DUNELLEN HIGH SCHOOL: The Cold War in Europe

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Cold War in Europe

I hope that you all are having a restful and enjoyable break. Follow the directions below to complete your work for the break:

View the following videos:
http://www.onlineschools.org/history-class/cold-war/

Then complete the following worksheet:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30740740/Cold-War-Worksheet-1

Read the following page:
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture14.html

Post #1 (be sure to build off of one another's posts, the usual rules apply for posting, and don't forget a link/video):

In your opinion, was the Cold War inevitable? If not, was the United States or the USSR more to blame?

View the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTk3dFC7t00&feature=plcp&context=C4dfd0d1VDvjVQa1PpcFONGzQHe0iFOtOj378fRq0HifUnHe5soAg=

Post #2 (be sure to build off of one another's posts, the usual rules apply for posting, and don't forget a link/video):

What event/policy during the Cold War had the biggest impact on Europe? Explain your answer.

59 comments:

Avary CampbellApril 8, 2012 at 2:19 PM
In my opinion, I believe that the Cold War was in fact inevitable. There was just too much tension between the United States and the Soviet Union to let things go without some sort of conflict emerging. Both countries shared a mutual distrust for one another. The United States still feared the idea of communisim and the fact that the Soviet Union was involved in it, along with this they didnt trust Stalin. And the USSR still felt some dislike towards America due to their late entry into World War II. Both countires hated the way the other countrywas running and doing things, especially in their security measures which just added to the mounting tension between them.

And heres an interesting link I found that tells
what things we got or have now because of the cold war:

http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/videos#cold-war
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Avary CampbellApril 8, 2012 at 3:24 PM
One of the main events that happened during the Cold War that I believe to have had a big impact on Europe was the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. After World War II Germany had been split up into different territories by the Allies. But once things began getting tension filled between the Allies and the Soviet Union, issues began to arise with the territory. Life became very different in West and East Germany. The people living in East Germany were not living well due to the fact that they were being controled by the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union was ruling them strictly and harshly. Eventually the people in the East started trying to get out by crossing the border and moving to West Berlin, where they would eventually be brought to West Germany. The United States and other allies were supporting West Germany and were not willing to help the Soviet Union from losing their people. So the Soviet Union took the next step by building a wall to keep them in which would be known as the Berlin Wall. The people woke up to find themselves stuck with no way to the other side. There were many escape attempts to get over the wall and some people actually did make it but others were not so lucky. Communism eventually began to wear out and soon the people were being allowed to cross the border and relocate. Everyone was rejocing and reuniting at this, people even began taking it into their own hands to start tearing down the walls themselves. This is defintely a moment that will stay in history and it defintely impacted Europe, but especailly the people of Germany.

Heres a link for video I found from a "TIME" photographer on the berlin wall with actual pictures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkTO8ZDcOeg
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MattApril 9, 2012 at 4:03 PM
I believe that the Cold War was inevitable for many reasons. Like Avary had said, both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. had developed a large distrust with one another, and the two countries were so very different (if any of you had seen the first video in the link, it definitely gives you a glimpse of not only cultural differences between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., but also political, economical, and militaristic differences). The U.S. based itself off of the ideas of democracy (“making the world safe for democracy”) , while the Soviets had stuck to Communism. As we can see, communism limit’s the freedom that people have, and the U.S. had feared that communism would soon spread across Europe, and eventually, through the United States. I had found it interesting in one of the links how Stalin was compared to Hitler, which made the U.S., Great Britain, and France even more concerned about the spread of communism. If Communism were to succeed in Europe, there is not hope for democracy in the U.S.

Both major super powers wanted different land after WWII had concluded, which is why Germany had ended up being divided amongst the four major countries. Stalin used his possession of Eastern Germany to his advantage, and started to promote the rise of communist amongst his people. The Soviet Union was large, as was the U.S., which is why it was dangerous to have a growing country like that under the influence of communism.

In my opinion, the Cold War was most inevitable due to the creation of the atomic bomb from WWII. Ever since that day, the race for more super weapons began. The U.S. had begun to develop new super weapons and nuclear weapons, and the countries of Europe had begun to catch on. Germany had been close on multiple occasion during WWII on developing fully functional nuclear weapons. Stalin had taken these ideas and developed them further. You can see that we now have two huge world powers building up their economies and supply of super weapons, each with a different view on how the people of the world should be ruled. Whether it was communism or democracy, neither country would give up their support for what they had believed in.
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MattApril 9, 2012 at 4:11 PM
I believe that the Soviet Union would be more to blame in for this war. The U.S. had tried to make it so that the rest of the world would be ruled under the policies of democracy, which the Soviets didn’t like. However, like Hitler, Stalin took his power to the extreme, and used it to build up the new nation. He aimed at turning all of Europe into a Communist nation. At one point, Stalin had begged the U.S. for funds to support the nations unstable economy, but FDR had refused. The Soviets later turned to German industry to rebuild its empire, which is when the U.S. had began to question Stalin’s true intentions. The battle for European control was bound to happen between those who split Germany after WWII. Europe was a huge continent that offered a variety of advantages to whoever gained it. The U.S. only wanted to promote freedom over the restrictions of communism, which is why they were forced to intervene with Stalin’s intensions. If not for Stalin’s quest for total control, the war itself probably would have been more inevitable, but not completely.
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JackieApril 9, 2012 at 6:36 PM
The Cold War was definitely inevitable, because, like Matt said, of the creation of the atomic bomb. One of the main focuses of foreign affairs before World War I was the balance of power in Europe, and with the increased power of the United States, that eventually included the entire world. When the atomic bomb was created, every country in the world was threatened by the US, which could potentially decimate entire areas, like Japan, in a few hours. No country would want to sit back and let that threat hang over their heads. It just so happened that the Soviet Union was the only one who had the money, technology, and man power to oppose such a force.

