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Why USSR and USA were in Cold War
The cold war was an indirect war between two superior states, USA and USSR. It started after Second World War II in 1947 and ended in 1991. In 1943 there was a Casablanca conference where President Franklin assured Americans that there was no separation with the Soviet Union (Dobrynin 9). There were conflicts, threats and rivalry between big cities in America, Russia and some part of Vietnam. At the start there were propagandas to bring division in the united nation, including the anti-Communism speech by British leader Winston Churchill in March 1946.
Primarily, the USSR and the U.S found themselves in the Cold War because there was a conflict between their two ideologies; Capitalism and communism. The Americans were afraid of communist attack. Communism can be said it started in 1917 or in 1920s during the Russian Revolution (Dobrynin 12). It is then when Lenin and Bolsheviks joined hands to spread Communism in Western Russia and some parts of Europe. Unfortunately, they were not successful, but were defeated by Soviet war, which was between 1919 and 1921.
Additionally, the two nations found themselves in the cold war because of the way the World War II ended in 1945. This happened after Stalin, who ended the World War II on Allied side was betrayed by Hitler in 1941. There was evidenced tension between western powers who won World War II and the USSR (Sakwa 31). The USSR tried to incorporate parts of Germany and some countries in the east of Germany an act that made Americans and British hesitate. The Americans hesitated because they wanted Germany to be a free and opened country so that they can have a good market for their products while the British feared the Soviet in Europe (Gaddis 11). The Soviet that was present in Europe stood in the way for Americans and British as well. George Patton once the American General noted that should have gone ahead to Moscow when American was in Berlin.
In 1945 the victorious World War II United States and Soviet Union became allies, which lead them to victory over the Adolf Hitler’s Nazi empire in Europe. After a few years, this ally between the United States and Soviet Union became great enemies. As a result of this enmity there was a global struggle in politics, economics, in a military and ideologically, which lead to cold war (Sakwa 7). In 1943 there was evident tension which later grew into the Cold War. This tension grew more evident when the big three allied leaders; American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin had met in Tehran to harmonize the strategy.
The two nations went into cold war because of their involvement in European politics. America felt that an immediate action needed to be taken to answer the increased threat by Soviet in Western Europe. This action includes diplomatic, military and economic strategies used to stop the spread of communism by executing ‘’containment’’ by the United State in Europe (Sakwa 7). Truman was informed in February 1947 that London had stopped to support Greece in the anti-communist war. When Truman had this he responded by announcing the Truman Doctrine that was purposely to help Greece and Turkey. The congress gave ago ahead to this decision and $300 million went to assist Greece and $100 million went to help turkey.
At the same time Europeans so terrified by the war and people were freezing and going with no food to eat and the country credit was going down to zero. This made George Marshall to come up with a plan mainly to offer economic assistance in the European country in 1947 after World War II (Dobrynin 21). Marshall Plan was able to provide around $13 billion, with grants and loans to 17 countries. Stalin wanted to hold what he had tight and build a dividing wall between Europe, which contributed part of the ‘’containment’’ of the Soviets expansion.
In April 4, 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by America to help Europe and to protect and to stop expansion of the Soviet Union. This organization was formed after the events that had taken place in Europe. It was too late for Stalin by the time he could raise the Berlin blockade and all his plans failed after all his hopes were turned down (Gaddis 43). The North Atlantic treaty organization finally resulted in Stalin downfall in his plans to control of the Europeans.
The USSR and United States of America found themselves in a cold war because of consistent fear and suspicion over each other. The development of the USSR in a strong economy and a stable country created a lot of suspicion by the Americans. They feared that the communist bloc, the USSR was getting stronger enough to launch attacks against the United States and its allies (Gaddis 45). Therefore, the Americans found it better to engage the USSR in a cold war that would keep the resting potential of the communists to attack. On the other hand, USSR thought that they should keep replying the threats by the Americans. They also feared that Americans would use their atomic power to attack them. Therefore, the communist kept an alert response for every conflict that Americans involved themselves in.
The two powers, the USSR and the U.S found themselves in a cold war because of a growing dislike of the leaders of each of the blocs. The American leader at the time, Harry Truman had a strong dislike of Stalin, the USSR leader (Gaddis 17). This is because of the American notion that Stalin was a ruthless leader and a possible dictator. This informed the actions of the U.S leader to constantly oppose whatever policies that Stalin adopted. In an extreme case of dislike, Truman further financed any nation or country that Stalin set to control or vest USSR’s actions in. As a consequence, the two leaders led the two antagonistic blocs into a state of cold war.
The two political powers forum themselves in a state of cold war because they developed the ideological differences between them into actions and policies against each other (Gaddis 23). The USSR vehemently disliked capitalism and was ready to protect their allies and territories against the western influence. Finally the other cause of the cold war, which was probably the latest cause, is the acquisition of knowledge by Soviet to make nuclear weapons in 1947 (Gaddis 25). It is believed that soviet caused the cold war when they challenged Americans with their nuclear power they revealed during the end of the World War II at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Generally cold war involved a lot of technology, especially nuclear technology.
Conclusion
It is important to note as the world seeks to know why the USSR and the U.S were in the cold war, there is no definite cause of the conflict. The cold war was an ideological conflict that grew from World War II, which grew out of the World War II. Therefore, is good to know that the emergence of the cold war was because of ideological differences as well as quest for dominance over the world by the two powers, the USSR and the U.S. Therefore, a cold conflict was not the cause of the war, but it explains the elements of successive conflicts that formed the cold war.
Works Cited
Dobrynin, Anatoly. In Confidence: Moscow’s Ambassador to Six Cold War Presidents. University of Washington Press, Print, 2001
Gaddis, John. The Cold War: A New History. Penguin Press, Print, 2005
Sakwa, Richard. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 1917–1991. Routledge, Print, 1999.