ipl-logo

Primary Source Of The Cold War

688 Words3 Pages

The Cold War, an extended period of geopolitical tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, was marked by a deep ideological standoff that shaped world politics from the late 1940s to the early 1990s rather than by military combat. During this time, many conflicts and indirect wars showed how capitalism and communism compete for power worldwide. This essay examines the primary sources of conflict in the Cold War, using critical statements from leaders who directly shaped this global struggle. We will look at Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech (Article 3), the Truman Doctrine's defensive and offensive positions (Article 4), and John F. Kennedy's thoughts regarding the intense tensions at the edge of war during the Cuban Missile Crisis (Article 1). Each source shows how ideological, military, and …show more content…

The Cold War began due to this speech, which inspired Western opposition to Soviet expansionism. President Harry S. Truman introduced the Truman Doctrine as a critical strategy for combating the Soviet Union's growing influence over Eastern Europe in 1947. This doctrine was first created to restrict Soviet geopolitical advancements in Greece and Turkey and stated that the U.S. would protect "free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures" (Article 4). This approach, which favored containing Soviet power worldwide, quickly became one of the most critical parts of U.S. foreign policy. As the Cold War grew more intense as the 1950s went on, the United States became more committed to restricting the Soviet Union and expanding its power throughout Eastern Europe. Both sides adopted bold military strategies during this intense ideological conflict: the United governments expanded its allies and bases in the Soviet

Show More
Related

How Did The Berlin Airlift Dbq

669 Words | 3 Pages

Following World War II there was an increase in international turmoil primarily involving the United States and the Soviet Union. During the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union became allies to combat the uprising axis powers. While their political policies and ideologies did not align, the two nations were unified in their disapproval of Nazi facism. The allies fought together for mutual benefit, but once World War II ended there was no common goal between the US and the USSR. Fundamentally, the United States was a direct opposite of the Soviets.

Read More

Truman Doctrine Dbq

167 Words | 1 Pages

Following the end of the Second World War, both the United States and the Soviet Union emerged victoriously as leading world powers. The United States and the Soviet Union held vastly different ideological, economic, and political views which led to their long descent as adversaries during the Cold War. The Soviet Union violated their promises they made during the Yalta Conference and proceeded to impose a communistic political system on the nations of Eastern Europe. President Truman responded by creating the "Containment Policy," this policy operated under the ideals that if communism were to exist, then it must be prevented from spreading into other countries. A manifestation of this policy came in the form of the Truman Doctrine of 1947,

Read More

Rise Of Tension Dbq

916 Words | 4 Pages

Why Can’t We Be Friends?: The Rise of Tension between the US and USSR post-WWII Dating back to at least the start of communism, the world saw the gradual rise of the Cold War between the United States of America (USA) and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Although the Cold War was may have been inevitable because of these countries differing visions of economic policy, governmental systems, and the postwar world in general, it was during the years 1941-1949 when it became imminent. In this time, suspicion and tension between the Superpowers increased due to the battle between communism and capitalism, as well as their different governmental systems.

Read More

Cold War DBQ

1018 Words | 5 Pages

The aftermath of World War II marked the beginning of a new era in global politics - the Cold War. Following USSR expansion, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union had risen, with both sides seeking to expand their spheres of influence and prestige. The Cold War was fought primarily through proxy wars, and the rivalry between the two superpowers was characterized by an intense nuclear arms race, a space race, and a struggle over political ideology. In the United States, fears about the spread of communism triggered a policy of diplomatic containment. However, as China fell to communism and the Korean War broke out, diplomatic strategies shifted to military strategies.

Read More

How Did Reagan End The Cold War?

587 Words | 3 Pages

In order to fight such an evil, Reagan went onto the offensive, resulting in an enormous increase in military spending. This strategy depended on the Soviet Union not being able to keep up the pace, and due to economic problems from military spending, financing other communist governments, and

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Truman Doctrine

632 Words | 3 Pages

Truman claims that containment of the soviet’s influence was the course of action needed to protect democracy and the free world. The Truman doctrine would later be argued as the start of the cold war. The response was split by critics expressing the concern that it was too aggressive and would cause problems

Read More

Truman Document Against Communism

653 Words | 3 Pages

After the World War II, The US and Soviet Union emerged as the two superpowers that would influence the world. The US, a democratic nation, and Soviet Union, a communist nation, were exact opposites. As a result of their disagreements, and misunderstanding after WWII, the two nations engaged in what known as the Cold War. They saw each other as a threat to their ideologies. They wanted to influence the economic, politics and military power in the world.

