COLD WAR OVERVIEW

A cold war was a conflict between two super powers which there is no any large military action.  It describes the relationship between the US and the USSR after WW2. The causes of the cold war were different beliefs and ideologies.

The SU was a communist country. It was ruled by brutal dictatorship. But the US is a democratic country. The USSR strengthened its control over the states of the Eastern Bloc, but the US began a strategy of global containment. The US also helped to the countries of Western Europe with the expending military and financial aid, also in creating the NATO alliance.

The major crisis of the Cold war was the Berlin Blockade. After the WW2, Germany was divided into the Soviet-occupied, communist East and the Ally-occupied, democratic West. The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, canal access. The aim of blockade was to starve West Berlin of food and fuel until the USSR would take over the entire city.

Another cause of Cold war was Truman Plan, which America would help to Greece and Turkey against communist countries. In general, American fear of communist attack, Truman’s dislike of Stalin, USSR’s fear of the American’s atomic bomb, America’s reject to share nuclear secrets, USSR’s aim of spreading world communism were the general causes. Americans’ fear of communist attack was fed by the news media and politicians who portrayed the Soviets as bent on world domination. In communist nations, people were not allowed to own land, they couldn’t follow their religious beliefs, or speak and act freely. Americans were afraid that the Soviets would take away their freedoms. In the SU was vice versa. They were afraid of democratic domination in the world and losing its strength.

Conclusion

In result, both the US and the SU built up huge arsenals of atomic weapons. There was the economic weakness in the SU. Military spending badly affected Russia. After the economic reforms in the 1990s, she suffered from financial crisis and a recession more than the US and Germany had experienced during the Great Depression. The Cold War had an important influence on almost all aspects of American society. America became the sole superpower of the world and the collapse of Communism was the most important consequence.

Shahana Dostaliyeva

The 2nd year student of the Department of International Relations, Qafqaz University

See also:

1. Cyril E. Black, Rebirth: A Political History of Europe Science II (p 59-103)

2. www.historylearningsite.co.uk [ 14 Feb 2015 ]

3. http://www.essential-humanities.net/history-supplementary/cold-war/#berlin [ 14 Feb 2015 ]

4.http://www.tn4me.org/sapage.cfm/sa_id/135/era_id/8/major_id/10/minor_id/23 [ 14 Feb 2015 ]

5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_the_Cold_War  [ 24 Dec 2014 ]