cold war
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Cold War
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Cold War
The existence of the cold war resulted in the opening of yet restricted rivalry that started
after world war II that existed between two superpower countries as well as their respective
allies. One of the major reasons is that the cold war was started based on political, economic,
and propaganda fronts, which had been recognized to have limited recourse for various
weapons. The war began after America and
Britain had an unstable alliance, causing the
relationship between the two countries to unravel. This caused the Soviet Union to install a
left-wing administration in the eastern nations of Europe, which had been delivered through
the efforts of the red army. The United States and Britain had worries about the Soviet Union
taking control of eastern Europe and the danger of the Soviet Union influencing communist
coming into power.
On the flip side, the Soviets were prepared to establish and sustain control of eastern
Europe. The major reason for this is that the soviets were determined to secure themselves
against any propable recommenced danger that may come from Germany. Furthermore, they
wanted to spread communism globally mainly because of ideological reasons. In 1947 and
1948, the cold war had already become intense because the U.S. aid provided under the
Marshal plan to the western parts of Europe resulted in those nations under the influence of
the United States. Also, the soviets had already managed to spread communism through the
eastern parts of Europe, thus influencing those nations. This resulted in the struggle between
superpowers, especially during the years leading to 1953 when the cold war was at its peak.
This is because the soviets were not able to block the western-held sectors of west Berlin
during 1948-1949.
1
Johnson, M. P. (2002). Reading evidence.
The William and Mary Quarterly
,
59
(1), 193-
202.
2
Shulman, M. D. (2019).
Beyond the Cold War
. Routledge.
3
Following this, America and its European allies developed a North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). This organization resulted in the unification of military command that
was significant in resisting the presence of the soviets in Europe during the year (1949). The
soviets, in turn, make use of their first atomic warhead, putting a stop to the American
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monopoly on atomic power. The Chinese communists rose to power in china which implied
that they were supported by the soviet’s communist government. The United States, on the
other hand, supported South Korea, thus bringing about an indecisive Korean War which
went on for approximately four years. The tensions associated with the cold war were
relaxed, especially as a result of the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Despite the death
of the soviet dictator, the standoff among the superpowers remained.
Conversely, the soviet-bloc nations formed a unified military organization called the
Warsaw Pact, causing west Germany to join NATO. The cold war came to be at an intense
stage during the year 1958-1962. One primary reason is that the States and the Soviets started
producing intercontinental ballistic missiles. The soviets started setting up missiles in Cuba
secretly, which may have been used to start nuclear attacks on American cities. Due to this, a
confrontation between the two superpowers almost caused war before they both came into an
accord and decided to put a stop to the missiles. This is because the two superpower nations
recognized that neither of them was ready to use nuclear weapons due to the fear of
retaliation from each other. Consequently, it brought about an agreement between the two
superpowers to ban aboveground nuclear weapons testing. Nonetheless, the soviets vowed to
increase their military superiority to avoid humiliation from rival nations.
5
3
4
Baldwin, M. (2018). Scientific autonomy, public accountability, and the rise of “peer
review” in the Cold War United States.
Isis
,
109
(3), 538-558.
5
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Was the Cold War Inevitable
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The tensions that existed among the Americans and the Soviet Union made the Cold War
inevitable. Nonetheless, claiming that the disagreements among the superpower countries can
be recognized as inaccurate. Studies extrapolated that had the superpower countries found an
accord that suited each party, and there could have been no cold war, only slight tension. One
major reason for the cold war was a contrived conflict where the United States and the Soviet
Union were ignorant towards the belief systems of each other. This brought about
miscommunication among the nations, followed by their unwillingness to fix these
misconceptions. This implies that the nations were never prompted to release the tensions
bound to come to light. However, suppressing the said conflict brought about devastating
effects when it was time to release the tension.
Conversely, the cold war was recognized as a buffer between the United States and the
Soviet Union mainly because, at the time, they both had a common enemy in Germany.
Nevertheless, both superpower countries had never become friends or cordial against each
other. Both countries wanted to showcase their superiority and serve no true purpose except
as an outlet for showcasing their power. Various historians have acknowledged that the cold
war was inevitable, especially because of the hostilities between both superpower countries.
