The Cold War

year

1945-53

how did it start

after ww2 emerging from the ideological divide, Europe was economically destroyed, soviet expansion in Eastern Europe, America feared the conditions of the great depression again, 

after ww2 alliance between the two ended, atom bomb 

how did it end

fall of Berlin Wall, dissolution of Warsaw treaty organisation, fall of pro soviet regimes in Eastern Europe, unification of Germany with the NATO framework,

who won

America, they were able to produce more goods and better living standards for their people 

views at the start

America thought the soviet system was hostile and militarily strong but flawed, they thought it would collapse under consistency tWestern pressure, they also thought it was weak because of nationalism in its satellite states, at the start had two key policy documents: NSC

Soviets did not have much clear long term planning, they also thought the opposite system was hostile an expansionist

for them winning did not mean securing a regime change in Americs

to what extent could countries choose between the two

third world countries did not oppose the violence because they saw modernisation as essential, if you wanted your country to develop you had to pick a side,

in South America America funded it so that it would not become communist

countries like huNGARY, Poland and East Germany tried to resist but soviet power was very strong connecting to how they could not easily avoid it

Foreign Policy

US: contain and reverse Soviet expansion, Soviet to give up ideology, nations, containment policy: prevent spread of soviet communism, provide political, economic and military aid to threatened

Russia: remove danger of american aggression, they thought communism was inevitable

Role of Linear Theories

uSSR: working class in going to supersede the elite, proletariat will supersede bourgeoise, there is going to be a revolution (america was scared of this)

America felt like it needed to rush countries through the take off stage (here they are most vulnerable because communism is appealing to poor people) getting them through this stage would kind of make them immune to communism

Raustau and Lenin believed in linear theory

High modernism: belief in linear progress, absolute rights, rational planning of ideal social orders

Proxy wars and Cold War 

by fighting vicariously through another country fighting for their ideologies but maintained the ‘cold’ in the cold war