Significance of Espionage in the Cold War
Contents
Section I. Evaluation
The end of World War II was not the end of international hostility. Although nations were cautious to avoid a repeat of another world war, some countries could not hide their desire to emerge powerfully. The US and the Soviet Union had emerged as superpowers after World War II. The two nations were struggling to exert their dominance over world politics and economies. The move led to a rise in tension and welcomed the Cold War that was fought without the active involvement of the military. Espionage was the most common tool used during the Cold War as countries attempted to gather as much information from their enemies as possible. The emergence of espionage moles was also rampant as spies turned out to betray their agencies by working with the enemies for financial and other benefits. The information obtained from espionage was used to test the military strength of the nations involved as well as coming up with strategies to counter the activities of enemies. Espionage was significant in the Cord War in that the war thrived through espionage while the split between the US and the Soviet Union was brought to light.
Espionage is one of the most common tools used during the Cold War. Although espionage is viewed as an illegal and unethical practice, countries have relied on it to obtain crucial information that has later been used for military purposes[1]. Espionage involves the use of spies to gather information from enemy territories. Generally, espionage is seen as the use of undercover agents who are sent to enemy camps with hidden identities and were common in the Cold War era. The US and the Soviet Union mistrusted each other after the Second World War. Both nations had emerged as superpowers, and each believed that the other was coming up with strategies to overthrow the other. The mistrust led to the extensive use of espionage to get information on the activities of either party, and the results were disastrous in some instances. The increased tensions in the world peace were associated with the espionage activities as the nations obtained crucial information about each other and active war could easily break out. Moreover, espionage led to the emergence of moles, which further spoiled the relationship between the nations because the secrets of either country were revealed to their enemies.
Section II. Investigation
Cold War was generally based on propaganda and the over-reliance of information from the enemy’s camps. The information was obtained through spying and undercover services. However, the spies were not trustworthy and always betrayed their agencies from time to time. Generally, a spy offers services to the highest bidder[2]. Therefore, the nation that could pay handsomely used to enjoy the services of moles. Espionage moles were viewed as spies who betrayed their camps in exchange for benefits from the enemy’s camp. Generally, moles were responsible for the heated tensions because they revealed the secrets of one camp to others, leading to counter-actions that further called for more espionage. Also, the countries were forced to spend more to keep their spies loyal as well as to acquire the services of willing moles. Moreover, the significance of espionage went beyond the initial need for information and broke out important secrets.
The impact of espionage was seen in the sharing of crucial secrets in the camps of the affected countries. Military information is always kept secret in most countries. Generally, military officers operate under oath to prevent them from sharing secrets that might be of a crucial impact if obtained by their enemies. For example, an enemy may look for information for the type of weapons owned by their enemies. During the Cold War, the main struggle was to come up with powerful weapons compared to the enemies. Generally, the main challenge during the Cold War was that the superpowers were committed to remaining in possession of the most powerful weapons in the world. The strength of arms was compared to the enemies’ through the information obtained from espionage. Therefore, espionage ensured that the superpowers were in constant development of weapons since they could quickly get information concerning the strength of the enemy’s weapons. Moreover, the impact of espionage was essential in ensuring that the Cold War did not develop into an ongoing war.
The Cold War was mainly based on inactive struggle since military power was not involved. The economies of the affected countries were the most affected fields. Also, the affected countries were cautious and did everything to avoid the Cold War into spilling over into an active war[3]. The use of espionage could be associated with the management of the situation until the war came to an end. Espionage provided an avenue for obtaining information that was crucial in avoiding the dominance of one power over the other. Therefore, no superpower would easily rise to the extent of defeating their enemy because the information on a planned attack would be known in advance. Furthermore, the impact of double-spies was to ensure that the two powers could not land the world on a further crisis. Double spies used to pass information across nations and ensured that the strategies by both countries acted to prevent either power from becoming more powerful than their enemies. Therefore, espionage was essential in keeping the Cold War from becoming a military war and ensured that the superpowers were only involved in the diplomatic competition. Moreover, several cases of espionage were reported during the Cold War with the spies being executed upon realization.