Read More

AP Themes Of The Cold War

237 Words | 1 Pages

The Cold War was a complex conflict that was influenced by several factors, but two AP themes that were particularly significant in explaining its causes and development were Economic Systems (ECN) and Governance (GOV). The ideological differences between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union were at the heart of the conflict, making ECN a crucial theme. The US believed in free markets and multiple political parties, while the Soviet Union had a centrally planned economy controlled by a single political party. This led to differing views on wealth distribution, consumer goods, and religion, creating a stark contrast between the two systems. The competition for global influence in military, economics, politics, and culture

Read More

Analysis Of The Global Cold War By Odd Arne Westad

806 Words | 4 Pages

While exploring this book I was able to get a better understanding of how exactly the Cold War shaped the world I live in today. The book The Global Cold War by Odd Arne Westad covers a wide assortment of topics, the most prominent being how the Cold war was shaped, and how it has shaped the places we call home today. Overall, this book allowed the readers to get a better understanding of the Cold War in a more in-depth and global way. Within this book, the reader can see that the chapters are divided by topics instead of when the events took place.

Read More

Effects Of The Truman Doctrine

280 Words | 2 Pages

The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy to stop Soviet imperialism during the Cold War. It was announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947 when he pledged to contain Soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. No American military force was involved; instead Congress appropriated a free gift of financial aid to support the economies and the militaries of Greece and Turkey. More generally, the Truman doctrine implied American support for other nations threatened by Soviet communism. The Truman Doctrine became the foundation of American foreign policy, and led, in 1949, to the formation of NATO: a full-fledged military alliance that is in effect to this day.

Read More

Essay On American Isolationism

1027 Words | 5 Pages

In response to the spread of communism, the Truman Doctrine was put in place, also known as the declaration of the Cold War. Harry Truman believed that the U.S. should provide aid to countries who are oppressed by armed minorities through economic and financial aid, not through the military. Along with Truman, Taft viewed that the battle against communism is never-ending and will eventually exhaust the country of resources and nationalism. According to Hamby from Miller Center, President Harry. S. Truman “guided the United States through the end of World War II, the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the dawning of the atomic age”.

Read More

Essay On The Cold War Consensus

798 Words | 4 Pages

To examine the Cold War consensus, one must discuss the Cold War. The Cold war was the tension between the United States, standing for capitalism, and the USSR, standing for totalitarianism and socialism, following World War II. Although it was not a physical war between the two superpowers, many proxy wars had came out of it as way to spread or combat communism throughout the Free World. The Free World, as the U.S. came to define it, did not necessarily mean free as countries were being ruled by military regimes and dictatorships, but free from communism(70). During the Cold War, the spread of communism frighted the American People.

Read More

Cold War Relationship

751 Words | 4 Pages

Although the U.S and the Soviet Union had formed a military alliance to defeat a mutual enemy, the two nations – ideologically extremely different – remained cautious of the other. United States’ democratic ideals contradicted that of the authoritarian and communist Stalin, leading to increased tension between the two nations. The conflict between the two opposing ideologies escalated as the Cold War dawned upon the nations. Military, although never used to fight the other nation directly, was used to fight proxy wars in other countries; as both nations tried to defend their ideals and prevent the spread of the others’ ideology/sphere of influence aggressively (Lippman, 25). Proxy wars were fought in Korea, Greek, Afghanistan and Vietnam (Hurst, 130).

Read More

What Led Up To The Cold War Essay

641 Words | 3 Pages

The Cold War began in earnest soon after the conclusion of World War II. Increased global instability, caused in part by a distinct shift to bipolarity due to the emergence of the Soviet Union and The United States as the two major global actors. The Soviet Union, the United States, and their respective allies began leveraging the international theater to expand their spheres of influence by building alliances and creating organizations for economic and securitization. With increased communist influence from the Soviet Union and China on the Korean peninsula, President Truman and American policy makers began to shift their strategic vision through implementation of the Truman doctrine, which, succinctly, “pledged aid to governments threatened

Read More

Who Was Responsible For The Cold War Essay

496 Words | 2 Pages

"The Cold War was an ideological contest between the western democracies especially the United States and the Communist countries that emerged after the Second World War" (Tindall 972). The United States and the Soviet Union had differences over issues such as human rights, individual liberties, economic freedom, and religious belief. "Mutal suspicion and a race to gain influence and control over the so called nonaligned or third world countries further polarized" (Tindall 945). After the WWII Soviets dominate European countries and thought the U.S. had the same motives.

Read More

More about Primary Source Of The Cold War

Open Document