The Cold War The United States Responsibility

Causes of the Cold War: The United States’ Responsibility Ravina Gautam HI 209- The United States Since 1877 Dr. Monod March 13, 2015 Gautam 1 This essay will be seeking to prove that the United States was responsible for starting the Cold War. Through consulting with 6 secondary literature sources, ample evidence will be drawn to effectively support the contention regarding the United States’ involvement. In How the Cold War Began, Amy Knight discusses the Gouzenko affair and the role of Soviet espionage in causing the Cold War. While Knight touches upon the tensions regarding the United States’ nuclear weaponry, the focus of her writing is heavily concentrated on Soviet spies and therefore was not very effective for the purpose of this essay. In Hugh Higgin’s The Cold War, Kenneth W. Thompson’s Cold War Theories, and Gardner, Schlesinger Jr. Morgenthau’s The Origins of the Cold War, the authors argue that the Cold War occurred due to America’s pressure to enforce capitalism and democracy (over Communism) on the Soviet Union. These sources were of great value, as they each provided a considerable amount of useful information in accordance with this essay topic. In E G Rayner’s The Cold War, the author provides practical considerations with regards to the origins of the Cold War but very minimal arguments taking a stance on the issue. The source was therefore only useful for giving a general historical understanding of the war. Lastly,Show MoreRelatedThe Cold War1120 Words   |  4 Pages Cold War In 1945 after WWII the United States and the Soviet Union became divided as far as how they felt Europe should be divided. This began the period of conflict called the Cold War. 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