Cold War Essay free essay sample

The Cold War was led from 1945 to about 1991, it was a war fought between the Communists led by the Soviet Union and the Democratic nations led by the United States. Before the Second World War had begun there were economic, political and social differences between the two ideologies, which were only intensified after the war, as a result of suspicions both sides had. To a certain extent it is clear that the Cold War was a more or less natural development of the Second World War. When the war ended and Democrats and Communists had defeated Fascism, the two ideologies broke down, leading to the Cold War. Conflicts between the USSR and the US firstly arose in 1945 at the Yalta Conference, where the US, the Soviet Union and Great Britain were to discuss their issues. In 1946 the Truman Doctrine supported the tensions that were already there. Greek communists fought the Greek Civil War and America intervened by aiding nations defending themselves against communist forces. We will write a custom essay sample on Cold War Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This was of course not liked to be seen by the communist USSR at all. One year later, in 1947, President Truman launched the Marshall Plan, which again went again communism and backed up the Truman Doctrine, which had been developed in the earlier year. The Russians felt that the US was launching an anti-communist campaign against their country and suspicions between the two different ideologies began to rise. Meanwhile the Soviet Union also intervened in the political issues of the eastern European countries. Bulgaria and Romania suffered from the declarance of the People’s Republic and the most extreme example was the overtaking of the Czech government, showing how eager the USSR was to spread communism when they showed desire to kill the Czechs leader for independence. In 1948 Berlin in Germany became the centre of attention in the Cold War. The Berlin Wall was at that time the tangible symbol of the Iron Curtain. The USSR began what is known as the Berlin Blockade and stopped Germany from receiving supplies and support from the USA. By this time the only eastern European country not directly controlled by the Soviet Union was Yugoslavia. When World War 2 ended the countries in Western Europe had become too weak to prevent the spreading of communism and the Soviet Union was seemingly getting stronger. The United States and the USSR seemed to be in need of demonstrating their power during the Cold War and the US took this opportunity to showcase their newest cientific and technological development. The two also competed for superiority in space, constantly trying to be in power. However, the Atomic bomb may also be a reason why the tensions between the two countries relaxed, both countries realized that they were able to destroy each others countries with the use of this weapon and in order to avoid a military clash their relations were bound to improve. It may not be easy to determine whether the United States or the Soviet Union were to blame for the Cold War, however it is clear that through the Second World War the tensions between them increased and therefore naturally led to the Cold War. Cold War Essay free essay sample To what extent was Germany the cause of East/West disagreements between 1943 and 1963? (2000) 5. Analyze the role of Germany in the origin and development of the Cold War. (2002) 6. In what ways, and with what results, was Germany the key focus of the early stages of the Cold War? (2005) 7. Compare and contrast the policies of the USA and the USSR towards Korea between 1945 and 1955. (2004) 8. Also: NATO, Soviet policies, Sovietization of Central and Eastern Europe, COMECON, Stalin, Truman