The Cold War
How did the Cold War affect the individual experience, politics, and political ideologies?
The Cold War was the period in history after the end of the Second World War, between the years 1947 and 1991, characterized by geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies across the Eastern and Western bloc. The period was a transition to globalization, financial deregulation, and growth and development of capitalistic economies. The Cold War had significant effects on American politics, policies, and political ideologies, not to mention the effects on their social lives “…McCarthyist witch-hunts, backyard bomb shelters…” Many American lives were also lost during that period as America got into Proxy wars as preparation for the anticipated war with the Soviets. A lot of resources were committed to the course, which left little to no finances to carry out developments back at home (UShistory.org, 2020). However, the war never came to pass.
In education, the impacts of the Cold War were also felt in universities. The battle of the superpowers had a significant effect on the free university in America, especially for international students, even going to the extent of influencing curriculum in those universities, a good example being at Yale University. During the McCarthyist witch-hunts, students and the faculty members alike were cautious about their utterances to avoid any links with Communism (UShistory.org, 2020). Following McCarthy’s shocking declarations and the calls for anti-communism, Americans were now turning against each other.
In the world of politics, the Americans advocated for the development of democratically elected governments to rule over Eastern Europe, including Poland and Germany, which were integral parts of the Soviet Union. In 1959, much to the surprise of everyone, the Polish elected the first non-communism government, “Polish voters elected a non-communist opposition government to their legislature. The world watched with anxious eyes, expecting Soviet tanks to roll into Poland, preventing the new government from taking power.” In terms of political ideologies in the United States, the Cold War had significant impacts, especially on foreign policy. One considerable concern was the anti-communist ideology brought about by Truman (UShistory.org, 2020). This had substantial effects on America’s relations with the allies all around the world. Locally, American politicians wanted to bask in the light of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Republicans, and Republicans, all laying claims to their influence on the end of the Soviet Union. “Republicans were quick to claim credit for winning the Cold War. They believed the military spending policies of the Reagan-Bush years forced the Soviets to the brink of economic collapse. Democrats argued that containment of Communism was a bipartisan policy for 45 years begun by the Democrat Harry Truman.” Additionally, McCarthy’s claims led to the establishment of politics meant to prosecute the suspected Communists who were believed to penetrate high levels of government.
How did the Cold War unfold between the U.S. and USSR?
The two former allies of World War II, the USA and the USSR engaged each other in confrontations that ranged from the unnoticed spying and data collection between the two world superpowers to the violent combats witnessed in the tropical jungles of Vietnam. The two superpowers often intimidated each other with submarines raging through the depths of the oceans to using technological advancements such as satellites to spy on each other, “the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Star Wars defense proposal.” (UShistory.org, 2020). These two superpowers even went to the extent of competing on sports platforms such as basketball and hockey and also put up political and cultural wars against each other.
The origin of the Cold War is traced back to Winston Churchill’s remarks on anti-communism in 1946. The British leader was referring to the Berlin invasion conducted by Stalin, who was out to conquer the whole of Eastern Europe. The American response to these invasions was the Marshall Plan, which was financial aid aimed at helping the war-torn nation to rebuild. However, the Marshall plan was rejected by the Soviets. They claimed the Americans were out to dominate the world through the implication of imperialism, which would cripple democracy, the ideologies that the Soviets claimed to be fighting as indicated in the Zhadanov Doctrine (UShistory.org, 2020). In response, George Kennan drafted the famous Long Telegram, making it official that the USA was on a mission to contain Communism.
The 1949 atomic bomb developed by the Soviet Union further escalated the unspoken war between the two superpowers. This almost led to a nuclear crisis (UShistory.org, 2020). In 1962, American spies discovered Cuba was assembling nuclear missiles aided by the Soviet Union. In a move to stop the Cubans and, by extension, save themselves from atomic attacks that would hit any part of the U.S., the Americans had to isolate Cuba and ensure the continued supply of nuclear materials was stopped. In a détente, it was agreed that the Soviet leader had to remove the Soviet missiles from Cuba, and in their part, the Americans removed the missiles in Turkey. The Soviets would go on to provide ammunition to the Vietnamese in the war with the Americans. At the same time, the Americans gave their support to Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet invasion of 1979 (UShistory.org, 2020).
Finally, the Cold war would manifest in the form of a space race between the Americans and the Soviets (UShistory.org, 2020). In 1961, the Soviets sent the first human being ever into space. Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok spacecraft went into space and made a rotation around the earth. This was a huge challenge to the Americans as much as it was a security threat for them. With access to outer space, the Soviets were in a position to fire any weapons at the Americans at any one particular time. Weeks later, the Americans blasted off Alan Shepard aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft to orbit the world. What would then follow in later years was the Star Wars defense proposal, an initiative by President Reagan designed to counter any potential nuclear attacks (UShistory.org, 2020).
What are the positive and negative impacts of the Cold War on a global perspective?
The Cold War, though fought through the nuclear arms race, proxy wars, war propaganda, and ideological influences, had significant effects on the world at large (UShistory.org, 2020). The results, which were both positive and negative, were felt in different parts of the world. One of the positive and perhaps most significant effects of the Cold War was the fall of the Berlin Wall and the shredding of the Iron Curtain. Countries such as Germany, and Italy, which were torn by the Soviet rule, experienced reintegration and also considerable modernization. Poland even went to the extent of electing a non-communist administration (UShistory.org, 2020). Countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania began demanding independence, and by 1989, they declared independence from the Soviet rule.
On the other hand, the negative impacts of the Cold War were most experienced in Europe, where it began before spreading to the different parts of the world. In Europe, there was a division between the Eastern and Western states, with Germany being in the center of the division (UShistory.org, 2020). The effects of the Cold War were also experienced in other nations like Vietnam and Korea, which were proxy wars battlegrounds for the Americans and the Soviets. The Cold War also negatively impacted international relations as either side of the war tried to protect their interests. For example, the Soviets troops intervened in the uprising in Hungary since they were against the Hungarian decision to exit the Warsaw pact (UShistory.org, 2020).
References
UShistory.org. (2020). The End of the Cold War. Retrieved 24 April 2020, from http:////www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp