Copied 6. “Cold War”. The early 1960’s were years of severe tensions. Some actions, such as that of the Soviet army in Hungary in 1956, were attempts to squelch a revolt by forces perceived as being hostile to the intervening power; others, such as the United States action in Korea, 1950-53, were efforts to defend an ally against attack. In 1920, the Soviet Union and West Germany, long bitter foes, signed a pact renouncing the use of force and accepting postwar German boundaries as permanent. In 1975, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 33 other countries signed the Helsinki Accords, in which they recognized all borders in Europe as inviolate and agreed to respect human rights. You can get your custom paper from Most of these countries wanted to remain neutral in the Cold War, but also wished to reduce the influence of the West on their affairs. The Cold War took many twists and turns during the time it went on for, but the ending took many mad twists on both sides. The Cold War period of 1985–1991 began with the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. North Vietnam became a Communist state. By the end of the 1940’s, the European continent had been split two mutually hostile blocs. 2, pp.119-121). Check if you have access via personal or institutional login. It was waged mainly on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and lasted until 1991. New Standard Britannica, vol. Leicester University, When and why did the cold war end?. In 1949, the Chinese Communists drove Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists from the mainland Taiwan. In the same month, the Soviet Union closed all road, rail, and canal links between Western Germany and West Berlin (located deep in the Soviet zone of Germany), in an effort to force the Western allies out of that city, (Under the Yalta agreement, the Western allies were to share administration of Berlin with the Russians). At the same time, the West sold arms to Israel. Attempts to weaken or displace unfriendly governments are part of the Cold War. A third point of view, often referred to as the moderate interpretation, holds that the Cold War had as its basis the opposing ideologies and the conflicting interests of East and West. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. However, relations between the United States and the USSR deteriorated in the late 1970s, especially after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. They believed that the Communists were determined to establish their system throughout the world. Gorbachev was placed under house arrest. Communists joined nationalists in French Indochina following World War II to drive out the French. Visual Fact finder. After taking control of the country in 1985, he set about reforming governmental policies. The Cold War eventually came to an end in 1989 as a result of Gorbachevs Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (reconstruction) policies; the Soviets declining communist economy, the costly arms race, and the freedom issues among Baltic Republics, Poland, and East Germany within the Soviet bloc itself. Did you see every Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War ending? D tente saw the two superpowers meet and discuss peacefully for the first time in years, especially after the hostility of the Cuban Missile Crisis. After a decade of growing rapprochement, the United States and China established diplomatic relations with one another in 1979 (see Hills, Ken. In the late 1950’s, a slight thaw seemed to occur when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claimed that his country’s goal was “peaceful coexistence”— a peaceful struggle for world leadership. Summary. According to the so-called orthodox historical interpretation, the basic cause of the Cold War was Communist expansion–the attempts (some successful, others not) by the Soviet Union and later China to take over other countries. Attwood, William. The tactics of the Cold War are, for the mot part, the traditional ones used by rival powers in trying to gain an advantage over their opponents during peacetime. For that we have to turn to January 20, 1981 in Washington DC. Later in 1954, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was organized to prevent further Communist expansion (see “Cold War”. The armed forces of the major antagonists, the Soviet Union and the United States, did not confront one another directly in battle during the Cold War period. With the rise to power of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985, however, the situation began to change dramatically. P. 26. 2, pp.119-121). Why did the Cold War start? He directed his top national security team to develop a plan to end the Cold War by winning it. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end. by final_fantasy on 11/Sep/2004. 3, pp.145-146). How come that from allies united towards a single aim, the defeat of Germany, two blocs emerged? Reviews of: "How and why did the Cold War End? In April, 1961, the United States gave support to an invasion attempt by anti-Communist Cuban exiles, but failed. your own paper. 5. Perceptive. For their part, American and other Western leaders assumed that the Soviet Union was determined to enhance its own power and to pursue expansionist policies by all expedient means in order to achieve a Soviet-led Communist world. 