Although however, this strained their relationship between the USSR from having conflicting national interests, this economic concept could be said to have been a huge tension between the USSR and America, as it excluded Russia, alienating them by spreading their capitalist ideologies and all the while ignoring their need for help in rebuilding themselves. Truman based his entire strategy of containment on George Kennan’s analysis of communism. Kennan implied the entire problem is the ideology, and the leaders who believe in it. The American hostility to communism therefore played a huge role in the shaping of the Cold War and showing the divide between the superpowers and highlighting the personalities and conflicting interests between
The main point of George Kennan’s (1947) essay was that the Soviet Union “could not enjoy a peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world.” He said, the Soviets were seeking to spread Socialism and considered capitalism its greatest enemy which would not be allowed to influence the people of Russia. In March of 1947, Kennan views influenced President Truman, and were the basis for the presidential proclamation known as the Truman Doctrine. His essay “The Sources of Soviet Conduct,” was the first article written referencing the policy of containment. The essay outlined the answers to five basic questions about the United States international environment and it analyzed the “Soviet Union’s postwar outlook; the background of this outlook; a projection on practical Soviet policy, both officially and unofficially; and deductions from the standpoint of United States foreign policy.” Kennan characterized the Soviet state as believing that it has been harness and girdled by the United States and its allies which is naturally combative and prone to become hostile towards the Russia. Kennan says that the Russian people are ruled by a tyrant and these ideas are not their views but the viewpoint the Communist Party.
So which of these reasons was the most important? The most important reason for the overthrow in Eastern Europe was the economic decline in the USSR. Simon J Ball (1998) also argued that “there is little doubt that the Cold War came to an end as a result of Soviet economic failure. This failure led in turn a failure of nerve amongst the Soviet governing elite.” Ball suggests that if the Soviet Union did not experience an economic failure then they may have been able to keep power and it was that economic failure that triggered the other factors. By 1986 the Soviet economy suffered from both hidden inflation and pervasive supply shortages which were aggravated by an increasingly open black market that undermined the official economy.
(Page 12) Reagan demanded that the Soviet’s “surrender “ (change their behavior) and without changing these behaviors, they would no longer receive the many benefit they were benefiting from, from the West. Sharansky explained that this had been a revolution in diplomatic thinking, and in doing this…Reagan was able to find the “Achilles Heel” of His enemies. PART 2: Sharansky’s formula for the mechanics of tyranny divided the world into two different categories. One category was free society in which people could speak freely of their opinions and not be punished for it and the second society was know as the fear society which was pretty much the opposite.
As he abandoned the party’s monopoly on political power and machinery controls, the Moscow leadership declined and harsh regulations were de-imposed. Now there was no means to prevent disintegration. 36. Why was the independence of Russia significant to the disintegration of the USSR? Russia was the largest and most powerful of the Soviet Republics.
Without the USA ,it could not carry its duties responsibly. When faced against aggressors, it could do nothing. Britain and France often acted in their self interests. The Hoare Laval Pact showed that that two of the League's most powerful members were wiling to work against the League.The USSR was the only one that could have sent troops but it was not in the League. The Manchurian Crisis was pretext for the failure of the League.
The Berlin Wall was a physical symbol of the political and emotional differences between East Germany and West Germany. The Wall stood tall and strong through one of the most important times in the history of the world. The reason the wall was built actually has less to do with Germany than most people think, it has more to do with the fact that after World War II the United States and the rest of Europe could no longer agree with the Soviet Unions ideals. The Soviets wanted to form more communist governments
Once the Axis powers were defeated the differences between the United States and Soviet Union became self-evident. Although both the US and USSR had very strong and powerful militaries they used them to enforce very different ideas. The US used theirs to enforce capitalism and the USSR enforced communism. The US promoted individualism while the USSR promoted equality. Although the US and USSR seemed to have absolutely nothing in common they both had extremely strong militaries.
That one, simple word caused perhaps one of the biggest controversies and rivalries in history. Communism could easily take the blame for the cause of the cold war. The Soviet Union and the United States joined forces during WWII out of necessity, not out of the goodness of their hearts. The United States had to practically beg the Soviets to begin fighting Japan. Even as allies, the countries did not trust each other entirely.
The idea of “containment” and not letting the Soviet Union gain influence and control of the region was perhaps the biggest and only factor for the United States assistance in South Vietnam. In its quest for world supremacy, the US felt it had to do anything in its power to ensure that they would remain on top, even if it meant fighting the Soviets in proxy wars like that of Korea and Vietnam. From a strategic and political view, the war was an absolutely necessary and even though many feel the US had lost, they were better off than had they just remained passive and allowed Communism to spread. More than anything, the Vietnam War was a message to the rest of the world that the US could, and more importantly would, engage in conflict in attempt to ensure that democracy remain the prevalent political and economical ideology existent across the