A Comparison of World War II and the Cold War - Essay Example

Introduction Both the Cold War and World War II represented international conflict of mammoth proportions. While World War II was an actual militaryconflict and the Cold War was not, both global conflicts led to wide scale economic loss.1 Ironically, World War II brought together two nations that would become divided by creating and fostering the Cold War as a means of resolving post war difficulties arising out of World War II. These countries were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland and would grow to include 56 nations and finally come to a bitter end in 1945. The war was divided between the Germany and its allies known as the Axis and the United Kingdom and its allies known as the Allies.2 The Cold War began at the close of World War II and endured until the early 1990s.3 Although two entirely different types of conflicts both the Cold War and World War II posed a threat to Western democracy. In both conflicts there was a fair balance in terms of wealth and military capabilities. It involved an aligning of enemies and allies. However, unlike the Second World War, the opposing sides did not meet on the battle field and a winner was never declared.4 Moreover, the Second World War involved only one front. That front was a military front. However, the Cold War involved several fronts, they were: “…military, technological, diplomatic, public relations and covert operations…”5 Both conflicts invariably involved the advancement and suppression of political ideologies. Nazi Germany and its allies opposed Westernization and wished to promote Hitler’s political culture while the West had no desire to give in to the demise of Westernization. The Cold War involved an identical clash of opposing political visions between the United States and her allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. The following discussion examines in greater details the similarities and differences that fueled both the Cold War and the Second World War. Discussion In June of 1941 World War II continued to spread when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Pre-existing relations between the Soviet Union and the Unite States as well as Great Britain was characterized by hostility and mistrust. Despite these differences the United States came to the Soviet’s aide via its Lend-Lease Act of March, 1941. During this time the Soviet Union was led by Joseph Stalin while the United States was led by President Franklin Roosevelt.6 Through the auspices of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, the US and Soviet corporation was most visible. This hand of friendship was particularly interesting since the United States itself was not involved in the Second World War at this time. In a letter date July 26th, 1941 to Stalin, President Roosevelt wrote that his country was prepared to: “..extend all possible aid to the Soviet Union at the earliest possible time."7 The US exported approximately $11 billion in material to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act which officially came to an end in September of 1945. While Stalin did not take pains to explain the extent of the US aide to the Soviets he did praise Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference on February, 11th, 1945 by saying: "Lend-Lease is one of Franklin Roosevelts most remarkable and vital achievements in the formation of the anti-Hitler alliance."8 Historian Robert Nisbet argues that Roosevelt was naïve in his vision for world peace which he relied in part on obtaining Soviet trust and reassurance. This is primarily what guided him in his Lend-Lease approach to US-Soviet relations.9 Roosevelt aligned his vision for America via his New Deal with Stalin’s vision for the Soviet Union. Both had a common goal and that was primarily a mutual concern for jobs and healthcare for its citizens. In Roosevelt’s mind, Stalin was basically a good person and together he and Stalin could end WWII and lead the world into economic stability following the conclusion of the war.10 The only difficulty with Roosevelt’s confidence in the Soviet leader was that that trust and confidence was not mutual, and most of Roosevelt’s administration did not share his confidence in the Soviet leader.11 Roosevelt’s vision for a joint world leadership between the United States would end with his death on April 12, 1945 and renewed hostilities would continue with his successor Harry Truman. Truman’s attitude toward the Soviet’s was revealed early on when he served in the US Senate. In response to the German attack on the Soviet Union, Truman was quoted in the New York Times as saying: "If we see that Germany is winning we ought to help Russia and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible, although I dont want to see Hitler victorious under any circumstances. Neither of them thinks anything of their pledged word."12 This attitude of mistrust and hostility toward the Soviet Union was echoed throughout the US and would reflect the approach taken by the US following World War II and the onset of the Cold War. As it turned out Roosevelt vision was driven by misguided trust and perhaps Truman’s attitude was more realistic. As a result of the Lend-Lease Act, the Soviet’s succeeded in pushing the Nazis out of Eastern Europe. The result was that Stalin took control over much of Eastern Europe and old hostilities reemerged particularly in respect of differences arising over the post war ambitions of the Allies. Once the Second World War came to an end, so did US-Soviet diplomacy. With Truman at the helm, a Cold War commenced.13 England’s Prime Minister referred to Stalin’s hold over Eastern Europe as an “iron curtain”. Hostilities increased when Stalin announced in 1946 that World War II was a direct consequence of imperialism, a label he loosely attached to the UK and the US.14 Joseph Stalin viewed the world as divided between two opposing factions. The capitalists and imperialists were on one side of the political spectrum and the Communists and progressive on the other side.15 Meanwhile Americans were driven by what is now referred to as a second “red scare”. This term is used to describe American fear of Communist infiltration of the American government. The first red scare occurred in the 1917s and lasted until 1920, during the First World War.16 During the First World War the Bolshevik Revolution was thought to be having an impact on American soil. There had been a series of violent outburst which many attributed to the Bolshevik influence. Historian Murray Levin described this first red scare in the following terms: "…a nation-wide anti-radical