Cold War: US-Soviet Tensions & Proxy Conflicts

The Cold War: A Summary

The Cold War was a long period of tension between the democracies of the Western World and the communist countries of Eastern Europe. The West was led by the United States, and Eastern Europe was led by the Soviet Union. These two countries became known as superpowers. Although the two superpowers never officially declared war on each other, they fought indirectly in proxy wars, the arms race, and the space race.

Key Events and Turning Points

The Yalta Conference

At Yalta, the future of Poland was discussed. Stalin wanted control of Poland, but the U.S. and U.K. were strongly against it. Britain pointed out that they had entered the war in defense of Poland and could not accept anything but free elections in an independent Poland. Stalin reluctantly agreed to hold free elections within a month. However, Stalin then went about setting up a puppet government in Poland. Relations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. began to deteriorate.

Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech

Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech recognized that the Soviet Union was creating an Eastern bloc, in which the Soviets would dominate politically, socially, and culturally. In this bloc, the Soviets would expand communism throughout Eastern Europe.

The Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine was an international relations policy set forth by U.S. President Harry Truman in a speech on March 12, 1947. It stated that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere. Historians often consider it the start of the Cold War and the beginning of the containment policy to stop Soviet expansion.

Underlying Causes of the Cold War

• Ideological Differences: The United States and the Soviet Union represented two opposing systems of government.
  • In the United States, the government is elected by free elections. The people can form political parties to voice their political opinions. They also possess the right of assembly, speech, and the press.
  • In the Soviet Union, the government is formed by the Communist Party. The people do not have the right to form their own political parties. They do not enjoy the right of assembly, speech, or the press.
  Since these two systems of government are diametrically opposed, there could be little compromise between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Economic Differences:
  • The United States wanted to encourage free trade throughout the world.
  • The Soviet Union wanted to shield off its own sphere from international commerce. Russia feared that trade with the West would involve the risk of Russia being opened to Western influences, which would have eroded the strength of the totalitarian regime.
  These differences led to much ill feeling between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Power Rivalry: After the Second World War, with the decline of Europe, power was largely shared between the Soviet Union and the United States. As one wanted to dominate the other, conflicts were inevitable.