It also didn’t help that the US and Soviet Union were at odds with their different government policies and economic interests. They were nearly opposites; while the American democracy promoted civil liberties like freedom of speech, Russian communism prevented any civil freedoms through secret police forces and strict control on domestic affairs. Plus, the Soviet territorial expansion threatened the peace and stability of Europe, which was something the US couldn’t ignore.
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JackieApril 9, 2012 at 7:51 PM
An important event during the Cold War was the Soviets war in Afghanistan. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a socialist state that had close ties with the Soviet Union; Russian involvement in the area went back to the 1800s. In 1979, the US ambassador in Afghanistan was kidnapped and killed, and the operation was assisted by the Soviets. This increased hostilities between the US and Afghanistan, and it led President Jimmy Carter to secretly aid the Afghan Mujahideen guerrilla movement, which was an unofficial government composed of several surrounding countries in opposition to the Afghan Republic. The ultimate motivation for the decision was to lure the Soviets into the “Afghan Trap.”

Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was the equivalent of American intervention in Vietnam. 14,433 men were killed, 53,753 were wounded, and 415,932 fell sick. 89% of the casualties were caused by sickness derived from the climactic and sanitary conditions of the area, where 92% of those that fell sick eventually died from it. Between 670,000 and 2 million Afghan people were killed and many areas of the country were destroyed. The people of the Soviet Union gave no support to the war and were demoralized by it, especially with the high casualties.

The Soviet Union was said to be a “sick man,” and the Afghan war was the “pebble” that finally broke that man. The country was already under a great strain to keep up with the territorial expansion and technological advancements to match the United States. Also, the economy started to decline (or, at least, it stopped growing) in the 1980s and was therefore unable to keep up with the path in which Russia was headed. Political divisions and political reformists were making the government unstable, and the people were unhappy.

In the end, the Soviet Union recognized that it would be unable to continue the war and withdrew the troops from Afghanistan. However, the country soon collapsed under the political and economic pressures, thus breaking the power of communism and ending the Cold War. The country experienced a domino effect towards its demise, and the Soviet Afghan war was a particularly large domino that ultimately ended the might of the Soviet Union.
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MattApril 10, 2012 at 5:12 AM
I believe that the Marshall Plan had a huge impact on Europe during and after the Cold War. The Marshall Plan, proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall, was a plan to help rebuild Europe and provide economic aid to the various countries there. This was established in order to try and rebuild Europe after WWII, and prevent the rise of Communism and later, Fascism. WWII caused a huge amount of destruction in many areas across Europe, which his why the economy wasn’t doing so well.

