Tyler James Emery Period 3/4 Block Due: May 31 Foreign Policies During the Cold War: Rough Draft As the aftermath of World War II began to unravel, the Soviet Union and the United States were the most dominant nations, with opposing viewpoints in many aspects, especially government. Due to their opposing viewpoints and natural desire for power, they began to compete by attempting to convert the newly unoccupied region's governments to either Democracy (U.S.), or Communism (Soviet Union). The Cold War, which began after World War II in 1945, was caused due to the constant power struggle as well as poor relations between the two nations, creating idealogical and economical conflicts. During the Cold War era, the United States had begun
A fear that the Soviets might become technologically superior is seen in Document E. Americans feared that the Soviets would dominate modern warfare, putting the United States in the weaker position. A prime example of the technological race was the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957. Although Sputnik was not a war vessel, Americans believed that the Soviets now could, and would, wage warfare on them from orbit. Thus the United States desperately began to try to establish a spaceship of there own. When their first attempts failed, Congress passed the National Defense and Education Act, to "assist in greater efforts in specific areas of national concern."
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.
Although the US and USSR seemed to have absolutely nothing in common they both had extremely strong militaries. The US and USSR feared each other because they were afraid that the other would take over their country and spread their own government ideas. With that, the USSR sets off the first atomic bomb and soon after the United States and Soviet Union were involved in an “Arms Race”. Both countries built up strong armies and worked up a huge stock of nuclear weapons believing that this would prevent a nuclear war. The main difference between the US and the USSR is their government systems.
When Stalin agreed to join a partnership with the Americans, officials were having second thoughts. Stalin was considered a troublesome ally. When news of the successful Alamogordo test reached Potsdam, top American officials began to view the atomic bomb as a way to avoid the need for Soviet involvement in the Pacific War, rather than viewing Soviet involvement as a way to avoid the need for the Bomb. Secretary of State James Byrnes was eager to “get the Japanese affair over before the Russians got in” and felt that knowledge of America’s new weapon would make the Soviets more manageable. Ways to avoid dropping the atomic bomb were never really a matter of discussion.
President Dwight Eisenhower's military plan relied on nuclear stockpiles rather than land forces. He hoped the threat of nuclear destruction would restrain the Soviets. Increasing American fears was the development of the hydrogen bomb, many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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.
“The building of missile sites triggered the Cuban Missile Crises in October of 1962.” (Harper pg. 25) John knew he couldn’t allow nuclear weapons in Cuba, but getting rid of them presented a huge problem. If the U.S. entered Cuba or bombed missile sites, the Soviet Union would declare war. An ordinary battle could turn into nuclear warfare. Such a war could destroy the U.S. and Soviet Union along with other parts of the world.
Although considered allies in WWI, USA and USSR turned against each other by the end of the ‘War to end all wars.’ Tensions increased between the two massive countries as both went through an arms race, created the Atomic bombs, and competed against each other through many other political issues. This time, between 1945 – 1949 is considered the Cold War, where Russia and USA indirectly fought. The WWI alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States was only temporary. After the end of the war USA started the tensions by aiding the whites (The Tsarists) providing military assistance. The whites attempted to overthrow the new communist government and USA was helping them.
The definition of a cold war is: “A state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates” (Wikipedia). The war between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic exhibits the entire definition of a cold war. America didn’t want the Soviet Union’s communism to expand and the Soviet Union didn’t want the American Democracy to expand. Henceforth, the two dove into the Cold War that terrorized the world for 46 years with the threat of nuclear war. The Cold War was a literal cold war because there was no direct military conflict between America and the Soviet Union