What we know as the Cold War was a conflict between the United States and the former Soviet Union. Unlike other conflicts, this one was indirect and spanned the second half of the 20th century between 1947 and 1991. Today we are going to study in more depth what is the cold war: causes, development and endits characteristics, everything we need to know about this conflict, below.
around 1947after the Second World War, a new conflict arose which was called the Cold War, as we have said it was an indirect conflict, since there was never a direct confrontation.
The countries involved were United States and the former Soviet Uniona conflict that lasted 44 years, where both superpowers tried to extend their economic modelsideological and social through the so-called satellite countries.
A period of tensions and provocations that kept the two powers and therefore the rest of the planet in a precarious balance of power.
Causes of the Cold War
To understand this conflict we must go back to the Second World Warwhen the somewhat strange alliance called the Axis powers, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union, had a common enemy Hitler.
With the fall of this and after the two atomic bombs on Japan that caused the end of the war, this alliance ended. At the same speed that the alliance between the US and the USSR was ending, mistrust and differences grew between both countries.
The control
Truman, president of the USA, developed a policy in Europe with a clear purpose, andprevent the growth of communism in a dying, poor and hungry Europe. His policy was economic, an aid plan for the reconstruction of European countries, the Marshall Plan.
Via credit lines and generous donations, this plan would curb communist influence at the same time that it would generate economic growth, among the countries devastated by the war. With an unstable population, the economic plan would put aside the idea of new revolutions and improve the economic situation of the population.
With the birth of NATO, a military alliance was created between the European countries and the United States. In this alliance, the defense of any member country was ensured against an attack or intrusion by the Soviet Union.
communist ideology
Since the birth in 1945 of the ONU, an international body that could prevent new major conflicts. Designed to be a meeting place to debate, in a world with different opinions, ideologies and situations. It ended up being a space where both powers would face each othereach criticizing the policy of the rival, on many occasions expansionist, making continuous mutual denunciations.
With the division of berlin and the creation of the German Democratic Republic, the Soviet Union wanted to spread an ideological message around the world: the communism. Where all citizens were treated as equals, everyone had the right to studies, housing and food, everything belonged to everyone.
This ideology was on one side of the fence, on the other a whole city and a country to rebuild, full of misery and emotionally sunk. However, this continuing propaganda was based on a control at the collective level. A propaganda that did not like USA.
first great conflict
In 1948, what is considered to be the first great conflict occurred during the Cold War. When the members of the Allies decide use the frame as the currency to be used in Allied controlled areasthe Soviet Union cuts off the roads from its western side leading to Berlin.
This measure causes a blockade throughout the city of Berlin, in this way, the URS hoped to besiege the city and bring about its downfall. that’s when United States creates an airlift to supply his area while threatening the Soviet Union with going to war.
Although it did not go to that extreme, it is true that tension reached high levels.
The creation of the Wall
have the city of Berlin divided between the two great powersIt created a lot of tension. In 1949, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, this division also reached the capital, Berlin. The Iron Curtain it was a kind of imaginary line that separated the two zones ideologically in Europe.
In 1961, the USSR built a wall to prevent citizens from leaving the communist zone for the Federal Republic of Germany. this division would last until 1990when the same Berliners of Federal Germany began to tear down the wall, an act that was joined by the Berliners of the until then, German Democratic Republic.
the missiles
In the year 1962after installing a nuclear missile group in Turkish territory by the US, The sovietic Uniontaking advantage of their relations with Cuba, placed medium-range nuclear missiles on the same island. The threat to the US was direct, they pointed directly at America.
Following the threats, both governments launched a series of shows of force that led to the blockade of Cuba. tensions that prevented the world from breathing. In the end, faced with the risk of a possible nuclear war, both countries withdrew their missiles.
The suspicions
The Soviet Unionwitnessed how USA was buying atomic weapons, which alerted them, as they wondered, why would they need them, after the end of the Second World War. They feared an attack from the other country, to the point of suspecting that bases were being set up in Western Europeto be attacked by the United States.
