Begining of the Cold war
- Thread starter bobbis14
- Start date
Ah I spose 'development' would be a more appropriate word, i.e. whom is responsible for relations souring?
Well Truman did lead some anti-communist politicizes which helped start the Cold War it takes two to tango and Stalin was a pretty good tango dancer in that regard (Iron Curtain, lack of actual democracies in Soviet occupied despite promises and Berlin blockade to only name a few).
Truman. Stalin made the aggressive choices, but the second Truman decided to push back was the beginning of the Cold War. There could have been a delayed or non-existent Cold War if America removed itself from the European/international political scene but Truman made the moves to counter Soviet power.
Truman did do a lot to aggravate Stalin, but most of his actions were pretty much going to happen with anyone at the helm. If somehow Dewey had been elected and replaced Roosevelt as president, I doubt that his actions to end the war and stabilize Europe/ Asia would have been very different.
Mixture leaning toward Stalin-after all he approved Kim Il Sung's invasion of South Korea, even if that was apparently a difficult decision for Stalin.
By the time the Korean War drew to a close. Stalin and Truman had passed from the scene, but not without instituting the East/West division and its symptoms (Eastern Bloc, Red Scare, H-Bomb, etc) as geopolitical realities.
Absent that war, USA v. USSR would most likely have been merely the latest chapter in great power contretemps amidst a (seemingly) entropic world.
By the time the Korean War drew to a close. Stalin and Truman had passed from the scene, but not without instituting the East/West division and its symptoms (Eastern Bloc, Red Scare, H-Bomb, etc) as geopolitical realities.
Absent that war, USA v. USSR would most likely have been merely the latest chapter in great power contretemps amidst a (seemingly) entropic world.