Iron Curtain Speech Analysis

After the end of World War II on September 2, 1945, a new era called the Cold War began. The Cold War was a non-violent state of political and military tension between the democratic and capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union: two of the biggest powers of the world at the time. However, they were drastically different in both economy and politics, allowing rivalry to build up. They both wanted to become the most powerful nation of the world, and both feared that the other nation would rise up to become the most powerful nation of the world.

A war does not necessarily require a physical weapon to fight. From 1947 to 1991, military tension and ideological conflicts held place. Cold War is defined as a state of political hostility existing between countries, characterized by threats, violent propaganda, subversive activities, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular. The causes of the cold war between United States and the Soviet Union were the mutual distrust that had taken place in World War II, intense rivalry between the two super powers, and conflicting ideologies. The two superpowers differed in views of political and economic principles and were eager to spread their ideologies to many countries. United States were in favor of democracy and capitalism while

The Cold War was the name given to the time period from 1945 to 1991. After World War II, tensions began between the United States and the Soviet Union. Fighting between the United States and Soviet Union did not happen directly against each other. Instead they fought with arms races, space races, and spying. Both superpowers set aside their differences to defeat Adolf Hitler, even before the war the United States distrusted the Soviet Union. The United States disliked the way the Soviet Union ran government. They believed that the Soviet Union wanted to overthrow the non-communist governments.

The alliances the USSR and the U.S. made with other countries changed their relationship. In 1947, the United States President Harry Truman created a foreign policy called the Truman doctrine. It explained the U.S. would help with economic, political, and military to all nations under threat from a communist force (Document 2). The U.S. had sent help to Greece and Turkey. The doctrine contain areas under the USSR’s control. The Marshall Plan was created to

Gorge F. Kennan an American diplomat in 1947, who wrote an article in favor of that the United States should focus on communism to be contained and isolated because of the fear that it would spread to neighboring countries. Therefore, Kennan influenced the Truman administration to take on the policy of containment. President Truman was determined to put an end to communism and Soviet expansion by using military and economic methods. Using military methods the U.S military force stationed in Greece and Turkey to confront the Soviet Union. Another military method was The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which is the United States and Canada united with Ten Western European nations to create a protective military alliance (to provide

"The Cold War - was at its root a battle of ideas: American liberalism vs. Soviet Communism." The two ideologies clashed at their very nature, which led to deep mistrust and fear of the unknown about the unpredictability of the other. The two world powers simply could not exist without conflict. As a result, The United States of America took measures to prevent the worst: war. The steps the U.S.A took to quench the possibility of war separated the world even more, as they gave aid to some countries and not others, while also exclusively allying with certain countries. Two distinct sides were created, it was essentially the east versus the west, with two main superpowers colliding as the U.S.A and The Soviet Union. The Cold War began around 1947, but there is no set date as the war lacked direct fighting between the two main opposing forces. The war lasted for almost thirty-five years; the world endured thirty-five years of tension between two stubborn, disagreeing countries. The Cold War originated from the clashing ideologies between the USA and the Soviet Union, resulting in each side taking measure for what the other may do, thus splitting the world in two.

The Cold war dated from 1947-1991. It was characterized by both political and military superiority between United States, which was backed by its NATO allies, and Soviet Union that led the communist side. The cold war was mainly started after the success of the alliance that was formed against Nazi Germany. This competition supremacy on nuclear warfare attracted other countries that also started making nuclear weapons due to the tension that existed in the world. Both sides directed huge sums of money to their military budgets with each side trying to outdo the other.

The Cold war was a conflict between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, but was ideological war between Democracy and Communism. The cold war was mostly a war of words and not a war of combat. Though some conflicts broke out because the Cold War, America and the Soviet Union were in never in direct combat with each other. Eventually, America won the Cold War during the space race.

