Group 1: To what extent was the Cold War a result of World War II?
Introduction:
Often, the Cold War is said to have been a result of World War 2, but the
question arises of whether there would have been an inevitable confrontation
between the USSR and the US without the Second World War. Although the defeat of
Nazi Germany and the concern over post-war settlements marked the end of the
alliance between the USSR and the US, arguably, the extreme ideological differences
that exist between the two superpowers would have resulted in war anyways.
Yes, it was a result of the war:







World War II saw the union of the western democracies and the USSR due to
the desire to defeat a common enemy: fascism and Germany. Once the war
was over, this interdependency ended as well, and the result was two
victorious superpowers with totally different ideologies. The defeat of
fascism meant the ideologies of capitalism and communism were left to
clash.
The US used the atomic bomb on Japan without informing her ally, the USSR.
Not only was this lack of contact a problem, but it also marked the start of a
deadly new arms race. The USSR developed their own nuclear weapon in
1949 and both nations soon acquired the deadlier hydrogen bomb.
The delay of opening a second European front during the war angered Stalin,
as he believed that the US delayed entry in the hopes that the Nazis would
destroy Russia.
With the post war settlements came the big issue of Germany. After the war,
Germany saw huge political, economic and social unrest. They did not exist
politically and militarily, and this caused a power vacuum in the center of
Europe. At the Yalta Conference, it was decided that Germany would be
divided into four occupational zones, and Berlin, though in the USSR zone,
was also divided into four zones. This caused tension as GB, France and the
US sought to unite their three zones, angering Stalin. The US wanted a
democratic and capitalist Germany as a trading partner, and they also wanted a
nation strong enough to contain communism in Eastern Europe
Stalin wanted Germany to be ruined by reparations, and he wanted a buffer of
friendly states round Russia to prevent a repeat of the German invasion
Britain and America wanted a democratic and capitalist Germany as a trading
partner, and they also wanted a nation strong enough to contain communism in
Eastern Europe
After the surrender of the Japanese, control in post-war Asia had to be reestablished in Korea, China and Indochina. This also led to huge tensions
between the superpowers due to the mutual desire to have ideological allies
in Asia.

US policy of containment and economic aid to struggling European nations
(Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan) were considered to be economic
imperialism and Stalin believed they were trying to buy their way into
European affairs
No, the Cold War was not a result of the war:




The Russian Civil war of 1918-1921 saw the rise of communism in the USSR.
Following the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the US became hostile towards
the nation. The US also sent covert military and financial aid to the white
army, an enemy of the Bolsheviks. There was a "Red Scare" in the U.S. in the
late teens and early twenties (1918- 1925). When Stalin came into power in
1924, the mistrust intensified, so tensions existed before WWII
The extreme ideological differences between the two superpowers would
have eventually resulted in confrontation. It is inevitable that the two
powers were going to face off in the future. The USA was a capitalist
democracy vs. the USSR’s communist dictatorship. Communism's primary goal
was to bring down capitalism through any means possible and communism
was a huge threat to a free world with free markets. Both sides believed that
their ideologies were the key to the future happiness of the human race.
Orthodox historians: The Marxist Leninist system would have challenged the free
world without WWII. The USSR wished to liberate oppressed workers in
capitalist nations and the US wished to liberate nations from oppressive
communist rule
Post revisionists: Nuclear tension- Both nations had already been developing
nuclear weaponry before WWII. Both superpowers lived in a constant state of
insecurity and fear due to the concept of mutually assured destruction.
Though historians remain divided on the extent of which the Cold War was a
result of World War II, it is realistic to believe that there would have been tensions
between the USSR and the US without the war. WWII did aggravate the situation by
creating problems that led to even more differences between the nations, but ultimately,
WWII only halted hostilities due to the desire to defeat a common enemy. The
differences in ideology were so stark, that the Cold War between the two superpowers
was inevitable.
To what extent was the Cold War a result of WWII?
Intro:
World War II ended with the US and the USSR as the only remaining world
superpowers. The ravaged post WWII Europe provided perfect conditions for
imperialism by other countries; the war created two superpowers with polarizing
ideals. After their alliance broke, the ideals of communism and capitalism turned on
each other in an effort to control the influence in Europe.
Body Paragraph #1: It was a result
-
-
Use of the atomic bomb against Japan
o Intended to scare the USSR
o Didn’t inform Russia of its creation
o At that point in time, Russia had not created any atomic weapons
Division of the defeated Axis is difficult
o Korea, China and Indochina must be divided
o Germany had to be divided among west/USSR
World War II espionage results in fear/McCarthyism
o Espionage was seen as the reason for paranoia, Mao’s rise, and the
Russian a-bomb
The US flourished, USSR had been devastated
o US didn’t come to the USSR’s aid by opening a useful second front,
they allow the USSR to continue to shoulder the heavy casualties
The shambles of post WWII were perfect conditions for imperialism
o Directly leads to Marshall Plan for containment, Stalin sees this as a
violation of his ideals
Historiography:
Revisionist: Both sides are at fault since the alliance broke after WWII due to their
differences. Concessions after the war were not made on both sides, which helped to
fuel the Cold War tensions
Body Paragraph #2: It wasn’t a result
-
Capitalism and Communism can’t coexist
Security Dilemmas
o Once the two sides have been formed, it is inevitable that one will
make a threatening move. The other is forced to act accordingly.
Communism vs. Capitalism was unstable from the beginning
o Already occurred with US support of White Army, clashing ideologies
Soviet pressures at home
o As Kennan wrote in the Long Telegram, the Soviet leaders were forced
into decisions and attitudes that weren’t always beneficial
Historiography:
Post Revisionist – most of the Cold War was a result of fear that resulted from
atomic weapons. WWII was not the beginning of the search for nuclear weapons,
nor was it the first time that communism and capitalism had clashed.
Orthodox: the communists would have tried to liberate oppressed capitalist
workers even if WWII hadn’t happened; the clashing of ideologies was inevitable
Closing:
World War II left the post war world in a state ripe for the imperialism and influence
from the remaining superpowers. Since the two superpowers had ideologies
incapable of coexisting, it was inevitable that they would eventually come into
contact. However, World War II created and heightened tensions among the US and
USSR that assured the beginning of the Cold War.