The plan helped to relieve the economic pressures of most countries, which led them to not have to turn to extreme politics. The Marshall Plan focused more on stopping the Western pursuit of Communism. Communism could have easily spread to countries such as France and the UK if not for the Marshall Plan. Since the Europeans that were being aided by the Marshall Plan, they felt no need to turn to Communism, which prevented it from spreading any further. In not for the plan, Communism would have easily spread to the surrounding countries in Europe.
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Mike HongApril 10, 2012 at 12:38 PM
The Cold War was definitely inevitable because of the ideological differences and conflicting actions of the United States and the Soviet Union. Americans had hated and feared Communism ever since it had emerged in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917; they had refused to recognize the new Soviet government, especially after Bolshevik leaders sought the dismantlement of capitalism. During World War II, Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delayed the action of opening up a second front when the Russians were in dire need of help. The second front would have distracted the Nazis and taken pressure off the Red Army entrenched at Stalingrad. Stalin was embittered by this delay, just as he was embittered by the fact that the United States and Great Britain refused to share their nuclear weapons research with the Soviet Union. To make things even worse, after the war, Truman only gave relief loans to Great Britain even though the USSR requested help from the U.S. as well. This complete disregard towards the Russians’ calls for help further increased the tension that first emerged from the ideological differences between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and would eventually lead to the Cold War.
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Mike HongApril 10, 2012 at 2:09 PM
The Soviet Union was more to blame than the United States was for the Cold War because it was usually the aggressor while the US was usually the defender. Both the US and USSR raced for Berlin in 1945 and divided Berlin and Germany into two separate nations, East and West Germany and East and West Berlin. But, the USSR, not the US, put up the Berlin Wall. Both the US and USSR raced into Japan in 1945, but this time the US was a bit more experienced in dealing with the Soviets and only let them take North Korea and portions of northern Japan. Both the US and USSR were in Korea in 1945, and both nations agreed to a division of Korea at the 38th Parallel. Then, five years later, Stalin equipped the North Koreans with T34 tanks, aircraft, artillery, small arms, ammo, and fuel, and goaded them into invading South Korea in 1950. That same year Communist China entered the fray because the US had pushed too close to their borders and the Chinese didn't know if the US was going to stop at their border or invade. After Stalin died in 1953, the Korean War ended. All in all, the Soviets were taking territory, putting up walls, and invading foreign countries (South Korea) while the US was not. The US was seemingly always on the defense, while the communists were seemingly always on the offense.
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Mike HongApril 10, 2012 at 5:51 PM
A policy that had a major impact on Europe during the Cold War was the Truman Doctrine. In February 1947, the British government announced that it no longer had the money to support the Greek monarchical military regime in its civil war against communist rebels. The American government responded with the adoption of containment, the goal of which was to stop the spread of communism. Truman delivered a speech that called for the allotment of $400 million to aid the Greek government and brought forth the Truman Doctrine, which made the conflict a battle between free peoples and totalitarian regimes. US policymakers accused the Soviet Union of conspiring against the Greek royalists in an effort to expand Soviet influence. Truman introduced the idea that if America let one country fall to communism, all of the nearby countries would follow. This later was called the “domino theory.” The Truman Doctrine was not only a policy of containment, but also an American challenge to Soviet ambitions throughout the world. Therefore, Americans had to abandon their decision to not get involved in European affairs; America was obliged to get involved. Truman said, “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”
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BeckyApril 11, 2012 at 7:30 PM
The Cold War was, indeed inevitable, and its inevitability was mostly due to one man's existence: Joseph Stalin. As soon as World War Two ended in May, 1945, Stalin became the immediate threat. Time magazine even called Stalin 'the most feared man of 1945'. Why? Because in Truman's eyes, especially, Stalin was seen was the new Hitler. Yes, Stalin and Truman had sided against Germany during World War Two, but this was the same man that had signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler years earlier, so of course Truman did not trust Stalin. Sure, perhaps they came from opposite sides of the political spectrum, but that didn't matter so much as there was a guy out there who was just as powerful as Hitler and, perhaps, could do just as much damage. (To be continued..)
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Carlos LabandaApril 13, 2012 at 8:42 AM
The Cold War could not have been avoided due to the simple tensions that arose after WWII.Animosity arose in Europe as they believed America took too long to open up a second front against Germany, while also viewing America as an imperialistic country that had only their own interests at heart. Along with policies like the Truman Doctrine that attempted to dissolve communistic influence in Europe tension continued to intensify. Both sides differing in ideologies, while maintaining hostility after the war sparked the Cold War it essentially would have happened at one time or another.
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Carlos LabandaApril 13, 2012 at 9:42 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
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Carlos LabandaApril 13, 2012 at 9:51 AM
A significant event during the Cold War that essentially affected all of Europe was the "Falling of the Berlin Wall." It symbolized the end of communism in Eastern Europe,mainly in Germany. These areas were divided after WWII to compensate the Soviet Union for damages committed by Germany during the war.West Berlin was free from rule by the Soviet Union while divided from East Berlin the West strived sucessfully both economically and socially while East Berlin lost all hope for a better life as they were repressed by communistic rule under the Soviet Union. So when the wall fell unity amongst the East and the West met profoundly as the fall of the wall marked the end of opressive communist rule in Europe. Joining once divided family members,loved ones, and friends alike.
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Financial GuruApril 14, 2012 at 8:28 AM
For my first post, I have to agree with everybody else on the issue that the Cold War was an inevitable event that occurred because of the events in World War II. To begin this discussion, I would first like to start with the effects of World War II and how these effects contributed to the start of the Cold War. The most important effects of World War II were:

1) An utterly devastated continental Europe, with a shattered economy and a population on the brink of starvation;

2) An unprecedented power vacuum in Europe, northern Africa the Middle East and Asia-Pacific due to the collapse of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and (by mid-1947) the significant abdication of the UK of most if its positions in these areas;

3) The military breakthrough of an economically exhausted USSR to the heart of Europe and Germany;

4) The willingness of the USA to exploit politically and ideologically its dominant economic and military position in the international system; and

5) The geographical collision, in Europe and Asia, of the US and the USSR embodying two discrete systems of governance, each with universal ambitions and mutually exclusive on the political, economic, and ideological levels.

