Major Sources of Discord between the Bolsheviks and European States: 1917 to 1921 There were several major sources that created discord between the Bolsheviks and western states in Europe from 1917 to 1921. Conflicting ideologies that each attacked the very fabric of the other’s respective society led to the notion that capitalism and communism could not coexist. The attempts of both actors to hold control of their own political system and to expand their political ideas internationally led to major conflicts between them. Also, the lack of respect for the upstart Bolshevik government by the west led to misperceptions concerning the actions of the Soviets. Russia’s unsatisfactory involvement in World War I and their abrupt departure from the war which affected the western Allies war effort created much disenchantment between the two sides. The imperial and expansionist nature of both groups of actors led to conflict as the creation of both communist and non-communist blocs began with the independence of Poland as a free state in 1919. By using the Communist party as a vehicle to inject Communism into societies abroad, the Bolsheviks began to make free countries take notice of the threat that the “worker’s party” presented and began to act in strong opposition of Communism. The actions of both sides began a race for an expansion of two different ideologies which created conflict so strong that in due time another World War seemed inevitable. The “Cold War” had begun. The fundamental difference between Russia and Europe was extremely contrasting views in ideology. The modernization of politics in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s had created similar political movements in both Europe and Russia meant to increase the authority of the masses over their own government. These movements replaced authoritarian regimes with political systems that were created to better the lives of the common people (Harris). Leading states of Europe such as France and Britain began to take the path of “social democracy” in which the working class would be given a voice through parliamentary elections (Harris). Also by organizing the proletariat through trade unions, social democracy allowed for collective bargaining to lead to improvements in working conditions, pay, benefits, and other factors that helped to limit the exploitation of lower class labor (Harris). On the other hand, the Bolshevik model for serving in the best interests of the common people was not to raise the level of the proletariat by giving them more rights and a stronger political voice, but to bring down the upper class that was exploiting them by destroying the caste system altogether.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that conflicting ideologies led to the notion that capitalism and communism could not coexist. russia's unsatisfactory involvement in world war i and their abrupt departure from the war affected the western allies war effort.
- Analyzes how the modernization of politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s had created similar political movements in europe and russia meant to increase ity of the masses over their own government.
- Explains that lenin's main focus was to stabilize the soviet union by getting out of world war i.
- Analyzes how the lack of russian effort in world war i created much strife between russia and the britain/france coalition.
- Explains that the russo-german peace agreement saved russia at their expense. the allies were incapable of fighting the germans as effectively as they could if russia was involved in the war.
- Analyzes how the events of w.w.i brought major sources of discord between germany and russia.
- Explains that lenin knew that a democratically driven counter-revolution was imminent after the end of world war i. the bolshevik regime was seen as the official government of russia by most of the world.
- Analyzes how the allied intervention in russia widened the gap between the west and russia.
- Explains how the imperialistic actions of russia became the principle source of tension between europe and the soviet union.
- Explains how the spread of communism on a worldwide scale began with the russian bolsheviks coming to power in october 1917.
- Explains that the bolsheviks argued that capitalism was one of the human race's major evils and should be eliminated. lenin believed that competition for lands and resources would lead to an inter-imperialist conflict.
- Analyzes how lenin's suave actions may have saved the bolshevik regime by giving the soviets time to establish themselves free of potent intervention by the west.
Related
- explanatory
- opinion
- analytical
- Cold Warexplanatory essayCold War Discuss the Cold War events of the 1950’s. The 1950’s full of events and conflicts, the main one being the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. Events that lead up to the extreme tension during the cold war, were relations with the Vietnamese. The Vietnam War took place over a battle for communistic prevention. The fear of communism spreading tied in with the relations dealing with the USSR’s communistic society.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the cold war events of the 1950's, including relations with the vietnamese, the vietnam war, and european revolts against communism.
- Explains that the cold war also took place in the middle east, where jews and arabs proclaimed it as their homeland. american and british forces cut off aid to egypt due to the ruler seeking soviet support.
- Explains how the cold war took place in latin america. the us spread its influence into south america, setting up american organizations, and the soviet union became furious.
- Explains how the two super-powers battled it out for decades without shots directly fired at one another. the tensions increased until the eighties when the ussr met up with financial problems.
360 wordsRead More - Cold Waropinion essayCold War My first inclination would be to answer the first question with a clear "YES". But come to think of it, the causes of war really have not changed at all, or at least very little. Rather than changes, there has been a shift in the causes. The cause of war which has dominated the last 50 years was the cause of ideology. However, due to the recent end of the Cold War, this cause of war, has significantly declined and is almost trivial.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the causes of war have not changed at all, or at least very little, due to the recent end of the cold war.
