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Historiography on the Origins of the Cold War
Historiography on the Origins of the Cold War
Development of cold war
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During the 20th century, the rise of communism sparked rage in people throughout the world. More towards the end of the 1900's the fall of communism and dictatorships was just the beginning of what would eventually be a large democratic change for several countries. 1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End, speaks about the change brought to several different countries from the 1980's-1990's and plans to show "the global transformations that marked the end of the cold war and shaped the era in which we live"(Pg V). During the cold war, communist had power and control over a large area and spread communism throughout several continents. This book specifically hits on six different studies of where communism and dictatorship affected these areas and what they did to stop it. Poland, Philippines, Chile, South Africa, Ukraine, and China throughout the end of the 20th century created revolutionary movements which brought them all one step closer to freeing themselves and creating democratic change. …show more content…
Some may say Ukraine was still successful because they did end the Soviet Union gaining some independence for themselves. "The abruptness of the Soviet Union's collapse, as well as the strategic importance that the Ukraine continued to have for Moscow, stunted the Ukraine's democratic transformation"(Pg 142). Because the Union completely disappeared, Ukraine was not given the opportunity at that time to figure out what they can do to become a democracy. Unlike Ukraine, China was less fortunate with their revolution towards democracy. "The easy answer as to why things turned out differently could be that the Chinese dictatorship simply had more backbone"(Pg 157). With China being so much more strict, and the possibility that the students just didn't have enough power (because after all, they are still just looked at as kids), maybe there was just no possibility for reform at that
One of the biggest fears of the American people is that the concept of communism contrasts drastically from the concept of capitalism, which the United States was essentially founded upon. The United States, as the public believed, was not a land of perfect communal equality, but rather a land of equal opportunity. However, what made communism so dangerous can be succinctly described by Eisenhower who compared the spread of communism as the domino effect. As his secretary of state, Dulles, put it, the propagation of communism “would constitute a threat to the sovereignty and independence” of America (Doc B). In addition, the Cold War also planted the seeds of rational fear of a global nuclear war. As Russia caught up to the United States in terms of technological advancements, they successfully developed the atomic bomb as well as the hydrogen bomb, which caused Americans to believe that the USSR would use these weapons of mass destruction to forcefully extend their ideologies to the USA. In fact, Americans were so frantic about a potential nuclear disaster that it...
According to Elaine Tyler May in her article Security against Democracy: The Legacy of the Cod War at Home, the cold war made an impact on Americans state of mind. During the nuclear arms race, many Americans became paranoid about their own country as well as foreigners . Instead of trying to get rid of this situation and mediating it , America decides to join this race, which only fuels the fire. At the same, American citizens were living their lives in fear everyday. Citizens were preparing themselves in case of an attack, as a result of the government doing nothing to try to protect America. Elaine Tyler May also states that the media back then was only fueling this phobia to grow. For example, the Los Angeles Times showing hypothetical bomb targets if the Soviets were to attack in Los Angeles. Some Americans, who were considering the possibility of a nuclear war, modified their homes into concrete to resist an atomic blast, created backyard bunkers, or even sheltered in their basements. In addition, whether you were for or against the buildup of nuclear weapons, fear would be present.
The Cold War hindered social reform in the United States because of the increase in the separation between individuals and the failure of the government to resolve the issue of inequality within the United States. Social reform can be defined the use of common goals to bring about change within the political and social aspects of society. From the 1940s to the 1990s, the Cold War was the main focus of society. This conflict was a systematic response to various pressures and fears that had not been resolved by World War II. The government shifted its focus away from dealing with the social issues that already existed in the United States to focus on the nuclear threat and the communist threat that existed abroad.
Odd Arne Westad, Director of the Cold War Studies Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science, explains how the Cold War “shaped the world we live in today — its politics, economics, and military affairs“ (Westad, The Global Cold War, 1). Furthermore, Westad continues, “ the globalization of the Cold War during the last century created foundations” for most of the historic conflicts we see today. The Cold War, asserts Westad, centers on how the Third World policies of the two twentieth-century superpowers — the United States and the Soviet Union — escalates to antipathy and conflict that in the end helped oust one world power while challenging the other. This supplies a universal understanding on the Cold War (Westad, The Global Cold War, 1). After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union opposed each other over the expansion of their power.
The main fact that must not be forgotten when answering this question is that Russia emerged successful from the Second World War, despite its problems. It could not have done this without the achievements and developments of the industrial 1930s. An industrial decade underpinned by the violence of the Great Terror. Without this motivating fear, neither the Five Year Plans nor collectivisation could have succeeded to the extent that they did, and as a consequence the Soviet Union would have been defeated. Politically, dictatorship and the purging of factions created unity and brought tighter control over the party.
