The Cold War
Introduction and ThesisFailure to obtain proper defenses meant total annihilation of the world. With instigators such as the Long Telegram, President Truman's initial dislike of Joseph Stalin, the USSR's expansion into Western Europe, and American fear of the Domino Theory, war between the USSR and the US seemed almost inevitable. During this tension-filled period beginning in the 1940s, once the USSR developed their own nuclear weapons after the Nuclear Arms Race, the leaders of both the United States and the USSR held their fingers over the button that could lead to mutually assured destruction. Tensions between the two territories increased due to the USSR's goal to expand communism outside of the USSR and the United State's goal of preventing this expansion at all costs. In this war, which began almost immediately after the Second World War, the political figures, such as John F. Kennedy of the United States, Margaret Thatcher of The United Kingdom, and Joseph Stalin of the USSR, used social, political, and economic changes to eventually end this war between democracy and communism.
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John F. KennedyThe man who changed the face of the presidency
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Joseph StalinThe Red Tsar
"The Man Of Steel" |
Margaret ThatcherThe Iron Lady
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Long term effects
The Cold War had many effects on society, both today and in the past. In Russia, military spending was cut dramatically. The effects of this were very large, seeing as the military-industrial sector had previously employed one of every five Soviet adults and its dismantling left hundreds of millions throughout the former Soviet Union unemployed.
After Russia embarked on capitalist economic reforms in the 1990s, it suffered a financial crisis and a recession more severe than the United States and Germany had experienced during the Great Depression. Russian living standards have worsened overall in the post–Cold War years, although the economy has resumed growth since 1999.
The legacy of the Cold War continues to influence world affairs. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post–Cold War world is widely considered as unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower. The Cold War defined the political role of the United States in the post–World War II world: by 1989 the United States held military alliances with 50 countries, and had 1.5 million troops posted abroad in 117 countries. The Cold War also institutionalized a global commitment to huge, permanent peacetimemilitary-industrial complexes and large-scale military funding of science.
Military expenditures by the US during the Cold War years were estimated to have been $8 trillion, while nearly 100,000 Americans lost their lives in the Korean War and Vietnam War.Although the loss of life among Soviet soldiers is difficult to estimate, as a share of their gross national product the financial cost for the Soviet Union was far higher than that of the United States.
In addition to the loss of life by uniformed soldiers, millions died in the superpowers' proxy wars around the globe, most notably in Southeast Asia. Most of the proxy wars and subsidies for local conflicts ended along with the Cold War; the incidence of interstate wars, ethnic wars, revolutionary wars, as well as refugee and displaced persons crises has declined sharply in the post–Cold War years.
The legacy of Cold War conflict, however, is not always easily erased, as many of the economic and social tensions that were exploited to fuel Cold War competition in parts of the Third World remain acute. The breakdown of state control in a number of areas formerly ruled by Communist governments has produced new civil and ethnic conflicts, particularly in the former Yugoslavia. In Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has ushered in an era of economic growth and a large increase in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state failure.
After Russia embarked on capitalist economic reforms in the 1990s, it suffered a financial crisis and a recession more severe than the United States and Germany had experienced during the Great Depression. Russian living standards have worsened overall in the post–Cold War years, although the economy has resumed growth since 1999.
The legacy of the Cold War continues to influence world affairs. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post–Cold War world is widely considered as unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower. The Cold War defined the political role of the United States in the post–World War II world: by 1989 the United States held military alliances with 50 countries, and had 1.5 million troops posted abroad in 117 countries. The Cold War also institutionalized a global commitment to huge, permanent peacetimemilitary-industrial complexes and large-scale military funding of science.
Military expenditures by the US during the Cold War years were estimated to have been $8 trillion, while nearly 100,000 Americans lost their lives in the Korean War and Vietnam War.Although the loss of life among Soviet soldiers is difficult to estimate, as a share of their gross national product the financial cost for the Soviet Union was far higher than that of the United States.
In addition to the loss of life by uniformed soldiers, millions died in the superpowers' proxy wars around the globe, most notably in Southeast Asia. Most of the proxy wars and subsidies for local conflicts ended along with the Cold War; the incidence of interstate wars, ethnic wars, revolutionary wars, as well as refugee and displaced persons crises has declined sharply in the post–Cold War years.
The legacy of Cold War conflict, however, is not always easily erased, as many of the economic and social tensions that were exploited to fuel Cold War competition in parts of the Third World remain acute. The breakdown of state control in a number of areas formerly ruled by Communist governments has produced new civil and ethnic conflicts, particularly in the former Yugoslavia. In Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has ushered in an era of economic growth and a large increase in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state failure.
Synthesis
Just like the Second Red Scare in the 1920s, fear of communism spread throughout the United States as well as other countries in the “free world”. This lead to the suspicion and attempted containment of communism. This called for a detente, an easing of hostility between the communist leaders and the leaders of countries such as America and Great Britain in order to continue to sustain peaceful relations for future generations of the nations.
Conclusion
Just like when the Puritans were discriminated by the church of England, Kennedy and Margaret Thatcher were against the communism that Joseph Stalin stood for and pushed for containment. The Cold War period includes many high and low points for the two superpowers and the world as a whole. Perhaps the greatest threat to all was the distinct possibility of nuclear annihilation. While that didn’t occur, it could have, and some of these turning points we’ve considered may have made the difference. The fact is that the jury is still out: some of the most well-informed scholars of our day disagree on the effects of various policies and decisions made by our Cold War presidents. What may be still more important, however, are the lessons we should be applying to our post-Cold War world. In what ways do our Cold War fears, our actions – or lack of action – inform present-day policies, from former President Bush right down to you as a citizen and United States voter?