Second World War Fought on All Fronts - Essay Example

History 7 World War II was conventional in that it, for the most part, was not fought on the battlefield. It was, however, a total war because it was a war fought on all fronts – physical, ideological, political and social. Every nation was involved with the war in some way as even some who attempted to remain out of the conflict were drawn in. The U.S. entered when the Japanese invaded and the Russians became involved when Germany invaded. Although these two countries shared common enemies, there remained ideological differences that could not be easily overlooked. A good deal of World War II was fought with propaganda, diplomatic scuffles and only the sporadic military skirmish as each country tried to discredit the leaders of their rivals and touched off difficulties among themselves. These inherent differences that preceded WWII intensified following the war. The former allies mistrusted each other thanks to the way in which each had treated the subject of the other within their own boundaries. This mistrust led to a massive arms race which would make both countries military superpowers during this era. The Cold War, which is what this arms race came to be called, was fought on many fronts such as Asia, Africa, Cuba and even in outer space. Given the ideological differences and the emergence of both Russia and the U.S. as military superpowers each wanting to dominate the other, world-scale conflicts were unavoidable. Three major events, Russia’s behavior in Poland, Truman policies and the arms build-up, contributed greatly to the tension of the Cold War era. By the end of the war, the Soviets had first liberated then occupied much of Eastern Europe. As a result of the Yalta conference following the War, the Soviet Union controlled the Eastern part of Germany along with much of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and half of the German capital Berlin (“The Cold War”, 2006). The Soviet Union’s military atrocities in Poland served as the catalyst for the U.S. dissolving its alliance with its former friend. This included retaining control of all military and police institutions and heavily manipulating the elections of these outlying states even after promising it would allow free voting. All economic aid to the Soviets was cut off in May of 1945 by President Truman who, in August of that year declared that Stalin, the Soviet Premier, did not desire peace but to rule the world. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain stood with Truman on February 9, 1946 to give a speech in Missouri, Truman’s home state. He used the term ‘iron curtain’ referring to Stalin’s grip on Eastern Europe and said English speaking peoples were allied against the Soviets to prevent a return to the Dark Ages (“The Cold War”, 2006). This sent shockwaves throughout the Soviet Union. Its official newspaper Pravda compared Churchill and Truman to Hitler. The U.S. policy of aiding Germany in its recovery and suggestions that Russia give back lands seized in the war also irritated the Soviets who still harbored hatred against Germany and thought it should receive reparation funding instead (Smitha, 2001). Truman employed two major policies in the cold war fight. The first was the Truman Doctrine, a policy of containment of the Soviet Union. He said in a speech in March of 1947 that it was “America’s duty to interfere.” He did not want to destroy the country but wanted to stop the Soviet territorial expansion. The Truman Doctrine gave military and financial support to countries vulnerable to communist expansion such as in Turkey and Greece. The second major policy, the Marshall Plan, provided economic assistance to the democratic countries in Western Europe. Marshall said that “America should give $17 billion of aid to get Europe’s economy going and stop Communism” (Marshall, 1947). This strategy was intended to bolster these countries’ economies thereby illustrating the positive influence of democracy and undercut the appeal of communism. These policies further turned up the heat between the two super powers (Truman, 1947). In 1949, the U.S. again flamed the fire when it took the lead in the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a multi-national military organization meant to stop the Soviet military from advancing in Europe. The Soviet Union retaliated by forming the Warsaw Pact in 1955 with its Eastern European allies (Pike, 2005). Truman’s 1950 decision to build up armaments as a defense to the imminent Soviet threat gave the U.S. a global military presence for the first time in history. This, along with a similar strategy by the Soviets, started what is commonly referred to as ‘The Arms Race.’ The U.S. and Soviets built up arms for decades in a competition for the greatest military might. Because the U.S. lacked intelligence information on the Soviet military, it was compelled to assume that it was always behind in the Arms Race. The proliferation of armaments included conventional weapons but the main focus for both countries was nuclear arms. “America believed that if Russia were to have more nuclear warheads than the U.S. that they would be less afraid to use them, and so the U.S. should strive to maintain, at minimum, nuclear equality with Russia” (Pop, 2004). The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is the most recognized law concerning weapons deployment in space.  It was constructed during the height of the Cold War between the Soviets and U.S., both fearing the consequences of broadening the nuclear arms build-up to the regions of space. The two countries therefore united with other nations in agreement that space must not be used as a platform in which to launch nuclear arsenals; that the exploration of space must entail only peaceful objectives.  “Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty prohibits the orbiting of weapons of mass destruction in space. It also prohibits the testing or deployment of any kind of weapon on the moon or other celestial bodies” (Dean, 2005). Though this was signed 40 years ago, these same concerns exist today. The treaty, however, only concerns nuclear arsenals in space, not conventional weaponry such as the missiles launched by China. Since the treaty was signed, many nations of the world have been trying to close this loophole and disallow all types of weapons being used in space. As it stands today, nuclear missiles can lawfully pass into space on the way to its destination and any weapons other than biological, chemical or nuclear can be positioned in orbit and used as a staging ‘ground’ to strike targets on earth or in space. In theory, a nation could legally construct an armed, manned military installation in orbit (Dean, 2005). Looking back over the development of the Cold War, it can be seen that each nation was feeding off of its worst fears regarding the other. However, this perspective is somewhat understandable given the total war nature of World War II. Tensions prior to the war based on differences in political and ideological ideals were only increased as the war progressed and representatives from each side battled with each other for the hearts, minds and territories of the others. When the dust finally settled, the two primary superpowers defined themselves and each other as diametrically opposed. While the militaries were called back and peace was declared, these two entities continued to wage the war of ideas using weapons of a different nature. In both countries, propaganda used on both sides served only to increase the suspicion and fear of the populace, leading to increased political tension and intensifying each country’s sense that it must defend and expand its interests against the other. Works Cited “(The) Cold War: 1945-1960.” The Corner. May 6, 2006. Web. September 16, 2010. Dean, Jonathan. “Acting Against the Weaponization of Space.” Union of Concerned Scientists. May 19, 2005. Web. September 16, 2010. Marshall, George C. “The Marshall Plan.” The History Place Great Speeches Collection. June 5, 1947. Web. September 16, 2010. Pike, John. “Cold War.” Global Security. July 6, 2005. Web. December 12, 2008. Pop, Florin. “The Arms Race.” Cold War Project. February 4, 2004. Web. September 16, 2010. Smitha, Frank E. “The Cold War Begins.” Macro History. 2001. Web. September 16, 2010. Truman, President Harry S. “The Truman Doctrine.” Address before a Joint Session of Congress.” March 12, 1947. Web. September 16, 2010. Read More