McKennaMisko

Mr.W
APUnitedStatesHistory

DBQ

TheprominentcausesoftheColdWarbetweenRussiaandtheUnitedStateswere

aresultofAmericasfearofcommunismanddistrustbetweentheSovietUnionandthe

UnitedStates.

DuringthebeginningoftheColdWarinFebruaryof1945,StalinspeakstotheSoviet

UnionasawholeandsaysthatGermanyhaspassedthroughPolandtwice,endangering

theirsecurity.ThesignificanceofStalinsstatementisthattheUnitedStatesdidnot

preventGermanyfromadvancingthroughandintoPoland,thereforeaddingtotheSoviet

UnionsdistrustfortheUnitedStates(Doc.1).AstensionsgrewinSeptemberof1946,

KennanspeakstoUnitedSatescitizensandstatesthattheUnitedStatescannot

rationalizewithRussia,andthatwehavetopressurethemintoapositionwherethey

mustcomplywithourdemonstrationorelsenoprogresswillbemade.Thesignificance

ofKennansstatementaidstothenotionofdistrustbetweentheSovietUnionand

AmericabecausebyforcingtheSovietUniontocomply,thatresultsinalackoftruston

bothsides,aswellasmakingtheSovietUnionfeelinferiororpowerlessagainstthe

UnitedStates(Doc.3).AstheColdWarcontinuedinNovemberof1947,Sovietforeign

ministerV.M.MolotovspoketotheRussianpeopleoverapodcastabouthowRussiais

nowgoingtostandonitsown.Duringthebroadcast,MolotovstatesthattheUnited

StatesandtheUnitedKingdomdonothavethesamegoalsastheSovietUnioninterms
ofafuturerelationshipwithGermany.MolotovstatesthattheSovietUnionisgoingto

goinadifferentdirectionandmakedecisionsforitself(Doc.5).Thesignificanceof

MolotovsbroadcastisthatbytheSovietUniondivertingfrompreviousagreements

madebetweentheSovietUnion,UnitedStates,andUnitedKingdom,itdisplaysmore

distrustbetweenthesecountriesbecausenowtheSovietUnionhasdifferentgoalsin

compassionwiththeUnitedStatesandUnitedKingdomintermsofafuturerelationship

withGermany.

WhiledistrustbetweentheSovietUnionandtheUnitedStatescontinuedtobuild,

Americasfearofcommunismstartedtoriseaswell.TheUnitedStatesstrongly

supporteddemocracy,andhadhopesthatthisformofgovernmentwouldspread

throughouttheworld.Although,ascommunismquicklyspread,Americansfearedthatit

wouldobliteratedemocracy.TrumanandmanyotherAmericansviewedcommunismas

anevil,oppressed,uniform,andfreedomlesswayoflife(Doc.4).Thesefearscreated

tensionbetweentheSovietUnionandtheUnitedStatesbecausetheUntiedStateswanted

toeliminatecommunismaltogether.Undergroundcommunistgroupsalsoaddedtothe

tensionsbetweentheSovietUnionandtheUnitedStatesbecausetherewerecommunist

practiceswithinourownbackyard.WhitakerChambers,amemberoftheunderground

organizationoftheUnitedStatesCommunismParty,wasputontrailforhisengagement

incommunistaffairs.Thegoaloftheundergroundcommunistpartywastooverthrowthe

UnitedStatesGovernment.ThesegroupsintentionsarewhatangeredAmericancitizens,

andbuiltupresentmenttowardstheSovietUnionandallcommunistcountries(Doc.7).
Thesignificanceoftheundergroundcommunistpartyisthatitaddedfearandresentment

towardsthedistrustfortheSovietUnion,thereforemakingtensionsworse.Overall,as

seenintheGallupPollstakenintheUnitedStatesbetweenAugust1945May1948,it

showstheincreasingamountofdistrustandfeartowardstheSovietUnionastheCold

Warcontinued.Atthebeginning,54%ofAmericansbelievedthattheSovietUnion

couldbetrustedafterthewar.However,astheColdWarcontinuedinMayof1948,most

AmericansbelievedthatweweregoingtoosoftontheSovietUnionandthatweneed

tobestrongerandmoreforcefulonourpolicytowardsRussia(Doc.2).

Moreover,itwasfearofcommunismanddistrustbetweentheUnitedStatesand

theSovietUnionthatledtotheColdWar.SimilartodistrustinWorldWarOne,as

Europeannationsformedalliances,Italybrokeanalliance.Germany,AustriaHungary,

andItalymadeanalliancein1881,butwhenItalybroketheallianceandsecretlybecame

allieswithFrance,itaddeddistrustandfurtherescalatedthewar.Withoutdistrustand

fearofcommunism,thebeginningotheColdWarbetweentheUnitedStatesandthe

SovietUnionwouldhavedrasticallychanged.