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Example research essay topic: Cold War Era World War Ii - 1,667 words

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... it further divided them in their quest for non-proliferation. The situation that formed in Asia and the Pacific Rim after WWII was basically a battle between the West (America, capitalism) and the East (USSR, communism). The war created two super-powers in Russia and the USA. Russia immediately began to convert all their territory gained into communist puppet governments. This caused disagreement between the US and the USSR.

The US then tried to suppress the spread of communism. This started the Cold War. When other countries turned to communism, the US would try to stop it. The situation in Asia and the Pacific Rim during the Cold War caused many political, economic, and social changes. The political changes that occurred usually involved communism. Many countries had revolutions that introduced communism.

The Peoples Republic of China was taken over by Mao Zedong, and they became communist. China Kai-shek moved to Taiwan and started the Republic of China. This move toward communism was one of many. Other countries to change to communistic ways were Vietnam, which caused a war that the US got involved in, Korea, which also caused a war that the US got involved in.

In South Asia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh all undertook political reforms as well. India was becoming too close with the Soviets, so Pakistan let the US cut ties between India and the USSR through Pakistan. Bangladesh, who has not had a stable government in ages, went through yet another attempt to salvage their government. This time they tried military rule.

The economic changes that these countries went through were very similar. All of the countries that went to communism changed their economy totally. A lot of the time, the countries that changed to communism spent so much money on military, that they had none to spend on the people. So all of the promised goods they couldnt afford. This happened in China, and the USSR. In the Australia, they broke away from total British rule, and began trading with Asia; this caused them to become an industrial giant.

Another industrial giant that formed during the cold war was Japan. The US disarmed them, but then promised to protect them if they were under attack. Japan then spent no money on military, so they had a lot of money to spare. They began to export like crazy, and soon became the richest country in the world.

Social changes that happened during the Cold War were less dramatic, but there were still some. Corazon Aquino became president of the Philippines, who was one of the earliest female presidents. She came to power after Ferdinand Marcos assassinated her husband, who had been the president. She came to power when the rumor spread and Marcos fled the country. Pakistan, as mentioned earlier, formed good relations with the US by letting them use their land as a base near India. The social, political, and economic changes that occurred after WWII are ones that still have impacts on todays world.

Korea is still split in two, China is still communist, and Taiwan is still a republic. These are not bits of history that are irrelevant now; they are a part of the world that we live in. The Cold War era was one that was full of change. The change caused a lot of disorder. It even caused a war.

The rise of communism caused panic by the USA, and they prevented it, but they didnt get rid of it completely, the scars of the Cold War era are still there. They may never disappear. With all of the changes going on within America, and the prosperity and production that came with the industrial revolution, the temptation to stray from the foreign policy that Washington set out a hundred years before was very great. The Americans now entered a time where they were in a position to compete with European powers, but the European powers had a jump on the Americans in many areas, especially colonization of foreign territories. In addition, the American frontier for the first time in history, no longer existed. The frontier symbolized the freedom of a place to go when things got boring.

The frontier was a safety valve for people to go settle new territories, and to find raw materials. Now with the frontier gone, the idea of taking foreign territories looked like the best way to replace that frontier. Increasingly, the Americans had started to flex their muscle in the affairs around the world. Finally, it became clear that an imperialistic stance for America would be necessary in order to keep up with all the other western powers.

Imperialism is the policy by which one country takes control of the land of another region. The Age of Imperialism lasted from 1870 to 1914. The development of imperialism mirrors that of industrialization. This is because the two reflect growth and progress. The US was more focused on competing for resources and new markets during this era.

Concerns for the US were the economic situations of the Pacific and Caribbean, along with the strategic importance of these areas. Imperialism was inevitable with the growth of industry. In need of materials, countries would take control of other lands. Ethno-centrism became a part of the European state of mind. They felt driven to impose European beliefs and ideas on the conquered territories.

