Reasons and Consequences of Cold War

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Reasons and Consequences of Cold War

Gulnur Zhanibekkyzy

International Ataturk Alatoo University

Department of International Relations (2nd year)

E-mail: gulnur.zhanibekkyzy@iaau.edu.kg

Introduction

My research paper is devoted to Cold War. I chose this topic because I always have been interested in relationship between USSR and USA. I wondered why these superpowers, who were allies during World War II, suddenly became enemies after the end of the war. What were the main reasons of the beginning Cold War? And eventually, what were the consequences of Cold War? My goal in this paper is to describe international relations in the second half of XX century.

To achieve this goal I have organized my paper into three main sections. In the first section I give short information about the history of Cold War. The reasons and Cold War aims are described in the second section. In the last, third section, I discuss the consequences of Cold War.

History of the Cold War

After the end of World War II relations between USSR and US sharply deteriorated. Opposite ideological views of these superpowers was the reason for the beginning of Cold War. Cold War lasted 45 years. The conflict lasted without using military forces, but it does not mean that it was less rigid. Strengthening of the Soviet Union had raised fears of USA and England. Cold War began in 1946, right after World War II. We can consider as the beginning of Cold war Churchill's speech, where he openly acted against USSR. Cold War accompanied by increased arms race and militarization. The real war was barely averted. It is scary to imagine what would have happened if the superpowers have moved into a real attack. Mikhail Gorbachev from1985 pursued a policy of establishing trusting relations with Western countries. The end of Cold war put Soviet Union collapse.

Reasons of Cold War

One of the earliest events in the origin of Cold War arose from the anti-communism remarks of Winston Churchill. On March 5, 1946, in a famous speech characteristic of the political climate of the time, he said: “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an “Iron Curtain” has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.” What some historians call anti-communism, others analyze as fear. (“How did the Cold War start and end” 1). In 1946-1947, the Soviet Union increased pressure on Greece and Turkey. There was a civil war in Greece, and the Soviet Union demanded from Turkey territory for the military base in the Mediterranean. In these circumstances, Truman declared his readiness to carry out “containment” of USA to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” Journalists quickly dubbed this statement the “Truman Doctrine”. (Bureau of International Information Programs U.S. Department of State 2011 261) The rivalry of the USSR and US inevitably led to an arms build-up by both countries. USA was the first had atomic weapons. USSR also was focused on creating atomic weapons; USSR had any weapons which had USA. The presence of a bomb at the Soviet Union deterred US from the use of atomic weapons in Korea, although such a possibility was discussed by a senior US military. Both superpowers explained having of weapons as an act of keeping peace. (Alexander Shubin 5-6) But is it really true? In 1960, while preparing for the start of rocket an expansion occurred. Dozens of people were killed, including the commander of the missile troops of the USSR marshal Nedelin. When people die as a result, it cannot be considered as an act of keeping peace. In 1960, relations between the USSR and the United States deteriorated again. The Americans took a flight over the Soviet Union spy plane U-2. He flew at altitudes inaccessible for fighters, but was shot down by a missile. A scandal broke out. Khrushchev was waiting for an apology from Eisenhower at the upcoming Summit. Not having received them, Khrushchev abruptly canceled a meeting with the president. Generally Khrushchev behaved in the presence of Western leaders increasingly irritated and willfully. He pounded a shoe on the table at a meeting of the UN General Assembly, spoke frightening phrases like: "We will bury you." (11-12)All this created the impression of unpredictability of Soviet policy. The parties did not want to acknowledge each other, considering themselves above. Kennedy refused to make concessions to the Soviet Union and East Germany that led to the Berlin crisis. Khrushchev did not dare to military confrontation. The authorities of the German Democratic Republic in August 1961 surrounded West Berlin by a wall. The wall became a symbol of the division of Europe and Germany into two hostile parts, a symbol of the "cold war." In the Berlin crisis, neither side had obvious advantages, but the conflict has not led to substantial losses. Both sides were preparing for a new trial of strength. Subsequently there were also conclusions of treaties then back resumption of war. Both countries were in great danger. Discrepancies in views were the main cause of the beginning of Cold War. Media also played an important role here by creating hatred among people. In the US there was flourishing of own political cartoons, directed against the Soviet Union. In these caricatures Soviet Union always been presented as an aggressive state that is ready at any time to use weapons to suppress freedom and democracy. The dominant motive was whipping up fear of "communist barbarians". As for the achievements of the Soviet media in this regard, there are two main areas. The first of these reports was reduced to the consciousness of the Soviet people to the fact that the USSR is a fighter for peace in the world, but it has a powerful military machine and is able to repel any possible attack capitalist countries, including attack using nuclear weapons. The second is to create an image of the treacherous imperialist West; all actions are aimed at suppressing the aspirations of the different countries of the world for freedom and true democracy, to extract economic benefits from the exploitation of the developing countries to establish military control over those or other regions of the planet and the outbreak of war. In order to transmit an effective message, it is very important to know your audience's profile. In the case of Cold War propaganda, media that were more appealing to children were highly employed in order to convey American ideologies: comic books, schools and textbooks were notably used. (“The history of media use for propaganda purposes”) Thus, political leaders used media in their benefit to assure simple people in their righteous ideologies. "Cold War" has led to the fact that in both "camps" turned repression against dissidents and people in favor of cooperation and rapprochement between the two systems. In the USSR and Eastern Europe were arrested, and often shot people on the charge of "cosmopolitanism" (lack of patriotism, cooperation with the West), Worship of the West" and "Titoism" (connections with Tito). In the United States began "witch hunt" in which "expose" secret Communists and "agents" of the USSR. American "witch-hunt", as opposed to Stalin's repressions, has not led to mass terror. But it also had own victims. (Joyce Oh 2)

