The Cold War is the historical period from 1946 to 1991, which was marked by the confrontation between two major superpowers - the USSR and the USA, which took shape after the end of World War II in 1945. The rivalry between the two strongest states of the planet at that time gradually acquired a fierce character of confrontation in all spheres - economic, social, political and ideological. Both states created military-political associations (NATO and the Warsaw Pact), accelerated the creation of nuclear and conventional weapons, and also constantly took covert or overt participation in almost all local military conflicts on the planet.
Main causes of confrontation
- The desire of the United States to secure world leadership and create a world based on American values, taking advantage of the temporary weakness of potential opponents (European states, like the USSR, lay in ruins after the war, and other countries at that time could not even close compete with the strengthened overseas "empire" )
- Different ideological programs of the USA and the USSR (Capitalism and Socialism). The authority of the Soviet Union after the defeat of Nazi Germany was unusually high. Including in the states of Western Europe. Fearing the spread of communist ideology and mass support for it, the United States began to actively oppose the USSR.
The position of the parties at the beginning of the conflict
The United States initially had a colossal economic head start over its eastern adversary, thanks to which, in many respects, they got the opportunity to become a superpower. The USSR defeated the strongest European army, but paid for it with millions of lives and thousands of destroyed cities and villages. No one knew how long it would take to restore the economy destroyed by the fascist invasion. The territory of the United States, unlike the USSR, did not suffer at all, and the losses against the background of the losses of the Soviet army looked insignificant, since it was the Soviet Union that took the strongest blow from the fascist core of all of Europe, fighting alone against Germany and its allies from 1941 to 1944.
The United States, on the other hand, participated in the war in the European theater of operations for less than a year - from June 1944 to May 1945. After the war, the United States became a creditor to the Western European states, effectively formalizing their economic dependence on America. The Yankees proposed the Marshall Plan to Western Europe, an economic aid program that 16 states had signed by 1948. For 4 years, the United States had to transfer 17 billion to Europe. dollars.
Less than a year after the victory over fascism, the British and Americans began to look anxiously at the East and look for some kind of threat there. Already in the spring of 1946, Winston Churchill delivers his famous Fullton speech, which is usually associated with the beginning of the Cold War. Active anti-communist rhetoric begins in the West. By the end of the 1940s, all communists were removed from the governments of Western European states. This was one of the conditions under which the United States provided financial assistance to European countries.
The USSR was not included in the financial aid program for obvious reasons - it was already seen as an enemy. The countries of Eastern Europe, which were under the control of the communists, fearing the growth of US influence and economic dependence, also did not accept the Marshall Plan. Thus, the USSR and its allies were forced to restore the destroyed economy solely on their own, and this was done much faster than expected in the West. The USSR not only quickly restored infrastructure, industry and destroyed cities, but also quickly eliminated the US nuclear monopoly by creating nuclear weapons, thereby depriving the Americans of the opportunity to strike with impunity.
Creation of military-political blocs of NATO and the Warsaw Pact
In the spring of 1949, the United States initiated the creation of a NATO military bloc (Organization of the North Atlantic Alliance), motivating this by the need to "fight the Soviet threat." The union initially included the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, as well as the USA and Canada. American military bases began to appear in Europe, the size of the armed forces of European armies increased, and the number of military equipment and combat aircraft increased.
The USSR reacted in 1955 with the creation of the Warsaw Treaty Organization (OVD), in the same way creating the unified armed forces of the Eastern European states, as they did in the West. The ATS included Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia. In response to the buildup of military forces by the Western military bloc, the strengthening of the armies of the socialist states also began.
Symbols of NATO and the Warsaw Pact
Local military conflicts
Two military-political blocs launched a large-scale confrontation with each other all over the planet. A direct military clash was feared on both sides, since its outcome was unpredictable. However, there was a constant struggle in various parts of the globe for spheres of influence and control over non-aligned countries. Here are just a few of the most striking examples of military conflicts in which the USSR and the USA indirectly or directly participated.
