To what extent could the Cold War have been avoided?

Essay by KeirHigh School, 12th grade April 2005

download word file, 3 pages 1.0

Downloaded 45 times

It could be argued how realistic it is to claim that for some given reasons the Cold War could have been avoided; what is sure is that if there are were any major events that if avoided, would have evaded the creation of the cold war these are numerous. Now I want you to reread this and ask yourself if it's easily understood. Some of the foremost events that could be taken into consideration are Churchill's Iron Speech and Truman's 1947 address to congress. However, in a wider context, ideological reasons were at the origin of the Cold War, and thus a peaceful coexistence of different ideologies could have been the key to avoiding the Cold War.

With his 'Iron Curtain' speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill made it obvious to the whole world that there was an increasing tension between groups of nations with different ideologies and political systems.

The existing rivalry between the Eastern Bloc and its allies and the US and its allies was further developed with Churchill's speech that declared the 'Cold War'. If one supposes that (in an ideological world) Churchill did not deliver the 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946, one could argue if the events that followed it would have been the same, and if the Cold War itself would have existed or at least would have taken place. However, considering that rivalry between Capitalist and Communist states always existed, it could be thought that Churchill's speech was only the process needed to start the implementation of an officially declared rivalry, which would have leaded to a war.

President Harry S. Truman stressed in his address to congress in March 1947 that the United States of America would combat totalitarian regimes around the World so that all...