Consequences of Cold War

In March 1985 to power in the Soviet Union came a new General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1985-1986, he proclaimed a policy of broad reforms known as “perestroika”. It provides for the improvement of relations with the capitalist countries on the basis of equality and openness ("new thinking"). The restructuring led to a rapid increase in public activity. By this time the world was in full swing to end the "cold war." Despite the fact that US pressure has weakened, the financial position of the Soviet Union began to deteriorate for reasons not directly related to the "cold war." Incomes of the Soviet Union depended on oil prices, which began to fall in 1986. The Chernobyl disaster has severely undermining the financial balance of the USSR. In December 1989 off the coast of Malta, Gorbachev and the new US President George W. Bush failed to discuss the situation of the actual termination of the "cold war."(“The end of cold war”) The danger of the outbreak of war was ceased. But the economy of the country was significantly undermined. Republicans 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. Others pointed out that no one really won the Cold War. The United States spent trillions of dollars arming themselves for a direct confrontation with the Soviet Union that fortunately never came. Regardless, thousands of American lives were lost waging proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam. The following were the consequences of the Cold War: 1) collapse of the USSR and geopolitical potential destruction of the Soviet Union as a great power; 2) the destruction of the world socialist system, its military and political (the Warsaw Pact) and economic (CMEA) organizations; 3) deep fragmentation of Central Eurasian space and the formation of the USSR independent states with a total geopolitical potential, much inferior to the respective potential of the USSR; 4) the formation of a united Germany and the emergence in Europe of new states.(“Consequences of the end of Cold War” )

While reading and analyzing the history, reasons and consequences of Cold War I came to conclusion that until now it is reflecting in relations between Russia and United States. History was created in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, but as we can see now the countries did not get the lesson from it. Russia-US relations are still tense. The events occurred in 2014 and occurring now are the confirmation of this.

Reference

cold war international relations

1. How did the Cold War started and ended (2013) retrieved from http://www.todayifoundout.com/

2. Bureau of International Information Programs U.S. Department of State. Outline of US history, 2011 Print

3. Alexander. S. Cold War retrieved from http://files.school-collection.edu.ru/

4. The history of media use for propaganda purposes retrieved from https://manspropaganda.wordpress.com/the-cold-war/

5. Joyce Oh. Senator Joseph McCarthy, Mccarthyism, and the witch hunt retrieved from http://www.coldwar.org/articles

6. The end of Cold War, US history retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp

7. Consequences of the end of Cold War retrieved from http://observer.materik.ru/RAU_book/NATO/GL-3_1.HTM

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