 |
| The board game Twilight Struggle, depicting the Cold War |
At the conclusion of the World War 2 (with the surrender of the Germans in May 1945 and the surrender of the Japanese in September 1945), it became apparent that two super powers emerged from the ashes of the colonial European powers of Britain, France and the Netherlands.
Being mostly untouched (at the homefront) by the war, the United States (USA) easily became a world power, possessing the world's first nuclear weapon and the largest standing navy.
Having heavily industralised before and during the war, the Soviet Union (USSR) was a close second by having the largest army and finally possessing a nuclear weapon by 1946.
The two viewed each other with suspicion and set the course of tension for the late half of the 20th century. On the American side, this was pronounced in the Long Telegram, in which diplomat George Kennan felt that Soviet insecurities coupled with communist ideology of oppression meant that there was no chance of genuinely long-term cooperation with the Soviets.
Similarly, Soviet diplomat Nikolai Novikov drafted the Novikov Telegram, in which he felt that the Americans capitalistic tendencies went against any ideas of long term peace.
What came out of the Cold War?
While this Cold War did not turn 'hot' (there was no direct war between USA and USSR), there was proxy limited wars fought in their satellites. This included the Vietnam War, the Korean War and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
 |
| South Korean soldiers advance towards the frontlines of the Korean War |
Yet there were many advances in science and technology. For instance, the Soviets launched the first satellite in 1957 and the first man in space in 1961. The Americans would land a man on the moon in 1969.
It was also a period of time where both superpowers actively interfered with other nations to create friendly-aligned nations. This included Tibet (1950), Iraq (1958), Cuba (1960), Bolivia (1970), Uganda (1971), Argentina (1976), Pakistan (1977), Afghanistan (1978), Iran (1979), the Central African Republic (1979) and Turkey (1980).
It seemed that conflict was inevitable, but both powers agreed to a period of detent in the 1970s to deescalate.
Comments