Relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union

In the period after World War II, from the late 1940’s up until the 1990’s, the United States and their allies were engaged in a “cold” war with the Soviet Union and its allies. Except for minor proxy wars between countries supported by the respective sides, no major wars were fought between the U.S. and the USSR. Nonetheless, tensions were extremely high for many years and the two superpowers constantly went back and forth trying to best the other. Likely the most well-known of these competitions was the Space Race. Battling for cosmic supremacy from the late 1950’s to 1969, the two countries traded many victories over the years and pushed each other to their technological apexes.

In order for Reagan to succeed, [Reagan] used patience and negotiation to end the Cold War. During Reagan's presidency four USSR leaders attempted to negotiate with Reagan (“Children’s”). Reagan increased pressure on the arms race and waited until a deal could be settled that did not compromise the American people. After forty years the Iron Curtain fell, and the new deal settled the “superpowers first agreement to reduce nuclear weapons” (“Children’s”). The fall of the USSR was significant because it liberated millions of people living the impoverished lifestyle of communism. While modern-day Russia does not have a perfect government the end of the Cold War significantly made the world closer to ending

Reagan became president in 1981, which means that he was president of the U.S. during a time in which the Cold War began to draw to a close. (Fischer, 1997, p.477). Whereas his predecessors used détente, a more relaxed approach in order to reduce tension between the U.S. and USSR, Reagan and his advisers rejected this strategy (Authors, People and a Nation, p.833). This led to a turning point in the Cold War. Even though the Cold War ended in 1991, two years after Reagan’s presidency, Reagan is still known to have made a huge influence on ending the Cold War. This essay will investigate his actions and how they might have influenced the ending of the Cold War, by looking at how Reagan expressed his distrust toward the Soviet Union and communism, the ways in which Reagan expanded the arms race in order to bankrupt the USSR and other ways in which he tried to sabotage the Soviet economy, but also

Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union have always been complicated. Over the entire 20th century they have been close allies to bitter rivals. The stark differences in each of their political systems prevented the USA and the USSR from maintaining a close political friendship and understanding, and even to the very edge of war.

In a time of political chaos, numerous approaches to contending with the USSR were offered by various politicians, yet “the man who got things right from the start was, at first glance, an unlikely statesman… Through a combination of vision, tenacity, patience, and improvisational skill, he produced what Henry Kissinger terms ‘the most stunning diplomatic feat of the modern era…’ As Margaret Thatcher put it, ‘Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot’” (D’Souza). Henry Kissinger was an “old nemesis” of Reagan, yet even he “observed that while it was Bush who presided over the final disintegration of the Soviet empire, ‘it was Ronald Reagan's Presidency which marked the turning point.’ [Additionally,] Cardinal Casaroli, the Vatican secretary of state, remarked publicly that the Reagan military buildup, which he had opposed at the time, had led to the collapse of Communism” (D’Souza). The great quantity of figures who have acknowledged the intelligence Reagan’s actions validates these actions as such. Many democratic opponents argued that “the West should ingratiate itself with the Soviet Union by pursuing ‘the stuffed-goose option—that is, providing them with all the grain and consumer goods they need.’ If Reagan had taken this advice when it was offered in 1982, the Soviet empire

Mikhail Gorbachev is a foreign leader who worked with Reagan and also wanted to eliminate communism. If the Soviet Union collapsed, then all influences of communism would stop, which is what Reagan and Gorbachev wanted (Marsico, 84). The nation as a whole agreed that they did not want communism to spread beyond the borders of East Germany and seep into their culture. During the span of 1985-1988 five meetings between the Americans and the Communists negotiated issues of diplomacy. By the early 1980’s the Soviets had built up weaponry which was almost comparable to America’s weaponry, but as the decade went on the Soviets were unable to keep up (Marsico, 84). This inferiority pleased the American people. By 1991 the cold war had concluded. on June 12, 1987, Reagan asked Gorbachev helped to eliminate the oppressive influence that communism had outside of the soviet union (Marsico 85-86). He wanted to stop the influences so that communism would not spread any further than it already had. Standing beside the berlin wall, which separated East and West Germany, Reagan gave a speech which reminded every one of the differences between the two sides. General Secretary Gorbachev” Reagan challenged him, “if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the soviet union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate, Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!”