- Explains that the causes of war have shifted from mainly ideological ones to economic, ethnic, and others.
- Explains that the cold war was a result of this division of power and of the important policy of spheres of influence.
- Analyzes how the cold war began in an ideologically hostile environment, characterised by the arms race between the two superpowers who were eager to preserve their spheres of influence.
- Explains that europe was a very stable area in the post-wwii era. all the conflicts between the superpowers, were never directly between us and soviet troops.
- Explains that these wars were 'proxy' wars, which almost always began because one superpower saw its (often ideological) interests threatened.
- Analyzes how the cold war turned 'hot' with the cuban missile crises. the stationing of russian missiles on cuba was seen as an atrocious provocation by the us.
- Explains that gorbachev signed several arms treaties and introduced reforms into the soviet union, but critics argued that they were too radical.
- Explains that since the end of the cold war, a 'new world order' has established itself. the us and the ussr's positions of power have changed.
- Analyzes how the us has changed its position as a superpower, but its influence has declined. many countries openly criticize america and us foreign policy.
- Explains that the us has lost some of its leading role in the world due to its internal problems, such as high crime rates, stagnating or declining economy, and a lack of permanent membership on the un security council.
- Explains that the post-cold war 'new world order' is not dominated by ideology, but by economics. countries want to achieve economic growth and prosper.
- Opines that issues of (national) identity may be a reason to take up arms. this contributed to the war in former yugoslavia.
- Opines that religion has always been a source of conflict, as several examples throughout history show.
- Explains that armed conflicts arise due to several reasons which can be interstate or innerstate ones (or both). the reasons i mention here are not new reasons; the importance of these reasons has increased.
- Opines that the shift in causes does not significantly affect the effort of maintaining peace, since they always played a part in resolving conflicts. with ideology no longer being an important cause, the people concerned with peace have one reason less to worry about.
- Opines that armed conflict might arise in some of the ex-ussr states and, if netanyahu keeps up with his politics, in the middle-east.
- Opines that in order to prove their opinion that war will always exist, one would have to write another essay to explore the reasons for this assumption more thoroughly.
2068 wordsRead More - Cold Warexplanatory essayLarge nuclear weapons significantly changed the landscape of the Cold War in a few key ways. On the most basic level, the advent of nuclear warheads meant that weapons could cause a lot more damage than prior weapons technology. In 1945 the Trinity yielded approximately 0.2 megatons of TNT equivalent. By 1954, the U.S. tested a device that was 1,200 times bigger than the 1945 bomb. Nuclear warheads were becoming bigger and better; it was a result of an arms race -- one unintentionally started by America in the post-war era to paradoxically create more stability.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that large nuclear weapons changed the landscape of the cold war in a few key ways.
- Explains that the nuclear bomb was a creation of america, by american physicists - the soviets followed suit. it was an arms race, as was the nature of the cold war.
- Explains that the ussr tests its own bomb in 1949, four years after the united states tested their atomic bomb. america estimated that it would take the soviets between 10-15 years to develop the equivalent weapons technology.
- Explains that nikita khrushchev rose as the leader of the soviet union in 1956, and this change in leadership shaped the u.s. strategy.
- Explains that america's strategy was a response to khrushchev’s commitment to grow arms. their initial prediction that building an atomic bomb in the aftermath of wwii would bring about stability was proved very wrong.
- Explains that kennan advocated a minimum deterrence strategy, which would limit the number and power of weapons in the american nuclear arsenal strictly to our estimate as to what it would take to make attack on this country or its allied by weapons of mass destruction irrational.
- Explains that the u.s. relied heavily on strategic partnerships and alliances in the first two decades of the cold war.
- Analyzes how the united states enjoyed a comfortable lead in terms of its gdp, double or sometimes even triple the rate of the soviets.
- Opines that the arms race was unsustainable for both the ussr and america, with a growing military budget and widening arsenal of weapons.
765 wordsRead More - Cold War Historyexplanatory essayWhat Was The Cold War? After World War II America and Russia became superpowers. Even thought they fought together against the Nazis they soon became hostile rivals. Between 1945 and 1989 the two countries and their allies were involved in a conflict known as the Cold War.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that truman feared that communism would spread throughout the world unless the united states did something.
- Describes how they visited western europe and were shocked at the amount of damage caused by world war ii. marshall made a speech at harvard university saying that the united states would give money and equipment to help rebuild the countries.
