Assess the reasons for the overthrow of Soviet Power in Eastern Europe. The Cold War (1945-91) was mainly between some of the most influential countries, USSR, USA and western European countries. Soviet power had dominated Eastern Europe for the majority of the Cold War, however, around the early 1980s this power began to falter. There were many reason for the overthrow of the Soviet power, some of which were, the economic decline in the USSR, the power of the people, the introduction of Gorbachev and Western prosperity. So which of these reasons was the most important?
New period of the Cold War began with the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was a revolutionary leader for the USSR, as he was the first to promote liberalization of the political landscape (Glasnost) and capitalist elements into the economy (Perestroika) Confrontation between United States and the Soviet Union were nearly always focused on economic pressure, selective aid, diplomatic maneuver, propaganda, assassination, low-intensity military operations – in order to avoid a direct confrontation that could cause a nuclear war. Ronald Reagan 1911-2004 Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate a former CIA chief, Texas congressman and United Nations ambassador, George H.W. Bush. Voters troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of American hostages in Iran, swept the Republican ticket into office.
In the next decade there will be many important events that will be part of the Cold War that will have significant impact on communism and democracy, the Vietnam War where 58,000 Americans died in an effort to contain communism. Other important events were the Gulf War and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the collapse of the Soviet Union. This would end the Cold War era. This was seen by the United States and its allies as a victory for freedom and democracy and the fall of a communist empire. In conclusion the Cold War was caused by U.S. fear of the spread of communism and other events.
When their first attempts failed, Congress passed the National Defense and Education Act, to "assist in greater efforts in specific areas of national concern." The Act increased federal funding for "education in science and engineering" (Document G). Congress also developed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to manage the U.S. construction of spaceships. The fears of the Soviets dominating modern technology and warfare terrified Americans, intensifying the fears of the spread of communism into the United States. Amidst the communist hysteria, the United States either needed to make peace with the Soviets or contain the communists.
Thus, the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile was born. The USSR went on to brag about its possession of an inter-continental missile, 1-Upping the US’s recently developed B52 bombers. However, even this was exaggerated in the soviet’s policy of bluffing. US military planners feared that they’d fallen behind in the race. Of course, this drove the US to increase development its own ICBMs, continuing
The Cold War HIS/135 Assignment The Cold War Before World War II Britain, France and the United States allied with Russia to combine forces against Germany. The war had a devastating effect on the land and people outside the western hemisphere. After the war the United States and Soviet Union emerged as the world’s superpowers replacing Germany, France and England (Davidson, 2005). The United States power was supported by a growing economy, large military and the atomic bomb. In contrast the war took a toll on the Soviet Union, their lands were in ruin but they still had a formidable military (Davidson, 2005).
When Ronald Reagan, a staunch opponent of communism, was elected president, he increased defense spending and the U.S. military saw successful action and places like Grenada and Panama. In the 1990’s the communist Soviet Union, or the “Evil Empire,” as Reagan jokingly called them, collapsed. America’s long standing advisory for half a century was now gone. Even though there was no longer a need to fight communism at the time the U.S. relished its position as the lone economic and military superpower so much that America once again that the nation was sometimes referred to as “word police.” Events that transpired during the Reagan administration, as well as the dissolution of the Soviet Union were especially significant events prior to the Gulf War because they reinstated the belief in Americans that they are obligated to police the world for the sake of democracy and promoting their national
The Regan Doctrine: Past and Present This paper is here to examine the doctrine of President Ronald Reagan (1980-1988). Using multiple sources, the paper will show how the doctrine had a profound on the Cold War and the aftermath that would affect America‘s future. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan In 1979, The Soviet Union began its invasion of Afghanistan. According to Roskin and Berry (2010), the main reasons the Soviets invaded Afghanistan were: 1. To protect the Pro-Soviet Afghan government from being overthrown by rebels.
After WW2 tensions between the United State and the Soviet Union tightened resulting in what is known as the Cold War. Although the seeds of this rivalry were planted nearly a quarter of a century before its actual commencement with the Revolution of 1918 in Russia, the tension was also driven through occasions such as the Yalta Conference and resulted in proxy wars throughout the world and a Second Red scare in America. This period was full of tension and fear that the United States and the USSR would destroy each other and the world with their arsenals of atomic weapons. During the Yalta conference the US, Russia, Britain and France agreed on the splitting of central Europe. This Split ultimately divided Europe into two spheres of influence.
Collapse of the Soviet Union The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 took about 70 years, which resulted in the Soviet Union, splitting up into 15 separate countries. The West perceived the collapse of the Soviet Union as a victory for freedom, a celebration over totalitarianism, and evidence of capitalism over socialism. “The end of the Cold War left the United States as the only military superpower and raised the prospect of a “new world order” dominated by the United States and its European and Asian allies.” The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted from the burden of the United States and the communisms internal weakness. Ronald Reagans Administration pursued two prolonged strategies in defeating the Soviet Union. The first