Analyzing the Causes of the Cold War
Analyzing the Causes of the Cold War
Taking place from 1947 to 1991, the Cold War is amongst one of history’s most peculiar wars due to the fact that it did not actually involve any direct military contact between the two countries primarily involved, the United States and the Soviet Union. Instead, the two world superpowers fought the war by backing different sides in other countries’ wars such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Their opposition began with an alliance during the course of World War II. Allied against Germany and Japan, the United States and Russia fought on different sides of the earth for the first part of the Second World War. The United States fought Japan in the Pacific while Russia remained the only country left standing against Germany in Eastern Europe. However, by the time the end of the war came in 1945, tensions had risen between the two countries and their alliance turned to a rivalry of mistrust and intimidation. So what caused this change in the political relationship between the two superpowers? How did they turn into enemies, causing many wars, tensions, threats, and near nuclear crises during the 40-year time span in which the Cold War took place? The Cold War was caused by the United States manipulating Russia to achieve its goals, the US purposely holding off helping Russia in World War II, and Russian ambition and expansion, this last cause leading me to my conclusion that Russia can primarily be blamed for the Cold War, even though both countries are at fault in some way. One of the things the United States did to contribute to tensions between them and their Soviet allies was to manipulate the circumstances of the war to serve their own purposes. In World War II, there had originally been an alliance between Germany and Russia which was very dangerous for any country who opposed them. After Germany invaded Russia, two countries which the US did not trust very much were fighting
Taking place from 1947 to 1991, the Cold War is amongst one of history’s most peculiar wars due to the fact that it did not actually involve any direct military contact between the two countries primarily involved, the United States and the Soviet Union. Instead, the two world superpowers fought the war by backing different sides in other countries’ wars such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Their opposition began with an alliance during the course of World War II. Allied against Germany and Japan, the United States and Russia fought on different sides of the earth for the first part of the Second World War. The United States fought Japan in the Pacific while Russia remained the only country left standing against Germany in Eastern Europe. However, by the time the end of the war came in 1945, tensions had risen between the two countries and their alliance turned to a rivalry of mistrust and intimidation. So what caused this change in the political relationship between the two superpowers? How did they turn into enemies, causing many wars, tensions, threats, and near nuclear crises during the 40-year time span in which the Cold War took place? The Cold War was caused by the United States manipulating Russia to achieve its goals, the US purposely holding off helping Russia in World War II, and Russian ambition and expansion, this last cause leading me to my conclusion that Russia can primarily be blamed for the Cold War, even though both countries are at fault in some way. One of the things the United States did to contribute to tensions between them and their Soviet allies was to manipulate the circumstances of the war to serve their own purposes. In World War II, there had originally been an alliance between Germany and Russia which was very dangerous for any country who opposed them. After Germany invaded Russia, two countries which the US did not trust very much were fighting