1. Korean War (1950-1953)
After World War II, Korea was divided into two states - in the South, pro-American forces were in power, and in the north, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was formed, in which the Communists were in power. In 1950, a war broke out between the two Koreas - “socialist” and “capitalist”, in which, of course, the USSR supported North Korea, and the USA supported South Korea. Soviet pilots and military specialists, as well as detachments of Chinese "volunteers", unofficially fought on the side of the DPRK. The United States provided direct military assistance to South Korea, intervening openly in the conflict, which ended with the signing of a peace and the maintenance of the status quo in 1953.
2. Vietnam War (1957-1975)
In fact, the scenario of the beginning of the confrontation was the same - Vietnam after 1954 was divided into two parts. In North Vietnam, the Communists were in power, and in South Vietnam, political forces oriented towards the United States. Each side sought to unify Vietnam. Since 1965, the United States has provided open military assistance to the South Vietnamese regime. Regular American troops, along with the army of South Vietnam, participated in hostilities against North Vietnamese troops. Covert assistance to North Vietnam with weapons, equipment and military specialists was provided by the USSR and China. The war ended with the victory of the North Vietnamese communists in 1975.
3. Arab-Israeli wars
In a series of wars in the Middle East between the Arab states and Israel, the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc supported the Arabs, while the US and NATO supported the Israelis. Soviet military specialists trained the troops of the Arab states, which were armed with tanks and aircraft that came from the USSR, and the soldiers of the Arab armies used Soviet equipment and equipment. The Israelis used American military equipment and followed the instructions of US advisers.
4. Afghan war (1979-1989)
The USSR sent troops to Afghanistan in 1979 to support a political regime that was oriented toward Moscow. Large formations of the Afghan Mujahideen fought against the Soviet troops and the government army of Afghanistan, who enjoyed the support of the United States and NATO, and accordingly armed themselves with them. Soviet troops left Afghanistan in 1989, the war continued after their departure.
All of the above is only a small part of the military conflicts in which the superpowers participated, covertly or almost overtly fighting each other in local wars.
1 - American soldiers in position during the Korean War
2-Soviet tank in the service of the Syrian army
3-American helicopter in the sky over Vietnam
4-Column of Soviet troops in Afghanistan
Why did the USSR and the USA never enter into a direct military conflict?
As mentioned above, the outcome of the military conflict between the two large military blocs was completely unpredictable, but the main deterrent was the presence of nuclear missile weapons in huge quantities both in the United States and in the Soviet Union. Over the years of confrontation, the parties have accumulated such a number of nuclear charges that would be enough to repeatedly destroy all life on Earth.
Thus, a direct military conflict between the USSR and the USA would inevitably mean an exchange of nuclear missile strikes, during which there would be no winners - everyone would be losers, and the very possibility of life on the planet would be called into question. Nobody wanted such an outcome, so the parties avoided an open military clash with each other in every possible way, but nevertheless periodically tried each other's strength in local conflicts, helping any state covertly or directly participating in hostilities.
So, with the beginning of the nuclear age, local conflicts and information wars have become almost the only ways to expand their influence and control over other states. This situation persists to this day. The possibilities of the collapse and liquidation of such major geopolitical players as modern China and Russia lie only in the sphere of attempts to undermine the state from within by means of information wars, the purpose of which is a coup d'etat with subsequent destructive actions of puppet governments. There are constant attempts on the part of the West to find the weaknesses of Russia and other uncontrolled states, to provoke ethnic, religious, political conflicts, etc.
End of the Cold War
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. There was only one superpower left on planet Earth - the United States, which tried to rebuild the whole world on the basis of American liberal values. Within the framework of globalization, an attempt is being made to impose on all mankind a certain universal model of social structure along the lines of the United States and Western Europe. However, this has not yet been possible. There is active resistance in all parts of the globe against the imposition of American values, which are unacceptable to many peoples. The story goes on, the struggle continues ... Think about the future and the past, try to understand and comprehend the world around you, develop and do not stand still. Passive waiting and burning through life is essentially a regression in your development. As the Russian philosopher V. Belinsky said - who does not go forward, he goes back, there is no standing position ...
