Simranjit Kaur Mr. Namba AP U.S.

History 16 March 2013 DBQ#6 World War II affected almost every aspect of life for almost every single person in the world. Not only was it a cause of many deaths, directly or indirectly by way of warfare, but it also led to the horrifying, tension-filled era of the Cold War. Citizens in America would constantly fear for their lives as threats for a nuclear war were consistent. The tensions that would lead to the Cold War started early on in the midst of World War II. Though The Soviet Union was a part of the Allied Powers, The United States never fully trusted them. In fact, the only reason The USSR was allowed to be part of the Allied Powers was because Britain and The United States knew that Stalin had been betrayed by Hitler and thus had a motive to join the war against Germany. Moreover, they knew that having The USSR as an ally in the war was strategically wise as they would now have a firmer stronghold on the other side of the world. Furthermore, soon, after the Allied Powers started to win over fallen nations and grew closer and closer to ending the war, The United States and The Soviet Union began to see the true underlying viewpoints they held for each other. The world soon saw that the Soviet Union did not have peaceful means of getting along with the Americans. To the American eyes it seemed as though the Soviet Union had taken advantage of us and used us as an ally to gain territories. In fact, tensions had initially revealed themselves by way of conflict over territories, such as Poland. Therefore, from the years 1941-1949, tensions and suspicions between the two nations of The United States of America and The USSR grew as a result of: incoherent understanding, actions taken to become a world leader, and the spread of terror and threats between the two nations. To begin with, during the War, the nations of the Allied Powers were joined together to see the downfall of Nazi Germany. In essence, many of the conferences held in the duration of the war, made promises to each of the allied powers nation. However, nearing the end of the war, The Soviet Nation expressed its anger and disappointment at not receiving territories, credit, and

glory for their work in planning. For example, during the Yalta Conference, which was held in a Russian resort town in the Crimea from February 4-11, 1945. At the meeting, though, The big Three each brought his own agenda that he wished would get negotiated at the conference. Churchill expressed his desire to keep his empire maintained as is, Stalin expressed his urgency to capture more land and to strengthen conquests, while FDR expressed their need and want for Stalin to cooperate in the United Nations. Upon Stalins topic of gaining more opportunities, the question of Poland soon arose. Stalin went on to claim that given Poland, they would feel a sense of pride and honor and also claimed that obtaining a stronghold on Poland is merely a safety precaution for Russia and its people (DOC C). At the conference, Churchill and Roosevelt were made clear that Stalins plans for Poland were nonnegotiable and were not about to change for anything. Thus, Churchill expressed the need of free elections in Poland to hold up the ideal of democracy. In order to keep the peace among The Big Three, Stalin reluctantly agreed to keep free elections Poland, while deceiving Churchill and Roosevelt of the fact that he had recently laced a Communist puppet government in Poland. Unfortunately, Stalin was quick to go back on his word and it became apparent that he had no intentions of keeping free elections on Poland. It would go on to be fifty years after the agreement at the Yalta Conference that Poland would see the light of free elections. The misunderstandings that took place at the Yalta Conference as well as others, exploited the vague trust and loyalty The Big Three had for each other. In fact, the Americans had expressed their distrust of The Soviet Union at their outset to war, way before the Yalta Conference. Senator Truman, in 1941, expressed his and other Americans wish for The Soviet Union and Germany to kill each other off (DOC A). Thus, in essence, The Soviet Union was still not liked enough to be trusted, in fact the relationship they held with Britain and The United States of America was solely on the idea that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Therefore, the tensions that plagued American-soviet relations during interwar years rooted from the idea that: America, by way Sen. Trumans statement, expressed a deep distrust of The Soviet Union, Stalin misunderstood the concept of a promise at the Yalta Conference and expressed his belief that America and Britain did not understand the deep fear that many Russians held at the time of a German invasion .As a result, deep suspicions and mistrusting grew among The Big Three, but more so for the American-Soviet relations.

Furthermore, among the wars end with Germanys downfall, the question of who really won the war was raised. Many argued that it was America and Britain and not really The Soviet Union, while others argued that because the Soviet Union had paid such a heavy price by way of cooperation, soldiers, money.etc that they should hold a strong voice on peace agreement after the wars demise. In 1943, The United States Ambassador to The Soviet Union warned American government officials that unless America and Britain open a second front, The Soviet Union will influence the publics mind by saying that they played the biggest in the war and thus gain the right to make peace agreements and important decisions regarding the fate of European nations (DOC B). Thus, many Americans and other world leaders knew the world was not safe in the hands of Stalin and thus had a decision to make. In 1946, George Kennan, a State Department official, declared that if the Soviet Union was not limited and restricted from getting their way around the rules of The United Nations and the promises made at conferences, such as The Yalta Conference, then it will prove to be impossible to influence or advise The Soviets Unions reasoning and future decisions. Kennan was convinced that if The Soviet Union was disallowed any privilege to make any personal decisions that went against American policies and the policies of The United Nations, then the basic structure of governing within The USSR would crackdown and soon diminish (DOC D). In essence, Kennans viewpoints on the horrible governmental structure and policies in The USSR represents the average viewpoint that many Americans held of Communist Russia at the time. Further, Stalin aggressive actions to acquire more territories as compensation for fighting for their freedoms from German Influence began to trouble Roosevelt and Churchill as they soon feared the spread of yet another tyrannical dictatorship over these fragile and defenseless nations. Therefore, Americans and British leaders and citizens expressed their growing suspicions regarding the liability of The USSR as a trustworthy ally and a safeguard to weak European nations (DOC H). The Soviet Union soon understood the skeptical and wary view that the world held for them and thus began to show their true face without care. All in all, The Soviet Unions actions during the interwar years and after the war lead many people to firmly hold onto their suspicion they held regarding the liability of the Soviet Unions and thus tensions increased as The United States and other nations felt threatened and started to take safety precautions. In addition, upon the downfall of the German empire and dictatorship over Europe, Stalin saw his chance and moved in, replacing Hitler as a tyrannical leader out to spread the plague of

