Essay - The Cold War Was the Defining Political Event of the...

The Cold War was the defining political event of the middle and late twentieth century. The Cold War started in 1945, ***** Yalta, ***** continued until the fall of the Soviet Union almost 50 years later. In ***** interim, the world suffered through the space race, and ***** arms race, and lived with the constant possibility of nuclear war.

***** history of ***** Cold ***** is largely a h*****tory ***** the rel*****tionship between the United States and ***** Soviet Union. ***** relationship between the two superpowers during the period of the Cold War was complex, and had a v*****riety of components. During the Cold War, the world became highly polarized, with supporters of ***** United States, ***** democracy, being opposed to ***** of the Soviet Union and communism.

The ***** War was a period of heightened competition and tension between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union. While full-scale war never occurred, both sides perceived the other as having highly hostile military and political intentions. Wars did occur, but they were fought by Soviet allies, and not the ***** Union herself.

The Cold War w***** based, in large part on ideological differences ***** the Soviet ***** ***** ***** ***** states. The market ec*****omy and a multi-party democracy were ***** valued in the West. In contrast, the Soviet Union valued single party statism, and a communist-b*****sed administrative economy ***** highly valued.

The Cold War began in 1945 at ***** Yalta Conference. The Yalta conference was a meeting of the U.S.A., the USSR, and Britain. It took place at ***** former palace of Czar Nicholas on February 4 to 11, 19*****5, on the Black Sea.

***** the time of the ***** conference, Stalin occupied Poland, and he had the *****st army in Europe (12 million soldiers). Stalin's army ***** poised to enter Berlin, but he had ordered the fighting be halted during ***** Yalta *****. ***** contrast to Stalin's mighty army, Eisenhower only had 4 million ***** west of the Rhine.

***** deals were struck at ***** Yalta conference. First, Roosevelt agreed to withdraw all American troops from Europe within 2 years. The United N*****ions was created, wit the USSR to ***** given two extra seats. Korea ***** divided, ***** the Declaration on Liberated Europe promised "free and unfettered elections."

It was at the ***** conference that Roosevelt ***** Churchill first felt ***** power of the Soviet Union. Roosevelt appeared tired ***** the Yalta *****, and died ***** two months of a massive cerebral haemorrhage. Critics have argued that Roosevelt's judgement may have been impaired by his ill health, however there is little convincing evidence to help support th***** claim.

Following the ***** conference, Stalin did not hold free *****. The American press ***** more and more hostile **********d Stalin and Russia, and the ***** between the two countries declined from that point onward.

The events of World War II played a l*****rge role in creating the conditions ***** led to the ***** War. In ***** War II, America soil was attached