Based on these five events I would like to argue the fact that these five key outcomes of WWII rendered the Cold War (as defined above) “inevitable” indeed. After listing these points some people may point out the fact that these issues in Europe basically mirrored the issues that resulted after the conclusion of the First World War. In a way, the above effects of World War II did mirror the effects of World War I and the ideologies of the US and of Russia have always been different, but certain critical events did not occur after the First World War to cause a Cold War to form. The end of WWI was significantly different from that after WWII:

1) With the important exception of north-western France and the Benelux countries, Europe (and in particular Germany, Central Europe and the UK) were not devastated economically;

2) No power vacuum obtained in Europe, the Mediterranean, or Asia; to the contrary, France, the UK and Japan expanded their colonial empires and Germany retained most of its national territory;

3) The USSR had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the German Empire, ratified in the Treaty of Brest-Litowsk which reduced the former Russian Empire to the frontiers of today’s Russia; the Versailles Treaties reversed these losses but only partially and established a buffer of approximately 12 countries between its western border and Berlin, Vienna, and Istanbul; not only was the USSR NOT at the heart of Europe militarily, but it was isolated and fighting for its survival until 1921;

4) Failure of the US Senate to ratify the League of Nations Treaty and Wilson’s subsequent stroke resulted in a return of the USA to an isolationist position for the next two decades, thus failing to take advantage politically or ideologically of its dominant economic and military position in 1919; and

5) For the reasons stated above (and with the exception of some ill-prepared and ultimately futile US and allied attempts to quell the Soviet revolution in Russia) no direct geographic collision of the USA and USSR took place at the end of WWI. (To be continued...)
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Financial GuruApril 14, 2012 at 5:03 PM
The Cold War consisted of many events that had multiple effects on Europe, but one of the most important events during the Cold War was the presidency of Mikhail Gorbachev and his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika. These policies were revolutionary and they quickly turned the tide in the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev was a forward thinker, and he knew the dangers of his nation repeating its tumultuous history. When he came to power in the mid-1980s, the Communist Party was the ruling faction in the USSR. Through his ideas of perestroika and glasnost, he was able to change 75 years of thought among his people and move the nation into a new beginning.

Perestroika refers to the reconstruction of the political and economic system established by the Communist Party. Politically, contested elections were introduced to reflect the democratic practices of Western society and allow citizens to have a slight say in government. Economically, Perestroika called for de-monopolization and some semi-private businesses to function, ending the price controls established by the government for the past seven decades. The goal was to create a semi-free market system, reflecting successful capitalist practices in the economies of Germany, Japan, and the United States. Unfortunately, such an economy took time to thrive, and people found themselves stuck in a worn-out economy, which led to long-lines, strikes, and civil unrest.

The term “Glasnost” means “openness” and was the name for the social and political reforms to bestow more rights and freedoms upon the Soviet people. Its goals were to include more people in the political process through freedom of expression. This led to a decreased censoring of the media, which in effect allowed writers and journalists to expose news of government corruption and the depressed condition of the Soviet people. Glasnost also permitted criticism of government officials, encouraging more social freedoms like those that Western societies had already provided. Yet, the totalitarian state present since 1917 was difficult to dismantle, and when it fell apart, citizens were not accustomed to the lack of regulation and command. The outburst of information about escalating crime and crimes by the government caused panic in the people. This caused an increase in social protests in a nation used to living under the strictest government control, and went against the goals of Gorbachev.

In summary, some experts believe that Gorbachev had different meanings of perestroika and that his idea changed over time. Initially, it was meant for complete reform of all societal aspects. However, it soon came to mean systematic changes that fit Gorbachev's agenda at any given time. Unfortunately for Gorbachev, Glasnost is often cited as the reason he was removed from power as he was less and less able to control discussions in the political arena. Eventually, Glasnost and Perestroika helped cause the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which had lasted from 1945 to 1991. That is why I believe Gorbachev’s presidency and his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika had the biggest impact on Europe during the Cold War.

