Although the first half of the twentieth century had been more hectic because of the frequent battles of the opposing powers in the two world wars, the second half of the century, the decades of the Cold War can be characterised as more tense because of the lack of direct clashes between the two superpowers, thus being ever since a more controversial issue. Not only the reason for the Cold War is the subject of continuous debate but also the time when the relationship between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union started to deteriorate. The generally accepted starting point of the Cold War is dated around 1946-47, with Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan. However, historians tend to look for the origins of the hostility already in the Second World War, and some of them are looking back as far as the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.In this essay I am going to analyse the conflicts between the USSR and the USA during the war, then briefly introduce the view about the origin of the Cold War being the Bolshevik Revolution, then give an overview of the consequences of the Second World War that could have led to the Cold War.
[...] Kitchen, The Origins of the Cold War in Comparative Perspective, ( London, Macmillan Press, 1988), p.20- It is questionable that if the Second Front would have been opened in 1942 Soviet-American relations would have been different, Loth suggests, it would not have necessarily reduced Soviet mistrust and 'established enduring cooperation' W. Loth, The Division of the World 1941-1955, (London, Routledge, 1988), p It certainly increased Soviet suspicions towards its allies. The two superpowers had financial disagreements as well. The Soviets demanded at Yalta that the Germans should pay reparations because of the tremendous damage they caused on the Soviet lands,however Roosevelt refused this 'remembering that Germany's unfavorable economic position after World War I. [...]
[...] In conclusion it can be said that the origins of the Cold War lie in the politics of the Second World War to a significant extent, and mostly in the disagreements over post-war organization of world order. However, just as much as it is the evolvement of the conflict of the two superpowers, is it the inevitable result of the world war. I have arrived at this conclusion by looking at the main disagreements and conflicts of the powers, those being the question of the Second Front, the financial issues, Eastern Europe and the atomic bomb. [...]
[...] It is necessary to reflect on the view that the hostility of the two superpowers can be traced back to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and to 1918 US intervention in the civil war in Russia. This assumption is mostly based on the view that the antagonistic relationship of the two powers was ideologically based. Of course the differing ideology of the two countries, capitalism and communism was an important part of their opposition, however their importance should not be over-emphasized. [...]
[...] Thomson, ' Cold War Theories', p Although the Allies reached an understanding in Yalta, the reparation issue contributed to the origins of the Cold War. The other financial issue was the loan the Soviets requested. It was requested on January and was placed in the department's "Forgotten File" K.W. Thomson, ' Cold War Theories', p.61.by the Secretary of State. Although, according to Thomson K.W. Thomson, ' Cold War Theories' p there were officials in the treasury and the State Department who thought that a loan would strenghten Russia economically which would maybe lead to a more friendly relationship between the two powers, other aspects of the question received priority. [...]
[...] It was already known before the war that the Soviets are interested in Eastern Europe, wanting to have their sphere of influence in Europe. US and Britain were well aware of this fact. However, Stalin's yearning for creating Soviet satelite states was also the result of the Soviets claim of needing a buffer zone in order to protect their so often invaded and destroyed land. Roosevelt,however claimed that the USSR will not need a buffer zone because of the post-war Allied occupation of Germany and because of a strong UN presence L. [...]
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