One of Reagan’s main concerns was the Soviet Union. Reagan stated, “The march of freedom and democracy...will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history ...”12 All through his term he worked to collapse the Union, to end the Cold War, and to tear down the Berlin Wall. Margaret Thatcher commented that “Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot”.10 Reagan set up the collapse of the Soviet Union in a couple of ways. First, he put more funds into the U.S. military, forcing the Soviets to do the same.11 second, he was confident that the U.S.S.R was crumbling and failing even when those around him believed that Communism was strong. Third, he was not intimidated by the Soviets and, while he respectfully met and listened to Gorbachev, he was not wavering and was determined. Even though many factors contributed to the fall of Communism, Reagan sped the process up and the Union officially fell apart in

Despite the increase of defense projects and counter-Soviet initiatives, Reagan did desire for negotiation and improve relations between Washington and Kremlin (Rossinow, 224). Soon afterward, during his second term, Reagan held meetings with leader Mikhail Gorbachev, with whom he negotiated a treaty to eliminate a range of nuclear weapons. Between the two men was a forged relationship- as a partnership, as friends. Reagan, surprisingly, even suggested that both powers should do what they can to ensure that such weapons entirely removed from the world (Rossinow, 232)- although the proposal 's implementation did not work, it still did prove interestingly of Reagan 's thinking to establish disarmament, even if it never happened. Nonetheless, ending the war after so many decades of tension was a monumental triumph for the US and American policy.

During a time when the relationship between America and the Soviets was extremely tense, Ronald expresses hope, “that they are willing to move forward, that they share [the United States’] desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest.” This gives the Soviet Union and America hope for a better future alongside one another, rather than opposing one another as they have in the past. Reagan tells the Soviets that the United States is willing to put aside all differences for the sake of peace, if they are also willing. He also uses a challenging tone, not only to call for peace with the Soviets, but to assure them that the U.S. is, “prepared to deter aggression,” and, “to negotiate the reduction of arms,” if they refuse this peace offering. This notifies the Soviet Union that America does want peace with their country, but if they reject it, our country is prepared to stand against them and will not back

During a time of terrifying darkness, a time of rising hostility, there stood two giants, menacingly staring down the other. One giant in the eastern hemisphere, named the USSR, and the other giant in the western hemisphere, the United States of America. As the two stared each other down, reaching closer and closer to war, a man stood up; determined to make the world a better place. This man spoke out against the USSR and the vices within the United States. This man was Ronald Reagan, the leader of the United States. With the fervor and duty of a leader, he climbed on top of the American giant, armed with diligence and the will of his people. On top, he began his speech against the Soviet Union, driving passion

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.

Speaking of Reagan’s policies of yesteryear, one of Reagan’s primary goals as president was to tear down the “Evil Empire.” In 1985, Reagan met with Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth leader of the Soviet Union in Geneva to initiate talks about bringing the two countries together. As soon as Reagan came to know Gorbachev a bit more, he realized that he was different from other Soviet leaders: he was charming and humorous (Noonan, 288). The two were not tense like with other presidents and Soviet leaders, they were able to talk earnestly. After many meetings, the two then eventually almost agreed to disarm all ballistic missiles in ten years. However, there was one caveat that Gorbachev said at the very end, “This all depends of course on you

This essay will focus on the Reagan Administration which spanned from January 1981 to January 1989. When Reagan became President, he had only one clear, defined foreign policy goal – containment of the Soviet Union, or the “evil empire” as he referred to it. He primarily wanted to stop the USSR from growing larger and to keep other non-Communist countries from becoming Communist. In the past, American presidents had used a theory called the “Domino Theory” to justify the need for intervention around

Ronald Reagan is the president who emphasizes making the United States as free and affluent society (Park 2016). He wants people live together in free and peaceful world (Park 2016). However, in Reagan’s opinion, the Soviet is a threatening country to make world peace, so he decides to confront the Soviet (Park 2016). He has a somewhat positive attitude that the Soviet could support his foreign policies to reach world peace because he is basically welcome change and openness and he believes that freedom and security could move on together (ReaganFoundation 2009). For instance, Reagan says that the Soviet is still limited but recognizes an importance of freedom because he confirms that the Soviet promotes new reform and improvement policies

Some would say that Ronald Reagan had one of the best agendas of any president to deal with Communist Russia. In, “Did Reagan Make Gorbachev Possible?” the author James Graham Wilson dives into Reagan’s agenda that tries to put the Soviet Union into disarray. Within Wilson’s essay, he refers to Reagan’s speech to British Parliament on June 8, 1982. In Reagan’s speech, he lays out his plan to overcome the Soviets, free nations of their oppressive rulers, and ultimately establish a democratic nation. In Wilson’s essay tries prove that the Soviets wanted to talk with Reagan and cool tensions between the two nations.