Personalities+Clash

**Personalities Clash ** Taylor Pitz Overview of the Cold War  After the end of World War II in 1945, many clashes, misunderstandings and ideological differences were brought out into the open. There was much hostility between the United Staves and the Soviet Union. Much of this open tension began due to differences of opinion on what the German government would become. The conferences at Yalta and Potsdamn rose the tensions immensely. Even though the tension was more widely known, the two countries still did not directly fight, and there was no actual declaration of war. ** Harry Truman vs Joseph Stalin  ** During World War II, Harry Truman was the current president of the United States. He saw the country through this time of war and kept his people calm and supportive of the war over seas. Joseph Stalin at the time was the leader of the Soviet Union. Although the two fought as allies during the war, it was clear that they would not remain civil after it was over. During the war there were many signs of tension between the US and USSR that were ‘swept under the rug’ in order to fight against a common cause. After the war was over, however, the two countries made their tensions more open and so began the period known as the cold war.  These two men, although once fighting a similar enemy, were almost exact opposites. President Truman was a humble, decisive, bold, and confident man. Truman dropped the Atomic bomb on Japan, and created many organizations to defend the United States (ex: CIA, Air Force, etc). Truman had a problem with his temper, like many of those before him. Joseph Stalin was however a fierce leader and acted with power, wanting only to dictate and control and cared nothing for his people that he viciously destroyed the lives of. The tensions that were widely known between the countries were some of the reasons for the start of the cold war, other than just differences in how they handle themselves. Stalin believed that the United States delayed D-Day in order to allow the German troops to destroy as much of Russia as possible before the US stepped in.  After the end of World War II it was obvious that a change was necessary in the German government. The two leaders of the conferences however could not agree on what type of government post WWII Germany should take on. Stalin believed in a communist government, therefor he wanted to see Germany run his way. Truman believed in a democratic or capitalist style government, so obviously the two differed in opinion vastly. **Nikita Khrushchev vs <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 25px;">Dwight Eisenhower ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Thirty-fourth president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a remarkable leader. He led the country as <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">also attempted to lessen the problems between the Soviets and Americans during the Cold War. Eisenhower, unlike the presidents before him, was more avid about using nuclear weapons in order to prevent an actual war from happening. While in presidency, he allowed the taking over of unliked governments and made sure to protect anti-communist rulers in other countries. Joseph Stalin died while Eisenhower was in power, which seemed to aid the tension between the countries after Eisenhower offered peace to the Soviets. However, after the U2 plane was shot down, any hope for peace was destroyed for Eisenhower. Eisenhower was a very dedicated man, as commanding officer during World War II, he understood war and understood what needed to happen in order to keep peace between the countries (D-Day speech of Eisenhower as commanding officer below). After the death of Stalin in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev replaced him as the leading power in the Soviet Union. He believed that Stalins methods were not ideal and sought to destalinize the communist community in which he ruled. Though many thought that this would create peace between the Soviets and Americans, Khrushchev still was a communist leader and did not actually give his people one ounce of freedom. This alone was enough for clashing between the United States and Soviet Union. However, Khrushchev caused even more tension after shooting down and American U2 spy plane. media type="youtube" key="WEyCjN9riiY" height="315" width="420" align="center"

** ....vs John F. Kennedy  ** John F. Kennedy became president in 1961 and challenged his people to become more involved. He created the peace corps and was determined to keep anti-communist countries just that, anti-communist. Kennedy wanted to mend the tension between the United States and the Soviets. Kennedy was very afraid to be seen as going soft on communism, and this led to him making some decisions on that fact alone. When the American U2 spy planes discovered that the Soviets were building air missiles, Kennedy was concerned to say the least. In 1962, it was discovered that the Soviets were harboring nuclear missiles in Cuba. In his speech (below), Kennedy explains to the country why is it necessary to place a naval blockade in Cuba. Khrushchev did not react well to this, infact he sent Kennedy two letters. The second of the two stated that he would remove the missiles if Kennedy swore not to invade Cuba. The terms were agreed to, despite opposing opinions by other leaders.

