The Causes of the Cold War
The short-term causes of the Cold War basically relate to the ways in which the Soviet Union and the United States wished to shape the post-war world. Although the Yalta and the Potsdam Conferences had given the Americans, the British, and the Soviets different spheres of interests or influence it soon became apparent that only the Soviet Union and the United States could be considered to be global superpowers.
The Americans were unhappy about how the Soviet Union managed to install communist regimes throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin worsened relations even further. There was also the fear that communist parties could take power in France and Italy, and also win the savage civil war in Greece. The British admission that they could no longer support the Greek government inadvertently led to the Marshall Plan that assisted the economic reconstruction of Western Europe, yet not extended to the states of Central and Eastern Europe due to Moscow not allowing them to take American money.
On the other hand the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin mistrusted the United States as well as Britain and to a lesser extent France. Stalin resented the fact that the Americans had developed and then used the atomic bomb without letting the Soviet Union know of its existence. The Soviet Union felt vulnerable for not been a nuclear power, Stalin's successful quest to make it one harmed Moscow's relations with Washington DC even further.
The long-term causes of the Cold War were fundamentally due to the ideological differences between east and west. The Soviet Union and the United States had been ideological opposites since the October Revolution. The United States standing as the foremost capitalist liberal democracy whilst the Soviet Union was the foremost communist state.
In many respects the wartime alliance between Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States had been brought about by the need to fight Nazi Germany. Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin were aware that the wartime alliance would not last for long, only Roosevelt had been optimistic about the relations between the Soviet Union and the United States remaining good.
冷戰(zhàn)的近因是由于美蘇兩強(qiáng)希望瓜分二戰(zhàn)后的世界局勢(shì), 盡管雅爾塔密約與波咨坦宣言已賦與美英蘇三強(qiáng)在東西半球的各自勢(shì)力范圍, 但不久就明顯地只剩下美蘇為公認(rèn)的超級(jí)強(qiáng)權(quán)
美方不滿于蘇聯(lián)將中歐與東歐地區(qū)納入共產(chǎn)制度的體系下, 而蘇聯(lián)封鎖西柏林的舉動(dòng)更讓雙方關(guān)系降至冰點(diǎn). 同時(shí)共產(chǎn)勢(shì)力在法國(guó)與意大利的增長(zhǎng), 以及在希臘內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中的勝利更加升西方世界對(duì)共產(chǎn)主義的恐懼. 英國(guó)也承認(rèn)對(duì)于希臘政府無法有效執(zhí)行協(xié)助西歐社會(huì)重建的馬歇爾計(jì)劃感到力不從心, 更無力阻止莫斯科方面禁止中東歐國(guó)家接受來自美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)援助
另一方面, 蘇聯(lián)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人史達(dá)林也極度不信任美英兩國(guó), 只對(duì)法國(guó)稍表好感. 史達(dá)林更不滿美國(guó)發(fā)展并使用原子彈而卻把蘇聯(lián)蒙在鼓里. 這讓蘇聯(lián)在核武競(jìng)賽上備感壓力. 于是在史達(dá)林的極力追趕下, 蘇聯(lián)終于成功研制出原子彈的舉動(dòng)更使得莫斯科與白宮間的關(guān)系雪上加霜
冷戰(zhàn)的遠(yuǎn)因則源于東西方社會(huì)的意識(shí)形態(tài)差異. 自蘇聯(lián)的十月革命后, 美蘇兩國(guó)在意識(shí)形態(tài)上就分道而馳. 美國(guó)成為資本主義民主社會(huì)的, 蘇聯(lián)則成為共產(chǎn)主義的老大哥.
二戰(zhàn)時(shí), 出于對(duì)抗納粹德國(guó)的需要, 美英蘇三國(guó)結(jié)成戰(zhàn)時(shí)同盟. 邱吉爾, 史達(dá)林均了解到這一戰(zhàn)時(shí)同盟不會(huì)是長(zhǎng)久的, 只有羅斯福樂觀的以為美蘇的友好關(guān)系將可持續(xù)長(zhǎng)久.
