During the era of the Cold War, starting in 1947 and definitively ending in 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off in conflicts with each other through smaller states.
The United States and Soviet Union faced off to see who could spread their ideology the most in Europe. The Soviet Union used force and supported coups to spread communism while the United States installed democratic governments as a way to counter communism in Eastern Europe. These small conflicts that the two superpowers engaged in caused high tension between the two. During World War 2, the U.S developed the world 's first nuclear weapon, the atomic bomb which was a destructive explosive capable of wiping cities. The destruction can be seen from the result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leaving over hundreds of thousands dead. It wasn’t until years later that the Soviet Union would start developing nuclear warheads as well. Engaging in small proxy wars was a better alternative to direct combat between the Soviet Union and United States because it prevented the risk of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia as well as preventing World War 3 from happening because of the treaties made by the two countries.
An example of destruction caused by nuclear weapons was in 1945 during World War 2, when the United States used two atomic bombs on Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the results of the bombing was destructive, as can be seen in the document given by the Environmental
The Cold War was a state of economic, diplomatic, and ideological discord among nations without armed conflict. The Cold War was between the United States and the USSR because these were the two major powers after WWII. Basically, the Cold War was a series of proxy wars that had taken place back in time involving surrounding countries. One of the main causes for Cold War was that the Soviet Union was spreading communism and the United States didn’t like that so they were trying to contain communism. However, in the end they failed. Many events took place in other countries. In Korea, Vietnam, Latin America, and China, communism took over; however, before it did, major wars had taken place. The cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union worsened the condition of countries involved. The Cold War broke countries into two parts that turned against each other, the United States and the Soviet Union used these countries to fight their war and caused a big disturbance to daily life, and the Communist States fought the Non-Communist States; however, the end results of these wars only caused more damage in these countries.
A major short term factor that lead to the Cold War was USSR’s fear of America’s newly acquired atomic weapons. During WWII two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities. The immense power and destruction caused by these new weapons resulted in the founding of United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. The goal of this commission was to contain atomic weapons and regulate their use. The US proposed the Baruch Plan, and the USSR proposed universal nuclear disarmament. Both of their proposals were refused and in the beginning of the Cold War, the United States had exclusive ownership of nuclear weapons. However, the USSR had begun working on acquiring and building their own stockpile of nuclear weapons. Although this process began slowly, after the USSR got a hold of their own uranium sources, they shocked the world and successfully developed and detonated their first nuclear bomb by 1949. This began the sort of Nuclear Arms race which ultimately increased hostilities between the two nations.
The Cold War, in fact didn’t take place in the winter season, but was just as dangerously cold and unwelcoming, as it focused on two contrasting powers: the U.S. and the Soviet Union. After World War 2, the Cold War influenced capitalist U.S. and communist Soviet Union to engage in disagreements causing many disputes having to use military, economic and humanitarian aid. With different goals, the contrasting powers prove through the Marshall Plan, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and SALT that communism really can’t coexist with capitalism.
One of the main things Reagan was known for his is stance on communist and his commitment to end the Cold War. Reagan was not afraid of the Soviet Union like his Carter or Ford who served as President before him. He told the Secretary of Defense to order whatever is needed and not to worry about the budget. He wanted to be in a position of strength, that way he believed he would be able to negotiate with them; he had a saying of “To build up to build down” http://millercenter.org/president/biography/reagan-domestic-affairs. Reagan did not want there to be an arms race, however if there were to be one he was determined not to loose. The CIA confirmed that the Soviet Union’s economy could not support an arms race against the US. In Reagan’s mind, winning the Cold War meant having the Soviet Union cease to exist.
The war between the United States and the former Soviet Union, referred to as the Cold War, was one in which no fighting occurred directly between the two powers. The primary reason for the war for the Soviet Union was to spread communism while the U.S. attempted to stop the spread of communism to make way for capitalism. The U.S. and the Soviet Union considered themselves different to their core, but they used identical tactics to fight this war. Although the Cold War was considered and arms race, such that the main fighting was trying to have more nuclear power than the enemy, the most important soldiers of the Cold War were artists. The weapons these artists used were children, illustrating them in a way that would provoke the population to consent to the war. The Cold War was fought using propaganda involving children with messages including protection, prosperity, and stereotypes.
The United States had a continued presence in Southeast Asia throughout World War II, and during the Cold War. Post WWII America was thriving with industry, and the economy flourishing. This marked the start of the baby boomer era, and people were happy because the depression was over. America had political interest in both Vietnam and the Philippines because of they wanted to spread democracy and defend people against communism. They also wanted to give Vietnam to France as they once had it, but Ho Chi Minh declared independence for Vietnam and himself president without the acknowledgment of the U.S.. The Philippines had gained their independence from the U.S. in 1946, and then became an ally to them going into the Cold War. The United States drastically influenced the political development in Vietnam and the Philippines by forcing democracy and the American culture on these societies.
