(CWD) The Cold War (1945-1993) Lesson

The Cold War (1945-1993) Lesson

The conflict for global hegemony between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had durable influence on politics and society in both eastern and western Europe and beyond. A U.S.-led coalition of mostly western European nations, NATO, formed to counter perceived Soviet aggression in that continent. The U.S.S.R. countered with an alliance of its own, the Warsaw Pact. The focal point here was Germany, divided into Soviet and U.S. influenced parts. In the Middle East and Asia, Cold War conflicts arose as well, with war breaking out in Korea and Vietnam.

 

The Cold War

The term Cold War is used to describe the political structure of the post World War II world. The term denotes the "icy" tension, which developed between the western countries led by the United States and the eastern nations led by the Soviet Union. This political circumstance created a complete political leadership shift from Eurocentric (European dominated) to domination by the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Cold War was a result of the mutual distrust between the democratic and/or parliamentary states to the newly emerged communist state of the Soviet Union. This distrust ultimately generalized to "free" states against communist or totalitarian states. Both sides of the spectrum believed that the other wanted to dominate the international political structure. Adding atomic weapons to the mix made this era of tension and distrust even more dangerous.

Another element added to this unstable situation was the post world war nationalistic movement of the former European colonial holdings. As one by one these states (particularly in Asia) gained their independence the two ideological sides rushed to dominate. The combination of new nations developing and the tension over the political system they chose resulted in localized hot conflicts such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. These localized conflicts had the potential to expand and develop into a third World War.

Post World War II events such as the Berlin Airlift and the Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrate just how unsteady the international political system had become. The two sides soon became recognized under the banner of the defensive alliances established for mutual protection; NATO (The North Atlantic Trade Organization) led by the United States and the Warsaw Pact led by the Soviet Union.

At the end of the war the Soviet Union had been the only Communist state but soon many others would follow such as; China, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba and what became known as the Eastern Block of nations. The Eastern European Block nations were given to Stalin's control (the Soviet Union) as buffer states to protect against any further western European aggression. Germany itself, as the defeated power of World War II, was divided into sectors and remained split into two separate countries until eventual reunification in the early 1990s. The eastern block states soon were converted to communist states with independent but "puppet governments" under the control of the Soviets.

Soon after the war Europe was divided between east and west along ideological ideals and very real physical barriers. Winston Churchill coined the phrase Iron Curtain to describe the European division. As the decades progressed the two camps went through various stages of diplomatic relations ranging from an arms race to détente.

 

The various stages of east/west relations include:

 

Be sure to read the summary and notes found below. 

 

 

 

 

Questions to Consider

Let's see what you know about the Cold War so far!

 

 

 

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