Best regards, mind-point administration
After graduation World War II, which became the largest and most violent conflict in the history of mankind, a confrontation arose between the countries of the communist camp on the one hand and the Western capitalist countries on the other, between the two superpowers of that time, the USSR and the USA. The Cold War can be briefly described as a rivalry for dominance in the new post-war world.
The main cause of the Cold War was the insoluble ideological contradictions between the two models of society, socialist and capitalist. The West feared the strengthening of the USSR. The absence of a common enemy among the victorious countries, as well as the ambitions of political leaders, played their role.
Historians distinguish the following stages of the Cold War:
March 5, 1946 - 1953 The beginning of the Cold War was marked by Churchill's speech, delivered in the spring of 1946 in Fulton, in which the idea of creating an alliance of Anglo-Saxon countries to fight communism was proposed. The goal of the United States was an economic victory over the USSR, as well as the achievement of military superiority. In fact, the Cold War began earlier, but it was precisely by the spring of 1946, due to the USSR's refusal to withdraw troops from Iran, that the situation seriously escalated.
1953 - 1962 During this period of the Cold War, the world was on the brink of nuclear conflict. Despite some improvement in relations between the Soviet Union and the United States during the "thaw" Khrushchev, it was at this stage that the anti-communist uprising in Hungary, the events in the GDR and, earlier, in Poland, as well as the Suez crisis took place. International tension increased after the development and successful testing of the USSR in 1957 of an intercontinental ballistic missile. But, the threat of nuclear war receded, as the Soviet Union now had the opportunity to retaliate against US cities. This period of relations between the superpowers ended with the Berlin and Caribbean crises of 1961 and 1962, respectively. It was possible to resolve the Caribbean crisis only during personal negotiations between the heads of state Khrushchev and Kennedy. Also, as a result of the negotiations, a number of agreements on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons were signed.
1962 - 1979 The period was marked by an arms race that undermined the economies of rival countries. The development and production of new types of weapons required incredible resources. Despite the presence of tension in relations between the USSR and the USA, agreements on the limitation of strategic weapons are signed. A joint space program "Soyuz-Apollo" is being developed. However, by the beginning of the 80s, the USSR began to lose in the arms race.
1979 - 1987 Relations between the USSR and the USA are again aggravated after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. In 1983 the United States deployed ballistic missiles at bases in Italy, Denmark, England, the FRG, and Belgium. An anti-space defense system is being developed. The USSR reacts to the actions of the West by withdrawing from the Geneva talks. During this period, the missile attack warning system is in constant combat readiness.
1987 - 1991 M. Gorbachev's coming to power in the USSR in 1985 entailed not only global changes within the country, but also radical changes in foreign policy, called "new political thinking". Ill-conceived reforms finally undermined the economy of the Soviet Union, which led to the country's virtual defeat in the Cold War.
The end of the Cold War was caused by the weakness of the Soviet economy, its inability to support the arms race any longer, as well as the pro-Soviet communist regimes. Anti-war speeches in various parts of the world also played a certain role. The results of the Cold War were depressing for the USSR. The reunification of Germany in 1990 became a symbol of the West's victory.
As a result, after the USSR was defeated in the Cold War, a unipolar model of the world was formed with the US as the dominant superpower. However, there are other consequences of the Cold War. This is the rapid development of science and technology, primarily military. So, the Internet was originally created as a communication system for the American army.
After the end of World War II, the victorious powers were unable to establish relations with each other. The main contradictions were between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both states began to form military blocs (alliances), which in the event of war would come out on their side. The confrontation between the USSR and the USA, as well as their allies, was called the Cold War. Despite the fact that there were no hostilities, both states were in a state of almost continuous confrontation (hostility) from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, constantly increasing their military potential.
