JoshuaMarchalik

MsGrotrianPeriod1

RedvsBlue.CommunismvsDemocracy.USSRvsUSA.TheUnionofSovietSocialist
RepublicsvsTheDemocraticStatesofAmerica.Thesedifferentnicknamesforthesame
countries,theUnitedStatesandRussia,respectively,trulyexemplifytheircontrarybeliefs.Asa
resultoftheseopposingideologies,afterWorldWarII,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnion
beganalong,tedious,conflictknownastheColdWar.Inreality,thisconflictwasnotawar,
becausethetwocountriesneverbattledeachotherfacetoface.Instead,theysupportedopposing
sidesinsocalledproxywars,suchasinVietnamandKorea.Theircompetitiveedgewasalso
vividinotherareassuchastheNuclearArmsRaceandtheracetospace.Theirextremely
opposingideologies,whichwereresponsiblefortheColdWar,areevidentthroughtheir
opposinggovernments,theirsupportduringtheVietnam/Koreanwar,andtheCubanMissile
Crisis.
AsWorldWarIIcametoaclose,theallieshadtodecidethefateofthemajoraxis
leaders.Unfortunately,asaresultoftheirconflictingpoliticalsystems,theUnitedStatesleader
oftenhadtroublecompromisingwiththeSovietUnionsStalin.Oftentimes,Stalinwantedto
establishgovernmentsinwhicheveryonewasequal,muchliketheSovietUnion,whileFDR,
Truman,andotherswantedtoestablishdemocratic,capitalistcountries,thosegenerallyknown
fordevelopingatafasterrate.UnfortunatelyfortheUnitedStates,theSovietUniondidnothave
towithdrawtroopsfromEuropeastheywerelocatedinEurope.Thesetroopsmounteda
constantpressureonsurroundingcountriestobecomecommunist.TheUnitedStateshadto
createbillssuchastheMarshallPlanandtheTrumanDoctrine,whichprovidedmoneyfor
countriesthatsurroundedtheSovietUniontobesuretheydidntmovetoanattractive

communiststate.Thesedifferentpoliticalsystemsestablishedtwodistinctlydifferentportionsof
bothGermanyandBerlin,makingthemergerofthemdifficult.
Thesedifferentideologiesledthemtosupportoppositesidesinmultipleproxywars,such
asinVietnamandinKorea.InVietnam,theUnitedStatessupportedthedemocraticSouth
VietnameseArmywhiletheSovietUnionsupportcommunistNorthVietnam.Whileitmay
seemasthoughtheUnitedStatesshouldhavenointerestinwhetherornotVietnamis
communistsinceitisaminisculecountry,theUSwasafraidofthedominoeffect:whereifone
countryfallstocommunism,allthecountriessurroundingitwillfalltocommunismaswell.Asa
result,theUnitedStateshadtofollowthepolicyofcontainment:tocontaincommunismtoa
smallarea,andbesurethatitdoesntspreadtootherareas.Thiscreatedamajorsourceof
tensionbetweenthetwocountries,asonetriedtoinstillcommunisminacountry,whiletheother
triedtoensurethatthisdoesnotoccur.AsimilarsituationoccurredinKorea,whereagainthe
UnitedStatessupportedthedemocraticSouthwhiletheSovietUnionsupportedthecommunist
North.Afternearlyengulfingthecountrytocommunism,theUnitedStatesandtheUNArmy
wereabletopushtheNorthback.Thisseriesofadvancesoccurredmultipletimes,untilthetwo
countriesreachedastalemateatthe38thparallel,whichisstillthelineofdivisiontoday.Again,
althoughtheUnitedStatesdidnotachievetheirultimategoalofdestroyingcommunismin
Korea,theywereabletocontainittoasmallareaastheypossiblycould,ensuringitdoesnt
spreadtoothercountries.
TheCubanMissileCrisiswasarguablythelargestsourceoftensionbetweenthetwo
majorsuperpowers,andwastheclosesttheworldeverwastoafullblownnuclearwar.Cuba
wasacommunistcountrybutwasveryclosetotheUnitedStates.Asaresult,theUnitedStates

hadbothpowerandinfluenceoverCuba.Inthiscase,bothcontainmentanddominotheorycan
beseenfromtheSovietperspective.TheSovietUnionwantedtocontaindemocracytothe
UnitedStatesandbeassuredthateventhoughtheUnitedStatesfelltodemocracy,Cubawould
not.Asaresult,theSovietUnionprovidedCubawithnuclearmissiles.Inreturn,theUnited
StatesblockadedCuba,keepingCubafromreceivinganynecessarymaterials.Thisblockade
continuedfortwoweeks,andatonepointwhentheAmericanswereclosinginonCuba,Stalin
gavetheCubanmilitiapermissiontousethenuclearmissilestofendofftheUSArmy.After
diplomaticsessions,theblockadewascalledoff,themissilesreturnedtotheSoviets,andthe
biggestsourceoftensionduringtheColdWargone.ThiseventwastheclimaxoftheColdWar,
trulyemphasizingthedifferencesintheideologiesofthetwocountries.
Atrulyimportantpointofthecoldwaristhatatnopointdidthecountriesdirectlyfight
andatnopointwastheirfightinggoingoninsidetheSovietUnionortheUnitedStates.Every
minorconflictoccurredinrelativelyunstableareas(KoreaandVietnam).Thiswasnotawarin
whichonecountrywantedtoassertdominanceoveranother,theywantedtoassertones
ideologiesovertheothers.AstheColdWarcametoaclose,Democracywasclearlythefavorite
towin.AftertheBerlinWallfellin1989,signifyingthedefeatofCommunism,countriesbegan
toestablishmoredemocratic,freedombasedgovernments.Ultimately,theSovietUnion,asa
resultoftheirfailingideologies,disbandedintomanycountriesincludingthecountriesofRussia
andUkrainetoday(Russiaisasuperpower).Aquestionthoughremains:didRussiatakethe
USSRsspotandistheColdWarcontinuingtothisday?