Year 10 Humanities The Cold War - ‘How can differing ideologies lead to conflict?” ‘With reference to 3 flashpoints, discuss the implementation and effectiveness of the US policy of containment.’ During the period between 1950 and 1991 the United States led by George Kennan opposed the communist ideology, organization and government, and as a result brought in the containment policy also known as the Truman Doctrine. The point of the Containment Policy was for the United States during the Cold War to keep Communism from spreading. America, fatigued from war did not want to send troops into Europe to help fend off communism which would be impossible. Instead the US decided to prevent the takeover of communism and contained it’s ideology
Another reason to why America is to blame is after the success of the atomic bomb the members of the Grand Alliance began to see changes in Truman’s behaviour as he started to control the meetings they had and Stalin refused to be bossed around so arguments between Stalin and Truman started, they started. The USSR is to blame for the breakdown of the Grand Alliance for many reasons. One reason is that the USSR wanted to impose big respirations on Germany but America and Great Britain refused as they knew how it would affect Germany and could cause another war. A second reason is that Stalin wanted most of Europe to become communist, Roosevelt and Churchill didn’t agree. After Truman became Americas new President there was a lot of tension at the Potsdam Conference.
Using the bomb pretty much guaranteed that the U.S. would occupy Japan without the Soviets as well as sending a clear message to the Soviets to go slow and careful in Europe and it’s territories. Also, the billions spent on the bomb project was only to be justified by proving the military worth of the Atom Bomb in actual use. In his diary, President Truman stated that he and the Secretary of War, Mr. Stimson were in agreement on the bombing. The targets were to be purely military to save innocent lives. A warning was to be issued to the Japanese government in the hopes that they would surrender before the bomb fell.
He also said that it will be impossible to persuade Russia to remove her troops from Poland and China and the island of Sakhalin unless they are shocked and impressed by American military strength. So in short words, James Byrnes believes that dropping the atomic bombs might make Russia more manageable and force Japan to surrender. If the USA did drop the bombs on japan, it will stop the USSR from advancing too far, plus halted the war quickly so that Stalin’s Soviet Russia did not demand joint occupation of
Finally, the largest controversy surrounded his public outcries to invade Japan against the orders of President Truman. Many believe that this would enter the Soviet Union into the war and would instigate a nuclear war. However, others think that the Soviets were not yet done perfecting a nuclear bomb and by hitting them hard early as well as China, that the Cold War as well as communism could have both been diminished. Regardless, it is hard to play Monday-morning quarterback and place yourself in MacArthur’s position on the battlefield. He had a completely different perspective than those officials sitting atop Capitol Hill will watchful eyes on all global situations.
The ships sent to Cuba would be stopped and inspected and if they were carrying military supplies then they would be turned back and sent back to the Soviet Union. when the ships tried to run the blockade, the U.S. was caught in a dilemma, either they look soft and let the ships go to avoid war, or they forcefully take the ships and plunge into war. The US and Soviet Union were standing toe to toe on the line of scrimmage and were waiting for the quarterback to say hike so that they could kill the other kid on the other side of the football. The truth of the matter was, that the US was pulling its final card and practicing brinksmanship and were hoping that the Soviets would back down and just go home so that they would not have to enforce their “Quarantine” because that would mean war. If this conflict ended up in war, it is the opinion of the author that the United States would have been to blame.
Ernst Roehm had a different view of a successful Germany and Hitler was on different path (A3). Apparently Roehm and Hitler have butted heads before and Hitler came on top (A3). Hitler was growing very afraid of the Brownshirts, so he felt the only way to keep power was to put the S.A on leave. Hitler was thinking that another revolution could have happened with the S.A in power (D2). Hitler paid attention to what happened with Russia and was able to not make the same mistake.
Therefore, the US created unconditional terms of surrender, knowingly going against the Japanese ethic of honour and against the institute of the emperor, whom most Americans probably wanted dead. Consequently, the use of the atomic bomb became a way to avenge America's fallen soldiers while also keeping the USSR in check in Europe. The Japanese civilian casualties did not matter in this strategy. Also, it did not prevent the Cold War, as the USSR was just a few years behind on a-bomb research. At the time, revenge, geopolitics and an expensive project that could not be allowed to simply rust away, meant the atomic bomb had to be hastily deployed “in the field” in order to see its power and aftermath – though little was known about radiation and its effects on humans.
• Even though they were going to use the bomb the government kept recruiting people into the army. • Many people argued that if the government were going to use this amazing weapon why not just stop investing so much money into the military. E. Conclusion • The United States cannot be fully responsible for the bombing for Hiroshima but they do play a major role of the bombing. • Japan was warned that they would be bombed if they did not comply to American terms but because of this Japan refused to accept the terms and in return an atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima • President Truman had many other options that bombing Japan in order for them to surrender but since America is such a nationalistic country they wanted to prove to Russia their enemy before and after WWII that they were the stronger country. • Even though the bomb was dropped and Japan refused to surrender.
He had blamed Iraq to be holding terrorists, he had made America believe that Iraq had been under Saddam Hussein’s clutches and that whatever he had to say was law. President Bush had stated in his speech that, “Saddam Hussein is harboring terrorists and the instruments of terror, the instruments of terror of mass death and destruction, and he cannot be trusted. The risk is simply too great that he will use them or provide them to a terror network”. He had made Americans believe that Hussein was creating weapons and developing a nuclear weapon so that he could “blackmail” the world. President Bush had not trusted Saddam Hussein and he didn’t want rest of America to either.