Was the Cold War Inevitable Essay - 2937 Words

------------------------------------------------- Was the Cold War Inevitable? ------------------------------------------------- ARTS1271 ESSAY ------------------------------------------------- 16th September, 2011 ------------------------------------------------- The orthodox view of the Cold War elucidates its inevitability due to the great ideological differences that existed between the Soviet Union and United States. On the other hand, the revisionists argued that it happened due to the actions that Soviets took and the consequential responses made by the United States as a result of their inflexible, single-sided interpretations of Soviet action. Yet, even with the backdrop of the early Bolshevik conflict in 1918 as well†¦show more content†¦However, Truman’s accession destroyed any form of diplomacy and put further strain on relations as well as altered the intentions of subsequent American foreign policies. His rise to power made the Cold War virtually impossible to avoid. The traditional, orthodox interpretation places the responsibility of the Cold War on Stalin’s personality and on communist ideology. It claims that as long as Stalin and the authoritarian government were in power, a cold war was unavoidable. It argues that Stalin violated agreements that he had made at Yalta, imposed Soviet policy on Eastern European countries aiming at political domination and conspired to advocate communism throughout the world. As a result, United States officials were forced to respond to Soviet aggression with foreign policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Yet revisionists argue that there was â€Å"no proof of Stalin promoting communism outside Russia† and that Stalin’s decisions were first and foremost, pro-Soviet and not of communist intentions. Up until 1947, it is evident through Marshall Plan as well as statements and interviews made by Stalin that he was still thinking of cooperation with the United States, Brita in and France. Despite post-war conflicts and instability of Soviet-American relations, the USSR’s initial embrace of the Marshall Plan at its announcement expressedShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War Was Inevitable Or Not?1624 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction To gain a full understanding of the Cold War, the knowledge of the why it started, an in depth analysis of what both sides contributed to make the Cold War what was and knowing whether the Cold War was inevitable or not is necessary. There were many different actions that both of the two major superpowers, the US and the USSR took that started the Cold War. I believe that the Cold War was inevitable because of the difference in ideologies between the US and the USSR, and the largeRead MoreTo What Extent Was the Cold War Inevitable? Essay1178 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Extent Was the Cold War Inevitable? With the end of World War II (WWII) in 1945 began the Cold War, an international conflict that lasted from 1947–1991 and plagued nations across the globe. 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