25, April 2016
Analytical Paper II
The Cold War had a major influence in international affairs. It was a continuous competition mainly between the United States and the Soviet Union. Arne Westad argues that “the Cold War was a continuation of colonialism through slightly different means” (Westad, 396). I believe this statement is a description of World War II’s colonialism ways transitioning onto another international conflict; the Cold War. The Cold War began as a disagreement between the Soviet Union and America when it came to communism. The Soviet Union was afraid of America’s atomic weapons, as America was afraid of the Soviet Union’s growing army. Soviet Union was pro communism and America was pro capitalism. The U.S. is to …show more content…
I believe his argument about colonialism is ironic and contradicting as he claims these two opposing statements. There can be many “what if” statements concerning the Cold War, but my belief is that America did ruin any trust that was held between Russia and the U.S. when they avoided telling the Soviets about the creating of an atomic bomb. I feel as though America did not have faith in Russia’s honesty, and wanted to avoid any attention towards the United States and the atomic bomb. Because the Soviet Union was in such ruins, why would they want to risk breaking forces when they needed it most? As expected, Russia went to large measures to protect themselves, and the United States saw this as a threat. America believed that the Soviets’ main motive was to lead a world of their favored political standing; communism. Even though the Soviets were in repair after the damage made from World War II, their intentions to spread communism around the world became a massive …show more content…
America found themselves guessing the USSR’s next move, and vice versa. On June 3rd, 1961 while President John F. Kennedy is in office, he says, “He [Kennedy] has to attempt to make judgments as to what the USSR will do next, just as he is sure that Mr. Khrushchev has to make judgments as to the moves of the US” (Doc. 2). The whole situation is absurd as both Presidents live in fear of choosing the wrong move in terms of what to do next. I believe that if they had formed some sort of alliance, America would not have had to go to so much trouble in avoiding communism entering their country. In a situation where America had informed Russia on the creation of the atomic bomb, I believe that this war could have ended much sooner, or could have been avoided entirely. While most are expected to defend their country, I will say that I believe America was in the wrong in the topic of who initiated the Cold