The following is a video that summarizes the policies of Glasnost and Perestroika and this video is part of a wonderful documentary on the fall of the Soviet Union and its influence in Eastern Europe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=595W4JJHa2U
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Kimberlymcdougall06April 14, 2012 at 11:39 PM
I also agree with everyone who has commented above me. The cold war was indeed inevitable. The tensions between the USA and the USSR made the bloodless war unable to avoid. As Matt stated, the first video on the link provided did an excellent job in comparing the differences of all aspects of the countries, between the USSR and USA. I have to admit, I blame both the USA and the USSR equally for the events that led up to, and that occurred during the cold war. Reagan was accused of purposely taunting the USSR into building up their arms, in terms of nuclear weapons, by beginning to create weapons for the USA. He knew that the Soviet Union was having an extremely difficult time managing all war expenses, and also the arms race. Reagan taunted them into draining their economy, and placing the country into an even worse position. However, it cannot all be blamed on Reagan and the USA. The Soviet Union continued to have their internal problems, in terms of economy issues and government issues. The constant internal struggle between nationalists and communists began to drive the country into countless coups and the back and forth of censorship. The USA wanted to combat communism, or so they stated and the USSR disliked democracy, therefore the build up of arms in order to defend their completely contrasting ways of life was inevitable.
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Kimberlymcdougall06April 14, 2012 at 11:56 PM
Just as a few others whom has commented previous to me felt, I, for one, believe that the collapse of the Berlin wall was a major event in the Cold War. Its fall signified the collapse of power within the USSR. Due to the fact that the people took it down, it portrayed a deeper meaning than just workers demolishing a wall. The Berlin wall separated East and West Germany after the Second World War. The fact that the populations, on either side of the wall, tore it down, really suggested that Europe, as a whole, was collectively ready to move forward. When the wall was finally demolished, it revealed that Germany was reunited again, and it was allowed by the rest of the world. It suggested that the rest of the states in Europe were able to finally move past the horrendous occurrences in World War Two, and finally let go of their iron fist hold on Germany. With the fascist leaders long gone, and the fight between communism and democracy in full swing, Europe showed a major forward movement by allowing the wall to be torn down. As a result, people all around the world rejoiced as they viewed the wall be smashed on their televisions. The main way the Berlin Wall affected the rest of Europe was socially.
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ChrisApril 15, 2012 at 11:59 AM
I believe that the cold war could have been avoided. As mentioned in one of the articles posted by Mr. Lubisco, the cold war could have been avoided if the USSR and US accepted the spheres of influence at the end of the war. However, the cold war did happen. Stalin did not set up free elections in Poland like the United States and Britain wanted. Stalin took control of Poland and created one of many satellite states that would stretch across eastern Europe. Stalin did this because he wanted breathing space for the Russian people. The USSR would become involved in a treaty organization known as the Warsaw pact. The Americans and the countries of Western Europe formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO. NATO was supported by the American military. England and France would not give much military support to NATO. The build up of American troops in Western Europe initiated fear in the Russians. The Russians would see this as a threat and work to overcome the Western world.
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ChrisApril 15, 2012 at 12:23 PM
One event that is extremely important to the Cold War is the Berlin Airlift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHdB1vJNsg

Here is a video on the Berlin Airlift. The air lift was a result of the Geographic location of the capital of Germany. Berlin was located in Eastern Germany which was under Soviet control. The soviets then decided that they would blockade West Berlin from the rest of the Western world. Berlin was on lock-down from Soviet troops. This move by Stalin could have been lethal because the Americans were about to utilize their troops to break the blockade. However, they decided to airdrop supplies to the German people. This event is important because it shows that the Russians were willing to mess with the Americans and the Western World. However, the Americans showed that they would not fall behind to the Soviets. This was one of the first events that sparked the rivalry between Russia and the United States. Another important event was Sputnik. The Russians would launch the first satellite into space. This would spark the race to space between the Americans and Russians. The Americans would land their astronauts on the moon through the Apollo 11 mission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTBIr65cL_E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbAXkWPasYw

The first video is footage from the American landing on the moon. The second video is about the launch of Sputnik.
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Jose SozaApril 15, 2012 at 2:18 PM
Asking if the Cold war was inevitable is-to me-somewhat of an understatement. To ask a such a question is like treating the Cold War as an isolated event. In history, there is no such thing as an isolated event, everything is an aftermath of the previous event.

Russian and US tension have already existed due to their completely different view on governmental rule; Communist and Capitalism/Democracy...not a very good mix. However, the meeting at Potsdam really created a riff over who would not only be responsible for Germany, but Europe in general.

This meeting could not have happened w/o both World Wars, both world wars could not have happened w/o decades of resentment from revolutions that have failed. I could go on to until possibly man's first creation of a stable government. What i'm trying to say is, we can't really pin point a real cause unless we move down history's timeline.

That being said, each nation hasn't really a fault. What i see here is a simple fear of the Americans of absolute rule and change. America did not want another Germany and a conquest of European rule which could possibly be brought to American land, most of all a Communist rule. The Red Scare already put America on the edge, and WWII put both nations at odds with advancements in technology (the atomic bomb) and different views on how to handle a devastated Europe. USSR simply wanted to expand and gain a fair share of Europe. Simple human motives are at work which is rooted in the need for land and a stable Government. Therefore, both Nations could simply not bear all responsibility.
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Jose SozaApril 15, 2012 at 2:48 PM
One of the most major impacts of the Cold War, i think, is the separation of Germany of the Berlin Wall. In general, the separation of Europe was very impactful because we see a nation totally destroyed and left in the hands of nations who were suited to survive total war. Europe was now at the hands of the two most powerful nations in the world essentially; USA and the USSR. Seeing a division in land and a literal wall to symbolize that division is truly something that can be looked at in awe. Germany is literally split in half, hitting rock bottom after going through two losses in two major wars. THis link of a picture helps to see that division better as long as the rest of Europe.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-z5CDZfrG4k/TOZ2P_F5u3I/AAAAAAAAAnI/WMoSt6XSsEQ/s1600/cold_war_europe.jpg

It is this point in history where we see a complete desolation of European people and the complete hopelessness of a successful revival. The Berlin Airlift offers a faint chance for hope as America challenges the USSR indirectly.

