Cold War: its origin, why its name and characteristics

We explain what the Cold War is and what powers faced each other. Also, its characteristics and main conflicts.

The Cold War was a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted more than 40 years.

What was the Cold War?

The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) that spanned between the end of World War II (1945) and the dissolution of the USSR (1991). This antagonism was generated by the existence of two opposing economic and social systems: capitalism (supported by the United States) and communism (supported by the Soviet Union).

Dozens of countries around the world supported one of the two powers or came under their influence and the political map was divided into two large antagonistic blocks (this is called a “bipolar world”).

The Cold War has this name because The conflict never reached a direct confrontation between the US and the USSRHowever, during this period there was “a peace that was not peace” (in the words of George Orwell): the whole world feared rivalry between powers that had nuclear weapons.

Given the risk involved in direct armed combat, the US and the USSR confronted each other through “subsidiary wars”, that is, armed confrontations in other countries (especially in Asia, Africa and America). In these proxy wars, both the US and the USSR They intervened offering economic and military aid to local factions to gain influence in international politics.

The rivalry between both powers led to a great competition for power and ostentation. This promoted the industrial development of each country, beyond its military and political objectives. Both the USSR and the United States sought to demonstrate that their systems were the best to guarantee the well-being of their citizens and the economic progress of political communities. In this way, the rivalry was also expressed in the economic and cultural spheres.

Beginning clearly and definitively in 1947, after a rapid process of deterioration in the relations of the Allies of the Second World War, the Cold War reached its peak between 1948 and 1953. After various periods of détente and confrontation, the arrival of Gorbachev to power in the USSR triggered a process that culminated in the disintegration of the USSR in 1991.

The ideological war: capitalism vs. communism

The Cold War was also an ideological war in which the values ​​of two opposing systems competed, both politically and economically:

• Capitalism. It is based on the right to private property and investment with the aim of obtaining economic benefits. Ideologically, he defends individual initiative based on the principle of freedom and criticizes communism for restricting that individual initiative.
• Communism. It is based on the common ownership of resources and means of production, and the equitable distribution of their benefits. It criticizes capitalism for being based on the exploitation of the working class for the benefit of a few individuals who accumulate goods, means of production and capital.

Characteristics of the Cold War

Among the main characteristics of the Cold War we can highlight:

• It was a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that broke out between 1945 and 1991, due to political competition between the two powers.
• Although the United States and the USSR did not engage in direct armed confrontation during the conflict, the world was divided into two large blocs (Western-capitalist and Eastern-communist) in which the powers imposed their influence.
• The USA and the USSR had nuclear weapons of mass destruction and the consequences of the risks of a direct confrontation were feared for more than four decades around the world.
• Among the main conflicts in the political sphere, the powers intervened in the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.
• In the economic sphere, competition between the powers led them to develop different production models, international economic organizations and, especially, an arms race and a space race.
• In the cultural sphere, both the United States and the Soviet Union sought to demonstrate that their political-economic systems were better at ensuring the well-being of their citizens, through propaganda, cinema and academic studies.

Origins of the Cold War

Tensions began with the post-war agreements of World War II.

The distancing of the Soviet Union and the Western powers (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) had begun in 1917 with the triumph of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

After the outbreak of World War II, the German invasion of Russian territories led to The Soviet Union allied itself with the Western powersThe Allies managed to defeat European fascism and Japanese expansionism, but their agreement began to weaken before the war ended.

With the signing of the treaties at the end of World War II, the victorious powers began to confront each other and competed for control of territories and influence over other countries. Thus, in 1947, the Cold War began, a long period of rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that determined international relations for almost half a century.

The two blocks of the Cold War

During the Cold War, the world’s countries were aligned around blocs. For geographical and ideological reasons, the United States’ sphere of influence was called the “Western bloc” and the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence was called the “Eastern bloc.” In their competition for control of resources, territories and political influence, each country designed different strategies to consolidate its power.

Formation of the Western Bloc

To prevent the growth of communism in the European countries devastated by World War II, The United States applied the “Marshall Plan”This economic plan aimed to provide technical and economic assistance for the rapid recovery of European economies, increased trade, urban reconstruction and improved quality of life for the population.

In 1949, fearing Soviet power, The Western powers founded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In the following years, the signatory powers created different organizations (European Coal and Steel Community, European Atomic Energy Community, European Economic Community, etc.) that politically and economically integrated the Western bloc.

Formation of the eastern block

After World War II, Stalin sought to maintain control in the territories he had obtained. and grow its influence in allied countries in the region.

During the first post-war years, Kominform (the Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers’ Parties) was created to direct the communist parties of the Eastern bloc according to the directives of the USSR, and Comecon (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) to promote the economic cooperation of these countries.

In addition, the Warsaw Pact was created, from which the signatory countries committed to supporting each other in case of war confrontations.

The arms and technology race during the Cold War

Yuri Gagarin (USSR) was the first man to cross the atmosphere and travel into space.

After the confrontations of World War I and World War II, the different powers of the world knew that Political and economic hegemony was based on the possession of weapons.

During the decades of the Cold War, both the United States and the USSR and the different powers involved invested millions of dollars and resources in the development of the war industry. This, in turn, increased Tensions between the powers and the fear of the outcome of a third world war.

Industrial competition between the USA and the USSR took place especially in three areas: the nuclear race, the military race and the space race.

Nuclear race

The United States had developed the nuclear bomb in 1945, and dropped two bombs on Japan (in Hiroshima and Nagasaki) at the end of World War II. Since then, the USSR allocated…