The short-term causes of the Cold War basically relate to the ways in which the Soviet Union and the United States wished to shape the post-war world. Although the Yalta and the Potsdam Conferences had given the Americans, the British, and the Soviets different spheres of interests or influence it soon became apparent that only the Soviet Union and the United States could be considered to be global superpowers.
The Americans were unhappy about how the Soviet Union managed to install communist regimes throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin worsened relations even further. There was also the fear that communist parties could take power in France and Italy, and also win the savage civil war in Greece. The British admission that they could no longer support the Greek government inadvertently led to the Marshall Plan that assisted the economic reconstruction of Western Europe, yet not extended to the states of Central and Eastern Europe due to Moscow not allowing them to take American money.
On the other hand the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin mistrusted the United States as well as Britain and to a lesser extent France. Stalin resented the fact that the Americans had developed and then used the atomic bomb without letting the Soviet Union know of its existence. The Soviet Union felt vulnerable for not been a nuclear power, Stalin's successful quest to make it one harmed Moscow's relations with Washington DC even further.
The long-term causes of the Cold War were fundamentally due to the ideological differences between east and west. The Soviet Union and the United States had been ideological opposites since the October Revolution. The United States standing as the foremost capitalist liberal democracy whilst the Soviet Union was the foremost communist state.
In many respects the wartime alliance between Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States had been brought about by the need to fight Nazi Germany. Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin were aware that the wartime alliance would not last for long, only Roosevelt had been optimistic about the relations between the Soviet Union and the United States remaining good.
冷戰(zhàn)的近因是由于美蘇兩強(qiáng)希望瓜分二戰(zhàn)后的世界局勢(shì), 盡管雅爾塔密約與波咨坦宣言已賦與美英蘇三強(qiáng)在東西半球的各自勢(shì)力范圍, 但不久就明顯地只剩下美蘇為公認(rèn)的超級(jí)強(qiáng)權(quán)
美方不滿于蘇聯(lián)將中歐與東歐地區(qū)納入共產(chǎn)制度的體系下, 而蘇聯(lián)封鎖西柏林的舉動(dòng)更讓雙方關(guān)系降至冰點(diǎn). 同時(shí)共產(chǎn)勢(shì)力在法國(guó)與意大利的增長(zhǎng), 以及在希臘內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中的勝利更加升西方世界對(duì)共產(chǎn)主義的恐懼. 英國(guó)也承認(rèn)對(duì)于希臘政府無法有效執(zhí)行協(xié)助西歐社會(huì)重建的馬歇爾計(jì)劃感到力不從心, 更無力阻止莫斯科方面禁止中東歐國(guó)家接受來自美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)援助
另一方面, 蘇聯(lián)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人史達(dá)林也極度不信任美英兩國(guó), 只對(duì)法國(guó)稍表好感. 史達(dá)林更不滿美國(guó)發(fā)展并使用原子彈而卻把蘇聯(lián)蒙在鼓里. 這讓蘇聯(lián)在核武競(jìng)賽上備感壓力. 于是在史達(dá)林的極力追趕下, 蘇聯(lián)終于成功研制出原子彈的舉動(dòng)更使得莫斯科與白宮間的關(guān)系雪上加霜
冷戰(zhàn)的遠(yuǎn)因則源于東西方社會(huì)的意識(shí)形態(tài)差異. 自蘇聯(lián)的十月革命后, 美蘇兩國(guó)在意識(shí)形態(tài)上就分道而馳. 美國(guó)成為資本主義民主社會(huì)的, 蘇聯(lián)則成為共產(chǎn)主義的老大哥.
二戰(zhàn)時(shí), 出于對(duì)抗納粹德國(guó)的需要, 美英蘇三國(guó)結(jié)成戰(zhàn)時(shí)同盟. 邱吉爾, 史達(dá)林均了解到這一戰(zhàn)時(shí)同盟不會(huì)是長(zhǎng)久的, 只有羅斯福樂觀的以為美蘇的友好關(guān)系將可持續(xù)長(zhǎng)久.