In General, the wall represents European social and political destruction. Almost primitive and child-like that both the US and USSR have to separate the land that is now fair game between the two of them while the collapse of The USSR and the Wall represents a new hope for revival and the signal for a new world order.
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Alex ToweyApril 15, 2012 at 5:03 PM
I think that the Cold War should have been avoided, but it was an inevitable event due to the extreme pride of the governments of America and the Soviet Union. The mistrust between the two was too great to be overcome because each one refused to budge on their policies. The Soviet Union's communist policies intimidated the American's to the point that they wanted to overpower the Russians and instill democracy into Europe. American's were worried because, as the article said, America feared that Stalin was basically Hitler 2.0. Stalin wanted to take Poland because it was believed that having Poland was the key to defeating Russia. However, America didn't want communism to further spread, so they worked to prevent Russia gaining any major ground. America also has to take responsibility for adding to the tension and mistrust. Part of the problem is the fact that America always tries to force democracy on other nations. This made the Russians feel like their way of life was being threatened, which, in my eyes, gave them every reason to want to fight against America. America wanted to contain Communism, which isn't bad, but they wanted to do that by forcing democracy down other nation's throats, which caused the problems that led to the Cod War. America refused to allow Communism to go on, which is why tensions rose between the two nations.
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JeffreyApril 15, 2012 at 6:10 PM
I do believe that the cold war was inevitable. The two super powers of the world were competing to become the number one super power in the world. What else would happen, a treaty to settle it all? War was the only answer. First of all, there was the political matter at hand of communism of the USSR and democracy of the USA. The United States tried to spread their influence upon the whole world in a political sense. They wanted everyone to do things their way and the USSR was another country standing in the way. Also, the US wanted to contain communism and not let it spread to any other parts of the country. Nuclear arms were also a big conflict. Each country lived in fear of being bombed at any moment by the other. Who wants to live in fear? The people of a country are supposed to feel safe at home and not have to worry about things like bombs destroying half of their country. Since there was not one dominant super power at the time, each country lived in constant fear that the other would use these nuclear arms to subdue the other and become the dominant superpower. The race to space was also a point of conflict. They saw this as a race to the “top” if you will. Whoever got their first got a leg up on the other or so they though. Sputnik was launched by the Soviets on October 4th 1957. The US also felt a little threatened by the USSR’s expansionist policy. The Soviets were also mad at the Americans for holding back the intelligence of the Manhattan project of building nuclear arms. There was also a lot of espionage going on between the two countries. There was a red scare along with many more acts of spying by both countries.
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Stephanie HApril 15, 2012 at 7:14 PM
Last to post. ugh. :/

This is definitely one of those questions where there appears to be no right answer. Personally, I believe that the conditions on the international stage were perfect for the Cold War to occur, some even extending further into the past than WWII. What I mean by that is the following; there has been a major ideological division and tension between Communism and Capitalism in history, especially since the mid-1800s when revolutions plagued almost every European nation. The governments responded with quick force, yet many of these radicals and revolutionaries came to America. What I am getting at here is a point in the packet that I couldn’t help but agree with: “Radicalism, true liberalism, a revolutionary frame of mind, is an impossibility on American soil.” It’s so true! Even before the start of the Cold War, America feared revolution and they resented socialistic government. Equally important to mention, after every major conflict in Europe, starting after the French Revolution, all the major nations want to avoid a repeat of the conflict at all costs. So right away, the conditions for a stand off are set in place.

Then, of course, there’s WWII. It was the immediate cause of the Cold War. The problems always begin with reparations planning because no one can truly agree, seriously. When the Big Three met at Potsdam to discuss the fat of Germany, they all had something in mind. This is where things transition. I believe that from this point on the Cold War could have been avoided, and also that the main antagonist was the United States. I know they weren’t thinking, “hey, let’s start a cold war with the USSR,” but their deeply rooted, paranoia, and experiences from WWII affected their policies in such a way that resulted in the event.

Chris, your posts always force me to rethink historic situations/events, and this is just another example. I agree entirely with what you said about the spheres of influence. Naturally, nations are protective of the lands that their soldiers fought (and died) on and for. If both nations, especially the US, accepted and respected these spheres of influence at the end of the war, things would have been much more positive.

The United States and its citizens have always taken on extra burdens for themselves. Due to its crusade to make the world safe for democracy, it created a new Soviet menace. I believe that America created the monstrous communist state. Remember Stalin’s Socialism in One Country? He wasn’t out to continue the communist revolution around the world because he saw that wasn’t going to happen. America was paranoid and believed that Stalin was the new Hitler and out to create a new empire. That simply wasn’t the case. Things quickly took a turn for the extreme and Kennan is declaring that the USSR wanted to “undermine the general and strategic potential of major western powers by a host of subversive measures to destroy individual governments.”
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Stephanie HApril 15, 2012 at 7:15 PM
Essentially, America continued the mentality and strategy it had when it faced the Fatherland and Hitler. I thought that it was especially interesting that Einstein’s warning to FDR, about the Germans developing a new super-weapon would mean the American/ Democratic demise unless they beat them to it, was continued with the USSR in the Cold War.

