Growing unease and suspicion between the world’s two most powerful countries, the United States and the Soviet Union, characterized the Cold War. Much of this unease stemmed from a lack of transparency between the two powers. Neither party was ever able to fully discern the intentions of the other’s foreign policy. Yet even when the leaders of the two countries came together and were relatively truthful with one another, this sense of unease only grew. Each leader made distinct arguments with unique underlying assumptions and implicit themes. The arguments and remarks presented by John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev at the Vienna Summit contributed to the growing bifurcation of the United States and the Soviet Union and helped set the
Kennedy worried about the spread of communism and that many would use Mao Zedong’s suggestion that “power was at the end of a rifle” to justify this spread (6). To remedy this issue, Kennedy suggested that both powers should not involve themselves directly in the struggle in “other areas” and should not subvert the “national interests” of the other power (5). Khrushchev believed that Kennedy’s concern about this issue imperiled Soviet national interests, as Soviet security ultimately depended on the success of ideas like communism in countries along the Soviet periphery (including Germany). Additionally, he argued that U.S. interference had indeed subverted Soviet national interests and had also impeded domestic development in countries like Iran and Cuba (10). Kennedy countered by altering the historical narrative presented by Khrushchev, saying that the U.S. had used the tool of intervention judiciously due to the fact that it had never intervened in Guinea or Mali, where the governments had been freely elected (11). The two nations disagreed over the efficacy and necessity of intervention to maintain the global balance of
The two only reached agreement on the issue of Laos due to Khrushchev 's flexible attitude regarding the situation in Southeast Asia (13). The fact that, despite pressing interests around the world, agreement could only be reached on the issue of Laos, may have rebuffed some of the leaders’ hopes for a period of relative détente. Both leaders also established nuclear testing as an important issue moving forward (16). Kennedy was fearful of nuclear testing because of the fallout material that could be circulating in the wind across the globe. Khrushchev was reluctant to establish a nuclear inspections regime that would both allow the potential for espionage and limit his autonomy. After the Vienna Summit, both powers would work to reconcile these differences and create an acceptable agreement (Leffler
The alliance formed between the US and USSR during the second world war was not strong enough to overcome the decades of uneasiness which existed between the two ideologically polar opposite countries. With their German enemy defeated, the two emerging nuclear superpowers no longer had any common ground on which to base a political, economical, or any other type of relationship. Tensions ran high as the USSR sought to expand Soviet influence throughout Europe while the US and other Western European nations made their opposition to such actions well known. The Eastern countries already under Soviet rule yearned for their independence, while the Western countries were willing to go to great lengths to limit Soviet expansion. "Containment of 'world revolution' became the watchword of American foreign policy throughout the 1950s a...
The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
This investigation assesses the success of the policies of Henry Kissinger during the tense period of the Cold War and the sequential years, specifically pertaining to the peace summits with Russian officials in 1972 and 1973 with regard to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties. This investigation evaluates Kissinger’s impact during the period of the SALT treaties on the reduction of nuclear arms and the implementation of détente. Specifically, how Kissinger got what he wanted, the risks involved, and the outcome of the treaties. The sources used, Détente and the Nixon Doctrine, by Robert S. Litwak and Kissinger: 1973, The Crucial Year, by Alistair Horne, will then be evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations.
In the Early Years: 1961-1963, Kennedy administration and Vietnam take flight. Assumptions behind the administration's decisions to increase U.S involvement in Vietnam strains two very important aspects that would gainsay obligation; one, the fall of South Vietnam to Communist control and the U.S military role and support. Discussion of knowledgeable ties to Southeast Asia emerged. Lack of governmental experts created obstacles. When the Berlin crisis occurred in 1961and during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, President Kennedy was able to turn to senior people like Llewellyn Thompson, Charles Bohlen and George Keenan, who knew the Soviets intimately. There were no senior officials in the Pentagon or State Department with comparable knowledge of Southeast Asia. Ultimately, the administration failed to critically analyze their assumptions and the foundations of their decisions, which inevitable ended in disaster.
The United States had bought Alaska from Russia partly so that the tsar would not be offended by a refusal. This kind of relation between the two became a rarity later on, especially in the twentieth century. The tense ambiance of this period gave no room for a civil affiliation between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. After World War II, the two nations battled it out in a conceptual war known as the Cold War. It was characterized by a competition between the nations’ political philosophies- the USSR wanted communism to dominate the world, while the US wanted democracy to prevail. However, the war did not come about suddenly- it was congealed over a period of time by multiple factors. As World War II ended, the
... war between the two-superpower countries, the entire world could eventually avoid the deadly threat. From the beginning of the crisis, John McCone had held an important role of giving the President crucial information that could guide him into making the best decision in resolving the crisis. One major impact of the crisis was the realization by both United States and Soviet Union leaders that their decisions could eventually drag humanity into catastrophe, hence prompting them to take safety measures in preventing the future nuclear war from taking place. In the end, the settlement of the Cuban missile crisis was indeed United States major triumph and Kennedy’s policy of the nuclear brinkmanship provides a guidance on how to carefully manage future conflicts and best mediate conflicting interests of the countries involved without necessarily resorting to war.