hysteria provoked by a mounting fear and anxiety that a Bolshevik revolution in America was imminent--a revolution that would destroy property, church, home, marriage, civility, and the American way of life."17 What followed was a string of raids which at first were embraced by Americans and then came to be seen as essentially over-aggression on the part of the Government not only against Reds but suspected Reds.18 The second red scare followed the Second World War and was driven by renewed fears of communist infiltration following Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe in 1946, the Berlin Blockade in 1948-1949, the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the Korean War from 1950-1953.19 What followed these fears were another string of aggressive government investigations and prosecutions of Communists and suspected Communists.20 Another dynamic was operating in the American mind. Following the Great Depression many feared that Americans had become more susceptible to the Communist ideology. Moreover, there was evidence of Soviet espionage in the Rosenberg’s trial and conviction. Americans, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg had been convicted of espionage on March 29th, 1951 for passing US nuclear secrets to the Soviets.21 The second red scare was a major factor in the American commitment to the Cold War. A conflict that primarily grew out of a plot to defeat Nazi Germany made its way to the common man. Supported by patriarchal Americans the US would persist in its vision to surpass the Soviet Union in military as well as economic power. The term “cold war” was coined by Americans Bernard Baruch and Walter Lippmann who first introduced the term in 1947 and it is used to refer to the rivalry that persisted between the US and the Soviet Union from the mid 1940’s to the early 1990s.22 The Cold War owes its origins to the creation of the Soviet Union as a Communist state and the marked differences between its ideologies and the United States. The Soviet view of the United States as imperialistic and capitalist was countered by the US view of the Soviet regime as oppressive.23 In Truman’s view the US was a free nation and the Soviet was driven by a desire to subjugate other countries. A fierce competition ensued in which each side attempted to gain global recognition via military prowess, the building of allies and control of Third World nations.24 These tensions culminated in a fearful rivalry characterized by a fierce arms race.25 While the two founding fathers of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union did not go to war themselves they engaged in what is called war by proxy. The Korean War from 1950-1953 was supported by the US on one side and the Soviets on the other side. This was accompanied by increased fear that a Third World War with devastating results was imminent. There were other conflicts that fueled similar fears such as the Soviet-Afghan War from 1979-1989 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 as well as the Vietnamese War from 1964-1975.26 After Stalin’s death in 1953, US-Soviet relations fluctuated between stagnation, relaxation and renewed tensions. There was a period of corporation in the 1960 and another period of peace referred to as dtente in the 1970’s. Finally in the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s under Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, much progress was made between the two countries. During this period the two countries, the US led by President Ronald Reagan peace talks and arms control talks commenced. A series of Summit talks eventually led to agreements about arms reduction. By the time Boris Yeltsin came to power in the Soviet Union the old Communist regime was hanging by a thread. The Cold War would come to an end and the new post-Communist Russia and the United States would forge a new relationship that would have one common goal and that goal is world peace.27 Conclusion The world at large has learned valuable lessons as a result of the Cold War and World War II. During these conflicts, winning was everything and just as Roosevelt extended the hand of friendship to the Soviet Union the US aligned itself with countries and leaders that would become threats to world peace. Doug Ireland observes that during the Cold War: “We installed the Shah of Iran on his Peacock Throne and supported his brutal police state for decades as a buffer against Moscow; the revolution that deposed him created a nation governed by ayatollahs. Then we supported Saddam Hussein as a counter to Soviet diplomacy and as a buffer against fundamentalist Iran—only now, after he has slaughtered several million of his own and other peoples, he is our enemy.”28 In other words, in trying to achieve a particular political goal it is important to take measures that will not come back full circle. While one political goal is achieved another is created. No doubt Roosevelt thought his allegiance with Stalin was necessary to defeat Nazi Germany, but by doing so he enabled Stalin in his subsequent quest for world dominance. In the conflict with the Soviet Union the United State aligned itself with rogue nations for the single purpose of out-staging the Soviet Union. The problems created are manifested in the current war with Iraq. Works Cited Bauer, E. Lt-Colonel(2000) The History of World War II, Orbis. Cole, David D. (2002). "Enemy Aliens". Stanford Law Review Vol. 54 (Issue: 5): pp 953 Cowley, Robert. (2006) The Cold War: A Military History. Random House Deak, Istvan. “Allies and Enemies.” The New Republic 7/3/06 available online at http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20060703&s=deak070306 Viewed July 15, 2007 Feklisov, Aleksandr and Kostin, Sergei (2001). The Man Behind the Rosenbergs. Enigma Books Hamby, Alonzo. “Truman Defeats Kennan.” The Weekly Standard23 October 2006 Hazony, David. “Cold War II: What Islamist Iran has in common with The Soviet Union.” The Wall Street Journal. Editorial Page. April 4m 2007 Higgs, Robert. (2006) Depression, War, and Cold War: Studies in Political Economy. USA: Oxford University Press Ireland, Doug.(n.d.) In These Times. http://www.inthesetimes.com/issue/26/03/feature1.shtml Viewed July 15, 2007 Kelley, Donald.(1990) Old Myths and New Realities in United States-Soviet Relations. New York: Praeger Levin, Murray B. (1971). Political Hysteria in America: The Democratic Capacity for Repression. Basic Books Nisbet, Robert. (1989) Roosevelt and Stalin – The Failed Courtship, London: Simon & Schuster Yalta (Crimea) conference (1945) Available online at http://www.taiwandocuments.org/yalta.htm Viewed July 15, 2007 Read More