Todd, Allan. (2009) Democracies and Dictatorship: Europe and the World 1919-1989. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Tomkinson, John L. (2008) The Cold War: Themes in Twentieth Century World History for the International Baccalaureate.
In the 20th century, the chaos of war was overwhelming. Both World War I and World War II occurred, leaving countries in debt and pain. When the disarray of World War II was starting to wear off, the Soviet people were still recovering. The Soviet Union was in deep economic and social problems from World War I, and after another war, the quality of life was not as extraordinary as it once was. Josef Stalin enforced stricter laws than ever before so that he could stay in power over his people. Terror from imprisonment, exile, and execution filled the USSR. Then, Nikita Khrushchev came to power and led the Soviet Union into the Cold War. Fear now came from overseas because the USSR and the United States, who were enemies, began to build their
The shocking collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989-91 has often been an indicator in the West as a triumph of capitalism and democracy, as though this event was clearly a direct result of the policies of the Reagan and Thatcher governments. This arrogant analysis has little relation to measurable facts, circumstances, and internal political shifts that were the real historical causes of the deterioration of the Soviet empire and ultimately the Soviet state itself. Spirited political speeches and tough calculating postures make good theater, but they are ineffective at forcing political change in totalitarian nations, as is proven by the stamina of far less powerful Communist regimes in Cuba and east Asia in the face of punishing trade embargos.
In conclusion, the chaos that was encountered by t the Soviet Union together with the ideas the new leaders brought in enlightenment Eastern Europe about communism. This made the countries understand their freedom and rights through the Glasnot. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the freedom and independence of many soviet states. They were no longer a world super power and with the difficulties it faced economically, politically and socially, led to its own downfall. The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union also led to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe as the countries became democratic.
The century of 1901-2000 is considered to be the twentieth century. During this time period, the world was hardly recovering from four brutal years of the First World War. Many people did not want to enter the Second World War so closely after the First World War had ended. However for several unfortunate reasons, World War II followed not too far behind. For many, bloodshed did not end there. Trouble grew between the Allies; Communist Soviet Union and Capitalist United States of America fought in what is now known as “The Cold War.”
e were numerous situations that led to the Cold War. It all began after WW2 arose and came to an end in where the post-war conflict between the Soviet Union and the US grew significantly. Due to these nation’s distinctions and visions for a post-war world, tensions between the two nations grew to create an impact in the form of living during the 1950’s and 1960’s, which was caused by the fear that communism imposed; consequently, today we continue to witness the struggle between democracy and communism.
Since the Soviet Union was the world’s only communist country at this time, they had many enemies, and they needed protection. One of the Soviet Union’s main objectives during this time was to weaken other European democracies by promoting internal disruption within the governments of Europe. This would make the world safer for the world’s only communist country (Greenville
During the Cold War, tensions between NATO forces and members of the Warsaw Pact are still at a standstill. A similar characteristic between all of these revolutions is a repeating cycle or a domino effect within the region. Each country’s revolution had its citizen’s protest against the government. The government would respond in many ways. Some would go through non-violent transitions the control of power or through a violent revolution leading to the death of the people in control. What all of these revolutions did achieve is the downfall of their Communist governments and reformations of their laws.
The end of World War II brought a combination of relief, joy and solemnity for the Americans in victory, however this atmosphere turned to anxiety quickly in 1945 as America’s wartime ally, the Soviet Union, suddenly became its enemy in the next forty-five years. This ongoing global conflict which arose from the fight between Capitalism and Communism, divided the formerly allied nations and sparked an intense battle for world supremacy. During the Cold War, the United States successfully promoted the value of democracy and inhibited Communist expansion. In this way, American’s action at home and abroad supported its democratic principles.
Totalitarianism is an idea established in the horror of advanced war, upheaval, dread, genocide, and, since 1945, the risk of atomic demolition. It is likewise among the most adaptable and challenged terms in the political vocabulary. At its easiest, the thought proposes that in spite of Fascist/Nazi's centrality of the country or the expert race and Bolshevist's goal toward a raunchy, global fraternity of man, both administrations were essentially indistinguishable. Great in its disavowal of freedom, totalitarianism passes on an administration sort with genuinely radical aspirations. Its main goals are to run unobstructed by legitimate restriction, community pluralism, and gathering rivalry, and to refashion human instinct itself.