Generally interstate politics is a permanent bargaining game over the distribution of power, thus it describes world politics as a state of war and a struggle of power, and is pessimistic about the prospects for eliminating conflicts and war. Therefore, the best description for world politics is the constant possibility of war, because the nature of humanity or structure of international order allows wars to occur. Realists recognize that states go to war for significant reasons, which makes it difficult to understand the exact causes of wars. Hence, there is no question that states often begin wars to acquire power over a rival stateand to enhance their security (Dunny, Kurki, & Smith 2016), such as during the Cold War. Mogenthau (1945) argues that human nature is the main cause of war. He maintains that everyone was born with power that drives them to dominate each other. Thus power is the currency of international politics, which is therefore important to have a substantial amount of power and ensure a balance of power (Dunny, Kurki, & Smith 2016). Waltz (1979) is practical in stating that the primary goal of states is not to maximinze power, but to achieve or minimize the security needed (p126). This means that improving a nation’s power is indeed only a means to another end, that end being less of a reliance on maintaining high security, since that nation will be holding the power. The case in point here is that when the U.S formed an alliance with Western Europe, this
The Cold War, which took place from 1947 to 1991 had eventually altered the Latin America's relationship with the United States profoundly, as the region became a battleground between two different competing ideological systems which was capitalism and communism. Prior to the Cold War, both economic and geopolitical concerns had motivated United States policy toward Latin America. But, after the lowering of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, George Kennan, the chief architect of American foreign policy towards the Soviet Union, advocated containment to stop the spreading of communism, not just in Europe, but including the countries all around the world. The result was a bipolar world featuring proxy wars fought throughout the Third World by alternates and clients of the two superpowers. Latin American nations are historically considered to be part of "our backyard," who were not permitted to remain neutral as Washington expected the Latin American countries to ally with the United States, while the Soviet Union sought to gain access to what had been an American sphere of influence and after world war II many Latin American countries such as Cuba faced political, economic and social challenges.
The Cold War was the rivalry between the two superpowers of the world, The United States and the Soviet Union, this war lasted about 45 years and fought each other indirectly for power and control of the world. This battle began towards the end of the World War II in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union started noticing their differences and this caused conflict between them.This war was unlike other wars, there was no fighter planes flying over countries dropping bombs, no ground troops,and no deployment of missiles, however there was nuclear weapons being used,plenty of money being spent,propaganda and two powerful enemies against each other like other wars. Who was to blame for this war? The Soviets or the United States? Both made
In my opinion ,the US should bear a bigger responsibility for causing the cold war .After the second world war , the ideological difference ,mutual distrust and the disappearance of the common enemy (germany ) , these all are the causes of the cold war .However ,these comflicts were all brought by the US . Many historians believe that the Cold War was inevitable once the common enemy, Germany, was defeated after the end of World War II. Other historians such as John Gaddis stress that neither superpower can be held solely responsible for the ideological war that lasted half a century. These historians believe that the US and the USSR followed a pattern of action and reaction; and that neither nation had a definitive plan of action (Todd,
The Cold War was a conflict betwen the United States and the Soviet Union which continued from 1947 to 1991. The Soviet Union led the East. This group included couries with communist political systems. The non-aligned group included countries that did not want
In discussions of the causes of the Cold War, one controversial issue has been the question: who caused the Cold War? On the one hand, traditional historians argue that the leaders of the Soviet Union are to blame. On the other hand, revisionists contend that the Western leaders are to blame. Others even maintain that it was both the Western and the Soviet leaders who are equally responsible for the development of the Cold War. My own view is that the Western leaders were responsible for protecting democratic values that we enjoy today while the Soviet leadership’s ideology, aggressive and expansionist intrusions were mainly responsible for the development of the Cold War.
