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Essay on the iron curtain
Impact of american foreign policy during cold war
The influence the cold war had on foreign policy
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The term “iron curtain” was first used in a speech at Westminster College by British prime minister, Winston Churchill, a year after the second world war had ended. Iron curtain was used as description for the border between European countries in the west and eastern European countries who are in a “soviet sphere” and have been influenced by Soviet Russia. After the second world war, Russia seemed to be very secretive and also claimed, a lot of Eastern Europe belonged to them. Since they helped win the war, the Allies gave them it. This allowed them to easily influence the countries close to them. I think he choose this imagery to help people create an image in their mind of a border between the two opposing world powers.
The motive of this speech was to convince
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The United States at the time still seemed to like and try to keep their distance from other countries problems. After the attack on Pearl Harbor during the second world war, I think that gave them a wake up call that it is not possible just to ignore problems that are going on around in the world. Churchill knew that the Americans did not want to be dragged in to another world war. He believes that Russia does not desire war but the “fruits of war and expansion of their power and doctrines.” But since Russia was acting rather suspicious at the end of the war, it did not help ease people’s minds.
Another reason he felt the need to warn the United States was that their countries were allies with each other. The two countries had fought together in both world wars together and also the United Nations was recently formed to replace the League of Nations. Winston Churchill believed that the only way was for all the western powers to stick together and set an example for other countries. Churchill
Britain wanted complete support to prevent Germany’s hegemony in Europe, but the people of the United States believed Japan was the real enemy. This became evident during the two most important conferences of World War II between the United States and Great Britain that established a solid coalition; Casablanca and Trident.
After World War II ended, Cold War alignments emerged. In 1946, Winston Churchill spoke against the USSR in his "Iron Curtain" speech. George Kennan's "Long Telegram" introduced the concept of containment, arguing that the US could keep communism from spreading by deterring Soviet expansion at critical points.
The Iron Curtain is a Western term referring to an imaginary boundary which divided Europe into two separate areas of political influence and ideology from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War.
The U.S. wanted to lead not only because it alone could have helped the international community overcome its problems, but feared that it is most likely to be hurt if it does not act. Following the victory in World War II, the U.S. led the efforts to create United Nations and NATO and also facilitated formation of new regimes in some countries to promote democracy, economic recovery, development, and prosperity which benefited those countries and their people and
world at that time were so closely related to the wellbeing of our own country, that it was vital the United States was prepared and willing to fight off any country that was coming to threaten our status as a democracy. World War II was an unfortunate war that seems to be so easily prevented if only there was less ignorance in dictators' minds and more cooperation and alliances between countries.
Oh right, because we were blinded by our fear of communism” (Green). It was the U.S. fear of the spread of communism that propelled the motion to war forward.... ... middle of paper ... ...
COLD WAR During 1945 and early in 1946, the Soviet Union cut off nearly all contacts between the West and the occupied territories of Eastern Europe. In March 1946, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned that "an iron curtain has descended across the Continent" of Europe. He made popular the phrase Iron Curtain to refer to Soviet barriers against the West (Kennedy 1034). Behind these barriers, the U.S.S.R. steadily expanded its power.
It was a border set up by Joseph. Stalin, the ruler of the USSR in the years after the Second World War. The term the "Iron Curtain," was first introduced in Winston. Churchill's long speech, "an iron curtain has descended across the continent," on March 5, 1946. Churchill's speech triggered Stalin to tighten the iron curtain.
It had been decided that after World War I, that the United States did not want to get involved in any more foreign affairs. America had become an isolationist country which was unusual for us. Even as the first few invasions of World War II took place, the United States still did not jump in on the action mainly for the reason on how devastating the results were from the First World War.
However you also had another player in the system, Russia. Although not quite as powerful as either of the top two, but if thrown in the mix could tip the scales toward one side or the other. The United States at this time preferred to practice a policy of isolationism, and stay out of the turbulent affairs of Europe. The constant struggle between the French and the British dominated the world scene. The French who were led by Napoleon were trying to establish an empire and dominate all of Europe. This struggle had been raging since the turn of the century. The British as in any bi-polar system were dead set on preventing this from happening. With the United States only a minor player in the international system at the time there was nothing the United States could do in this affair except continue its policy of neutrality, and isolationism. With a bi-polar international system, you are always i...
This was because the fear of communism was only a short term problem revolving around the Russian revolution and the Palmer raids, whereas Isolationism gave many Americans a general ill feeling about being involved in European affairs.
Since the Russian Revolution in 1905, the world housed suspicions regarding communism. These suspicions grew through both World War I, blossoming into a direct confrontation between Communist Russia and Capitalist America. Following the acts of World War II, the Cold War erupted. During the Cold War, United States foreign policy grew gradually aggressive, reflecting the public sentiment.
By procuring the American government to consider “What kind of a people do [the Axis Powers] think we are? Is it possible [the Axis Powers] do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?(“Winston Churchill 'Masters of Our Fate' Speech to)” Winston Churchill brings up the idea that the Axis Powers underestimate the threat of America and the Allied powers and would not stop harassing the world unless the US and the Allied Powers joined together to terminate them. As a result, the rhetorical questions influenced the US Senate and The House of Representatives to admit to considering the truth that they are needed to defeat the growing threat of the Axis Powers. The significance of Churchill's questions are still effective today because it influenced the thoughts of the American politicians on their stance on the war. After the American government decided to get involved in WWII, new wars appeared for the US join such as the Cold War against Russia, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Therefore, the original questions Churchill once asked in 1941 contains influences on the events and questions the politicians in the America we live in
In 1945 the United States saw the Soviet Union as its principal ally. By 1947, it saw the Soviet Union as its principal opponent. The United States misunderstood the Soviet regime. .Despite much pretence, national security had not been a major concern of US planners and elected officials. historical records reveal this clearly. Few serious analysts took issue with George Kennan's position that "it is not Russian military power which is threatening us, it is Russian political power" ; or with President Eisenhower's consistent view that the Russians intended no military conquest of Western Europe and that the major role of NATO was to "convey a feeling of confidence to exposed populations, which was suposed to make them sturdier, politically, in their opposition to Communist inroads."
While, on the other hand, the United States just wanted to stop the spread of communism, which they felt, would spread rapidly throughout the world if they did not put an end to it soon. Both the United States and the Soviet Union wanted to avoid WWIII in the process of trying to achieve their goals. The Cold War was failed by the Soviet Union for many reasons, including the sudden collapse of communism (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) This sudden collapse of communism was brought on ultimately by internal factors. Soviet Union president Gorbachev’s reforms: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (political reconstruction) ultimately caused the collapse of the Soviet Empire.