America’s foundation was constructed on the ideal of freedom, whether that be religious, political, or individual freedom. U.S. citizens have very strong feelings about their independence and will do almost anything to protect their rights from being taken away. During the 1950s Americans were afraid that their freedom was going to be threatened and taken away by the communist style of government. The Soviet Union and America were both trying to win control on a global scale, but with the USSR being communist the paranoia of a socialism takeover was heightened. Americans were so fearful of communism that it became known as the Red Scare. All over the country people were being accused of being communist spies and federal employees were being interrogated, the U.S. was in full panic mode. The United States was so fearful of the USSR being able to gather more communist allies and take over that the U.S. stepped in militarily to protect South Korea from North Korea’s communist invasion. This battle for dominance between the nations was named the Cold War. I believe that this war was justified because there were clear threats towards the United States and their capitalist ideals. In the very beginning of the Cold War the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic bomb. This seemed like a clear indication that the USSR had plans to use that bomb in order to establish their dominance and embark on a communist takeover. America fought to keep their freedom and rights safe from the
In the year of 1945, one major war ended while another one began. The Cold War began in 1945 just after World War II had ended and last for roughly forty-five years. The war occurred between the United States and the Soviet Union. The war was the attempt by the Allied powers to stop the spread of communism by the Soviet Union. The Allied powers did not want the Soviet Union’s form of government to take over the world. The United States was the only country that had the resources to stand up against the Soviet Union.
The Cold War is unique among war’s to be not a war between states, but a war between ideologies. The United States and other allies defend social democracy capitalism, as the pinnacle of freedom and equality; and the Soviet Union though communism was the pinnacle of equality. These ideologies manifested themselves through the superpowers, which caused the conflict between them. Both the United States, and the Soviet Union are to blame for the outbreak of the Cold War. The United State’s mission to contain communism with the Marshall Plan, personal remarks against Stalin, the creation of NATO, and the use of the atomic bomb in Japan without warning the Soviet’s, their ally in the war. On the other side, Stalin’s remarks on Churchill and Truman, the Berlin blockade, and the breaking of agreements in Poland, escalated the situation from tense to a Cold War.
There have been many conflicts and wars fought over communism and capitalism. One of the longest and intense conflicts was the Cold War. “The Cold War was a nearly 50-year long period of tense relations between the United States and the Communist-ruled Soviet Union. The Cold War began almost immediately after World War II and ended with the 1991 dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” (Turner, 2001-2014 p.1). The Soviets fought to expand communism and destroy capitalism, but in the end capitalism was one of the reasons the Soviet Union dissolved.
After the end of World War II, there had been an emergence of two world superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union who would be drawn into a Cold War that was a silent battle that raged on from 1945 to 1991. Which had started when the Soviet Union’s leader, Joseph Stalin, had started the spread of communism throughout Europe and Asia. At the time the majority of the world was either democratic or independent while only a handful of countries were communist; however all were powerful countries such as the Soviet Union and China. Which meant communism can spread adamantly, and rampantly. It had first started in Eastern Europe such as in Greece, Turkey, and Poland. So to counteract these overtakes, the United Nations, especially the United States had responded vehemently against the rule, with the use of containment in the form of policies, treaties, and responsive actions. Throughout the Cold War, they had managed to contain communist hotspots, and strongholds, in Berlin, Korea, and Cuba.
Another hypothesis set forth for the utilization of the nuclear weapons was the developing intensity between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was turning out to be progressively clear from the behavior of the Soviet Union that there would be a part inside of the associates taking after the war. The United States and Britain felt that the Soviets were not to be trusted, and a show of Western military force was important to maintain
World history is an extremely important subject that all students around the world should learn about. World history is simply a branch of knowledge that welcomes all humanity. It is essential to learn because it symbolizes the question of who we are, prepares us to live in the alluring world and ensures cultural literacy. One of the most fascinating events known in history includes the Cold War. This essay will explore the fierce, overpowering, and chaotic Cold War describing its purpose, summary and analysis of events, and how it came to a complete end.
The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was already in the making even before the hot war ended, as the Soviet Red Army rolled over the Russian border into Eastern Europe, finally capturing Berlin. In 1944, the Western Allies believe that the stood by while Hitler sent in the SS to destroy the Warsaw Uprising and the city of Warsaw itself, because he did not intend to allow a pro-Western government in Poland. In Poland at least, the Soviet intention was to install a satellite regime, although Stalin did not do this with Finland, Hungary or Czechoslovakia, at least not immediately. From the American and British viewpoint, the threat of the atomic bomb was necessary to restrain the Soviets, although this turned out to be a serious miscalculation. Stalin ordered work on the Russian atomic bomb speeded up, and one was tested successfully in 1949, so the American monopoly on these weapons lasted only four years. Throughout the Cold War, it became clear that no matter which weapons the U.S. developed, the Soviets would match them, such as testing a
Nuclear weapons are very dangerous explosive devices that get their destructive force from nuclear reactions. These bombs are usually made of elements such as uranium or plutonium. Through the process of nuclear fission these elements undergo nuclear chain reactions. Thus giving these weapons and bombs very large amounts of energy. One of these weapons can kill millions of people, animals and can destroy the environment if detonated. (un.org 2015)