Cold War: The American Response To Foreign Relations

The use of atomic bombs on Japan not only ended the war in the Pacific, but it also ushered in what came to be known as the Atomic Era and Cold War. The newly industrialized and still mobilized Soviets became the next threat to peace in the world; Winston Churchill even wanted to fight the Soviets to restore a democracy in Russia. Tensions were already high at the end of the war, with the Soviets creating a solidly communist bloc in the east in contention with the democratic west. The American response to foreign relations this time was much more proactive and ultimately set the path for future relations with the Soviet Union. Tensions began to mount between America and the Soviet Union almost immediately after Roosevelt’s death. Truman’s …show more content…
With Korea divided in the outcome of World War II the Americans established a western-style regime in the south and the Soviets established one based off of Stalinist values in the North. Both China and the Soviet Union encouraged North Korea to attack; the results were devastating with the Southern capital taken in a single day. The American response was not to outright declare war, but to use the United Nations as a way to bypass congress. He called on the United Nations to act and it did, eventually pushing back the North Korean and Chinese advance to roughly the original boundaries (T&S …show more content…
China had already fallen and the old leadership pushed to Taiwan, North Korea remained communist, and North Vietnam was close to completely defeating the western supported South Vietnam. The dedication to containment could not be lost as that could be seen as a sign that the United States is weak. The decision to put troops in Vietnam came gradually as conditions worsened for the South Vietnamese troops. Eventually, the United States became too invested in the war that they couldn’t easily just pull out anymore. With domestic critics blasting the war and the death toll rising, troops finally are pulled out in 1975 (T&S 1041-1046). The Cold War was not all failures for America however. The West excelled in diplomatic measures to challenge Soviet power. The airlifting of supplies to Berlin was a key victory as it showed that the Soviets wouldn’t do anything to stop it. The airlift is also a crucial example of the shift in foreign policy focus, delivering the goods could only come at a cost to the United States and all the nations involved. The goal was plain and simple, showing that communism isn’t as strong as it