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.
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).
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.
The Cold War was a result of the failed alliance between the US and Soviet Union. For forty years, the two nations were at odds. Each tried to become better than the other, spread their political systems, and achieve world domination. During this time period, the rivals were always on the verge of a war. The Cold War was fought with thinly veiled threats and began due to the iron curtain.
Historians such as Hobsbawn argue this, and believe that the traditional great power rivalry was fundamental to the start of the Cold War. Many different historians argue different points as to why the war began, McMahon argues that the difference between the Capitalist West and the Communist East was the fundamental reason for the beginning of the Cold War, the difference in ideology has been rife for many years leading up to the Cold War. Oppositely, Gaddis believes that the personality of the leaders, in particular Stalin had a main role and where he is concerned, all other leaders could have been removed, leaving only Stalin and the Cold War still would of started. I believe that the difference in Ideologies played a key, dominant role in the development of the Cold War, however I do appreciate that power rivalry and also leader personalities had a role. Firstly, Hobsbawn immediately dismisses the fact that ideology played a role in the development of the Cold War, he says ‘Confrontation would probably have developed even without ideology.’ Hobsbawn then goes onto say that after Kennan came up with his policy of Containment, the USA saw themselves as the only ‘rival power to Russia’ and that they would have to ‘contain its pressure by uncompromising resistance, even If Russia had not been communist’.
U.S. History Between 1950 through 1990 many important historical events occurred. The years succeeding WW II resulted in a tense military, political, and ideological rivalry between The United Sates and the Soviet Union who became the key players in the cold war. The Cold War involved democracy and capitalism in an attempt to vanish communism. Another major event that also took place during this time period is the Vietnam War. As if this weren’t enough, to make matters worse the civil rights movement intensified the standing of this time period.
As the communist party gained influence in Vietnam during the late forties and early fifties, at the beginning of the Cold War, the people of the United States were extremely worried about the threat of communism spreading to Southeast Asia. The Cold War agendas of the major world superpowers made Vietnam a major point of conflict because of the widespread hate of Communism in the United States, the pro-communism agenda of the Soviet Union, and both of their interest in Vietnam. As in most colonized places, the Vietnamese people were oppressed and treated as
Jordin Dickerson To what extent did ideology serve as the primary catalyst to the Cold War? During WWII, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were definitely strained. They had to join together because they had one common enemy, Nazi Germany; but after that, they began to turn on each other. The Soviets seeing the United States as a capitalist nation that turns its back on its allies where as the United States sees the Soviets as “Communist Russians” that are spreading the awful idea of communism. That one, simple word caused perhaps one of the biggest controversies and rivalries in history.
The United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies during World War II against the Axis powers, specifically Nazi Germany. However, the relationship between the two nations was problematic and full of tension; the United States felt uneasy and wary of Soviet communism, and incredibly concerned with Joseph Stalin, a Russian leader, who conveyed tyrannical traits. On the other hand, Soviets were angered and impatient with the United States for the lack of recognition and realization for the acknowledgment of the USSR. Therefore once Nazi Germany was defeated, the alliance was no more. The following fifty years of constant conflict without direct armed confrontation between these two nations became known as the Cold War.
In the decade immediately following the end of the Second World War, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union rapidly deteriorated as both nations began to distrust the other's leaders and political system. This mistrust began the Cold War, which lasted into the late 20th century. In the year immediately after the end of World War II, Americans began to fear that the influence of communism and the Soviet Union would spread across the globe and infiltrate into the United States, a great anxiety reflected in the arms race that occurred during this time. The foreign policies of president Dwight D. Eisenhower were not successful in calming these fears. In the mid-20th century, fears of a "communist infiltration" had gripped