The beginning of the Cold War is usually counted from 1946, when the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous speech in the American city of Fulton, in which the Soviet Union was called the main enemy of the Western countries. An "iron curtain" fell between the USSR and the Western world. In 1949, the military North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) was created. The NATO bloc included the USA, Great Britain, France, West Germany, Canada, Italy and other Western countries. In 1955, the Soviet Union founded the Warsaw Pact organization. In addition to the USSR, Eastern European countries that were part of the socialist camp joined it.
One of the symbols of the Cold War was a Germany split in two. The border between the two camps (western and socialist) ran right through the city of Berlin, and not symbolic, but real - in 1961 the city was divided into two parts by the Berlin Wall.
Several times during the Cold War, the USSR and the United States were on the brink of war. The most critical moment in this confrontation was the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). The Soviet Union deployed its missiles on the island of Cuba, the United States' nearest southern neighbor. In response, the United States began preparations for an invasion of Cuba, where Soviet military bases and advisers were already located.
Only personal negotiations between US President John F. Kennedy and USSR leader N.S. Khrushchev averted disaster. The presence of atomic weapons in the United States and the Soviet Union kept the governments of these countries from starting a real "hot" war. In the 1970s, the process of détente began. The USSR and the US signed very important nuclear non-proliferation treaties, but tensions between the two countries persisted.
The arms race consumed the vast resources of both blocs. By the early 1980s, the Soviet Union began to lose heavily in the competition between the two systems. The socialist camp lagged more and more behind the advanced capitalist countries of the West. The Soviet Union was forced to start large-scale reforms - perestroika, which led to radical changes in international politics. The Soviet Union and the United States entered into agreements to limit the arms race and establish new partnerships. The Cold War began to fade into the past. The socialist camp collapsed.
In most of the Warsaw Pact countries, forces came to power that considered the Western world to be their ally. The reunification of Germany in 1990 marked the end of the Cold War.
cold war
cold war- this is a military, political, ideological and economic confrontation between the USSR and the USA and their supporters. It was the result of contradictions between two state systems: capitalist and socialist.
The Cold War was accompanied by an intensification of the arms race, the presence of nuclear weapons, which could lead to a third world war.
The term was first used by the writer George Orwell October 19, 1945 in You and the Atomic Bomb
Period:
1946-1989
Causes of the Cold War
Political
An insoluble ideological contradiction between the two systems, models of society.
Fear of the West and the United States of strengthening the role of the USSR.
Economic
The struggle for resources and markets for products
Weakening the economic and military power of the enemy
Ideological
Total, irreconcilable struggle of two ideologies
The desire to fence the population of their countries with the way of life in enemy countries
Objectives of the parties
To consolidate the spheres of influence achieved during the Second World War.
Put the enemy in unfavorable political, economic and ideological conditions
The goal of the USSR: the complete and final victory of socialism on a world scale
US goal: containment of socialism, opposition to the revolutionary movement, in the future - "throw socialism into the dustbin of history." The USSR was seen as "evil empire"
Conclusion: neither side was right, each aspired to world domination.
The forces of the parties were not equal. The USSR bore all the hardships of the war on its shoulders, and the United States received huge profits from it. It was not until the mid-1970s that parity.
Cold War Means:
Arms race
Block confrontation
Destabilization of the military and economic situation of the enemy
psychological warfare
Ideological confrontation
Intervention in domestic politics
Active intelligence activity
Collection of compromising materials on political leaders, etc.
Major periods and events
March 5, 1946- W. Churchill's speech in Fulton(USA) - the beginning of the Cold War, in which the idea of creating an alliance to fight communism was proclaimed. The speech of the Prime Minister of Great Britain in the presence of the new American President Truman G. had two goals:
Prepare the Western public for the subsequent rupture between the victorious countries.
Literally eradicate from the consciousness of people the feeling of gratitude to the USSR, which appeared after the victory over fascism.