0 out of 0 people found this comment useful. Start studying Why did the Cold War end?. The two had long had incompatible ideologies and national interests, and their wartime alliance against Nazi Germany had begun to crumble even before the fighting ceased (see “Cold War”. Why Did the Cold War Arise, and Why Did It End. During the 1950’s, the Western European democracies were greatly strengthened economically as a result of joining together in the European Community, through which they coordinated their economic policies and lowered trade barriers among themselves. Two years later, the Soviet Union would be dissolved. However, the so-called Cuban Missile Crisis led to a new understanding between the two nations and, eventually, to improved relations. The United States and the End of the Cold War. Click the PDF symbol to download the resources. This situation brought expanded military aid from the United States. The United States and its Western European allies felt that their national interests and security were threatened by an expansion of Communism, and attempted to “contain it’—that is, prevent it from spreading—on all fronts. 3, pp.145-146, 2. The Soviet-occupied zone of Germany also came under Communist administration. These tactics involve, in addition to diplomatic maneuvering, the following: The United States aids its allies on the theory that nations militarily secure and economically prosperous will be stable— safe from external aggression and internal subversion. To western leaders, the totalitarian nature of Communism was a threat to the democratic values of the West. After UN forces had retaken lost ground, and occupied almost all of Korea, Communist Chinese forces invaded the peninsula. By the end of 1947, six nations— Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Albania, and Yugoslavia—were Communist-controlled. P. 26). im doing the cold war now in history and its kinda crap. In 1962, the Soviet Union attempted secretly to place guided missiles in Cuba. Despite having fought together as allies during World War II, the relationship between the United States and the USSR collapsed after the war. Gorbachev’s policy of reconciliation with the West, which led to self-determination for the satellite countries of Eastern Europe and the symbolic abandonment (1989) of the Berlin Wall, finally brought the cold war to an end. That same year, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb. In June, 1961, East Germany erected a wall separating West Berlin and East Berlin to prevent East Germans from escaping to the West. Uncertainty in American foreign policy following the Cold War. Communism was a … Essay, Use multiple resourses when assembling your essay, Get help form professional writers when not sure you can do it yourself, Use Plagiarism Checker to double check your essay, Do not copy and paste free to download essays. demise of the Berlin Wall cleared the way for the reunification of Germany. The United Nations—during a period when the Soviet Union was boycotting that organization—voted South Korea military support, the bulk of which came from the United States. 3, pp.145-146). 2, pp.119-121. In 1965, the fighting in Vietnam developed into full-scale war, involving large numbers of American troops. The dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is often viewed as the symbolic end of the Cold War. I thought I had in my first go-around, but there are technically three. Each side tries to persuade uncommitted countries that its way of life is superior and that the opposing system is deeply flawed. In 1975 the North Vietnamese conquered South Vietnam. Shareable Link. The leading capitalist nation, the United States, had long sought to extend its influence throughout the world by commercial, political, and cultural expansion. Retrieved from https://graduateway.com/when-and-why-did-the-cold-war-end-2/, This is just a sample. At the Yalta Conference of 1945, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had indicated that there would be free elections in Eastern Europe, but elections were not held. Those that did not become known as the “neutralist” or “third World” countries, and their support were courted by both sides (see “Cold War”. In 1969 Soviet- American cooperation led to agreement on a nuclear nonproliferation treaty (see Hills, Ken. Visual Fact finder. The Twilight Struggle. New Standard Britannica, vol. New Standard Britannica, vol. In some underdeveloped nations, guerilla wars called “wars of national liberation” have been launched by local nationalists with outside Communists support (see “Cold War”. In June, 1948, Yugoslavia was expelled from the Communist bloc for being too independent. Their book, Blanton suggested, sought to debunk what the authors saw as enduring American myths about the end of the Cold War: the myth that Reagan defeated communism through strength, and the myth of the Bush administration actively guiding the events of 1989. American reconnaissance aircraft detected their presence, and the United States demanded that missiles be removed. Legvold and others said the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War. Soon after, the European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan, was begun to promote Western Europe’s postwar economic recovery. The conflict was in effect stalemated in 1951, when armistice continued until; talks were begun, but fighting continued until armistice was signed in 1953. National fears and