Causes of the Cold War Essay free essay sample

It is clear that fear, greed and revenge were the major factors that caused the Cold War† How far do you agree with this statement when analyzing the causes of the Cold War up to 1949? The responsibility of the origins of the Cold War often triggers questions among historians yet both powers should be blamed for taking part in it. The origins of the Cold War can often be associated with fear, greed and revenge. Through most analyses, the fault was often given to Stalin’s ambitions to expand communism in Europe, a controversial idea of the Orthodox view. Other historians revised this idea therefore blame the United States actions for the origins of the Cold War, which were analyses of the Revisionist. Later, the Post-revisionist view was adopted; its goal was not to blame any side but focused on examining â€Å"what† caused the start of it. The collapse of the good-natured American Soviet relations was most significantly caused by the Soviet Union expanding it borders, violating its allied agreements, and imposing communistic governments on neighboring nations. Firstly, one of the direct causes of the Cold War was the Yalta Conference in February 1945, at this point Stalin’s diplomatic position was greatly strengthened by the physical fact that the Red Army occupied most of eastern Europe. In the Yalta conference the Big Three powers were represented by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. The matters being discussed in the Yalta Conference were very much the same as those discussed in the Tehran Conference in 1943, however the Big Three all agreed that the priority was the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the war, the country would be split into four occupied zones, with a quadripartite occupation of Berlin as well. Essentially the Yalta Conference was based on the fear of the expansion of Germany. The three main positive outcomes of the Yalta Conference were; the agreement on the United Nations, Soviet agreement to join the war in the Pacific against Japan, and the Big Three signing a ‘Declaration for Liberated Europe’ pledging their support for democratic governments based on free elections in all european countries, including eastern Europe. Stalin essentially got everything he wanted: a significant sphere of influence as a buffer zone. In this process, the freedom of small nations was somehow expendable and sacrificed for the sake of stability, which would mean that the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia would continue to be members of the USSR. However the Soviet Union violated and defied its agreements made during various international conferences with President Roosevelt and Truman, and British Prime Minister Churchill. Joseph Stalin, violated its solemn promises in the Yalta accords. He pledged to hold free elections in Eastern Europe however he failed to carry this out when he announced that there will be no elections during the Potsdam Conference in 1945. Also unlike the United States, the Soviets did not demilitarize immediately after the war. Additionally, the Soviet Union withdrew from the allied council. The Potsdam Conference which took place in July 1945 was the next time that the Big Three met. However President Roosevelt died in April 1945 and was replaced by Truman, who was to adopt a more hardline, or ‘get tough’ policy, towards the soviets. The Potsdam Conference followed the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. By the time the Potsdam Conference began, the USA was planning on using their new atomic weapon against Japan if the tests on it proved successful. The atomic bombs were a symbol for fear, because they were used as a form of defense and also as a method of mass destruction. It can be argued that the USA didnt need to use the atomic bomb in order to get Japan to surrender, it has also been said that the USA dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and three days later the attack on Nagasaki. Prime Minister Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech which warned the new danger in Europe can be seen as one of the defining moments in the origins of the Cold War. It was Churchills speech, which he titled The Sinews of Peace, that changed the way the democratic West viewed the Communist East. The phrase, which refers to the harsh and impenetrable nature of the divide. In Churchills speech it was clear how much he feared the Soviet Unions rise in power, during the entirety of the speech Churchill is warning about the implications that the spread of communism could have. Through an orthodox perspective Churchill had no other choice but to warn the other countries about what Stalin’s plans of expansion are. When the Truman doctrine was announced on 12 March 1947 the Soviet Union feared that the USA would be successful in stopping Stalin’s goal of spreading communism. Through the perspective of a revisionist the Truman Doctrine was proof of how ‘backstabbing’ the USA is since it was seen as just a way to get in the way of Stalin’s plans and avoid his success. In January 1947, the U. A Secretary of State, was replaced by General George Marshall. The Marshall plan seemed to follow quite naturally on from the Truman Doctrine, which was the economic extension of the ideas outlined by the president. Through the orthodox perspective the Marshall Plan was a perfect offer for all european countries, including the Soviet Union in order to rebuild the countries, and that its at an disadvantage to the Soviets that they didnt accept the offer. Soon after Roosevelts death in 1945 and his replacement by Truman the Big Three met at Potsdam for the first time. President Truman and Stalin were at a disagreement form the very beginning regarding each others greed for power. Through the view of a revisionist the USA and Truman were the reason as to why there was tension between the two, this caused mainly by the two powers unwillingness to come to a compromise. In the Potsdam conference signs of greed can be shown as Truman does not inform Stalin of the fact that the United States is armed with an atomic bomb. As an orthodox it can be argued that the reason for Truman to keep the destructive weapon a secret was because of the fear that the Soviets would abuse the power of such a weapon. The Berlin Crisis was mainly caused due to greed of the United States and the Soviet Union to have their own sector of Berlin. It can be argued from a orthodox perspective that the reason for the ‘greed’ shown by the United States is justified. It is justified because if the Soviets were to have complete control over the capital they would have too munch power, and therefore be a bigger threat than they already are. Due the the Berlin Crisis the Berlin Blockade began on the 24th June 1948. The problem for the western powers was that Berlin lay 100 miles within the Soviet occupation zone, which had been sealed off from the rest of Germany since 1946. As a revisionist the isolation of the Berlin blockade was the only way for the Soviet Union the remain a superpower. Lastly revenge played an important role in the development of the Cold War. Truman’s replacement of Roosevelt caused difficulties regarding the relationship between the USSR and the United Stated. Stalin and Truman did not get along, therefore the need to revenge on each other intensified, as the tension between the two nations grew stronger. As a revisionist it can be seen from the perspective that the United Stated took every opportunity possible to ‘revenge’ on the Soviet Union by turning other nations agains the idea of communism which made it more difficult for Stalin to expand. USA can be seen as taking revenge on Japan with the attack of the two atomic bombs, as a orthodox one could simply argue that it was the only way to end the war between Japan and the United States as Japan was very stubborn when it came to surrender. Churchills iron curtain speech on the 5th March 1946 was his way to get revenge for the actions and the selfishness that the Soviet Union used in order to spread the communism, the speech was the only possibility that the USA and Britain had to stop the spread of communism in Europe. The Soviet Union also showed revenge with the several steps of withdrawing the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stepping up the tone and intensity of anti-Western propaganda and initiating a new five-year plan of self-strengthening. From the orthodox perspective the Soviet Union completely overreacted with its interpretations and should feel attacked because Churchill tells other countries the truth about the communist ideology. Fear, greed and revenge are words that can describe the tense relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States. However as shown through the different perspectives of an orthodox and a revisionist it cannot easily be determined who is responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War. Through the post-revisionist perspective not one nation can be held solely responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War, there is instead the focus on what other factors also had an influence. I agree with the post revisionist view as shown in my essay every argument has a valid argument as a revisionist and as an orthodox.