Then, of course, the situation worsens with NATO. If America really wanted to avoid a conflict it wouldn’t have joined it. Did America honestly think that these war-torn nations, including a once divided France, could really pull its weight militarily and economically? Come on. It placed itself in direct conflict with the USSR, which quickly responds to protect itself with the Warsaw Pact. I would be scared to if there was an international agreement that was against everything I believe in ideologically and was building up arms. I would want to make sure I match these forces in every way possibly and try to surpass them. Isn’t that what happened with regards to nuclear weapons? Surely, no one really had the intention of blowing the world up several times over. They wanted to beat each other. I seriously cannot blame the US for fearing things that are radically different from what they know. It’s a natural human tendency to fear the unknown and prefer not to change. Yet, at the same time, I can understand where the USSR stood and why the Kremlin dropped the iron curtain.
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Stephanie HApril 15, 2012 at 7:25 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpqLRVZVhmw

This is way cool. It's like a video game format and it is all about the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Their formation separated Europe into two armed sides and created serious tension between the US and USSR in the Cold War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xJiSPgs9Y
"The most influential telegram ever sent inside the government" - The Long Telegram by George Kennan. This is a perfect example of propaganda against communism. He bashed the USSR and concluded that all Soviet actions would be destructive. He promoted his future policy of containment in this document, which would characterize foreign policy (official) until the end of the Cold War. Pressure was then placed on the USSR and tensions rose.
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Stephanie HApril 15, 2012 at 8:43 PM
I also agree that the Berlin Airlift was one of the most important events during the Cold War that had a tremendous impact on Europe. As Chris mentioned, the Soviet blockade and the airlift was the direct result of the location of Berlin. It was located on the Soviet side of Europe and was completely surrounded. In 1948, the Soviet Union announced to the Allies that they could no longer use the land routes to the capital that passed through the Soviet zone of occupation. This was because Stalin was angry that the West did not agree with him with regards to a German unification plan and that the three Western Allies formed their own large zone of occupation. He was also dissatisfied with the introduction of new currency for the Western zones. The Soviets enclosed Berlin and began to suffocate it, awaiting its surrender and submission to the Kremlin
To thwart the blockade, the Western powers resorted to an airlift, the Berlin Airlift. The United States flew in supplies of food and other necessities on a daily basis to the citizens, including coal. It lasted for 321 days, almost one year!
This event was so important because it illustrates the clear division between the United States and the USSR. It was one of the first and only instances of a direct attack by one of the sides against the other. Most of the events and conflicts were part of a proxy war, in which both sides used a third party or medium to conduct attacks and continue war efforts. It is made clear by this event that both sides would push each other and not back down in the face of opposition, but rather try to outdo the enemy. This mentality would continue into the nuclear arms race that characterizes the Cold War. In fact, in 1949 the Soviets lifted the blockade and detonated its first atomic bomb. American nuclear supremacy was over.
The Berlin Airlift was so important because it illustrates the policy of containment, in its early form. The United States was not going to allow the USSR and the Commies to move into its territory for any reason whatsoever and committed itself to stopping the spread of the ideology of Communism and the USSR.
.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb7joEvYQns&feature=fvwrel
This video is actually very informative, despite the blurry pictures and small font. The Easter Parade is also mentioned, which occurred during the Berlin Airlift. It was a pivotal event during which the American pilots were given a massive morale boost. By April 1949 operations were running extremely smoothly and it was decided that on Easter Sunday the airlift would break all records. On April 15th (63rd anniversary today!) and April 16th, crews worked around the clock to deliver 12,941 tons of coal with no accidents. The airlift was so successful that the Soviets lifted the blockade and became more open to negotiations and a stalemate/arms race, but no direct action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1jKp7f5cXE&feature=related
-Swelly vid on the airlift.
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Stephanie HApril 15, 2012 at 8:44 PM
I also strongly believe that the “Long Telegram,” consisting of 8000 words written by George Kennan, was an extremely important document with regards to the Cold War. I posted this clip already, but…. Here it is again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xJiSPgs9Y

It is considered to be the most influential telegram ever sent inside the government, and I agree entirely.

http://www.historyguide.org/europe/kennan.html
-The History Guide (the same site that provided our reading materials for this post) provides “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” to read. It clearly is the best American example of anti-communism and genuine suspicion of the Soviets.

