 'brinkmanship'; until the eventual relief of détente and later disarmament- reveals that both the East and the West were driven by "the combination of ideological and strategic interests.” The Soviet establishment of the Eastern Bloc, for example, is condemned by orthodox historians such as Norman Bailey - a heavily prejudiced former US government official - as "the initiation of an epic struggle between incompatible ideologies: the Cold War could not end in stalemate, because the utopian,
World History since the End of WWII 1. What were the major events that led to the breakdown of the Grand Alliance (created during the WWII)? Three nations had underlying attitudes towards one another. The U.S opposed the Russian communism and British imperialism whereas Britain wasn’t consent with the U.S economic dominance. Russia opposed the others’ capitalism.
NSC-68 largely shaped U.S. foreign policy in the Cold War and involved a decision to make containment against Communist expansion the highest priority. It pledged the US not only to contain communism, but to take a further step to drive back Communist influence wherever it appeared. The Cold War dated from 1947 to 1991 and it was a struggle of tension between the Western Bloc and Eastern Bloc which Soviet Union was trying to control. The Cold War was an idealistic struggle for control. We have conflicting values protecting our country and the rise of communism.
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.
This interpretation is presented by McCauley who argues that “the question of the second front was to bedevil tensions between the Allies during the war”. However this view is challenged substantially by Fenby, who argues for a lesser significance, by stating that “[the Second Front] was too useful a political tool not to be used to ensure that the Western Allies would compensate by pumping supplies to Russia”. Fenby’s interpretation, that Russia presented the Second Front as a greater tension than it was for material gain is the more persuasive argument when taking into account Molotov, the Russian foreign minister of the time’s own accounts of the era. Molotov says that Stalin “did not believe [that a second front would happen]. But one had to demand it”, intimating that whilst Stalin may have kept angrily demanding the opening of a second front in
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
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
This idea is strengthened by the fact that the USSR brought in visions such as Cominform and Comencon, while the United States introduced ideas like the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine. However, it is not clear whether the division was due to a collective influence of policies, aims and interests; or whether it was in fact mainly the fault of the Soviet Union and its harsh plans and ideas towards post-war Germany. It is evident that the USSR did lead a major role in increasing tensions between the victors of the Second World War between 1945 and 1845, which did lead to the division of Germany. This is clear through Stalin’s use of policies that were implemented after 1945, and the plans that he had in place for Germany; such as Stalin’s determination to create a buffer zone between the West and the USSR; and also the Soviet’s general attitude towards Germany. Stalin wanted to protect the USSR from future conflicts with Germany, as this was a big issue that wasn’t properly addressed in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference, and definitely was not dealt with in the Treaty of Versailles.
The Truman Doctrine’s Influence on the Cold War Harry Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. The U.S. and Russia were allies during World War II. They had undividedly diverse government systems, the authority- craving Stalin (Russia’s leader) and the anti- isolationist Truman, which caused hostility between Russian and the United States. The disparity in patriotic concepts revealed by Stalin and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill would instigate the route to the Cold War. The tactics exercised by the U.S. and Great Britain were created to impede the Soviet Union’s endeavor to explicate pushover communist governments over subverted nations, with this approach Truman exposed his doctrine which pursued a responsibility in determining U.S. relevance’s.