ambitions motivated both sides. Visual Fact finder. The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) I was signed and ratified in 1972, limiting the number of each nation’s ballistic missiles. The end of the Cold War The Communist government in Russia disintegrated due to economic pressures, the war in Afghanistan and revolt in Eastern Europe. Soviet leaders believed that communism would ultimately triumph in the world and that the Soviet Union was the vanguard Socialist/Communist state. There was distrust between the two nations even during World War II, and therefore, the cold war was a war of pro-Communists The origins of the Cold War and the motives of its antagonists are the subject of much controversy among historians. According to what is termed the revisionist interpretation, the Cold War was an inevitable result of the Western powers’ implacable hostility to Communism, which they viewed as a threat to the expansion of capitalism. Meanwhile, the United States withdrew from the Vietnamese War in 1973. That summer, a coup by conservative hardliners took place. “Cold War”. “Cold War”. There are three principal interpretations: 1. The Soviet Union gives military and some economic assistance to its satellite nations, but at the same tries to keep those countries dependent on it. In the West there has been talk in recent years of “a new cold war,” although that has currently been overtaken by concern with the nature of the Trump administration’s relationship with Moscow and its possible indebtedness to the Kremlin. 2002. Hungary Czechoslovakia Attempts to Control the arms race Economy seemed good before the 80s but stagnation occured in the 80s Husak resigned and Milos Jakes replaced him on Nov 17th 1989, demonstrators were violently put down A national strike was organized by Vaclev Havel and Cold-war tensions moderated despite the continuing Vietnamese War, a crisis in the Middle East (where pro-Western Israel was confronted by Communist-aided Arab states), and the Soviet Union’s 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia to remove an increasingly liberal government there. In 1955, an anti-Soviet defensive alliance popularly called the Baghdad Pact was organized with Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Great Britain as full members and the United States as an associate member. Many of the countries of the world eventually became allied or aligned with either the United States or the Soviet Union. China the most populous country in Asia had become Communist, allying itself with the Soviet Union. “Cold War”. Nuclear war between the two superpowers threatened before the Soviets agreed to remove them. In addition to secret agents, monitoring activities are conducted by high-altitude reconnaissance planes, offshore intelligence ships, and space satellites. Both of the United States of America and Soviet Union are responsible for the Cold War because these two nations joined together to start a Cold War. Nevertheless, there was very little use of weapons on battlefields during the Cold War.  The End of the Cold War - ( 1980 - 1991 A comprehensive set of sources and supporting activites to help students understand why the USSR collapsed. Two “superpowers,” the United States and the Soviet Union, emerged from World War II. Each side sought security and viewed the other as bent on aggression. In 1955, the Soviet Union began major efforts to win the support of African and Asian countries, some still British and French colonies, others newly independent. In Margaret Thatcher’s words, Ronald Reagan had ended the Cold War without firing a shot. Earlier in 1948, the Communists had taken over the government of Czechoslovakia (see Gaddis, John Lewis. In some countries, Communists have directly attempted to overthrow governments; in others, they have attempted to get control of political parties or labor unions and use these organizations to secure support and power. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. But these influences tended to enhance the ideological framework rather than weaken it. New Standard Britannica, vol. “The institutional basis for the Cold War, so far as it was focused … Get Your Custom Essay on, By clicking “Write my paper”, you agree to our, By clicking Send Me The Sample you agree on the, Factors Leading to the End of the Cold War, https://graduateway.com/when-and-why-did-the-cold-war-end-2/, Get your custom At the end of the World War II, parts of Europe were occupied by Soviet and Anglo-American (later, also to include French) forces. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created to protect Western Europe from military aggression. CENTO collapsed in 1979. However, both sides were at times drawn into—as supporters, suppliers, or participants— “brushfire” wars (fighting limited in scope or area) or more sizable conflicts (such as the Korean and Vietnamese wars). For Higher History, revise the reasons for the end of the Cold War. The fundamental underlying cause of the Cold War was the reinforcing belief in both the Soviet Union and the United States that confrontation was unavoidable, imposed by history. Communism was a monolithic, totalitarian, force bent on world domination. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 27, 2020 5:50:59 AM ET. Oxford University Press. The fundamental underlying cause of the Cold War was the reinforcing belief in both the Soviet Union and the United States that confrontation was unavoidable, imposed by history. On December 25, 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In Cambodia and Laos, regimes backed by the United States fell to Communist insurgent forces. When Iraq withdrew in 1959, the alliance was reorganized as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). The Cold War ended when Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This revival of Cold War continued in the early years of the Reagan administration, fueled by Soviet support for the Sandinista government of Nicaragua and by America’s declared intention to develop an antinuclear Strategic Defense Initiative. In Central and Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has ushered in an era of economic growth and an increase in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state failure. Cuba, located only 90 miles from the United States mainland, became a Communist state under its revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. The United States and the End of the Cold War. P. 26). To further the policy of “containment,” a number of anti-Communist alliances were formed in various parts of the world. Military potential also plays an important role in the Cold war. Each side thought that it was compelled by the very existence of the other side to engage in a zero-sum competition, and each saw the unfolding history of the Cold War as confirming its views. This was the day this man got elected. 3. Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. The Twilight Struggle. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. The Soviets’ actions were primarily the result of their fears of the West. By the 1970’s, the phrase “Cold War” (coined by Bernard Barruch in 1947) generally had fallen into disuse, but the East-West rivalry continued, as did the conditions that caused it. Visual Fact finder. Spies are employed to obtain facts about military, political, and economic development in rival countries. Both blocs also try to win the support of nonaligned nations by providing them with economic and military aid. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. The Soviet Union began to send aid to Cuba to counter an American imposed economic boycott of the island. “Cold War”. thanks. The Soviet Union portrays itself as a peace-loving nation and the United States and its allies as warmongering imperialist powers. Until then, the United Stated had been the only nation that possessed practical nuclear weapons. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. What resulted from this taste of freedom was the revolution that ended the Cold War. By the mid-1960’s, disagreement between the Soviet Union and China over the goals of Communism had turned into a bitter dispute that split the Communist bloc. A nation prepared to fight and capable of fighting effectively is considered less likely to be attacked than one that is weak. Neo-realism failed to predict the end of the Cold War because it focused on 'high economies' and ignored economic and social reasons which were key in why the Cold War ended. Relations between the Soviet Union and the West worsened after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the imposition of martial law in Poland in 1981. 2, pp.119-121). Learn about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the roles of Gorbachev and Reagan. Continued Soviet violations of the human rights provisions, however, remained source of strained relations with the West (see Attwood, William. 2, pp.119-121). The role of the West was primarily defensive; virtually every step initiated by the West (such as the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was made in response to an aggressive move by Communists. In 1983, the United States ended Communist influence in the Caribbean country of Grenada by direct military action, an invasion by soldiers and Marines. Oxford University Press. Gaddis, John Lewis. "You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy", Don't use plagiarized sources. To be sure, other motivations, interests, and objectives played a part, including national aims, institutional interests, and personal psychological considerations. The United States and the Soviet Union were able to achieve some progress in nuclear arms limitation during the decade. The Soviet Union renewed its demand that the Western allies withdraw from West Berlin. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, Vol. Communist leaders, on the other hand, held that Western nations were controlled by imperialistic capitalists resolve to crush Communism by any means. this essay sums it up well and helps shorten it to points that are easy to learn! Gorbachev was a revolutionary leader for the USSR, as he was the first to promote liberalization of the political landscape and the economy; prior to this, the USSR had been strictly prohibiting liberal reform and maintained a command economy. A number of geopolitical factors that emerged in the wake of the Second World War, pitting Russia against the U.S. World War II ended with the Soviet Union and United States as allies that triumphed over Nazi Germany. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, Vol. Learn more. P. 26). Cold War is a term denoting the period between 1945, when the US and UK governments decided that the hostility of the USSR to ‘the west’ was the fundamental factor in international affairs, and 1991, when the end of the USSR signified the victory of the US and its allies. 