I believe it has the biggest impact on American foreign policy and activity in the Cold War. It was very influential in the early years and served as a piece of propaganda in its own unique way. He concluded that Capitalism and Communism are not capable and that the Soviets would be impossible to work with. He then went on to create the Kremlin as a destructive, insatiable monster than needs to be confronted with force. He concluded that the US would have to deal forcefully with the USSR in order to stop its threat of spreading and put it into submission. Thus, the policy of containment is outlined clearly. This policy would end up being the foreign policy that would characterize America for the entire Cold War and created great tension. America was the only one who could stop the USSR and Americans rallied behind this fear of Communism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7XYe79Hujk&feature=related
-Well... this was worth the watch and gets the main idea across. maybe…. In any case, its entertaining.
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BeckyApril 16, 2012 at 12:20 AM
The event that I believe had the most impact was Mikhail Gorbachev's coming to power on March 11, 1985. This might sound silly, but Gorbachev was indeed more democratic than the previous communist leaders of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was able to make compromises, such as during his meetings with Reagan and his agreement about the Fall of the Berlin wall. If it weren't for Gorbachev's coming to power, this great event may not have happened. When he came to power, Gorbachev quickly created a platform that would separate him from his predecessors. This platform included a glasnost ("openness," "candor") and perestroika ("restructuring of society and economy") policy. Then, in April 1965, Gorbachev called for "revolutionary changes." Reforms in the USSR occurred, treaties were signed, and forces were withdrawn. If you look at it this way, you could say that Gorbachev loosened the hard, steel-like power and force that Stalin had created, and if it weren't for him, the Cold War would have gone on much longer.
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ValApril 16, 2012 at 3:30 AM
I believe that the Cold War was inevitable. While there was an allience between the United States and the USSR during WWII, it was not strong enough to overcome their past suspicions and unease about each other. Americans had feared communism ever since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and refused to acknowedge or recognize the new Soviet government, especially after the Bolsheviks destrusction of capitalism. One thing that caused tension between these two power nations was the delay of the Unites States on the second front, which would have helped taken pressure off the Red Army entreenched at Stalingrad and distracted the Nazis. The growing tensions between these two nations were strong and their distrust for eachother grew even stronger. The USSR had been invaded twice during the first half of the century and wanted to dismantle German factories to keep them weak and dependent, while Truman believed that the only way to prevent another world war was to rebuild, reindustrialize, and redemocratize Europe. This once again showing the tensions between the USSR and the United States and causing the Cold War to be inevitable.
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codyApril 16, 2012 at 3:57 AM
I believe that when you look at the facts it is obvious to me that the cold war was in fact inevitable. As the war came to a close it became increasingly hostile between the east and west. As the west prepared for a post war conference to settle matters Russia was already hard at work forming their post war plans. As an American we are taught to blame Russia for this however i really just see this as a clash between ideologies. It was just a climax of non salvageable differences. So closing war was inevitable as for who's to blame i honestly think both sides jumped at the chance for war when they started disagreeing with one another.

This video is sort of long but its pretty good actually :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBs1RuhzSmE
(the herspring guy has one liners for days)
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ValApril 16, 2012 at 5:20 AM
I think that the Truman Doctrine was a very important policy to start the Cold War. The doctrine was in essence a statement against communism and a pact to stand up against it, as it posed as a international threat to democracy. I also found this to be significant due to Truman's decision to send over troops to Turkey and Greece to fight off communist guerillas, which they successfully had done. I find this to be important to rallying up our country's support to fight off communism and have support for once again another war.

http://www.funfront.net/hist/europe/coldwar.htm
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therealkevinpuckettApril 16, 2012 at 6:17 AM
Since it ultimately ended the war, i'd say Gorbachev's coming to power had the biggest effect on Europe. He was the voice of reason that the Russian's needed. With Stalin in chrage, there was no way he could ever compromise with the US. He was simply to stubborn to do so. Gorbachev immediately signed a treaty with the US that prevented the threat of nuclear warfare. It was clear right off the bat that he was willing to work to achieve peace. Gates were opened on the Berlin Wall and it was eventually torn down. Then Poland had its first elections, defeating communism. All of Europe was affected by the level headed Gorbachev's rise to power in Russia.
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codyApril 16, 2012 at 6:18 AM
The one event that stood out to me as having a profound effect on Europe particularly the east during the cold war was Stalin's "rape" of the east. As World War II came to a close the West(U.S. and Britain) was preparing for the Yalta in which the thought post war issues would be addressed such as the spread of communism and eastern countries, Stalin was busy disecting Poland and later Czechoslavakia tearing apart any asperations they had for democracy. This is pivitol because some historians credit it as the begining of the cold war. The western powers chose to sit back and use Poland as a mesurement for Russia's willingness to cooperate, however once it fell to communism from russian pressure they agreed the two countries had preexisting issues that made it impossible for that to be a fair assessment, so they instead waited to see what would happen to Czechslavakia the newly formed democratic nation, surely enough though they did fall to Stalin's might and the allies were convinced. This dismantling of eastern democracy by Stalin had a profound effect on Europe right at the onset of the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Pact_invasion_of_Czechoslovakia
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Alex ToweyApril 16, 2012 at 7:38 AM
I think one of the most important factors that led to the Cold War was America's failure to inform the Soviet Union that we had the atomic bomb. The Russians felt like they couldn't trust us after we had created such a massive killing tool, so it became a technological race to see who could out do the other. Although I don't think it was that big of a deal, the Russians seemed to feel seriously betrayed by America. America's failure to enter the war where Russia needed them also contributed to the tension. Russia really needed that second front opened up to get relief from the pressure created by Germany. However, America first went to Italy to attack the "soft underbelly" of Europe. Russia was forced to wait for America to open up the front in the east, which cost them more time, money, soldiers, etc. America then had to wait for the Russians to aid in the Pacific campaign, which they declined to do until the war was basically over. All these things to me seem like little back stabbings from each side that grew into serious problems, creating hostile feelings in each side that seemed to keep growing until the Cold War finally began.
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