- Narrates how gorbachev and reagan met in geneva and agreed to discard some of their nuclear missiles. they signed the intermediate nuclear forces treaty in washington d.c.
- Explains how the cold war was fought through proxy wars, the nuclear arms race, spying, strong words and threats, prestige, and the space race.
- Describes how the bolshevik party took control of russia and turned it into a communist country.
- Explains that the united states, ussr, britain and france divided germany into four sectors, each under the control of one country.
- Explains that stalin's plan was to try to starve west berlin. the soviets closed all railroads and railways running from the western half of germany into berlin, but the western powers decided to airlift supplies into the city.
- Describes how the us dropped the first atomic bomb on hiroshima on august 6, 1945, which started the arms race.
- Narrates how the soviets invaded korea north of the 38th parallel of latitude and the u.s. troops went tinto the south.
- Explains that berlin was divided after stalin lifted the blockade in 1949. east berliners were able to vote in free elections and speak their minds.
- Narrates how castro overthrew batista and the united states supported an invasion of cuba. khrushchev sent money and arms to castro.
- Explains that president carter was angered by the invasion of afghanistan by soviets. he cancelled the salt ii agreement, increased the size of the u.s. military and allowed the production of a new missile system.
- Explains that president bush and mikhail gorbachev met on the maxim gorky, a soviet warship off the coast of malta, and announced the end of the cold war.
2283 wordsRead More - The Beginning of the Cold Warexplanatory essayAfter all the invasion of different countries in Europe and the killing of so many lives of innocent people, Adolf Hitler was finally put to stop. One result of the end of WWII was the division of Germany into four zones controlled by Great Britain, France, Soviet Union, and the United States. Lack of agreement and compromise with the Soviet Union about the agreement of Germany led to the beginning of the Cold War. U.S and USSR became focus in an Arms Race to have the greatest nuclear capability. This lead to the Space Race where another heated competition to whoever get to the moon first and to have the best space technology. Focusing to the whole world U.S reasoned that if one country came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect. McCarthyism was the effect of communism to the U.S because it was a time when some people were accused of being disloyal to the government for inappropriate political connection. The biggest factor during the Cold War era was the Space Race creation of the Ranger Mission, Titans, and the contribution of President Kennedy. The things we did in the Space Race such as creating NASA leading to build new technologies was justified because it initially helped U.S protect itself and it still affect us today in being able to accomplish our dreams.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how the cold war led to the division of germany into four zones controlled by great britain, france, soviet union, and the united states.
- Explains that nasa's ranger mission was a major factor in being ahead of the soviet union.
- Explains that president kennedy's contribution to the expansion of u.s space program was critical to helping a man land on the moon.
- Describes how the titan rocket program positively impacted u.s in order to protect the civilians of america.
- Explains that the space race was an informal competition between the united states and the soviet union to see who could make the furthest development into space first.
1064 wordsRead More - cold waranalytical essayThe Cold War, what is it? Although it is one of the most significant wars of the United States, many to this day still do not understand what this war was about. Between the Soviet Union and the United States their relationship was a tense one. Americans had been on the edge about the Soviet communism and concerned about the Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical ways over his country. The Soviets resented the Americans’ very long refusal to treat the Soviet Union as a legitimate partner of the international community as well as their postponed entry into World War II, which left the result of millions of Russian deaths. Once the war was over, these grievances became into a sense of mutual distrust and animosity. By the end of the war, with revenge in mind of the Russians, Soviet expansionism in the Eastern Europe grew concerning to the Americans. They were afraid their guess about Russia’s fight for supremacy against the world was true, which it was. While Russia thought United States came off a little hostile, United States was just trying to save it and its neighboring countries safe from their influence. Within the circumstances, if you think about it, no one is to really blame. Frankly, most historians like to believe this war was more inevitable than anything. But the war did not stop there. Leader of Russia at the time, Nikita Khrushchev, continued to effect the development of countries governments beyond Eastern Europe. Eventually, Cuba becomes another victim. Now Cuba and America used to have good ties together when having Fulgencio Batista as leader, but when Fidel Castro came into power, all ties between the two were severed. As soon as America heard of ties between Russia and Cuba America went from concerned...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the cold war was a tense relationship between the soviet union and the united states.
- Analyzes how cuba and america had good ties before fidel castro came into power, and how the bay of pigs invasion affected american society.
- Analyzes how president kennedy kept his country safe, but his diplomatic tactic didn't work. khrushchev responded mockingly to kennedy's letter.