This was deemed the "White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling, who was very much against this movement. India was very affected by Europe. Europeans created a scramble for Africa and formed spheres of influence in China. Today, imperialism is much subtler, often in the form of foreign aid to create favorable relations between the two countries. Many nations benefited from imperialistic practices in that they provided an opportunity to modernize. Much of the infrastructure, educational facilities, and hospitals in these countries were built by the imperialist nations controlling them.

Along with the positive changes came negative. People were repressed and their cultures were left behind. Because of this, the nationalist movement was sparked. An example of this would be the peaceful revolution led by Gandhi. Imperialistic practices led to global bitterness towards major countries.

In time many of the weaker nations gained independence, and still today their is much resentment towards the former colonial powers. World War I was spawned by greed as nations competed for land and markets. "We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that is not innocent" - Ronald Reagan Directly after World War II the US effectively shut the door on all communist nations. A red scare descended on the US as the iron curtain enclosed around Eastern Europe. Mistrust and misunderstanding led to decades of arms races and close calls with a people that helped us to defeat Hitler and Japan. Meanwhile, the open door in China was slammed in our faces by our own ignorance and suspicion. Though the confrontation ist policy of the US may have been an effective tool to use in wartime while dealing with a dictator, it was not correct to use in peacetime.

By misconstruing Stalin's actions after World War II the US lost any chance of amiable relations. The US first misunderstood Stalin's annexation of the Baltic republics. Moreover, a desire to have a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was mistaken by the West as aggressive Communist imperialism along the lines of Hitlers pre-war expansion. Granted, Stalin did harbor desires to spread his ideology, as did we. However, his desire to defend the vulnerability that had been exploited so many times was the rationale behind the occupation of Poland. Moreover, the United States history of ideological imperialism is much longer and more colorful than that of the Soviets.

Anti-Communist sentiments in the US government as well as the population fueled by misinformation cost the US any type of association with the Soviets. The post-war was the perfect time to become friendly with the Soviets. The Russians were decimated by the war and needed all the help they could get. Stalin's possible acceptance of accommodation, though only out of necessity, could have been used by the US to gain ground in Asia. There is a great deal of irony surrounding the preceding causes for the prolongation of the Cold War as they each served a dual purpose in that they not only lengthened the Cold War but also contributed to its end. The Soviets made the mistake of equating expansionism with defense as they believed it necessary to sustain such governments, whatever the effect on the Soviet economy, on relations with the West, or on Moscow's overall reputation in world affairs. (Gaddis, p. 120) The Soviets decision to support its third world allies at all costs and for guns over butter placed an enormous hindrance on their already fragile economy and further impoverished the nation.

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The Causes and Prevention of War. 2 nd Ed. St. Martins Press, New York: 1996. Kelly, Charles W.

Jr. (ed. ). The Long Postwar Peace: Contending Explanations and Projections. Harper Collins Publishers, New York: 1999. Payne, Samuel B Jr.

The Conduct of War: An Introduction to Modern Warfare. pp 265 - 271. Basil Blackwell, Oxford: 2000. Smoker, Paul and Ruth Davies et al. (eds. ). A Reader in Peace Studies. Pergamon Press, Exeter: 1990.

Zartman, William and Lewis Rasmussen (eds. ). Peacemaking in International Conflict Methods and Techniques. US Institute of Peace Press, Washington: 1997. Castillo del, Graciana. "Post-conflict Peace-building: a challenge for the United Nations. " Cell Review. Vol. 55. pp 27 - 38. 1995.

Jeremy Black, Why Wars Happen. London: Reaction Books, 1998. Rotfeld, Adam Daniel. "Transformation of the World Security System. " Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook 1998: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford UP, London: 1998. Taylor, Colonel Terence (ed. ). "Defence Expenditures" The Military Balance 1998 / 99. p 300.

Oxford UP, London: 1998.


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Research essay sample on Cold War Era World War Ii

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