Cold War
Economic fear caused by two vastly different ideologies, communism and capitalism, was a major factor promoting America's distrust of Russia and the subsequent Cold War. The spread of communism was viewed as a threat to American businesses who already felt vulnerable because of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Things came to a head after Stalin publicly emphasized capitalist ill-will and hostility by claiming that capitalism harbored elements of general crisis and armed conflict. As a result, Truman became irate and adopted a tougher line instead of continued compromise, prompting the United States not to recognize Rumania and Bulgaria, to insist on internalization of waterways such as the Kiel Canal, the Rhine-Danube and the Black Sea Straits, to try to control Japan and the Pacific, and to attempt to create a strong central government in China and Korea.
The Americans were also threatened by what it perceived to be Soviet aggression. After the war, Russia occupied as much territory as it could in Eastern Europe. Stalin believed that the west had delayed the invasion of Europe during the war so that the Soviet Union would be weakened by Hitler's armies, and this had increased his desire to gain control of Eastern Europe. Russia was determined that the destruction and the enormous loss of life it had suffered would never happen again and viewed control of Eastern Europe as a necessary buffer zone. In turn, Americans were afraid that Stalin would try to spread communism throughout all of Europe. Americans responded with Marshall Aid, a program of massive economic aid to Western Europe for the rebuilding of capitalism, and the Truman Doctrine to facilitate economic aid to Greece and Turkey.
Bibliography
'The Cold War." Available: http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/coldwar.html (Accessed 24 Apr. 2005).
"The Cold War: Causes." Available: http://thc.worldarcstudio.com/classroom_20040211_JB/gcse/cold_war.htm (Accessed 24 Apr. 2005).
"The Cold War." Available: http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/coldwar.html (Accessed 24 Apr. 2005).
"The Cold War: Causes." Available: http://thc.worldarcstudio.com/classroom_20040211_JB/gcse/cold_war.htm (Accessed 24 Apr. 2005).