- Describes the cuban missile crisis as one of the most dangerous and risky conflicts in the cold war process.
- Cites the office of the historian's "milestones: 1961-1968," vanbroucke, o'shea, and russett, hartley and murray.
652 wordsRead More - cold warexplanatory essayDear 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.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the causes, course, and effects of the cold war, which describes the intense rivalry and strained relations between the two superpowers after world war ii, the united states and the soviet union.
- Explains that after world war ii, germany and berlin were divided into four zones, controlled by great britain, france, the soviet union, or the united states.
- Explains how the united states adapted a new foreign policy of containment in fear of soviet expansion, in which they attempted to stop the progress of communism. the marshall plan involved sending money to help countries recover from world war ii.
- Explains that the united states, along with other western powers formed a military alliance known as the north atlantic treaty alliance.
- Explains that the soviet union was extremely fearful of its security after having been invaded twice within the last century. the first atomic bomb test in 1949 marked the beginning of the race of arms.
- Explains that the berlin wall was built in 1961 to keep east europeans from escaping the soviets rule. it brought more tension to the cold war, and represented the angry division between communist and non- communist rule
- Explains how communism spread to parts of korea, vietnam, and cuba. the u.s. military was easily defeated and fidel castro is still in power.
- Advises to be cautious with strong nations such as china, as in the cold war, slight moves may be seen as aggressive, and in turn, may trigger a chain of disastrous events.
556 wordsRead More - The Cold Waranalytical essayThe Cold War At the end of World War II, the United States and the USSR emerged as
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states and the ussr emerged as the world's major powers after world war ii and became involved in the cold war, a state of hostility between the two nations.
- Analyzes how relations between the united states and the ussr deteriorated after the war.
- Explains that the united states would help stabilize legal foreign governments threatened by communism. congress appropriated $400 million to support anti-communist forces in turkey and greece.
- Explains how the united states joined 11 other nations to form the north atlantic treaty organization (nato), a mutual defense pact.
- Explains how the doctrine of "containment" faced big challenges.
- Explains how nsc-68 strengthened the nation's alliances, quadrupled defense spending, and convinced americans to support the cold war. truman ordered the atomic energy commission to develop a hydrogen bomb.
- Explains how the united states supported the rearmament of west germany in europe and asia, and signed a peace treaty with japan to ensure the future of american military bases there.
396 wordsRead More - Cold Waranalytical essayThe Cold War, 1949-1963 25.1 American Commitment to Cold War: National Security Council Document 68 1. How NSC-68 influenced America’s response to Communist North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in June 1950 and to Communist expansion in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. The NSC-68 called for military assistance programs that would meet the requirements of our allies. Since South Korea was an ally, we assisted them in repelling the invasion of another communist nation.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nsc-68 influenced america's response to communist north korea’s invasion of south korea and communist expansion in southeast asia in the 1960s.
- Opines that public opinion polls should influence american foreign policy if the public has enough information about the issue to make an intelligent decision.
- Analyzes whether griffith's evidence supports his evaluation of mccarthy and mccarthyism.
- Analyzes how mutual security alliances reinforced the idea of the united states as "world policeman". they decreased the chances of russia declaring war on america.
- Analyzes the long-term implications for national defense by relying on high technology for information about trouble spots in the world.
- Analyzes whether events in the 1970s and 1980s have borne out president eisenhower’s warning to the american people.
- Opines that the cold war policy to contain communism outside the western hemisphere was consistent with the monroe doctrine.
- Compares the rise of mccarthyism and the red scare in the 1950s.
1776 wordsRead More - cold waranalytical essay1991 Gorbachev resigns as president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev announces that he is resigning as president of the Soviet Union. In truth, there was not much of a Soviet Union from which to resign--just four days earlier, 11 of the former Soviet republics had established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), effectively dismembering the USSR. The Soviet Union, for all intents and purposes, had already ceased to exist.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gorbachev resigned as president of the soviet union in 1991.
- Analyzes how gorbachev's farewell speech to the nation indicated that the recent establishment of the cis was the primary motive for his resignation.
- Analyzes how he claimed to have overseen the soviet union's trip down the 'road of democracy.' his reforms led the communist economy to the marketeconomy.
- Explains that gorbachev remained adamant that he 'never had any regrets' about his policies. he lost much of his power and prestige in the soviet union even before the establishment of the cis.
- Describes how yeltsin became a vocal critic of the slow pace of economic and political reforms in the country.
344 wordsRead More