The Cold War During World War II

The Cold War was the name given to the political economic, military and ideological contention that occurred between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and their allies after World War II. The two forces never directly engaged in military activity in light of the fact that both had atomic weapons that if utilized, might have had crushing outcomes for both sides. Instead, proxy wars were battled. A proxy war results when contradicting forces utilize outsiders as substitutes for battling each one other and is ordinarily launched by a power that does not itself partake. The Korean and Vietnam wars are two examples of proxy wars on the grounds that the U.S. and the Soviet Union did not directly engage one another however, Soviet endeavors to spread and bring together both Korea and Vietnam under communist rule provoked mediation either by the United States and/or by their allies. These two occasions were simply a few of the impacts of the Cold War in Asia. This paper will examine each war individually and in more detail and endeavor to persuade that the Korean and Vietnam Wars were the immediate aftereffects of Soviet endeavors to expand communist influence in Asia and the United States and their allies' approach of forestalling and holding such endeavors.

There are many opinions on who started the Cold War, whether it be the USSR’s fault or the United States. With old trust issues rising up again, the next forty years resulted in constant tension and aggression between the two rival powers. But, when it’s time to place the blame for this tedious conflict, it is clear the United States can be blamed, for they were constantly imposing their greater power, and led the USSR to lose their trust due to international acts of aggression from the US. From 1945-1991 the US took action abroad to stop the USSR from gaining more global power, they misinterpreted Soviet motives, and threatened the USSR with acts of aggression through major bomb threats. With both nations having different motives after WWII,

WWII and the Cold War were two very important wars in the history of the world. They both had a important role in the development of the world. The Cold War impacted society and politics more so than WWII by aiding countries in hopes of making them join their regime, the use of propaganda techniques to portray the other superpower as weak, the fear of annihilation due to nuclear weapons, and the war between communism and democracy.

In 1945 after WWII the United States and the Soviet Union became divided as far as how they felt Europe should be divided. This began the period of conflict called the Cold War. The Cold War was “a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare”(dictionary.com).The USSR believed in communism, where the US believed in democracy. The US was between two potentially hostile nations, the US designed a Buffer Zone to prevent any overt acts of aggression.At the end of WWI,I almost all of the eastern European countries were occupied by Russia these countries were known as Satellite States. The distrust between the two nations began at the Yalta Conference which included the three big powers: Churchill (Great Britain),Stalin (Soviet Union), and Roosevelt (United States of America). Stalin wanted more control as far how Europe progressed after WWII, where Roosevelt believed Europe should hold free election and determine their political system and rivalry between the two superpowers and began the Cold War. Some might blame the Americans for the causing for the Cold War because of the American’s wanted to occupy the countries, but the Soviet Union bares the responsibility for the Cold War because of their actions in Eastern Europe, by the military expansionism of Stalin and his successors, and the principles presented in the Iron Curtain Speech .

When discussing WWII and The Cold War from an American perspective, the focus is likely to be centered on the wartime efforts of the country while debating strengths and shortcomings within those efforts. However, while the physical and psychological wars waged on, America’s homefront saw a continuation of fighting in the form of social movements aimed at attaining equality for all Americans. Minorities like African Americans and Mexican immigrants continued to face discrimination and racism during WWII but were shaped in different ways by the war. The Cold War era in America is a very complex subject marked by heightened tensions, fear, and paranoia among citizens. Much in the same way that WWII shaped the plight of minorities and immigrants on the homefront, the Cold War era also effected what it meant to be an American by shaping the conformist social class. Reaction to this conformity would also be shaped by the Cold War era, and Americans would eventually become critical to these effects.

The Cold War Era that followed the end of World War II was unlike any Americans had seen before. After defeating Germany and its allies in the war, the United States faced a change on the home front: young Americans rushed into marriage and parenthood in unprecedented numbers. In Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, Elaine Tyler May describes these changes from the end of the war through the early 1960s. The author makes a compelling range of arguments about the changes that affected Americans during this period. Mainly, May argues that the “domestic containment” that arose after World War II promoted the new dynamic of a suburban lifestyle, in part because of the increasing fright of looming communism during the Cold War Era.

As World War II came to its end, agreements among the winning powers began to dissolve. The U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union…had very different views politically, socially, and economically. World War II, which was considered a “hot” war, was followed by the cold war. This war was a conflict primarily between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that persevered throughout much of the postwar period. The ideological differences were mutual distrust. As US was a capitalist country, Americans feared communism and the nuclear arms race were the major

The Cold War started before the end of World War II. It was a conflict between two great powers, the Unites States (and their allies), and the Soviet Union (and their allies). It was a race for control over the post war world. Both countries tried to spread their ideology across the world. This rivalry lasted for about 45 years. However, it was not like every other war. Fighter planes did not fly over countries to drop bombs, there were no deployment of troops, and no ground troops. The two sides never directly engaged in a battle. It was fought at different levels and in multiple different places. Although it was not a battle like other typical war, tons of money were spent on this war, especially on nuclear weapons. Europe was split into east and west, and the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was ridiculous which included every aspect of life. Many decisions made by Presidents, namely Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy caused an impact on United State politically, economically, and socially.

During the year of 1945 the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union has already deteriorated badly. By showing dominance and no fear to use the weapons at their disposal, the US Government promised them to develop a diplomatic leverage as well as having greater influence in the post war developments and territorial rearrangements. When taking every aspect into consideration, this action could be seen as the first ground-breaking incident which later developed into the Cold War.

An incredible wave of fear swept over the American nation for two decades after World War II characterized by extreme anti-communist measures and a disgraceful obsession with attaining nuclear superiority. The Truman administration allowed this mania to increase without actually resulting in nuclear warfare or mass destruction, but it was Eisenhower who successfully managed to begin alleviating the insanity. The concept of "containment", introduced by George Kennan, was the first tactic used by the United States to fight against communist aggression that was quickly spreading throughout Europe.

Albeit Truman had used the atomic bomb to “chiefly end the war” (Gaddis, 26), Soviet leader Joseph Stalin saw the bomb as a means by which “the United States would seek to extract postwar concessions from the Soviet Union” (Gaddis, 26). It was on this day in history in which tensions visibly emerged between the United States and the U.S.S.R. due to president Harry Truman’s controversial decision to use the atomic bomb. In his book The Cold War, John Gaddis states “The Cold War’s roots in the world war, therefore, help to explain why this new conflict emerged so quickly after the old one had come to an end” (26). After the war ended in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the greatest two powers in the world. As Soviet power grew in the western hemisphere, their government became determined to establish a sphere of influence and expand their power under the rule of Joseph Stalin (Foner, 711). In response, president Harry Truman believed America must become involved in the containment of the Soviet Union and justified this newfound American foreign policy in his distinguished speech known as the “Truman

The Cold War was a clash of culture, ideologies, and a standoff between the world 's two greatest nuclear powers. The argument of the American side was based around Capitalism and a hunger for ever growing business while the Soviet Union’s was structured around Communism and it’s powerful theocracy that stated it must be spread to every country on the planet. As a result, there has been much debate about whether the U.S. initiated the Cold War through their usage of the atomic bomb in World War II, or the Soviet Union did with their extreme cultural and military expansion. However, the phrasing of the original question makes this clear from a schoolyard fight perspective. It comes down to who threw the first punch? Without a doubt, it was the United States, using the most powerful weapon known to mankind in an attempt to put Japan down for good and flex their muscles as a new world power.

The Cold War was a period of 44 years of both military and political tension after World War II. There were many ideals and events that lead to the Cold War. Nationalism, poor economic conditions, and a strong desire for democracy and human rights are the primary reasons that many believe the Cold War started. However, these are just a few of the reasons for the Cold War. Events such as the Yalta Conference, Truman Doctrine, Potsdam Conference, and the Marshall Plan also greatly influenced the start of this long-lasting war.

The Cold War was a geological, ideological, political, and economic struggle between the USA and the Soviet Union, which where the two superpowers of the world following the end of world war 2. The Cold War had begun following the end of World War 2. The Cold War had conflicts that ranged from the worlds largest cities, to Vietnam. Essentially the Cold War was a struggle between the two political ideologies, Democracy and Communism. Once world war 2 had come to an end, the two superpowers had begun.

The Cold War was a crucial war that took place shortly after World War II. The Cold War was a war between the Soviet Union and the United States. It is interesting to note that two countries that worked together as a team and were allies during World War II goes into war against each other shortly after the end of the greatest war in human history. The defeat of Germany and Japan along with the economic devastation that had occurred in Europe left many of the superpowers in the world during this time with minimal power. The two major powers that came out of World War II were the USSR (Soviet Union) and the United States of America. Since the major superpowers during WWII were crippled after the end of WWII, there were no real competitors or regional competitors for to the Soviet Union and America. As a result, the Soviet Union and United States of America emerged as the new superpowers of the world. Since there was literally no competitions to these nations, both United States and the Soviet Union started to spread their power worldwide. The United States’ political ideology was based on democracy whereas on the contrary the USSR’s political ideology revolved around communism. The major driving force of the Cold War is the difference in political ideologies between the nations. Both USSR and the USA did not support the spread of each of their ideologies. The conflict in ideologies made it prevalent that the superpowers- USSR and the United States did not trust each other.