America was the first among the superpowers to take action against the offenders of espionage. In 1951, the US realized that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were Jewish-Americans, had engaged in espionage activities to the benefit of the Soviet Union. Julius had been working in the electronics department of the US military camps. The duo was accused of stealing and providing crucial information to the Soviet Union. Although the accurate information was not identified, the US believed that the pair shared information concerning the advancement towards the development of atomic bombs. The realization was countered with a public trial with the US keen to pass a warning to the people who thought that espionage was a light offense. Furthermore, the two were executed for sharing US information with their enemies. Additionally, the Soviet Union did not remain silent on the reported cases of espionage from its trusted agents.
Espionage was seen as a way of betrayal from the most trusted agents. The Soviet Union did not escape the disastrous impacts of espionage. Dmitri Polyakov was one of the reported cases of espionage in the Soviet Union[4]. Although Polyakov was viewed as a double agent in most cases, the information he shared was more beneficial in the US than in the Soviet Union. After World War II, Polyakov was not happy with the corruption that was going on in Moscow. However, Dmitri Polyakov maintained his position in the government and decided to use his position to work against the Soviet Union. The US was initially cautious of involving Polyakov in the intelligence service for fear that the Soviet Union could be using him as a trap. However, Polyakov managed to convince the US to accept him as an intelligence officer, although his activities were controversial. The death of Polyakov was not documented, but the US believed that the Soviet Union was responsible for his death after realizing his relationship with the US.
In sum, espionage was significant in the Cord War in that the war thrived through espionage while the split between the US and the Soviet Union was brought to light. Although espionage is viewed as an illegal and unethical practice, countries have relied on it to obtain crucial information that has later been used for military purposes. Espionage led to the emergence of moles, which further spoiled the relationship between the nations because the secrets of either country were revealed to their enemies. In 1951, the US realized that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were Jewish-Americans, had engaged in espionage activities to the benefit of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union did not escape the disastrous impacts of espionage as Dmitri Polyakov became one of the reported cases of espionage in the Soviet Union. Generally, the Cold War was kept moving by the broad application of espionage.
Bibliography
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Hodge, Lt Col George. “THE NEW SPYMASTERS: Inside the Modern World of Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror.” Military Review 96, no. 1 (2016): 121.
Shaffer, Ryan. “Spies and signals intelligence in the early cold war: Alvarez, David, and Eduard Mark. Spying through a Glass Darkly: American Espionage against the Soviet Union, 1945–1946. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016. 360 pages, Hardcover, 34.95.ISBN9780700621927.Haslam,Jonathan.NearandDistantNeighbors:ANewHistoryof SovietIntelligence.Farrar,StrausandGiroux,NewYork,NY,2015.400pages,Hardcover, 30.00. ISBN 9780374219901. Hastings, Max. The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939–1945. Harper ….” (2018): 241-253.
Spence, Amber. “Spy Culture: Espionage Television Programming and American Identity in the Cold War.” PhD diss., University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2019.
[1] Green, John. A political family: the Kuczynskis, fascism, espionage and the Cold War. Routledge, 2017.
[2] Hodge, Lt Col George. “THE NEW SPYMASTERS: Inside the Modern World of Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror.” Military Review 96, no. 1 (2016): 121.
[3] Spence, Amber. “Spy Culture: Espionage Television Programming and American Identity in the Cold War.” PhD diss., University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2019.
[4] Shaffer, Ryan. “Spies and signals intelligence in the early cold war: Alvarez, David, and Eduard Mark. Spying through a Glass Darkly: American Espionage against the Soviet Union, 1945–1946. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2016. 360 pages, Hardcover, 34.95.ISBN9780700621927.Haslam,Jonathan.NearandDistantNeighbors:ANewHistoryofSovietIntelligence.Farrar,StrausandGiroux,NewYork,NY,2015.400pages,Hardcover, 30.00. ISBN 9780374219901. Hastings, Max. The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939–1945. Harper ….” (2018): 241-253.