Gorbachev has greatly contributed to the collapse of the USSR that has consequently leaded to the end of the cold war. He came to power in 1985 as the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and resigned in 1991 as the president of the Soviet Union ending the existence of USSR. During this time, Gorbachev’s actions such as the creation of “perestroika” and “glasnost” policy, the ending of the Afghanistan war, the agreement of reunification of Germany and finally
The Cold War was a state of political hostility between countries characterised by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare (Oxford Dictionary of English). President Harry S. Truman had major influence on the continuation of the Cold War in relation to policy, communication and ideology. Truman became President in 1945 after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman was known for his tough stance against the Soviet Union and refusal to compromise with Stalin and for his policy
The Cold War, coined by Bernard Baruch, would be used to describe the period between 1945 and 1991, where tensions between the East and West increased. Reasons for the Cold War have been heavily debated, orthodox theories, look at Soviet aggression as dictating American policy, yet this is disputed by revisionist, who attribute more blame to America. However, post revisionism is possibly better, looking to other factors rather than blaming one state, looking mostly at leadership and the breakdown
The Cold War was a major event in the U.S. and Soviet Union’s history. The main reason that these two countries entered into the Cold War after World War II was power. The USSR and United States had two very different perspectives on power coming out of World War II. This disagreement ultimately caused the Cold War. Russia’s perspective after World War II was influenced by Joseph Stalin. Stalin, the leader of the USSR at the time, was a merciless dictator. His main concern was maintaining power and
between the Arab world and Israeli’s. This was caused by a struggle for land in the state of what was known as Palestine but to many it is now known as Israel. This conflict in the Middle East caused many wars between Israel and its surrounding Arab states. At the same time both USA and the USSR were trying to spread their ideologies and get a foothold in the Middle East because of strategic position, they would have access to the Indian and Mediterranean Oceans through the Suez Canal. They would
Political Responsibility after the Cold War After World War II, Europe emerged as a continent torn between two very different political ideologies, Communism and Democracy. As the two major superpowers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, struggled to defend their respective governmental policies, the European Continent was caught in an intrinsic struggle to preserve the autonomy which had taken so long to achieve. During the Cold War, Eastern European nations struggled
World War II was devastating to all powers involved, but especially to the countries of Europe who had a war raging in their backyard. After the war ended, the world was a disaster, with economic and political policies destroyed. However, the tension that encompassed the world did not pass with the ending of the war; instead, it grew under the surface, strengthening animosity between countries with differing views, particularly the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States
The Cold War was predominately between two major powers in the world. These two super powers were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States beginning in 1947. The Cold War happened relatively soon after the Second World War. Why did the Cold War begin? In 1947, the Cold War began and it was due to various reasons. Some historians believed that the bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused the Cold War. In addition, the United States president during
superpowers in the region? During 1948 and 1978 there was massive conflict in the Middle East between Arab Muslim countries and Jewish Israel. The conflict itself was fuelled by nationalism and religious differences and other disputes such as the Palestinians refugee problem. During this time the superpowers got involved in the Middle East because of the cold war. However, the superpowers involvement was noticeable by their attempts to implement their respected influences in the Middle East to gain
The Origins of the Cold War The Cold War was a state of extreme hostility and confrontation but without direct militant action between the two world powers, the USSR and the USA. The USSR and the USA were originally wartime Allies during the Second World War; however a string of events and issues caused a built up of suspicion and distrust which finally escalated to what was known as the Cold War. The start of Cold War can be simply defined as the period of time whereby