communism throughout the whole world. Stalin, from the beginning expressed his aggressive need for more territory and acted out on his goal. Another reason for Stalin ignoring the rules of The United Nations and the policies of The United States was as a result of the atomic bombing of Japanese cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The United Nations actually expressed the truth behind bombing those Japanese cities as a way to let The Soviet Union who was really in charge of the war and who would end up being the true winner. Though in public, American officials claimed that bombing Japan was the only way to end the war without too many innocent deaths, many still believed that it was a course of action taken to make a power statement to the threatening nation of The Soviet Union. Once this happened, The Soviet Union expressed their anger and surprise upon knowing that The United States had developed a nuclear war weapon. Thus, The Soviet Union decided that they needed a stronger front or precautionary nations to defend themselves from a future atomic bombing from the United States. Upon having their fears come true that America was not following up to the promises made at the conferences The Big Three had met at during the war, Molotov describes the anguish and anger Russians held toward the West (DOC E). Three months from Molotovs The Task of Our Time: Unite Against the Enslavement of the People, Broadcast to the Russian people on November 6, 1947, Stalin took over Czechoslovakia and four months later imposed the Berlin Blockade. This, thus, expresses the growing suspicions that Russian leaders had on America and as result tensions grew among both sides of the world as both nations began to take safety and militarist precautions. By capturing nations like Czechoslovakia and other eastern nations liable to fall to the hands of The Soviet Union. On February 25, 1948, NY Times announced that Czechoslovakia had been taken over by Czechoslovakians Communists and were supported by The Soviet Union (DOC F). This act further reinforced soviet expansion within Eastern Europe. This also expressed the fear and suspicions that The Soviet Union had towards The U.S.A as Stalin had now begun building a wall of Eastern European Nations as a protectorate buffer against the west. Now, the tensions between the nations grew to a peak. The Russians knew that The United States had the power and desire to destroy Communism within The Soviet Union and thus sought refuge by spreading this governmental dictatorship throughout Europe. Soon, almost everyone feared the death of capitalism and democracy as they thought that because communism was easily taking over small nations in Eastern Europe that they too will be under the will of communism and The Soviet Union. Many journalists, politicians, and cartoonists revealed the truth behind Stalins actions in

Europe to acknowledge the public about the tragic affairs occurring in the world. Most famous of these articles of knowledge, were propaganda and cartoon flyers revealing Stalin and his plans to conquer the world by taking over nations and placing them under the control of Communism. For example, David Lows representation of Stalin scheming to choose another victim (nation) under the conquest of freeing them from liberation and into the shackles of communism (DOC G), reveals the public viewpoint held of The Soviet Union at the time. The drawing was made after the sudden Soviet control of the Czechoslovakian nation and conveys the theory that perhaps Stalins aggressive motive to conquer these lands was a result of unwanted U.S. involvement in Europe regarding the aid by way of money via The Marshall Plan as well as other humanitarian work being done after the war. The cartoon goes on to portray the overall image that many Americans held at the time; the heightened distrust of Soviet leaders and the perceived threats behind Russias actions, all of which added up becoming some of the causes of the Cold War. Thus, the underlying fears and distrust that both nations held for each other, especially after the war, caused both nations to act out against each other and thus the peripheral tensions that had laid out before now boiled over to cause and begin yet another war, the Cold War. All in all, the underlying lies, distrust, and secrets kept and revealed y each of the two nation lead to the excessive tension-filled years following World War II. Even during World War II, both nations did not personally like each other and thus their relationship had never started off on a strong, mutual bond. Misinterpretation of promises made at conferences, misunderstandings of why actions were taking place, and thus rash reactions to each others role in the war all lead to the growth of tensions among America and The Soviet Union. Moreover, in the midst of war, further tensions reveal themselves in terms of which nation will rise to the top as the World leader at the end of the War. Moreover, the heightened distrust that Russian leaders and citizens had over Americas involvement with Europe lead to capture of small eastern European nation and the Berlin Blockade, all of which signaled to the western nations, most notably The United States, that The soviet Union was planning on creating a Communist buffer to protect themselves from the west. Every single action taken by both nations was an act of defiance and war to the other nation and thus expressed further and further suspicions and tensions around the world. All of this tension and stress ended up boiling over in the Cold war, a war that plagued the Whole world of a future, and quite plausible nuclear death. Both nation battled to be the strongest, biggest, the best of the best in order to show they had supremacy over the other to have the say

as a strong world leader. The tension created during the interwar years and following World War II created a new era of destruction for the world, as technology and hatred grew mutually. Therefore, as a result of miscommunication, upmost distrust, and violent actions, both nation lead themselves to a tension-filled era of possible self-destruct in the years of 1941-1949.