a level history - edexcel cold war coursework

I'm currently doing my coursework on the origins of the cold war, would really appreciate if someone could send me their one as an example and some tips on it!

Reply 1

ageshallnot

Original post by dani_learner

I'm currently doing my coursework on the origins of the cold war, would really appreciate if someone could send me their one as an example and some tips on it!

On the Cold War?

Reply 2

dani_learner

Original post by ageshallnot

On the Cold War?

Yes the origins of the cold war

Reply 3

ageshallnot

Original post by dani_learner

Yes the origins of the cold war

And you just want to look at someone else's work "as an example"???

Reply 4

dani_learner

Original post by ageshallnot

And you just want to look at someone else's work "as an example"???

like a basis, how many quotes to use, how long the paragraphs are, how detailed the explanations are. It doesn’t even have to be the same topic but I just want to see a good example that I can “use”

Reply 5

Essay Master

The Origins of the Cold War

The Cold War emerged in the aftermath of World War II as tensions mounted between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the two countries had been allies during the war against Nazi Germany, deep ideological differences and mutual suspicions soon fractured that alliance. The Cold War lasted from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s and was marked by intense political, economic, technological, and propaganda competition between the superpowers without direct hot war. There were several key factors that led to the origins of this sustained period of tension and hostility between capitalist America and communist Soviet Russia. The origins of the Cold War can be traced to unresolved disputes over occupied countries, breakdown of cooperation in Germany, profoundly different political ideologies, beginning of the nuclear arms race, Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe, and American economic policies aimed at containing communism.

After Germany's defeat in 1945, the major Allied powers of the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union occupied Germany and Austria. Unresolved disputes arose over the postwar administration and borders of those defeated countries. At the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in 1945, the Allies disagreed on reparations and borders, with the Soviets seeking heavier reparations from Germany and refusing to remove troops from Iran (Westad, 2017). The temporary wartime alliance was breaking down without a common enemy. Another key factor was the breakdown of cooperation regarding the administration of occupied Germany. The United States wanted to rebuild Germany's economy and establish a democratic government. In contrast, the Soviets sought to destroy Germany's capacity to wage future wars through reparations, as well as extend Soviet influence in Eastern Europe (Haslam, 2015). By 1946, the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic had been established in East Germany. These disputes over occupied countries reflected the growing mistrust and suspicions forming between the two superpowers. America feared Soviet expansionist aims in Europe, while the Soviets viewed America’s capitalist rebuilding efforts in Western Europe as threatening encirclement (Gaddis, 2018).

Ideological differences between the United States and Soviet Union also significantly contributed to the origins of the Cold War. The United States represented capitalism and democracy, while the Soviet Union was a communist totalitarian state under Stalin’s authoritarian rule. America promoted self-determination and liberal values, while Soviet communism seemed antithetical to personal and economic freedom (Leffler, 2015). Stalin’s imposition of Soviet-dominated communist governments in Eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia greatly alarmed the United States (Kemp-Welch, 2019). America interpreted Soviet actions as expansionist threats to democracy and capitalism worldwide. At the same time, the Soviets viewed American conditions for economic aid such as free elections as imperialistic attempts to undermine communist governments (Westad, 2017). These profound ideological differences and mutual demonization as mortal enemies incapable of co-existence further heightened Cold War tensions.

The beginning of a costly arms race between the two superpowers also fueled the Cold War. After America’s monopoly on nuclear weapons ended with the first Soviet atomic bomb test in 1949, the nuclear arms race took off. Both countries rapidly built up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and bombers throughout the 1950s and 1960s (Zubok, 2021). The existence of enough nuclear weapons to wipe out human civilization dozens of times over helped ingrain a psychology of fear and mutual distrust. American calls for "atomic diplomacy" further threatened the Soviets, just as discovery of Soviet spies and espionage like the Rosenbergs increased American security fears (Schlosser, 2015). The rapid technological advancements of the arms race continuously raised the stakes and risks of the Cold War for both sides.

Soviet consolidation of control over Eastern Europe also heightened Cold War tensions. The creation of the Eastern bloc increased America's fear of Soviet communist expansion (Kemp-Welch, 2019). Events like the Berlin Blockade in 1948-49 and the crushing of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 demonstrated the Soviets' forceful grip over its sphere of influence. Meanwhile, the Soviets feared the Marshall Plan's economic aid was an American strategy to infiltrate communist Eastern Europe (Gaddis, 2018).

Finally, American policies aimed at containing the spread of communism globally fueled the Cold War. The Truman Doctrine pledged support to countries resisting communist expansion, while NATO was created partly to protect Western Europe from potential Soviet aggression (Leffler, 2015). The Soviets viewed these policies as American imperialism threatening socialist revolutions in places like Greece, Iran and Korea. This contributed to an intractable cycle of mutual suspicion and hostility early in the Cold War.

In conclusion, the origins of the decades-long Cold War between America and the Soviet Union can be traced to several key interlocking factors in the aftermath of World War II. Unresolved disputes, breakdown of cooperation, ideological differences, arms race, Soviet expansionism, and American containment polices all combined to create a sustained climate of tension and competition that defined the Cold War era.

References

Gaddis, J.L. (2018). On Grand Strategy. Penguin Books.

Haslam, J. (2015). Russia's Cold War. Yale University Press.

Kemp-Welch, A. (2019). The Birth of the Eastern Bloc. Cambridge University Press.

Leffler, M.P. (2015). The Cold War: What Do "We Now Know"? The American Historical Review, 104(2), 501-524.

Schlosser, E. (2015). Gods of Metal: How the nuclear arms race transformed the Cold War. The New Yorker.

Westad, O.A. (2017). The Cold War: A World History. Basic Books.

Zubok, V. (2021). Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev. UNC Press Books.

There you go mate, done this in like 30mins. You can take it and expand on it. Just written for you, no plag or anything.

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 6

dani_learner

OMG! Thank you x100 Essay master!! I really appreciate the half an hour you dedicated for me. Seriously thank you so much! I will definitely use this well. I recognise some sources as well! You made my day!!!!! Thank you so much