For example, the Truman Doctrine of 1947. President Harry S. Truman, after learning that the British will not continue support Greece and Turkey, said “It must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” (Class) The outside forces here are clearly the Soviet Union and the United States have expended visible effort to prevent Greece and Turkey a Soviet takeover. After the Truman Doctrine came the Marshall plan, the Marshall plan gave around 13 billion dollars to help countries in Western Europe rebuild their economies after World War II. The Marshall plan helped rebuild industry and removed trade barriers, which helped to prevent the expansion of communism in Western Europe. After the Soviets had created Cominform to better control Eastern Europe. NATO was created to keep their influence in check. NATO stated that an attack on a member nation was an attack on all the allied nations, and that all the allied nations would respond militarily. In 1950, the Korean War began. The US took part in the Korean war, despite it being a civil war between the communistic north and the anti-communistic south. The Korean War is an effort to halt the reach of communism in Asia, and was more of a proxy war between the United States and China (Class). When Iranian Prime Minister

The Cold War was a “war” between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, the Cold War wasn't necessarily a war but, instead, a forty-year “standoff”. It was called the Cold War because there was no direct fighting between the two countries, but there was a lot of tension. During this time, the two superpowers wanted to prevent the other from gaining any more supporters. Soviets tried to turn other countries into communist nations while the U.S. tried to contain communism and stop it from spreading.

Cold war was the phase of hostile rivalry between the USSR and Americans. This term is used to describe the relationship between America and Soviet Union after the World War 2 or in the period from 1945 to 1980. Cold War got its name as both sides were afraid of fighting each other, as both possessed nuclear weapons, by the 1950s, there was the fear of complete destruction of the two countries. So they fought indirectly by threatening and denouncing each other using words as weapons or by trying to make the other state look foolish or by using client states to fight for their beliefs. For example South Vietnam was anticommunist and fought for America against the Soviet Union, while North Vietnam was pro-communist and fought against the Americans for the Soviet Union. Cold War was the clash of different ideas and beliefs which caused the

The Cold War was a period of tension and suspicion between the USA and USSR that lasted from 1945-49 (Kent, 2004, pp. 51-57). This conflict had numerous causes, even if the USA and USSR were allies during 1941-45, fighting against Nazi-Germany and Japan. (McAleavy, 2002, pp. 94-96) Various factors contributed to the break-up of this wartime alliance; US policies, Soviet actions, and other factors such as the Russian Revolution of 1917, all crated a climate of tension and distrust, which destroyed the links between the two superpowers, leading to the Cold War. (Winkler, 2003, pp. 11-13)

The US’ fears were not completely unfounded. As Kennan states in his Long Telegram, “..it [Soviet Communism] has an elaborate and far flung apparatus for exertion of its influence in other countries…” Soon, due to this fear, the Truman Doctrine came into play. The doctrine stated that the US had the ability to give aid to countries threatened by authoritative governments or parties. To avoid sending troops to Greece, the US sent $400 million to Greece and Turkey. The intention of the loans were to build up militaries and repair the economies of the two countries. While on the surface this act may seem like a humanitarian effort, the underlying goals are far more self centered, and are the reason the Truman Doctrine is a form of political containment. The goal of the doctrine was to stop Greece from becoming a communist country. As a Soviet Ambassador to the US, Nikolai Novikov sums up the US’ policy towards the USSR during this period in a quite accurate manner. Novikov summarizes, “The present policy of the American government with regard to the USSR is also directed at limiting or dislodging the influence of the Soviet Union from neighboring countries.” By providing financial aid, the US managed to quell the revolt, and stop Greece’s communist movement. The US achieved the political goal of stopping Greece from becoming a communist nation, and that is what qualifies this as a form of political containment. This act of

To convince them to help Greece and Turkey because the Soviets take over countries and spreading communistic beliefs. Since Greece and Turkey are in fear being so close to the Soviet Union that they need financial need to help them stay a free country. This is significant because, before World War II the US has not been involved in world affairs. In Truman’s speech, he says “There is no other country to which democratic Greece can turn. No other nation is willing and able to provide the necessary support for a democratic Greek government.” Meaning the US is the only one able to help Greece because Britain and France are rebuilding their countries' economies and infrastructure. Also, Truman says “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures… In helping free and independent nations to maintain their freedom, the United States will be giving effect to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.” This displays President Truman’s wants congress to allow the US to help nations on the verge of a Communist revolution to be abolished and replaced by a free democratic government. If it wasn’t for Soviet expansion of taking control of the Satellite States the US would not be in the situation it is to condemn such

The Cold War (1947 - 1991) was the tense relationship between the United States (and its allies), and the Soviet Union (the USSR and its allies) between the end of World War II and the demise of the Soviet Union.