Soviet Role In The Cold War

Superior Essays
Changes in the Soviet Role in the Cold War changed during the period from the mid 1940’s to mid 1960’s because of the many major events like the COMECON conference and death of Joseph Stalin. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and USA changed from being allies to enemies and not trusting one another. The destalinization process that happened after Nikita Khrushchev took control marked the start of change like beginning to want to repair the image that Stalin had previously set. They had different ideals to each other, which took the Soviet Union towards a new direction. These ideals like Khrushchev willing to risk so much for so little led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The crisis led to the worsening relationship between the …show more content…
After Stalin died, Nikita Khrushchev came into power and changed many aspects of the way the Soviet Union was run. They had different priorities from each other, which in turn impacted on their position in the Cold War. Khrushchev’s first mission was to try to change the perception of the rest of the world that the Soviet Union was a threat which was how countries like USA perceived it to be. One change that he needed to make was to improve Stalin’s image so he released millions of political prisoners from Gulag labour camps. He allowed information to be released into the media and encouraged international festivals, arts and media into the country in order to get project a better image of themselves. However Khrushchev was a very politically motivated person and wanted to increase international ties with other countries. This included selling and exporting trade which aimed at stabilising the government and improved relations with other nations. But one of the major differences between Stalin and Khrushchev that impacted on the Cold War was that Khrushchev refused the idea of absolute power and tried to end mass repression. He also rejected Stalin’s idea of totalitarianism but gained several features like political propaganda and gaining a high control over the population. One key point that he liked to bring up at international conferences was …show more content…
Cold War tensions reached a high point in October 1962, when the United States discovered a Soviet missile base. A secret US spy plane had photographed a medium ballistic missile being assembled for installation, that the Soviet Union had planted 90 miles of the coast of Florida. The whole situation started when Fidel Castro took charge of Cuba and began aligning himself with the Soviet Union. The Soviets thought that by gaining another ally, they would have more power and be more of a threat in the region. Khrushchev gambled on sending missiles with the specific goal of increasing his nuclear strike capability. He felt uneasy about the amount of weapons targeting at them from Western Europe and Turkey and by having the missiles so close to the US, Khrushchev saw it as a more even playing field. The world was already on the brink of nuclear conflict but during the 13 days standoff between the two nations some agreements were formed. Adolf A. Berle Jr., a historian who thought that it was a major turning point in the Cold War because it signified each nations willingness to give up something small, in order to progess overall. After the 13 day standoff, the two respective leaders, John F Kennedy and Khrushchev came to a long agreement that if the Soviet Union took their missiles and would never have any near the US, then in return the US would take theirs out of Turkey. It was not just

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq Essay

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The end of World War II introduced nuclear weapons to the world, little did they know it would be the cause of their next conflict, the Cold War. The Cold War was a non-violent struggle for power between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. The leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the current president at that time, Ronald Reagan, were trying to resolve their conflict peacefully. The leader that was primarily responsible for ending the Cold War was Mikhail Gorbachev, since he called for the nuclear weapons treaty and for slowing down the arms race.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It has become common today to underestimate the clash during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, as there was no actual fighting between these countries. However, the Cold War was a time of strong tension primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union, which affected many countries around the world. During World War II, the USSR and U.S were allies fighting against Hitler and the axis powers. Nevertheless, the political differences between the Soviets and the Americans intensified after the WWII as both nations tried to spread its own ideology for global domination. During the Cold War, these nations did not directly drop bombs on each other or fire missiles, but created immense tension by testing their own…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Cold War was a period of military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War 2. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was a proud communist whereas American President Harry Truman supported the idea of democracy. The two had completely different ideologies, which made working together rather difficult. The Korean War was a turning point in the Cold War. Stalin and the United States had been supporting the same side for six years during World War 2, but now they were on opposing battle lines.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Cuban Missile Crisis: Focus on J F Kennedy and His Foreign Policies The Cuban Missile Crisis that occurred in 1962 was a serious confrontation between the United States of America and the Soviet Union (Len, 3). This crisis was going to mark the climax of the Cold War as the Soviet Union deployed the use of nuclear missiles to protect further attack on Cuba by the US. The president of the United States of America, John Kennedy, strongly opposed the launching of missiles in Cuba, and tried all means possible to stop its progress. While some of his advisors suggested war against Soviet Union, John Kennedy chose to go the diplomatic way in establishing negotiations with Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John F. Kennedy’s Presidency For a man who was unable to “finish the job” the question is often asked; How should history remember the Presidency of John F. Kennedy? Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), the youngest man elected to the office. He was in office during a period of severe challenges in the U.S. People often debate whether Kennedy was inept for presidency at this time. He had multiple successes and failures when he set out to achieve his objectives. Some of these objectives included; confronting mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere, providing federal support for the growing Civil Rights Movement, and winning the Space Race.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Cold War lasted from 1945 to 1985. Few history experts took the time to deal with or to speak about the events as they happened. Leaving most indivduals wondering about the development of the war. During this frightening period, different presidents served for the American people and each president felt the war carried a lot of dangers. In the same way that, young Americans, Soviets and other people who lawfully lived in a the country, state, etc. of the world required the services of an educated person to provide understanding of deep things.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Khrushchev's Secret Speech

