The Cold War And Truman

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The end of World War II presented an opportunity for Winston Churchill to regain some of the power and influence that the Imperialistic British Empire once possessed. Churchill took advantage of the trust and respect that the American public and President Truman shared about his character. He saw Truman's lack of political experience as an opportunity to restore British imperial authority. Winston Churchill tainted Harry Truman's beliefs and preservations about Russia, because his personal agenda and imperial policy where vital to the supremacy of the British Empire. Churchill manipulated Truman and the American public. He caused them to believe that Russia was a legitimate threat to the free world, thus he created the origins of the Cold War.

During the Yalta Conference, the United States and Britain were forced to finally confront the diplomatic impact of the Russian military success in Europe. Churchill and Roosevelt were most concerned about the future of Poland. Both Churchill and Roosevelt knew that Polish voters in the United States and Britain were concerned about the future of their mother country. Therefore, Poland was the main debating point during the conference. Stalin explained to Churchill and Truman that throughout history Poland had been used as a corridor through which other hostile countries invaded Russia or attacked her. Stalin held to the notion that only a strong, pro-Communist government in Poland would be able to guarantee the security of Russia.

After Roosevelt returned to the United States, many Americans accused him of not doing all he could to secure Poland with a free, non-communist government. Many Americans felt that Roosevelt did not dig in his diplomatic heels. With help from the press, thi...

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... "He possesses inborn militaristic qualities, and is intensely proud of his descent from Marlborough". This opinion of Churchill was well deserved, because Churchill gave individuals fuel to flame such notions. When Churchill worked as a correspondent for the English newspaper the "Morning Post" during the Boer War. He wrote "There is only one way to break the resistance of the Boers: the most severe suppression. In other words, we must kill the parents to teach the children respect for us." The same young correspondent reported about an English punishment expedition to the Mamund Valley, "We went systematically from village to village, destroying the houses, ruining the wells, breaking the towers, felling the larger shade-giving trees, burning the harvest and destroying the water reservoirs, after fourteen days the valley was a desert and our honor was satisfied".

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