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** Ronald Reagan vs Mikhail Gorbachev ** Ronald Reagan sought to gain peace by using strength. He was an optimistic man who cared who heartily about his country. He is famously known as the president who put and end to the Cold War in 1991. He used more friendly and negotiable attitude toward the Soviets. He managed to improve the relations with the Soviet Union by creating a treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev, the first Soviet leader to cooperate with the United States. Reagan often referred to Gorbachev as the real hero in ending the Cold War and gave him most of the credit. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,verdana,sans-serif;">"Mr. Gorbachev deserves most of the credit, as the leader of this country," said Reagan in a speech during his last year in office. Reagan was a humble man, which was a large factor in finally ending the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev was believed to be the first Soviet leader to have any moral standings. Gorbachev and Reagan worked together to finally end the Cold War and bring peace to their countries. In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF treaty in Washington which was the first treaty to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. Gorbachev's morals and desire for peace along side Reagan's similar desires finally ended the Cold War in 1991.

Significance and Impact Throughout the cold war there were many instances where egos, opinions, power, and personality played a major role. If it weren't for Truman's temper, Stalin's dictatorship, kh rushchev manipulation, and Kennedy's fear of seeming weak, the Cold War may have ended much sooner than 1991. A 46 year war is not simply dragged to be dragged on, the leaders played a large role in the extension of this war. Once two sensible and cooperative leaders came into power, it did not take long for them to work out the problems and end the war. Each president, leader, or significant man in the Cold War somehow added to the ongoing power struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Timeline of t he Cold War
 * = 1945 ||= Yalta conference ||
 * = 1945 ||= End of WWII ||
 * = 1948 ||= Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia ||
 * = 1949 ||= Mao Zedong, a Communist, takes control of China ||
 * = 1950 ||= McCarthy begins Communist witch hunt ||
 * = 1954 ||= CIA helps overthrow unfriendly regimes in Iran and Guatemala ||
 * = 1958 ||= Khrushchev demands withdrawal of troops from Berlin ||
 * = 1959 ||= Cuba taken over by Fidel Castro ||
 * = 1959 ||= Khrushchev visits United States ||
 * = 1960 ||= Soviet Union reveals that U.S. spy plane was shot down over Soviet territory ||
 * = 1960 ||= John F. Kennedy elected President ||
 * = 1962 ||= Cuban Missile Crisis ||
 * = 1963 ||= Nuclear Test Ban Treaty ratified ||
 * = 1968 ||= Soviet troops crush Czechoslovakian revolt ||
 * = 1970 ||= President Nixon extends Vietnam War to Cambodia ||
 * = 1974 ||= President Nixon resigns ||
 * = 1983 ||= President Reagan proposes Strategic Defense Initiative ||
 * = 1985 ||= Mikhail Gorbachev ascends to power in Soviet Union ||
 * = 1986 ||= Gorbachev ends economic aid to Soviet satellites ||
 * = 1987 ||= Reagan and Gorbachev agree to remove all medium and short-range nuclear missiles by signing treaty ||
 * = 1989 ||= Communist governments fall in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Rumania; Soviet empire end ||
 * = 1990 ||= Germany reunited ||
 * = 1991 ||= Warsaw Pact ends ||
 * = 1991 ||= End of Soviet Union, End of Cold War ||

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Work Cited **. "Author Palace." // Joseph Stalin Facts About His Personality //. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2012. <http://www.authorpalace.com/politic/joseph-stalin-facts-about-his-personality.html>. Beschloss, Michael. "The White House." // Ronald Reagan //. White House Historical Association, 2009. Web. 28 April 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan>. . "Mikhail Gorbachev." // American Experience //. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/reagan-gorbachev/>.

. "Nobel Prize." // Mikhail Gorbachev //. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 April 2012. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1990/gorbachev-bio.html>. . "Spartacus Educational." // Nikita Khrushchev: Biography //. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSkhrushchev.htm>. Talbott, Strobe. "Brookings." // Reagan and Gorbachev //. The Brookings Institution, n.d. Web. 29 April 2012. <http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2004/0801russia_talbott.asp&xgt;. . "The Presidential Ham ." // Harry Truman //. N.p., 2009. Web. 1 May 2012. <http://presidentialham.com/u-s-presidents/harry-s-truman-with-ham/>. . "United States History." // Dwight D. Eisenhower //. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1789.html>. <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> Powaski, Ronald E. // The Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991 //. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. 249-254. Print.