Soviet Union example essay topic

Dear President Bush, I would like to advise you on the causes, course and effects of the Cold War in hopes that you this will help you in shaping your current foreign policy. The Cold War is a term used to describe the intense rivalry and strained relations between the two superpowers that had arose after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union. This period of hostility mainly resulted from ideological differences, and mutual distrust between the two blocks. Following World War II, Germany and Berlin were divided into four zones.

Each zone was controlled either by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, or the United States. Despite objections by the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain and France planned to re-unify Germany. In response, the U.S.S.R. placed a blockade on Berlin. The United States organized massive airlifts to send food and other necessities to the isolated city.

After promises for free elections were broken by the Soviet Union, the already strained relationships between the two superpowers were worsened. In fear of Soviet expansion, the United Stated adapted a new foreign policy of containment, in which they attempted to stop the progress of communism. The Truman Doctrine of 1947 stated that the United States would help any non- communist country resist the pressures of communism. The Marshall Plan involved sending money to help countries recover from World War II, so that they would be less likely to succumb to communism. As a safeguard against communist aggression, the United States, along with other Western Powers formed a military alliance known as the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance. In response, the Soviet Union formed their own military alliance, known as the Warsaw Treaty Organization.

The Soviet Union was extremely fearful of its security after having been invaded twice within the last century. In 1945, when the United States created and used and atomic bomb against Japan, the USSR became even more concerned about it's security. This fear caused the Soviet Union to become even more determined to create an atomic bomb of its own. The Soviet Unions' first atomic bomb test in 1949, marked the beginning of the race of arms, a competition in which each nation tried to develop superior military strength. In 1961, the Berlin wall was built to keep East Europeans from escaping the Soviets rule. This brought more tension to the Cold War, and represented the angry division between Communist and non- Communist rule.

This wall was later torn down in 1990, when Germany was re-unified. More conflicts grew as communism spread to parts of Korea, Vietnam and Cuba. United States troops fought in South Korea and South Vietnam in fear that if one country fell to communism, other nearby countries would succumb as well. This was known as the domino theory. The United States also tried to fight communism in Cuba by attacking its mainland.

This event became known as the Bay of Pigs. The U.S. military was easily defeated, and Fidel Castro, the communist ruler is currently still in power. Based on the past event that have taken place during the Cold War, I advise you to be very cautious with strong nations such as China, because as in the Cold War, slight moves may be seen as aggressive, and in turn, may trigger a chain of disastrous events.