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Argumentative Essay On The Cold War

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Arthur Schlesinger Jr, states that ‘the Cold War in its original form was a presumably mortal antagonism, in the wake of the Second World War, between two rigidly hostile blocs (1967, 22).’ The quote embodies the power struggle that was played out between America and the Soviets during the post war era. Historians and theorists have been drawing from ideologies and different international world orders to help gain an accurate understanding of the origins of the Cold War. In a bipolar world, as described by Waltz, neither major power seeks approval with one another; they just have to cope with one another, however within great-power politics who is threatening who can create feelings of uncertainty between them and then a Cold War is born (1988, 622). The orthodox argument makes the claim that the United States was responding to the threatening nature of the USSR, despite trying to integrate …show more content…

The aid program that developed through this ‘was portrayed as part of the global struggle between democracy and dictatorship (Kissinger, 1994, 117).’ The Truman Doctrine was symbolic as it marked the feeling the Soviets as the menacing opposition, and insisted that the US ‘would act only in cases where her vital interests were at stake (Drockrill, 1988, 41).’ As a foreign policy decision, it is not directly clear how the United States would benefit from spending $400 million to aid Greece and Turkey, apart from containing the further spread of Communism. Gaddis, a Cold War revisionist, discusses the economic foreign policy decisions by arguing that America’s actions ‘approximated the Leninist model of imperialism (2007, 172),’ and that is using aggressive means in order to push its capitalist

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Framing the circumstances highlights the potential loss of the freedom the countries have as without aid from the U.S, might lead to the conquer of communism in which American ideals had been against this very thing from happening. Tapping into Congress’s emotions underscores Truman’s desire to gain support from Congress. Succeeding the establishment of conflict in Greece and Turkey, Truman shifts towards boosting American patriotism towards being suitable to help Greece and

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On March 12th, 1947, Truman requested that Congress approve aid to Greece and Turkey which was called the Truman Doctrine, and in a way marked the beginning of the Cold War. The purpose of the Doctrine was to, “assist victims of aggression and intimidation throughout the world”, and was easily Truman’s most important contribution to the history of the Cold War (Gaddis, 95). The Doctrine ultimately spurred the enactment of the Marshall Plan. Its purpose was to “jump-start European economies—and simultaneously, that of Japan as well—through a substantial infusion of American assistance” (103). In response to the Marshall Plan, Stalin began really enforcing whatever power he had, “Stalin fell into the trap the Marshall plan laid for him, which was to build the wall that would divide Europe” (32).

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Truman asked Congress for 400 million dollars in military and economic aid to the countries of Greece and Turkey who were under communist threat (Origins of the Cold War, 16) was (Tindall & Shi, 2013, 953), and the Marshall plan (Tindall & Shi, 2013, 954) was established which was an economic aid program to help European countries recover. It poured $12.4 billion to European countries (Origins of the Cold War,

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