Essay about The Origins of the Cold War - 679 Words

The Origins of the Cold War The Cold War was a state of extreme hostility and confrontation but without direct militant action between the two world powers, the USSR and the USA. The USSR and the USA were originally wartime Allies during the Second World War; however a string of events and issues caused a built up of suspicion and distrust which finally escalated to what was known as the Cold War. The start of Cold War can be simply defined as the period of time whereby both powers were simultaneously hostile to each other and the idea of peaceful cooperation could not exist anymore. Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech was a warning of Soviet influence beyond Eastern Europe. Churchill believed†¦show more content†¦The Truman Doctrine was an open and direct confrontation of the Soviets. In it, the Soviets were accused of ‘political oppression’, ‘suppression of personal freedoms’ and were even perceived as ‘evil’ by the Americans. Under the Doctrine, the US policy was to support people who resisted attempted subjugation by ‘outside pressure’ which meant the Soviets. The US felt the need to assist the ‘free’ people against the spread of Communism and saw the Soviets as a threat and an enemy. This was the first concrete and coherent American foreign policy towards the USSR. There was no immediate official response from the Soviet government. However, a few months later, the Soviet ‘Two Camps Speech’ emerged stating Soviet stand to American aggression. It stated officially tha t the USSR was anti- democracy. Also the need to prevent Western powers’ desire to dominate the world was emphasized; therefore the policy of cooperation between the Socialist and Liberal parties would cease to exist. Communist parties in Western European countries were told to adopt a militant anti-government stance. The USSR was no longer keen on peaceful cooperation and acknowledged the fact that the Americans and the Soviets could no longer be allies. This marked the start of the Cold War as the Truman Doctrine instigated and caused the end of any form of peacefulShow MoreRelatedThe Origins Of Cold War1550 Words   |  7 PagesThis research looks at the origins of Cold war, the political, ideological and economical rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union. This research draws upon mostly primary sources including memoirs, interviews and scholarly studies of cold war era conflicts. Most research on this topic focuses on its connection to the famous events and up heavals, which shaped that era. â€Å"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an â€Å"Iron Curtain† has descended across the continent. 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Though these to countries never fought one another, they waged a cold war of economic, military and ideological rivalry which last through the second half of the twentieth century. The origin of the Cold War began with the Russian Revolution in nineteen-seventeen, which created a Soviet Russia. The Soviet Russia did not have the same economic and ideological state as the United States. The Civil war in Russia in whichRead More The Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War Essay2691 Words   |  11 PagesThe Historiography of the Origins of the Cold War There have been many attempts to explain the origins of the Cold War that developed between the capitalist West and the communist East after the Second World War. Indeed, there is great disagreement in explaining the source for the Cold War; some explanations draw on events pre-1945; some draw only on issues of ideology; others look to economics; security concerns dominate some arguments; personalities are seen as the root cause for some historiansRead MoreThe United States And The Origins Of The Cold War1717 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor Calvo AMH2042 23 July 2015 The United States and the Origins of the Cold War Essay Thinking about the decisions, strategies and goals of Soviet Union and the United States views on world domination and the possible accomplishment of such. The first and main would be to think and observe critically concerning the worldwide political scenery in the years after World War II (1945). This moment in history; taking all the way through the Cold War, may be seen as a lapse of severe ideological polarization