Iron Curtain: A Comparative Analysis

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As explained in The World in the Twentieth Century from Empires to Nations, Daniel Bowers and Thomas Sanders, after the Second World War, there was much recovering a rebuilding to be done with lives, human relations, and economic and political institutions, and much of this was felt through Europe. When the power left in Europe, the United States and the Soviet Union began reordering the European relations. In Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union began reconstructing based on the goals of the Moscow communist parties. In Western Europe, their economic shortages and fears of the Soviet Union made them dependent on the United States. In order for there not to be an economic collapse, the United States developed and international trade and financial …show more content…
This “suggested that an impenetrable wall divided Europe, split apart by the Soviet sphere of domination in Eastern Europe.’ The United States had their military and economic advantage while, the Soviet Union held the label “superpowers.” This caused the hostility between the two sides, not with war but by using their diplomatic forces. These two both had their own sets of ideologies. The United States through “free market capitalism, political liberalism, secular individualism, and cultural freedom. The Soviet Union through the triumph of the proletariat, the end of exploitation, economic equality, and social equality.” The United States recognized a common goal, encouraging national self - determination in liberal lands to work with the United Nations dominated by the big four which consisted of, the United States, USSR, Britain, and China. The United States understood the benefit of self – determination however, Stalin and the Soviet Union have different interests. Their focus was security above all. Even though Stalin was flexible in some areas with the United States, Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and with Korea and their aggression, convinced the West that the Soviet is not what they wanted. Conflict began instead of having cooperation. Communist gained victory in Germany, and this created Soviet expansion, and Stalin’s determination was to expand military and diplomatic power …show more content…
Germany was suffering from the war, food shortages, and other vital goods. The Western Allies’ main objective was to create a new German state. West and East Germany split, and the West was in the process of rebuilding. Stalin opposed the rebuild of the new German state and ordered a Berlin Blockade. The Soviet troops stopped all rail, road, and canal traffic and cut off electric into the West. However, the Western powers kept supplies coming into the West by air transport, which the Soviets could not block off, except with war. The United States nor the Soviet Union used military force, they kept the conflict based upon political and diplomatic. This did create for the United States that war could happen so, military recruitment began in the United States. International obligations widened with collective security. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization had each member assist in defense against aggression. The Soviet Union released their first atomic bomb in 1949. Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union had no way to ensure protection over their countries other than to have nuclear power in their military. Stalin had formed an “outer empire” called “satellites,” decisions and leadership policies were made in Moscow. Stalin died in 1953, this ended his ruling but not the communist dictatorship that was in Eastern Europe and Nikita Khrushchev took over as the leader and

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