The United States set a goal: to achieve economic and military superiority over the USSR
1947 – The Truman Doctrine". Its essence: containment of the spread of the expansion of the USSR by creating regional military blocs dependent on the United States.
1947 - Marshall Plan - a program to help Europe after World War II
1948-1953 - Soviet-Yugoslav conflict over the ways of building socialism in Yugoslavia.
Split the world into two camps: supporters of the USSR and supporters of the USA.
1949 - the split of Germany into the capitalist FRG, the capital is Bonn and the Soviet GDR, the capital is Berlin. (Before that, two zones were called Bizonia)
1949 - creation NATO(North Atlantic military-political alliance)
1949 - creation CMEA(Council for Mutual Economic Assistance)
1949 - successful atomic bomb test in the USSR.
1950 -1953 – war in korea. The United States participated directly in it, while the USSR veiled it by sending military specialists to Korea.
US target: to prevent Soviet influence in the Far East. Outcome: the division of the country into the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the capital of Pyongyang), established close contacts with the USSR, + into the South Korean state (Seoul) - the zone of American influence.
2nd period: 1955-1962 (cooling in relations between countries , growing contradictions in the world socialist system)
During this period, the world stood on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.
Anti-communist speeches in Hungary, Poland, events in the GDR, the Suez Crisis
1955 - creation ATS- Organizations of the Warsaw Pact.
1955 - Geneva Conference of Heads of Government of the Victorious Countries.
1957 - development and successful testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the USSR, which increased tension in the world.
October 4, 1957 - opened space age. Launch of the first artificial earth satellite in the USSR.
1959 - the victory of the revolution in Cuba (Fidel Castro). Cuba became one of the most reliable partners of the USSR.
1961 - aggravation of relations with China.
1962 – Caribbean crisis. Settled by Khrushchev N.S. and D. Kennedy
The signing of a number of agreements on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.
The arms race, which significantly weakened the economies of countries.
1962 - complication of relations with Albania
1963 - USSR, UK and USA signed first nuclear test ban treaty in three spheres: atmosphere, space and under water.
1968 - complication of relations with Czechoslovakia ("Prague Spring").
Dissatisfaction with Soviet policy in Hungary, Poland, the GDR.
1964-1973- US war in Vietnam. The USSR provided military and material assistance to Vietnam.
3rd period: 1970-1984- tension strip
1970s - the USSR made a number of attempts to strengthen " detente" international tension, arms reduction.
A number of strategic arms limitation agreements have been signed. So in 1970, an agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany (V. Brand) and the USSR (Brezhnev L.I.), according to which the parties pledged to resolve all their disputes exclusively by peaceful means.
May 1972 - arrival in Moscow of US President Richard Nixon. Treaty signed on limiting missile defense systems (PRO) and OSV-1- Interim Agreement on Certain Measures in the Sphere of Strategic Offensive Arms Limitation.
Convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling bacteriological(biological) and toxic weapons and their destruction.
1975- high point of détente, signed in August in Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and Declaration of Principles on Relations between states. Signed by 33 states, including the USSR, USA, Canada.
Sovereign equality, respect
Non-use of force and threats of force
Inviolability of borders
Territorial integrity
Non-intervention in internal affairs
Peaceful settlement of disputes
Respect for human rights and freedoms
Equality, the right of peoples to control their own destiny
Cooperation between states
Fulfillment in good faith of obligations under international law
1975 - Soyuz-Apollo joint space program
1979- Treaty on the Limitation of Offensive Arms - OSV-2(Brezhnev L.I. and Carter D.)
What are these principles?
4 period: 1979-1987 - complication of the international situation
The USSR became a truly great power that had to be reckoned with. The détente was mutually beneficial.
The aggravation of relations with the United States in connection with the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979 (the war lasted from December 1979 to February 1989). The goal of the USSR- to protect the borders in Central Asia against the penetration of Islamic fundamentalism. Eventually- The US has not ratified SALT-2.
Since 1981, the new President Reagan R. has launched programs SOI– Strategic defense initiatives.
