Cold War Dbq

As the end of the second World War dwindled down, a new fear arises in America that quickly turns the glory of victory into another countdown to disaster. The United States and Soviet Union, two differing governments, meet at the Elbe River in 1945 their first time shaking hands with little knowledge of the true terror that they would cause the world. As the technology advanced so did the ways warfare could end the world. Although the Soviets lost more than 27,000,00 soldiers during World War II, they did not back down from the United States threats, as they believed that communism would spread throughout the world. The response from the U.S. was strategies to stop the spread of communism and protect the rights of the “free peoples”. From the Truman Doctrine in 1947, a

bill that intervened America in economic affairs to stop the threat of communism in places like Greece and Turkey, to the Marshall plan, which gave over 12 billion dollars to rebuilding European countries, the process of halting communism was a mixture of fear and playing the right cards. The United States contained communism through the means of proxy wars in the Korean War, coming to the need of Berlin friendlies and handling the Cuban missile crisis of 1963.
June 25,1950, Reports to President Truman come in that Communist North Korea with the support of the Soviet Union invades South Korea. In response to the intrusion of communism in the Democratic Republic of South Korea, the United States sent American troops to defend South Korea; however, American and United Nation forces are push to the edge with a quick counter-attack from General Douglas MacArthur. American troops are able to push the “North Korean forces… all the way to the Yalu River” (Document C). Intervention allowed the Soviet Union and the United States to fight without the consequences of nuclear warfare. With providing troops and supplies, the two sides are able to push each other to the edge and back in endless violence. This stopped communism from advancing to other democratic countries by fighting back with just as strong forces, this weakened the communist movement as they were unable to obtain all of Korea and spread the communist ideas. Although in Document c, we can see the struggles of the United States and U.N. forces, such as being forced back once China joins in, we also see that communism is met with a brick wall unable to be torn down to get to South Korea’s government system. These proxy wars in Korea allowed communism to come to a halt in Asia. The fighting comes to a ceasefire in 1953 with little difference to the borders North and South Korea remain in war every day since no treaty has been signed.
Secondly, America and allies stepped in to help those in need in Germany. In 1948, “western Berlin [was] a pro-American island in a Soviet Sea” (Document B). As we see in the documents a large portion of Germany was under Soviet control. And right in the center Berlin stood standing as “pro- American.” The Soviet Union took Berlin’s resources such as food, waterways and railroads, by cutting off these resources it left them drowning in the “Soviet Sea”. America and it’s allies came to the rescue by building the Berlin Airlift that allowed them to send them the resources that were taken from them. In Document B, we see that “everything from food to coal” was provided keeping those in need strong enough to resist falling into Soviet Union control. Without the Berlin Airlift, many would be suffering and soon give in to the Soviet, but America, in its journey to stop communism, supplied the need materials to defeat the Soviets. We also see America coming to the need of others in many other cases against communism such as in the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Soon Salin removed the blockade that kept the supplies from Berlin. This was a small victory into democracy’s fight against communism but a victory nevertheless.
Finally, in 1956 Fidel Castro, a Anti-American Communist, come to power in Cuba.

Leaving America vulnerable to the spread of communism. In response to this American takes in Cuban refugees and trains them. This training is vital to stopping Fidel and his agenda. In Document D, The 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion is launched, all the refugees that were trained head back to Cuba to disrupt Fidel’s power. However the revolt fails leaving many scared that communism would soon be coming for their country.The failure of this invasion leaves many praising Fidel for standing up to America, and others questioning whether the U.S. could stop communism. However America would not be so easily defeated. In 1961, American spy planes spot new weapons on the island, this comes as a realization that the Soviets “secretly sent 40,000 troops, 60 missiles and 158 nuclear warheads” to Cuba allowing them to now have the ability to attack America. With the fear that these weapons with be used on America, President Kennedy sends orders to quarantine cuba to stop ships from bringing in more weapons, He also address that they will not invade if they remove the missiles. As a result of this strategy Russia removes it

missiles.
In conclusion, the United States and its allies worked hard to prevent the spread of communism. They did this through a variety of strategies some being the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan but the U.S. plans extended even more during the Cold War by giving their troops in need. They also aided in supplying Berlin in its time of need as well as protecting its citizens from nuclear disaster due to the Cuban missile crisis. The U.S. stopped communism from spreading by not giving up and playing each card right in order to protect millions from nuclear disaster.