World History: Cold War part 1

By Lawa | Political science | 10 Nov 2020

At the time of world war second, when Hitler invaded Russia , the U.S.A sent armaments in help, which strengthen the relation between Russia and U.S.A and we’re allies . But their governance system were different. One was capitalistic country where other was communist country. After the second world, U.S.A took the leadership of capitalist countries where USSR took the leadership of communist countries.

As after the German defeat, USSR wanted to implement it’s communist ideology to some European countries which made USSR under the suspicious eyes of UK and USA. And this gap was further widen when Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill addressed a phrase ,” Soviet Union is covered by Iron curtain”, which made Joseph Stalin to contemplate deeply, in 1946. Consequently, cold war broke out.
Let’s us point out some of other reason that were responsible for the outbreak of cold war. They are as follows:-
• The difference that existed between USSR and USA
• USA could not tolerate the communist ideology
• Russian couldn’t tolerate it’s influence on European countries
• Race of armament: to build more powerful weapons and to strengthen the military powers
• Existence of two ideologies at that time capitalism And communism
Those countries with same ideologies stood on one place and want to widespread their ideology by make other bloc weak. In this way , world was viewed with the spectacle of communism and capitalism. This is how Cold war started.
• Atom bomb which created fear in heart of Soviet unions
• Negative votes in UN, which created to widen the gap further

On 16th February 1946 first veto was used by Soviet Union. And series of negative votes was continued against western power. Turbulence was created between two blocs which worsen the scenario.

Phases in cold war

First phase (1946-1949)

• Suspicious period between two blocs
• Soviet Union influence to Europe countries to establish communism
• Announcement of Truman Doctrine, On March 12, 1947
Truman Doctrine was a foreign policy of United State, it’s prime purpose was to contain Soviet Union geopolitics expansion in European countries. To minimize the hegemony of Soviet Union there was financial assistance to the European countries from United States.
Marshall plan, was the financial aid program by United States for the reconstruction of western European countries devastated by second world war. It was enacted in 1948 and provided more than $15 billion.
• The Berlin blockade (1948-1949)
After the world war , defeated German was divided into four occupational zones of Americans, Soviet , British and French. Berlin was under the Soviet zone. But Berlin was divided into two parts east was under the Soviet Union.
United State under Truman Doctrine, started financial support in support UK also forwarded it’s hand. They want to build German to new nation with strong economically wealthy country in order not to repeat the mistake of Versailles. But Soviet Union have other plans for German.
UK and United States created joined two zones under them and called it ,”bizonia” and created a new currency as bizonia . East Germany people also started to exchange their currency into new , in which Stalin saw a threat , which triggered the idea of blockade over night in Berlin.
• Formation of NATO (1949)
North Atlantic treaty organization (NATO ) was founded by United State an
, Canada and several western European countries in order to protect it’s member states from the Soviet union, on April 4, 1949. At present, NATO has 30 members.
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States are the founding members. And the other member countries are: Greece and Turkey (1952), Germany (1955), Spain (1982), the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (2004), Albania and Croatia (2009), Montenegro (2017) and North Macedonia (2020).