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Khrushchev initially raised hopes of a better political and economic future for the USSR through his secret speech. His shocking condemnation of Stalin’s reign of terror and seemingly more liberal intentions of peaceful co-existence gave the impression of a new, markedly successful era for the USSR. However, these expectations were quickly dashed through a series of counterproductive and unsuccessful policies, most notably his grand but ill-fated agricultural schemes. Khrushchev displayd a refreshing and new approach to politics that came as a jolting shock to those who had spent the twelve years under the rule of the excessively brutal and controlling Stalin. This was particularly evident in his initial secret speech, in which many believed his speaking out against Stalin to be a form of trap for his potential critics.…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Soviet occupation in Poland), and bolstered attacks, asserting on the USSR's behalf, their bent on world domination. The United States misconstrued Soviet intentions and assigned ‘world domination' as Stalin's main goal. With such a seemingly aggressive Soviet threat at hand, the U.S. utilized documents and speeches like Kennan's Long Telegram, Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech and the Truman doctrine to acknowledge the maturing Soviet menace. These three documents and declarations deepened the stratification of the already tenuous Soviet and U.S relationship and unwittingly expedited and worsened Cold War tensions. The Soviets would then respond to the United States via pronouncements and reactions (i.e. the Cominform as a rebuttal to the Marshall Plan) as an escalating tit-for-tat would lead the U.S. and the USSR towards more enmity.…

    • 2609 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cold War Dbq Essay

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Between the years of 1947 and 1991 the Soviet Union and the United States remained in a long period of tension known as The Cold War. This conflict unfolded in a series of intermediary wars such as the Space Race and Arms Race. The Cold War provoked profound changes in United States infrastructure and military, the education system and the overall atmosphere throughout society. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed due to their economic failure and their approach to the Space Race. This marked the end to the long waged Cold War.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From the Mayflower Compact to the Emancipation Proclamation, there have been numerous documents throughout American history that have impacted the country. These documents have caused wars, alliances, hatred, relief, and much more. While many of them occurred long ago, they have each influenced the country we see today. Some of these documents gave advice that was obeyed, while others were completely ignored. The choice to embrace or overlook this advice is what causes changes to arise.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Ronald Reagan Ideology

    • 3937 Words
    • 16 Pages

    He influenced the fall of the Soviet Union by preventing the spread of Communism to other parts of the world. His administration prevented the spread of Communism through what is now known as the Reagan Doctrine. Leonid Brezhnev, a man who molded himself in the shadow of Stalin and was responsible for the death of millions, ruled unchallenged in the Soviet Union. He also desired expansionist policies for the Soviet Union just as Stalin did. In fact, Brezhnev suggested that once a country became communist, any attempt to reverse that would fail, either through the people’s will or through military force.…

    • 3937 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union attempted to better each other through technological and military advancements. The United States possibly made the first step with the development of the atomic bomb and using it on Japan to end World War II. Ultimately, this would be a driving force behind the developing race between the United States and the Soviet Union to become the world’s most powerful nation. During this tense period the United States and the Soviet Union never battled directly, but the two of them continually antagonized each other through political maneuvering, military coalitions, espionage, propaganda, arms buildups, economic aid, and proxy wars between other nations.…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    Although the US claimed there was no missile gap between the two, the USSR was clearly behind in the race. This was particularly fearful for the Soviet Union who did not want the US to launch a first strike from Turkey which was merely 150 miles away. The decision made by Khrushchev to build launch sites in Cuba is likely because “Khrushchev was attracted by the idea of appearing to gain greater military strength relative to US”(IBID, 168). This came from domestic issues brewing in the USSR, where it is was essential to appear strong and convince both the citizens of the Soviet Union and the rest of the world that socialism was equally if not stronger than the US and their democracy. Therefore, all weaknesses, in this case military, needed to be concealed and so the idea the USSR were now on par with the US in nuclear missiles arguably encouraged Khrushchev to continue gaining greater military strength.…

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Brilliant Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The great leaders during the Cold War include Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, John F, Kennedy, and more (Pettinger, 2015). Another important feature of the Cold War is the creations of national securities that we still use today. Another fact that makes the Cold War so important is development of technology. The technology race between the US and USSR led to many new inventions and improvements that changed the way people live.…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Cold War was a fifty year long conflict between the Soviet Union’s communism and the United States’ capitalism. These opposing systems of ideology created a rift between the two, once allied countries. During World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States worked as Allied forces to stop Hitler and his assaults on other nations. It seemed the alliance was going to be long lasting, however, the difference in ideology and the values divided the two nations. Their ideologies divided the two nations and the fear of the spread of others’ ideology is what made the conflict escalate.…

    • 1116 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays