The Economic And Social Influence Of The Soviet Union

‘For Marshall Planners, it (economic growth) was...the key to social harmony, to the survival of private-enterprise capitalism, and to the preservation of political democracy’ , additionally, by setting up European economies in the image of America’s capitalist, free-market economy, it became far more difficult for Communist beliefs in the state controlled market to prevail in the struggle for power that consumed many European countries. An analysis of America’s foreign policy by Nikolai Novikov, Soviet Ambassador, shows that the Soviet Union also saw the Marshall Plan as an attempt to impose America’s political views on the peoples of Europe ‘obvious indications of the US effort to establish world dominance’ . Novikov suggests that America is trying to become the leading world power ‘The foreign policy of the United States... is characterised in the post-war period by a striving for world supremacy’ , and emphasises the role of the American military to impose the policies of the White House on the world, ‘indications of the US effort to establish world dominance are also to be found in the increase in military potential in peacetime’ . This view is expressed by Soviet deputy foreign minister Andrei Vyshinsky where he states to the UN General Assembly that the Marshall Plan is an American attempt to ‘impose its will on other independent states’ . There was a strong feeling in the Soviet Union

Offner, Arnold, "Provincialism and Confrontation: Truman’s Responsibility" in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II.

Harry S. Truman was President of the United States from 1945-1953. President Truman presidency was marked throughout by important foreign policy initiatives. Central to almost everything Truman undertook in his foreign policy was the desire to prevent the expansion of influence of the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II it was immediately apparent that Russia was trying to draw as many countries as it could into its influence, if not total control. The United States became extremely alarmed as country after country did indeed fall under Russia’s

Postwar Soviet expansion had resulted in many Americans fearing the spread of communism and a world controlled by the Soviet Union. At the same time, the Soviets began to resent America’s interventionist approach

During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union created an alliance to prevent Nazi Germany from spreading their fascist and radical ideals, but after the war, it quickly became apparent that both countries had intentions to exploit their previously stable relationship. Shortly after World War II, the Soviet Union made it their primary goal to expand their communist policies across Europe (and eventually the world). Their communist policies heavily contradicted the reason why the United States joined World War II, contrasted American ideals, and placed American democracy in jeopardy. Although relations seemed healthy shortly after the war, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union dwindled to war due to the United States’

By 1945, the end of World War II was soon arriving and the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union had grew stronger(Britannica). Because of the hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Soviets had created a “left-wing” government, in which politicians support social equality in contrast to social hierarchy. Americans and British had feared Soviet’s dominating all eastern European. In contrast, the Soviets wanted to maintain their control of eastern Europe to keep them safe from any threats from Germany and to spread communism worldwide. However, the main difference between the United States and the Soviet Union was how they chose to govern their states. While the United States held a democratic

During the Second World War, USA and the Soviet Union came together against a common enemy. It was the immediate events after the War which lead to renewed tensions between the superpowers. Many commentators attribute the Berlin Blockade crisis of 1948 to be the catalyst that sparked the beginning of the Cold War. The Cold War period was a state of political and military tension running parallel with the development of nuclear weapons between the United States and the Soviet Union. The ideological differences between these two Superpowers put massive strain on their relationship. USA was democratic, capitalist state. Their ideals were heavily based on a classist society, where the means for producing and distributing goods is owned by a small minority of people (World Socialist Movement 2016). The Soviet Union’s communist ideals were at the other end of the spectrum. Their ideas were based around communal management and public ownership of major production mediums (Richard Dagger 2014). It is obvious that these ideologies are extremely different. Over the next four decades the world came close to

In 1945, one major war ended and another began. After World War II, the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union were involved in what became known as the Cold War, which was a period of mutual fear and distrust. The war was given the name "cold" because the two sides never actually came into direct armed conflict; it was a war of words and ideologies rather than a shooting war (Crawford, 2009, p. 6). The Soviet Union and the United States came out from World War II as the new world superpowers, and despite their common victory with the defeat of their enemies, their primary bond was broken. There were deep-rooted ideological, economic, and political differences between the United States and the Soviet Union prior to the Second World War. Their differences, most notably their political systems and their visions of a postwar Europe, were intensified as a result of their mutual suspicions and during and after the Second World War drove the allied nations into an ideological conflict that lasted for 45 years.

The foreign policy of the United States can be defined as a labyrinth- a set of complex intricacies which either lack comprehension or are characterized by meticulous thought. Established during a period of ideological warfare and domestic hysteria, it is evident the Truman Doctrine was conceived with a disregard for the future stability of American international affairs. Engulfed within a period marked by massive power struggles and distorted accusations, the Truman Doctrine may appear minimal in regard to alterations of the United States international attitude. However, the Doctrine acted as a catalyst for the shift in America’s foreign policy objectives and vision. It is clear the Truman Doctrine produced detrimental consequences in regard to the international policy of the United States, stability of foreign countries, and continuing repercussions in the modern day.

However, it has been argued that containment should not be seen as the underlying factor behind the Marshall Plan, due to the fact that Britain was a recipient of this aid. This is because Britain did not fall within the sphere of communist influence, yet received the most amount of aid. For example, in the 1945 General Election, the British Communist Party only won two out of six-hundred and fifty seats, receiving less than one hundred thousand votes overall; thus, highlighting the lack of communist support in postwar Britain. Furthermore, the Marshall Plan was even offered to the Soviet Union by the American administration. Despite being an empty gesture, if there was a genuine fear of communism and an overwhelming agenda to contain it, why would they offer aid, in the first place, to the principal communist state? Joyce and Gabriel Kolko go further and ascertain that the US “cynically manipulated a Russian threat in an effort to fasten economic control over the entire world.” The Kolkos argue that “Truman and his advisers deliberately exaggerated and misrepresented external reality, provoked and invented crises, and spurned genuine Russian offers to negotiate a détente,” in order to achieve greater world hegemony.

Of the factors which shaped American society in the Cold War era, the fear of communism and its potential to spread imposed the greatest effect upon the United States. From the worldwide devastation of World War II arose two powers: United States of America, fueled by a capitalist economy, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, whose economy embodied the communist ideals of Karl Marx. Marx himself stated, “Communism is already acknowledged by all...powers to be in itself a power”. Marx predicted the power of a communistic society well before the first World War began. In the wake of the devastation

It was also during this time that former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech. The issue addressed in the speech given by Churchill tells of how the communist threat, or “curtain”, was soon to cover and take over Europe if the looming communist ideas were not halted (Doc 1). After Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, President Harry Truman on March 12, 1947 delivered a speech to Congress in which he explained the Domino Effect theory that he believed was going to take place in Europe, and the rest of the world, if the communists were not stopped. The way that Truman decided appropriate to tackle the issue of communist expansion was by adopting the idea of the containment policy, which was made by a Soviet specialist and friend of Truman, George Kennan (Doc 2). The policy was discussed in the speech Truman delivered to Congress, and was hoped that if effective, the spread of communism would be ended, since the Soviet expansion would be stopped. The speech given by Churchill, and the response of it by the United States government, added more tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, which deepened the fight in the cold

In the early phase of the Cold War, both superpowers, the US and the USSR, had to face the threat of rising tensions and rivalries between each other. They wanted to prevent the expansion of hostile ideologies and simultaneously act in favour of their own interests. Such desires, in the example of the US, resulted in the establishment and subsequent development of the policies of containment and brinkmanship. Generally, the former was operating on the principle that communist governments will eventually fall apart as long as they are prevented from expanding their influence and it was adopted by H.S. Truman’s administration in 1947. While the

James Francis Byrnes was appointed Secretary of State by President Harry S. Truman on July 3, 1945, and entered duty on the same day. He left office on January 21, 1947. Byrnes led the Department of State during the significant transition from World War II to the Cold War.

Document Review Regardless of the alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II, the cooperation found during a time of war began deteriorating due to the differences of the two nations. Soviet leaders claimed that communism and capitalism were unable to exist peacefully. Tensions grew strong as the USSR began acting out, causing the beginning of the Cold War and eventually the “Red Scare” in America, resulting in a change in foreign policy. Hints of the Cold War began in WWII as the multiple delays in creating another front in Europe made the Soviets suspicious of their Western Allies’ motives.