Was the Ussr to Blame for the Cold War? Essay Example
Was the USSR to blame for the Cold War? By: Fabricio Rocha
The Cold War between the Communist East and the Capitalist West dominated international relations during most of the 20th century. It cannot be said that the USSR alone was to blame for the conflict, although it certainly had a fare share in the blame through its foreign policies and diplomatic interference; the capitalists (mainly USA) did little to promote peace and avoid conflict. Both parties are equally to blame for the Cold War.
The USSR had a difficult relationship with Britain, France and the USA since its foundation in 1917 the emergence of the large and powerful communist state was a cause for concern among the western powers, and their relationship was strained by mutual distrust and suspicion from the get-go. In 1917 soon after the communist revolution the USSR faced a civil war, during which the western powers lent financial and military support to the enemies of the communists.
In the early 30’s a common enemy emerged: Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. A peaceful alliance occurred between Britain, the USA and the USSR, simply because of their shared concern for this new threat. This alliance lasted through out the Second World War, but as soon as it was over, and Hitler’s Germany was no longer a cause for concern, hostilities resumed between east and west. Often taken as the official beginning of the cold war the year of 1945 was of crucial importance in the development of the relationship between both parts. In 1945 the Yalta conference was held during which a series of agreements where reached, the main of which were: the Big Three would join the new UN organization, Germany would be divided into four zones to be controlled by Britain, France, the USA and the USSR and eastern Europe was to be a ‘Soviet sphere of influence’.
A few months later a second conference was held, this time at Potsdam. At this second conference, the circumstances had changed. The USA had a new president: Much
The Cold War between the Communist East and the Capitalist West dominated international relations during most of the 20th century. It cannot be said that the USSR alone was to blame for the conflict, although it certainly had a fare share in the blame through its foreign policies and diplomatic interference; the capitalists (mainly USA) did little to promote peace and avoid conflict. Both parties are equally to blame for the Cold War.
The USSR had a difficult relationship with Britain, France and the USA since its foundation in 1917 the emergence of the large and powerful communist state was a cause for concern among the western powers, and their relationship was strained by mutual distrust and suspicion from the get-go. In 1917 soon after the communist revolution the USSR faced a civil war, during which the western powers lent financial and military support to the enemies of the communists.
In the early 30’s a common enemy emerged: Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. A peaceful alliance occurred between Britain, the USA and the USSR, simply because of their shared concern for this new threat. This alliance lasted through out the Second World War, but as soon as it was over, and Hitler’s Germany was no longer a cause for concern, hostilities resumed between east and west. Often taken as the official beginning of the cold war the year of 1945 was of crucial importance in the development of the relationship between both parts. In 1945 the Yalta conference was held during which a series of agreements where reached, the main of which were: the Big Three would join the new UN organization, Germany would be divided into four zones to be controlled by Britain, France, the USA and the USSR and eastern Europe was to be a ‘Soviet sphere of influence’.
A few months later a second conference was held, this time at Potsdam. At this second conference, the circumstances had changed. The USA had a new president: Much