Origins of the Cold War

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the origins of the Cold War, focusing on the misinterpretations of both the Soviet and American leaders. It shows how the uncertain future of Germany, the country responsible for two world wars, caused tension between the two superpowers.

From the Paper:

"At the end of World War II, Germany, in a state of utter ruin, has an uncertain future, this marks the beginning of the Cold War (Melvyn P. Leffler and David S. Painter, Origins of the Cold War: An International History. (London: Routledge, 1994), 1-136). The main issue causing the Cold War is the struggle between the Unites States and the Soviet Union, capitalism and communism, in order to obtain control over the country that had been responsible for two world wars. Given the experience of World War II itself, this division of Europe was perhaps inevitable. Both sides wanted their values and economic and political systems to prevail in areas that their soldiers had helped to liberate. If both sides had accepted these new spheres of influence, the Cold War might never have occurred. The future of Germany was the key issue in the emerging Cold War (128): "The aftermath of Hiler's war was too profound, too unsettling" (136)."

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