The United States was of believed that the Soviet Union was on a mission of trying to spread
evil through their communist idea. The Soviet Union requested considerable reparations from
the Germans. However, the united states recalled that the major reason for the origination of
the world war was the post-world war reparations. Another reason the cold war was
inevitable was the unification of western Germany, which in turn caused the Soviet Union to
respond by building the berlin blockade. This, in turning, resulted in cutting the railways,
6
Richmond, Y. (2021). Cultural exchange and the Cold War. In
Cultural Exchange and the
Cold War
. Penn State University Press.
5
highways, and waterways that went directly into Berlin. The united states then decided to
counteract this by airlifting food as well as supplies to the residents until the Soviet Union
realized that the formation of the blockade was not accomplishing their goals, thus deciding
to tear it down. Ultimately, this became one of the many international crises associated with
the cold war. Technically, the Americans responded well by not destroying the blockade or
even contemplating attacking the Soviets
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but conveying supplies through alternative roots
until the Soviets were left with no choice but to recognize that their actions bearded no fruits,
thus removing the blockade.
Factors that led to the Cold War
The cold war was a result of various factors that participated in bringing about the cold
war that might have been prevented easily. The rising tension between the two superpower
nations especially after the end of World War II. At the time, the Soviet Union was always
with the United States, among other countries, including France and Britain. The major
objective that led to this partnership's formation was to help end the fascist regime across
Europe that Germany, Italy, and Japan perpetrated. The existence of the Yalta Conference
played a key role in the cold war mainly because it showcased the separation between Stalin
and the various leaders. Neither of the parties fully trusted the other, and Stalin resented other
leaders because they believed that they participated in slowing down the Normandy Invasion
and the allied attack of Italy, thus, making the soviet army to grapple on its own when facing
Nazi Germany.
The existence of nuclear arms, especially at the end of the cold war. The Americans was
among the only country that possessed nuclear weapons, including the one used in Japan
7
Joseph, G. M. (2019). Border crossings and the remaking of Latin American cold war
studies.
6
towards the end
8
of World War II. This made the Soviet Union not to be able to
militaristically challenge the United States, which implied that they had to develop their
weapons. The development of nuclear weapons by both nations played a key role in the cold
war mainly because the two nations' had accumulated loads of nuclear weapons which were
seen as means of defense as well as protecting themselves. Towards the completion of the
1950s, the Americans and the Soviet Union had already facilitated the production of enough
nuclear weapons that could have severely destroyed the two nations. This escalated the two
nations' divide, especially because it significantly increased tensions between the two
superpower nations.
The cold war was also brought about by the ideological conflict between the Soviet Union
and the Americans. The Soviet Union during the time was recognized as a communist that
mostly based its principles on society. In contrast, the United States practice capita was
associated with modern liberal democracy. This implied that the Soviet Union was placed on
the far-left side of the economic spectrum, whereas the Americans were occupied the right-
side position of the economic spectrum. Thus, it brought about conflict due to ideological
differences, mainly because both nations were committed to ensuring sticking up for their
ideologies.
In contrast, the United States made it its main objective to ensure that communism did not
spread across Europe by making certain to stop it with its policy of containment. Following
the ideological difference between the two states, the resultant effect was the cold war
because it showcased the differences in worldview. This caused Harry S. Truman, the United
States president at the time, to devise a policy to contain the spread of communism.
The spread of communism across Europe and the world was a major fear for the American
government. An example that explained the United States' fear of communism was that
8
Roark, J. L., Johnson, M. P., Cohen, P. C., Stage, S., & Hartmann, S. M. (2012).
The
American promise, Volume I: to 1877: a history of the United States
(Vol. 1). Macmillan.
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various countries adopting the Soviet Union system, including Greece and Turkey, faced a
severe financial crisis after World War II. This was especially due to the proximity to the
soviet territory that would have caused the two nations to adopt communism due to influence.
The united states' way of helping was by providing financial support to the two nations so
that they could gain economic stability and ensure that the nations do not fall into
communism. The policy adopted by President Truman was recognized as the Truman
doctrine, which resulted in increasing tensions between the two countries. Technically, this
was a major cause of the cold war because it brought about several conflicts between the two
superpower nations.