This essay investigates and answers the question:" to what extent was Western aggression responsible for the escalation in Cold War tensions between 1945 – 1948?". I got an A+ (91%) for this essay.
western aggression responsible for the escalation in cold war tensions between 1945 – 1948
Written for
St Mary\'s School, Waverley, Johannesburg
English Annotated Poems 2021-2022 IEB Syllabus
All documents for this subject (2)
1
review
By: nnngidi1 • 10 months ago
helpful
Seller
Follow
hannahmoore3
Reviews received
Content preview
Hannah Moore
Discursive Essay
To what extent was Western aggression responsible for the escalation in Cold War
tensions between 1945 – 1948?
Western aggression was responsible for the escalation in Cold War tensions
between 1945 – 1948 to a significant extent. The West’s aggressive actions were
clearly evident through the atomic bomb deception, Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech,
The Truman Doctrine, The Marshall Plan and the Berlin Crisis . These Actions were
rightly interpreted as aggressive attempts to maintain their supremacy by limiting the
influence of the Soviet Union which hence, escalated cold war tensions between
the Eastern and Western Europe. Thus, the Soviet Union’s actions of intensifying
mistrust through broken promises and the implementation of the Berlin Blockade
were justified as they were trying to defend themselves from the growing American
sphere of influence.
America’s secrecy regarding the atomic bomb, as well as post-war disagreements
and Churchill's Iron Curtain speech largely increased Cold War tensions. The USA’s
dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan caused the USSR to feel
threatened as it too could be used against them. The USA kept the atomic bomb a
secret from the USSR, although they had asked the USSR to join them in fighting
Japan which consequently, escalated suspicion further. The technological
advancement and the perfection of the atomic bomb meant that the USA would be
ahead of the USSR, thus contributing to tension. Additionally, The Western Agenda
was apparent through Churchill’s Iron curtain speech as well as how the West
benefited more than the USSR from the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. During the
Yalta and Potsdam conferences, it was decided that Germany would be divided into
four zones of occupation, and the US, UK and USSR and France which were called
the Allied Control Council would govern these zones. The city of Berlin, therefore,
despite being inside Soviet Zone, would also be divided into four zones. Due to
, Churchill’s distrust of Stalin, he was convinced that Stalin was set upon communist
expansion. Churchill addressed this topic in his “Iron Curtain’ speech. Churchill
intended his speech to be a warning and a call to action to western governments but
Stalin was outraged as he viewed the speech as a declaration of war. This
contributed to further competition and mistrust which led to the escalation in Cold
War tensions between 1945 – 1948 to a significant extent.
Furthermore, the USA took political and economic action to contain the spread of
communism by establishing the Truman Doctrine, which ultimately heightened the
hostility between the superpowers significantly. After World War II, a number of
countries in Europe and Asia adopted communist governments in the late 1940s.
When the United States became aware that the United Kingdom could no longer
afford to fight communist insurgencies in Greece and Turkey, US President Harry S.
Truman issued the Truman Doctrine which was a promise that the United States
would do whatever was necessary to contain the spread of communism around the
world by providing political, military and economic assistance to all democratic
nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces such as Turkey and
Greece. The announcement of the policy of containment increases tensions between
the US and the USSR as the USSR aimed to encourage communism in other
countries as part of a worldwide workers revolution.
Moreover, the implementation of the Marshall Plan further entrenched the policy of
containment and as such, increased the ideological clash between the US and
Soviet Union. The policies of economic aid in Europe, collectively referred to as the
Marshall Plan, were intentionally created to divide East and West Europe into
warring states, which was an aggressive move against communist expansion and
led to increased tensions that caused the Cold War to a greater extent. The USSR
were offended by the USA’s use of contemptuous implications against them. The
Marshall Plan was aimed to rebuild war- devastated regions, remove trade barriers,
modernize industry, make Europe prosperous again and prevent the spread of
communism. Consequently, the Marshall plan built up contempt towards the US
which contributed the escalation of the Cold War and further increased tensions as it
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller hannahmoore3. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.80. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
