Cold War Ideologies
There are three main schools of thought that trace the origins of the Cold War. The Orthodox view is that "the intransigence of Leninist ideology, the sinister dynamics of a totalitarian society, and the madness of Stalin" (Doc 1) cause the Cold War. The Revisionists claim that "American policy offered the Russians no real choice...[and] the United States used or deployed its preponderance of power" (Doc 2) and these actions caused the Cold War. The Post-Revisionist position is that the Cold War was initiated both by the United States and the USSR. Through the analysis of documents and other sources, the actual cause of the 'war' lies with both powers. Both powers caused the Cold War because, although the US and the USSR were allied during World War Two, the USSR and US had different ideologies and aims of the war that conflicted after the war was over and the threat that each power imposed on the other. The primary cause of the Cold War is the exceedingly bipolar systems of government that the USSR and the US were administered under. The US had a democracy and had, in April of 1945, just said farewell to one of the most liberal presidents that ever had been elected. By making many social reforms, President Roosevelt pulled th
e US out of the crippling depression and into on of the most prosperous decades ever. An aspect that was declared in Churchill's famous speech at a college in Missouri: "An iron curtain has descended across the continent" (Doc 19). There was no gas, no water, no electric current and no means of transportation" (Doc 5). respect the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live. This shows that Soviet ambitions directly conflicted with the western doctrine as outlined in the 'Atlantic Charter. In March of 1947, president Truman delivered his famous speech, the 'Truman Doctrine. whosoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his social system. The second way of life is based upon terror and oppression. Everyone imposes his own system as far as his army has power to do so" (Doc 8). However, the other power that emerged still 'intact' after the war, the USSR had a very different way of government and dissimilar aims of the war. If countries such as France, Britain and the western half of Germany fell to communism, then the USSR would control the whole of Europe and perhaps become an insurmountable enemy just a the Atlantic away on one side and three miles on the other.
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