1983- USA host ballistic missiles in Italy, England, Germany, Belgium, Denmark.
Anti-space defense systems are being developed.
The USSR withdraws from the Geneva talks.
5 period: 1985-1991 - the final stage, mitigation of tension.
Having come to power in 1985, Gorbachev M.S. pursues a policy "new political thinking".
Negotiations: 1985 - in Geneva, 1986 - in Reykjavik, 1987 - in Washington. Recognition of the existing world order, expansion of economic ties between countries, despite different ideologies.
December 1989 - Gorbachev M.S. and Bush at the summit on the island of Malta announced about the end of the Cold War. Its end was caused by the economic weakness of the USSR, its inability to support the arms race anymore. In addition, pro-Soviet regimes were established in the countries of Eastern Europe, the USSR lost support in their person as well.
1990 - German reunification. It became a kind of victory for the West in the Cold War. The fall berlin wall(existed from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989)
December 25, 1991 - President D. Bush announced the end of the Cold War and congratulated his compatriots on the victory in it.
Results
The formation of a unipolar world, in which the United States, a superpower, began to occupy a leading position.
The United States and its allies defeated the socialist camp.
Beginning of Westernization of Russia
The collapse of the Soviet economy, the fall of its authority in the international market
Emigration to the West of citizens of Russia, the way of his life seemed too attractive to them.
The collapse of the USSR and the beginning of the formation of a new Russia.
Terms
Parity- the primacy of the side in something.
Confrontation- confrontation, clash of two social systems (people, groups, etc.).
Ratification- giving the document legal force, accepting it.
Westernization- borrowing a Western European or American way of life.
Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
The Cold War, whose years are conventionally limited to the period that began a year after the victory of the countries of the anti-fascist coalition and continued until the events of 1991, which resulted in the fall of the Soviet system, was a confrontation between the two political blocs that dominated the world arena. Not being a war in the international legal sense of this term, it was expressed in the confrontation between the ideologies of the socialist and capitalist models of government.
The beginning of the confrontation between the two world systems
The prologue of the Cold War was the establishment by the Soviet Union of control over the countries of Eastern Europe, liberated from fascist occupation, as well as the creation of a pro-Soviet puppet government in Poland, while its legitimate leaders were in London. Such a policy of the USSR, aimed at establishing control over the largest possible territories, was perceived by the US and British governments as a threat to international security.
The confrontation between the main world powers was especially acute in 1945 during the Yalta Conference, at which, in fact, the issue of the post-war division of the world into spheres of influence was decided. A vivid illustration of the depth of the conflict was the development by the command of the armed forces of Great Britain of a plan in case of a war with the USSR, which they launched in April of the same year by order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Another significant reason for the aggravation of contradictions between yesterday's allies was the post-war division of Germany. In its eastern part, controlled by Soviet troops, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created, the government of which was completely controlled by Moscow. In the western territories liberated by the Allied forces - the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). A sharp confrontation immediately began between these states, which caused the closure of borders and the establishment of a long period of mutual hostility.
The anti-Soviet position of the governments of Western countries was largely dictated by the policy pursued by the USSR in the postwar years. The Cold War was the result of the aggravation of international relations caused by a number of Stalin's actions, one of which was his refusal to withdraw Soviet troops from Iran and tough territorial claims against Turkey.
Historical speech by W. Churchill
The beginning of the Cold War (the year 1946), according to most historians, was indicated by the speech of the head of the British government in Fulton (USA), where on March 5 he expressed the idea of the need to create a military alliance of the Anglo-Saxon countries aimed at fighting world communism.
In his speech, Churchill called on the world community not to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s and, united, to put up a barrier on the path of totalitarianism, which had become the fundamental principle of Soviet policy. In turn, Stalin, in an interview with the Pravda newspaper on March 12 of the same year, accused the British Prime Minister of calling for war between the West and the Soviet Union, and likened him to Hitler.
Truman Doctrine
The new impetus that the Cold War received in the post-war years was the statement of the American President Harry Truman, made by him on March 12, 1947. In his address to the US Congress, he pointed out the need to provide all-round assistance to peoples who are fighting against attempts to enslave them by an armed minority within the country, and opposing external pressure. In addition, he described the rivalry between the USA and the USSR as a conflict of totalitarianism and democracy.
Based on his speech, the American government developed a program that later became known as the Truman Doctrine, which guided all subsequent US presidents during the Cold War. It determined the main mechanisms for deterring the Soviet Union in its attempts to spread its influence in the world.
Taking as a basis the revision of the system of international relations that had taken shape during the reign of Roosevelt, the creators of the doctrine advocated the establishment of a unipolar political and economic system in the world, in which the United States would be the leader. Among the most active supporters of the transition to a new form of international relations, in which the Soviet Union was seen as a potential adversary, were such prominent American political figures of those years as Dean Acheson, Allen Dulles, Loy Henderson, George Kennan and a number of others.
Marshall Plan
At the same time, US Secretary of State George C. Marshall put forward a program of economic assistance to European countries affected by World War II. One of the main conditions for helping to restore the economy, modernize industry, and eliminate trade restrictions was the refusal of states to include communists in their governments.
The government of the Soviet Union, having put pressure on the countries of Eastern Europe controlled by it, forced them to refuse to participate in this project, which was called the Marshall Plan. His goal was to maintain his influence and establish a communist regime in the controlled states.
Thus, Stalin and his political entourage deprived many Eastern European countries of the opportunity to quickly overcome the consequences of the war and went on to further aggravate the conflict. This principle of action became fundamental for the government of the USSR during the Cold War.
"Long telegram"
To a large extent, the aggravation of relations between the USSR and the USA was facilitated by an analysis of the possible prospects for their cooperation, given in 1946 by the American ambassador George F. Kennan in a telegram sent to the country's president. In his lengthy message, called the Long Telegram, the ambassador pointed out that, in his opinion, partnership in resolving international issues should not be expected from the leadership of the USSR, which recognizes only force.
In addition, he emphasized that Stalin and his political environment are full of expansive aspirations and do not believe in the possibility of peaceful coexistence with America. As necessary measures, he proposed a number of actions aimed at containing the USSR within the framework of its sphere of influence that existed at that time.
Transport blockade of West Berlin
Another important stage of the Cold War was the events of 1948 that unfolded around the capital of Germany. The fact is that the US government, in violation of earlier agreements, included West Berlin in the scope of the Marshall Plan. In response to this, the Soviet leadership began its transport blockade, blocking the roads and railways of the Western allies.
The result was a trumped-up accusation against the Soviet Consul General in New York, Yakov Lomakin, of alleged excesses of diplomatic powers and the declaration of persona non grata. As an adequate response, the Soviet government closes its consulates in San Francisco and New York.
Cold War arms race
The bipolarity of the world during the years of the Cold War became the reason for the ever-increasing arms race from year to year, since both opposing sides did not exclude the possibility of a final solution to the conflict by military means. At the initial stage, the United States had an advantage in this regard, since already in the second half of the 1940s, nuclear weapons appeared in their arsenal.
Its first use in 1945, which resulted in the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, showed the world the monstrous power of this weapon. Then it became obvious that henceforth it was it that could give its owner superiority in resolving any international disputes. In this regard, the United States began to actively increase its reserves.
The USSR did not lag behind them, during the years of the Cold War it also relied on military force and conducted scientific research in this area. After the end of World War II, the intelligence officers of both powers were tasked with detecting and removing all documentation related to nuclear development from the territory of defeated Germany.
Soviet nuclear specialists had to be especially in a hurry, because, according to intelligence, in the post-war years, the American command developed a secret plan, code-named "Dropshot", which provided for a nuclear strike on the USSR. There is evidence that some of its options were submitted to President Truman for consideration.
