The Cold War was a conflict between the two Superpowers which emerged victorious from the end of World War Two. These powers were the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Even though there was no direct military action between the two countries, the 'war' greatly changed the political scene of Europe. In his GCSE text, PJ Larkin (1965) in his British revision book states that the Cold War was a “mixture of religious crusade in favour of one ideology or the other, and of the most ruthless power politics, striking out for advantage or expansion not only in Europe but all over the world.” During the nineteen-sixties, as a revisionist view, was the general understanding of why the hostilities between
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Agreements could not be met, especially the establishment of a democracy government in Poland and what should be done with the German territory taken by Poland, no agreement was meet at this point. After the meeting Churchill wrote to Roosevelt saying that the “Soviet Union has become a danger to the free world” and that a “settlement must be reached on all major issues between east and west In Europe before the armies of democracy melt.” Churchill is heeding the urgency of stopping the spread of communism for it is a direct threat to democracy. Stalin essentially got everything he wanted, a sphere of influence as a buffer zone. Stalin said himself, after the end of the Second World War: “whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system.” In other words, establishing communist groups friendly to the USSR in states like, Bulgaria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, was Stalin’s own Soviet sphere of …show more content…
Traditionalist’s believed that the soviets were imposing communist governments on the unwilling nations of Eastern Europe, and schemed to spread communism throughout the world. American policy was the logical and necessary response. Thomas A. Bailey (1950), said that the “breakdown of relations was a direct result of aggressive Soviet policies of expansion in the immediate post-war years.” However the American involvement in Vietnam changed many historians’ views and the first revisionist interpretations began to appear. Revisionists believed that the United States was primarily to blame for the Cold War; that the Soviet Union had displayed no aggressive designs toward the West allies. Revisionist LaFeber, Walter (1976) stated that “America's supposedly idealistic internationalism” was in reality an “effort to ensure a world shaped in the American image, with every nation open to American influence.” The post-revisionist struck a balance between the two, by identifying areas of blame and misperception. Gaddis, J.L. (1972) said that "neither side can bear sole responsibility for the onset of the Cold War.” Out of the post-revisionist elucidations a more perplexing perspective of the Cold War, which de-accentuates the topic of who was at fault and receives a more separated
Agreements could not be met, especially the establishment of a democracy government in Poland and what should be done with the German territory taken by Poland, no agreement was meet at this point. After the meeting Churchill wrote to Roosevelt saying that the “Soviet Union has become a danger to the free world” and that a “settlement must be reached on all major issues between east and west In Europe before the armies of democracy melt.” Churchill is heeding the urgency of stopping the spread of communism for it is a direct threat to democracy. Stalin essentially got everything he wanted, a sphere of influence as a buffer zone. Stalin said himself, after the end of the Second World War: “whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system.” In other words, establishing communist groups friendly to the USSR in states like, Bulgaria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, was Stalin’s own Soviet sphere of …show more content…
Traditionalist’s believed that the soviets were imposing communist governments on the unwilling nations of Eastern Europe, and schemed to spread communism throughout the world. American policy was the logical and necessary response. Thomas A. Bailey (1950), said that the “breakdown of relations was a direct result of aggressive Soviet policies of expansion in the immediate post-war years.” However the American involvement in Vietnam changed many historians’ views and the first revisionist interpretations began to appear. Revisionists believed that the United States was primarily to blame for the Cold War; that the Soviet Union had displayed no aggressive designs toward the West allies. Revisionist LaFeber, Walter (1976) stated that “America's supposedly idealistic internationalism” was in reality an “effort to ensure a world shaped in the American image, with every nation open to American influence.” The post-revisionist struck a balance between the two, by identifying areas of blame and misperception. Gaddis, J.L. (1972) said that "neither side can bear sole responsibility for the onset of the Cold War.” Out of the post-revisionist elucidations a more perplexing perspective of the Cold War, which de-accentuates the topic of who was at fault and receives a more separated