After World War II, tensions between the United States, its allies, and the Soviet Union became very apparent. When John F. Kennedy (JFK) was elected in 1960, this “Cold War” between the communist government of the Soviet Union and the democratic government of the United States had strained relationships around the world for over 15 years. After losing their sense of security, the American people elected John F. Kennedy in 1960 as the 35th President of the United States because they believed he could lead the country to peace and prosperity. Although President Kennedy knew these goals of peace and prosperity would not be achieved in the term of his presidency or his lifetime, he also knew the world could eventually accomplish them through
The political ideologies of the USA and of the Soviet Union were of profound significance in the development of the Cold War. Problems between the two power nations arose when America refused to accept the Soviet Union in the international community. The relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union was filled with mutual distrust and hostility. Many historians believe the cold war was “inevitable” between a democratic, capitalist nation and a communist Union. Winston Churchill called the cold war “The balance of terror” (1). Cold war anxieties began to build up with America and the Soviet Union advancing in the arms race for world dominance and supremacy. America feared the spread of Communism
During the late 1940's and the 1950's, the Cold War became increasingly tense. Each side accused the other of wanting to rule the world (Walker 388). Each side believed its political and economic systems were better than the other's. Each strengthened its armed forces. Both sides viewed the Cold War as a dispute between right and wron...
Politicians from both the United States and the Soviet Union are the key players of the Cold War. They are the ones who took actions. President Reagan was credited for his bravery and initiation of the Zero-Option strategic plan. However, some of Reagan’s pugnacious speeches and decision to increase the United States defense spending provoked tension and calamitous accidents like the Korean Aircraft incident. The public’s fear of a nuclear war is another factor that pressured Reagan to create better relations with the Soviet Union. Although Reagan’s improbable Strategic Defense Initiative, claiming to prevent a nuclear war, received numerous criticism, it is a factor that influenced the Soviet Union to make an agreement. Reagan’s realization of the obsolete nuclear war and his initiation of the arms control talks led to a realistic and
The ‘Cold War’ is one of the most interesting ‘wars’ fought in world history. The sheer number of countries both directly and indirectly involved is enough to pose the question – To what extent was the Cold War a truly Global War? This essay will examine this idea. It will identify two main areas of argument, focusing on the earlier part of the conflict (1945-1963). Firstly it will examine the growing US and Soviet influence in the world post 1945. Secondly it will examine three main conflicts, the Berlin Blockade, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis that these two super powers were involved in. Overall this essay will argue that the Cold War was no doubt a truly global war.
The relationships of the United States and the Soviet Union were driven by a complex interplay of ideological, political, and economic factors, which led to shifts between cautious cooperation and often bitter superpower rivalry over the years. The distinct differences in the political systems of the two countries often prevented them from reaching a mutual understanding on key policy issues and even, as in the case of the Cuban missile crisis, brought them to the brink of war.
War. Humans have thrived from war for as long as we can remember. The United States has been fighting wars ever since we found the new country in North America that we now call the United States. We fought against our selves for the freedom of others. We fought in several world wars. We have always fought. But in the late 1940's “war” changed forever. This was well known as the Cold War. Why was this so different? “ The world had never experienced anything like it. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States was a half century of military build-up, political maneuvering for international support (Hanes, Sharon M., and Richard C. Hanes).” This means that the world has always seen war as either hand to hand combat or gun to gun combat. With soldiers and foot patrols, but this was basically an arms race. Who was to blame for this struggle? I believe that the Cold War was caused by both nations.
The end of the Cold War was one of the most unexpected and important events in geopolitics in the 20th century. The end of the Cold War can be defined as the end of the bipolar power struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had existed since the end of the World War II. The conclusion of the Cold War can be attributed to Gorbachev’s series of liberalizations in the 1980s, which exposed the underlying economic problems in the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc states that had developed in the 1960s and 70s and prevented the USSR from being able to compete with the US as a superpower. Nevertheless, Reagan’s policies of a renewed offensive against communism, Gorbachev’s rejection of the Brezhnev doctrine and the many nationalities
The beginning of the Cold War poses some controversy among historians, because tensions between the US and Russia date back into the 19th century. Most...