A complete surprise for the American government was the successful test of a nuclear bomb, carried out in 1949 by Soviet specialists at the Semipalatinsk test site. Overseas could not believe that their main ideological opponents in such a short time could become the owners of atomic weapons and thereby establish a balance of power, depriving them of their former advantage.
However, the reality of the fait accompli was beyond doubt. Much later it became known that this success was achieved largely due to the actions of Soviet intelligence operating at the American secret training ground in Los Alamos (New Mexico).
Caribbean crisis
The Cold War, the years of which were not only a period of ideological confrontation, but also a time of armed confrontation in a number of regions of the globe, reached its highest point of exacerbation in 1961. The conflict that broke out that year went down in history as the Caribbean Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of World War III.
Its premise was the deployment by the Americans of their nuclear missiles in Turkey. This gave them the opportunity, if necessary, to strike anywhere in the western part of the USSR, including Moscow. Since in those years the missiles launched from the territory of the Soviet Union could not yet reach the coast of America, the Soviet government responded by placing them in Cuba, which had overthrown the pro-American puppet regime of Batista shortly before. From this position, even Washington could be hit with a nuclear strike.
Thus, the balance of power was restored, but the American government, not wanting to put up with this, began to prepare an armed invasion of Cuba, where Soviet military facilities were located. As a result, a critical situation has developed, in which, if they implemented this plan, a retaliatory nuclear strike would inevitably follow and, as a result, the beginning of a global catastrophe, to which the bipolarity of the world steadily led during the years of the Cold War.
Since such a scenario did not suit either side, the governments of both powers were interested in a compromise solution. Fortunately, at a certain stage, common sense prevailed, and literally on the eve of the American invasion of Cuba, N. S. Khrushchev agreed to comply with Washington's demands, provided that they did not attack the Island of Freedom and remove nuclear weapons from Turkey. This was the end of the conflict, but the world during the years of the Cold War was more than once placed on the brink of a new clash.
Ideological and information war
The years of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA were marked not only by their rivalry in the field of weapons, but also by a sharp information and ideological struggle. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall Radio Liberty, memorable to the older generation, created in America and broadcasting its programs to the countries of the socialist bloc. Its officially declared goal was the fight against communism and Bolshevism. It does not stop its work even today, despite the fact that the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The years of confrontation between the two world systems are characterized by the fact that any major event that took place in the world was inevitably given an ideological coloring. For example, Soviet propaganda presented the first space flight of Yuri Gagarin as evidence of the triumph of the Marxist-Leninist ideology and the victory of the society created on its basis.
Foreign policy of the USSR during the Cold War
As mentioned above, in the field of foreign policy, the actions of the Soviet leadership were aimed at creating states in Eastern Europe organized according to the principle of Stalinist socialism. In this regard, by supporting the people's democratic movements that were emerging everywhere, the government of the USSR made efforts to place pro-Soviet-oriented leaders at the head of these states and thereby keep them under its control.
Such a policy served to create a so-called security sphere near the western borders of the USSR, legally fixed by a number of bilateral agreements with Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Albania, Romania and Czechoslovakia. The result of these agreements was the creation in 1955 of a military bloc called the Warsaw Pact Organization (OVD).
Its establishment was a response to America's creation in 1949 of the North Atlantic Military Alliance (NATO), which included the United States, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Subsequently, several more military blocs were created by Western countries, the most famous of which are SEATO, CENTO and ANZUS.
Thus, a military confrontation was outlined, the cause of which was the foreign policy during the years of the Cold War, pursued by the most powerful and influential world powers - the USA and the USSR.
Afterword
After the fall of the communist regime in the USSR and its final collapse, the Cold War ended, the years of which are usually determined by the interval from 1946 to 1991. Despite the fact that tensions between East and West persist to this day, the world has ceased to be bipolar. Gone is the tendency to view any international event in terms of its ideological context. And although hotbeds of tension periodically arise in certain areas of the world, they do not put humanity as close to unleashing the Third World War as it was during the Caribbean crisis of 1961.