place between 1941 and 1991 as the Cold War. The Cold War was so named
The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union spanned almost half of a century. It led to worldwide fears and anxiety over the possibility of nuclear war and the desolation of mankind. It led to various proxy wars, costing the lives of millions in foreign nations and thousands of American and Soviet soldiers. With so much fear, death, money, and willpower going into the conflict, there must be an easy answer as to what force caused and drove the conflict. However, this topic is not met with consensus. From the onset of the Cold War to the modern day historians continue to debate over what the origin of the Cold War was. There are three major proposed causes of the Cold War: economic, ideological, and geopolitical. Noam
The Cold War started in the aftermath of WWII. With the common enemy of Nazism defeated, the alliance which had formed between the liberal democratic capitalist power of the United States and the Communist power of the Soviet union seemed tenuous, at best. Even before the war’s end, the two superpowers along with the United Kingdom held the immensely controversial Yalta Conference in order to negotiate the post-war organization of Europe: that is. which European territory would fall under Western control, and which would follow under Soviet control. Less than a year after the war’s end, George F. Kennan’s infamous Long Telegram to U.S. President Harry S. Truman advised that the Soviets saw themselves at perpetual war with the outside, capitalist
The structure of world politics during the cold war (1945-1989), was determined by the strategic and ideological competition between the U.S and the Soviet Union. During this time, there was a varying degree of tension between these two superpowers (ref). This essay will be describing various meaning of the word ‘’détente, its achievements and limitations, how it was performed by different countries and finally reasons why it’s failed and why the failure was inevitable.
The Cold War was a forty five year war that was more like a competition between countries that were democracies/capitalists and countries who were communist. Essentially the entire world was involved and had to choose a form of government to side with. Since the main countries that started this competition, America and Russia, both had nuclear weapons, there was always a chance for nuclear holocaust to break out to end the world. These countries all wanted to prove their form of government was the best form, so to prove this they competed to accomplish more as a country and gain other countries to side with them. America also formed the containment theory, which was to form all the countries around Russia to democracies/capitalists to contain the communism so the government would eventually rot and go to waste.
The three nations that wanted a “fight” were the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. All three countries were just about who has the more power and who will attack first. These two conflicts are what created the tension between the countries. The issue had begun after April 12, 1945 when Franklin Roosevelt died, and Harry Truman took his place for President. Vyascheslav M. Molotov, the Russian foreign minister, came to visit Truman, the new President, to pay his respects for him. Truman went to him upfront and told him off about the way Russians were acting in Poland. This surprised Molotov, since he had never been talked to that way by anyone. Once again, Truman responded back telling Molotov that he should do the things he
Richard Nixon once said of the Cold War that “the Cold War isn 't thawing; it is burning with a deadly heat. Communism isn 't sleeping; it is, as always, plotting, scheming, working, fighting.”(www.brainyquote.com). An analysis of the Cold War between 1947-1991 reveals that the Cold War was caused by a difference in political ideals between the USA and the Soviet Union, the aftermath of WWII, and the “Iron Curtain” in Europe. Further analysis reveals the Cold War contributed to many other conflicts, such as the bomb shelter craze in the US, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Korean War.
The Cold War, a conflict between the United States and Soviet Union, the two global superpowers at the time. Given the name “Cold War” only for the fact that neither the Soviet Union nor the United States fought directly with one another, instead the war was waged through allies in the form of proxy wars and through increased use of intensive espionage, a never-ending arms race, immense technological competition and on a political forefront as both sides tried to gain the upper hand. The Cold War defined both countries policies throughout its following years, each side viewed the Cold War as a battle between civilizations; in the worldwide clash between American capitalism and Soviet Communism, ultimately leading to the
The Cold War involved the U.S.A and the Soviet Union who fought indirectly with each other. The Cold War emerged in the years up to 1955 partly due to the ideological differences between the superpowers. However, other factors need to be considered, such as the arms race, which carried an immense symbolic meaning as it was a rivalry for supremacy. Also of significance were the different views of the USA and the USSR on what should happen to Germany once World War II had ended, whether the German economy should be demolished or revived. All of these reasons played an important role in bringing about the Cold War.
Discussion of the Causes of the Cold War The cold war was a direct result of many causes. The leaders of the world could not agree on very much and lead the world into the cold war. During the second world war, Britain, France, USA and the Soviet Union had all been allies, fighting against Germany. After World War Two, Britain, France and the Usa had become enemies of the Soviets.