The World Of World War II - 2506 Words

Before addressing the changes themselves, it is important to fully understand the circumstances leading up to - and following - the launch of Sputnik 1. Following World War II, of which had officially ended as of 1945, many of the world’s previous powers -- namely Britain, France, and Germany -- were in a state of ruin, struggling to recuperate following the bloody war. However, despite being largely strained for economic and military resources, Britain was not finished with challenging other nations. In British leader Winston Churchill’s famous 1946 remarks regarding communism, he spoke: â€Å"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an ‘Iron Curtain’ has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the†¦show more content†¦Thankfully for Britain, the United States was prepared to help its oversea ally through the introduction of the Marshall Plan - a proposed effort that would provide Western Europe with financial aid so that it may help with the reconstruction. Seemingly upset by this provision, the Soviet Union introduced their own doctrine - the Zhdanov Doctrine - that claimed that the United States was attempting to dominate Europe through the use of imperialism. As a response, the United States made its official policy the â€Å"containment of Communism†, thusly making the US and USSR undeclared enemies in a war that would eventually be referred to as the â€Å"Cold War†. As described by historian Ari Cushner, the Cold War was a global, political, and ideological struggle between the United States and the USSR. Despite what the name may imply, the â€Å"cold† in Cold War does not refer to temperature -- rather, the â€Å"cold† refers to the war never being a â€Å"hot†, direct shooting war between the two combatants. And indeed, the Cold War was anything but direct. The â€Å"war† can largely be defined as an era of heated tension and anger-fueled competition, rather than a bloody series of encounters. Due to it not being a â€Å"traditional† war, there is no exact start and end date for the Cold War, but several historians such as Cushner claim it began in 1947 (following the Zhdanov Doctrine) and ended in 1991 (when the Soviet