4. (2016, Sep 22). New Standard Britannica, vol. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy, The input space is limited by 250 symbols. The Soviet Union scored a propaganda and technological success in 1957 when it orbited the first man-made satellite, Sputnik. Cold War tensions began to moderate in the 1960’s, and a “thaw” was said to be setting in. Cold war was the struggle for power and influence that began at the end of World War II between the Communist nations led by the Soviet Union (the East) and the Western allies headed by the United States (the West). British Imperial Strategy and the Origins of the Cold War. Both nations also promoted Communism throughout the world. In popular culture In Southeast Asia in the early 1960’s, guerrilla activity by Communists increased markedly in Laos and South Vietnam. Winston Churchill, alarmed by Soviet expansionism, warned in a 1946 speech, “From Stettin… To Trieste… an iron curtain has descended across the European continent.” Neither the United States nor its allies, however, were ready to go to war over Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Boris Yeltsin, the leader of the Russian Soviet Republic, demanded the arrest of the hardliners. The Berlin Wall was suddenly undefended, in a single delirious moment that promised to end the Cold War division of Europe. The alliance between the two states had been an alliance of convenience. Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this book to your organisation's collection. Soviet leaders believed that communism would ultimately triumph in the world and that the Soviet Union was the vanguard Socialist/Communist state. After years of fighting, the French were decisively defeated in 1954. But the West was not wrong in believing that Soviet leaders were committed to a historically driven struggle between two worlds until, ultimately, theirs would triumph. Soviet leaders believed that communism would ultimately triumph in the world and that the Soviet Union was the vanguard Socialist/Communist state. Hills, Ken. opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. The USSR, despite facing … Also without him, the rapid disintegration of the Soviet Union itself would not have occurred. The Cold War ended when the U.S.S.R collapsed and that didn’t happen all of a sudden. Several major steps were taken in the 1970’s to promote East- West détente (relaxation of tensions). However, in as much as the liberalization was desirable, it did not seem to be a sufficient condition to end the Cold War. According to the so-called orthodox historical interpretation, the basic cause of the Cold War was Communist expansion–the attempts (some successful, others not) by the Soviet Union and later China to take over other countries. The Soviet Union, in violation of agreements made with the Western powers, continued its occupation of Eastern Europe in the postwar period. At war’s end, Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam were created. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, Vol. 3, pp.145-146). The fundamental underlying cause of the Cold War was the reinforcing belief in both the Soviet Union and the United States that confrontation was unavoidable, imposed by history. Western unity was shaken in 1966, when France withdrew from NATO’s military command. China, which became Communist power in 1949, sought dominance in eastern Asia. At the United Nations, the growing group African and Asian nations (the “Afro-Asian bloc”) often supported Soviet resolutions and voted against the West. The Soviet Union, however, received general condemnation for crushing an uprising in Hungary in 1956 (see Kent, John. Leicester University Press, 1999). The Cold War was the geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle between two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, that started in 1947 at the end of the Second World War and lasted until the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991. After the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency in 1980, the United States built up its military and economic aid to nations and groups fighting Communism. Following the end of the World War II, the major Communist and anti-Communist nations began a vast buildup of armaments—the arms race. In 1963, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union signed a treaty banning all nuclear tests except those underground. These were considered part of the large worldwide struggle between Communist and non-Communist powers (see “Cold War”. New York: Harper & Row, 2001. At the end of the WWII, the United States of America, Britain and the Soviet Union had been fighting together since the 8 th of December 1941. New York: Harper & Row, 2001). In 1950, troops from Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. Early in 1947, President Harry S. Truman announced the Truman Doctrine—the United States would help non-Communist peoples preserve their independence. All the major nations involved in the Cold War have used military force at one time or another to maintain or advance their interests. The Soviet Union gave aid to the Chinese and North Koreans. Another scholar, Zubok (2007) purports that: “Without Gorbachev…the end of the Cold War would not have come so quickly.

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