These were the Main reasons for the Cold War, the unjustified suspicions and the way of life of some and others. Because of this, post-communist and anti-communist groups were created.
Historical context of the Cold War
Due to the situation that the United States and the Soviet Union were experiencing, they decided to transfer their enmity to other conflicts that no longer even went with them, former colonies and that were now independent. In this way, we find:
- The Korean warwhich at the end of the Second World War, was definitively separated and the States had to intervene, since North Koreawanted to force his entry into South Korea. The confrontation ends with the signing of the Panmunjon armistice, reestablishing its borders.
- Vietnam, He ended up settling in the Indochina region, in the capital Hanoi, a communist point. A democratic republic in the north and a French protectorate appeared, which did not recognize the independence of Vietnam. The Soviet Union supported the communist zone and the United States supported the French zone. In this way, the Vietnam War began, which ended with the victory of the Vietnamese, since the United States could not face all the people full of guerrilla groups. In 1975the two zones were unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- The Jewsdecided to go back to their old country Palestine, which was controlled by the UK. Even so, they returned the lands to them and decided that part would be dominated by the Arabs and another by the Jews. This caused them to clash, because they did not recognize the Jewish state and the confrontation took place.
- In Cuba, a nationalist revolutionary movement was organized in 1956. Fidel Castro, who was the leader of the troops, cut off the supply of raw materials for the United States and eliminated relations with them. Because of this, many of the Cubans did not agree with his form of government and USAgave them political asylum.
Consequences of the Cold War
Due to everything that was happening, the entire world was severely shaken and suffered the consequences. Some good, some not so much.
NATO
With the emergence of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), part of the world felt more secure. It was not a military alliance, but a defense one. Several countries contacted each other so that, in the event that the United States-Soviet Union issue got out of hand, they would agree to defend each other.
In this way, the United States and the countries of the alliance had a commitment to help in case of contingencies, mainly from the Soviet Union.
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- USA
- France
- Iceland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- United Kingdom
The Warsaw Pact
On the other hand, the Soviet Union also created its own defense team, designating it as a Treaty of Friendship, Collaboration and Mutual Assistance. It was a military collaboration, to counteract the force of NATO. He had several allies.
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- People’s Republic of Albania
- german democratic republic
- People’s Republic of Bulgaria
- Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia
- People’s Republic of Hungary
- People’s Republic of Poland
- Socialist Republic of Romania
block formation
Due to the very different ideas between USA and the Soviet Union, two large blocks were created. The Soviet Union, with red army supportcontrolled the communist parties and the United States, controlled the rest of the capitalist worldfrom the western hemisphere, without intervening in the Soviet territory.
The division between these two territories was so deep that they were called the “Iron Curtain”. In fact, it also resulted in the division of Berlin, with the construction of the Berlin Wall.
End of the Cold War
The USSRtried to maintain communist relations as much as he could, but he was a drag on so many countries that were suffering from the deep crisis. They needed a policy change, similar to the one in the United States. This restructuring was called perestroika.
Many allied countries began to break away from the former Soviet Union. In the end, it ended up disintegrating, so the Warsaw Pact disappeared with it.
Thanks to the end of the Cold War between USA and the Soviet Unioncommercial relations with the rest of the world began, so that knowledge, culture and diversity were further opened up.
The the fall of the Berlin Wallwas the starting gun at the beginning of international relations and the end of the cold war.
Bibliography:
- The war after the war. United States, the Soviet Union and the Cold War. Critique of Melvin P. Leffler
- The Cold War. A brief introduction. Robert J. McMahon Alliance
- Vega, Francis; Da Cal, Enrique U.; Duarte, Angel. The simulated peace. A history of the Cold War by Ángel Duarte, Enrique U. Da Cal and Francisco Veiga
- The CIA and the Cultural Cold War by Frances Stonor Saunders
- History of NATO: from the Cold War to the humanitarian interventionism of Fernando Hernández Holgado