Cold War Essay, Research Paper

What Was the Cold War?

The Cold War was the time period from 1945 to 1990 where there was constant tension and struggle between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. Actual military conflict never occurred, but there were great amounts of hostility and rivalry between the two sides, as well as intense clashes of economic and diplomatic policies.

After almost a century of peace, feelings of uneasiness and distrust settled between the two countries after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 when the Communists gained control of Russia, established the Soviet Union. The newly developed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, known as the USSR, declared ideological war against all western capitalist nations. Disapproving of this new type of government, the U.S. tried to intervene, sending over 10,000 troops from 1918-1920. They also refused to officially recognize the state until 1933. (Encarta 1997, 1) Fighting together against Germany during World War II created an alliance, although it did not last for long. The friendship rapidly began to dissipate due to disagreements over the reconstruction of Eastern Europe. The Russian leader, Joseph Stalin, wanted to increase his hold on the area and institute Communism upon its people, and it was up to the U.S to lead the fight against it. Feelings of distrust heightened when both sides failed to honor promises and agreements previously made. The two countries had gone from wartime allies to bitter enemies. (Cayton, Perry, Reed, and Winkler, 1999, 535)

In 1945, the U.S wanted to open Europe for free capitalist trade, but the USSR disagreed. The Truman Doctrine was issued in March of 1947, which stated that the U.S. would defend all free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures. Russia was on a mission for world conquest, and the United States vowed to intervene wherever communism threatened (Cayton, Perry, Reed, and Winkler, 1999, 535). The term cold war was first used by Bernard Baruch in a speech referring to the Truman Doctrine, and thus it came to be known as The Cold War. In 1948, the United States passed the Marshall Plan, which allotted $13 billion to rebuild war-ravaged Europe, but Eastern Europe was forced to turn down the aid under Soviet pressure. Tensions continued to worsen between the two superpowers and in 1949 the capitalist forces set up a military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The eastern communist forces followed by establishing the Warsaw Pact in 1955. Also in 1949, the Cold War broadened with the explosion of the Soviet s first atomic bomb, and a new rivalry began in the race to create sophisticated military weapons. In 1953, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea and Truman sent military aid. Three years later, the war ended and the border remained in tact. Also in 1953, Stalin died and Truman left office, but the Cold War continued on. The Cubans became a Soviet ally in 1959 which would lead to great problems in later years. ( Cold War Chronology 1999). In 1961 the Berlin Wall was built in an attempt to protect Communist East Germany from outside forces. The race to gain control of newly developing countries in the Eastern Hemisphere continued with growing intensity. The height of the Cold War occurred in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USSR placed missiles in Cuba, which resulted in a direct confrontation between the Soviets and the U.S. For 12 days, the 2 powers came frighteningly close to nuclear war. President Kennedy threatened to retaliate with nuclear weapons and forced the new Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev, to back down and dismantle the missiles as well as promise not to invade China (Johnston 1998, Cold War. ).

The United States continued the fight against Communism in entering the Vietnam War in 1964, which lasted for nearly 11 years and ended in the loss of nearly 57,000 American lives and a defeat. The conflict added to the hostility between communist and capitalist. In 1973, the two powers had agreed on a state of d tente in an effort to slow down the costly arms race and competition for control of Third World countries (Encarta 1997, 2), however this policy did not last for long. The USSR invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to preserve their Socialist regime, and the rivalry again flared with a vengeance. Adding to the tensions, newly elected President Ronald Reagan publicly called the Soviet an evil empire, ( Cold War Chronology, 1999) and initiated aggressive foreign policies in an effort to curb Communism. Between 1980-89, the focal point of the conflict was the intensification of the arms race, and the race of the space program, which popularly became known as Star Wars. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR, and thus began the easing of the conflict. NATO and the Warsaw Pact formed treaties, the Soviet troops in Afghanistan were removed, and the Berlin Wall was finally taken down in 1989 (Johnston 1998, The Cold War). An official end to the Cold War was declared in December 1989. Eastern European nations were freed, the two Germanys became one, the arms race was cut back, and Communism was over all discredited (Encarta 1997, 2).

The Cold War was an intense conflict that lasted for almost 45 years. It began with trying to prevent the spread of Communism, and developed into things such as the race for nuclear weapons, Star Wars , and several close conflicts such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Korean War. The Cold War was a frightening period in history, there was always the possibility of disaster hanging in the air.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cayton, Andrew; Perry, Elisabeth; Reed, Linda; and Winkler, Allen. 1999. American Pathways to the Present. Mass: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Cold War: Chronology. (1999). http:www.helicon.co.uk.coldwar.htm (21 September 1999).

Johnston, Bruce. Cold War. (June 1998) http:www.hutchinsons/coldwar/history.edu (20 September 1999).

Microsoft Encarta, 1997. The Cold War. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.