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Introduction
The Cold War, which began after the Second World War, has for many years attracted the deepest interest of many historians, scientists and just ordinary history buffs. The information open for thought makes us think about many questions: who started this war and why, what were the goals, and in general, was it worth it? This is relevance this topic. Over the years, the debate about the Cold War has not subsided, but only flared up with renewed vigor.
While working on this research project, the following was determined: target- consider local conflicts that occurred between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War.
Tasks This work can highlight the following:
Consequences of the largest local conflicts for Soviet Union and USA
Determine if the Cold War is truly over
I Beginning of the Cold War
Fulton speech.
After the end of the Second World War, a confrontation arose on earth between two “superpowers”, the USSR and the USA. As everyone knows, the Soviet Union promoted communist ideology and propagated it to all neighboring countries. The United States crowned democracy, and naturally did not want power in most countries to be in the hands of communists. An important point should be noted that occurred a year after the end of the Great Patriotic War.
Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946, ex-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave a very aggressive and anti-communist speech.
He spoke as a private person, as a result of which this gave him a certain expansion in words and expressions.
One of the reasons Churchill wrote this speech was Iranian oil, or rather the question of its division. After all, back in 1944, the Soviet Union demanded that oil fields in the North of Iran should only be in the hands of the USSR, and if the USA or England attempted to develop oil fields near the border of the Soviet Union, then the second will consider this a threat to state security and will take measures to neutralize this threat.
The expression “Iron Curtain” was first uttered by Winston Churchill at the same Fulton speech. These words mean a certain separation of the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist system from the capitalist countries of the West. The most interesting thing is that this 1 phrase was uttered even before Churchill, namely by the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau in 1919, and German politician Joseph Goebbels in 1945. They used the expression “Iron Curtain” in a propaganda manner. And this phrase appeared when the Russian philosopher Vasily Rozanov compared the October Revolution to a theatrical performance, after which the curtain was solemnly lowered, although it was a heavy iron one, which fell in memory of Russian history. As a result, this concept began to disappear at the end of the 1980s, due to the policy of transparency and openness.
It is worth remembering one interesting moment after which Joseph Stalin called Winston Churchill a Nazi. This was done due to the fact that at this “conference” Churchill too often used these phrases in his speech: “Empire”, “British Commonwealth”, “English-speaking peoples” and the adjective “related”. Stalin believed that Churchill adhered to the views of Adolf Hitler, that is, those nations that speak English language, as the only true and complete ones, must prevail over other nations of the world.
The Fulton speech did not cause any surprise to the Soviet Union, since Soviet intelligence worked well enough, and the very next day the complete translated speech was placed on the table of Stalin and Molotov. Two days later, the Izvestia newspaper published an article about “Churchill, who rattles his sabers.” On the same day, Radio Moscow reported “Churchill’s extremely aggressive speech.” Later, on March 10, an interview with Joseph Stalin was published in the Pravda newspaper.
The end of Fulton's speech was concluded with Churchill's phrase: “I hope that I have initiated reflections that will influence the course of history.” Well, naturally that’s what happened.
First provocations
Six months after the Fulton speech, serious provocations began directed towards the Soviet Union. Namely, after the USA and Great Britain learned about the “meager” position of the USSR.
They moved on to fight the Soviet Union, adding that the United States had atomic weapons. 2
In the same month, September, Special Assistant to the President of the United States C. Clifford, by order Harry Truman and held a meeting with senior US government leaders, and on its basis, on September 24, presented a report entitled: “American Policy towards the Soviet Union,” 3 which said: “We must point out to the Soviet government that we have sufficient power not only to repel attack, but also to quickly crush the USSR in war,” “To keep our power at a level that is effective in containing the Soviet Union, the United States must be prepared to wage atomic and bacteriological warfare.” In mid-1948, the US Committee of Chiefs of Staff prepared the Chariotir plan, 4 which provided for the use of 133 atomic bombs against 70 Soviet cities in the first 30 days of the war. 8 bombs were supposed to be dropped on Moscow, and 7 on Leningrad. It was planned to drop another 200 atomic bombs and 250 thousand tons of conventional bombs on the Soviet Union in the next two years of the war.
Threats of an atomic attack against the USSR, voiced in the US Congress and the British House of Commons, as well as on the pages of the press of Western countries, were supported by hostile actions in the international arena.
In 1947, the United States government unilaterally terminated the 1945 Soviet-American Agreement on the supply of American goods on credit.
In March 1948, export licenses were introduced in the United States, prohibiting the import of most goods into the USSR. Soviet-American trade virtually ceased. But anti-Soviet propaganda began to expand. K. Clifford's report dated September 24, 1946 emphasized: “On the widest scale that the Soviet government will tolerate, we must deliver books, magazines, newspapers and films to the country, and conduct radio broadcasts to the USSR.” This is how the Cold War program set out by Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946 began to be implemented.
II Local conflicts
Division of Germany, emergence of military blocs
In 1949, a military alliance of a number of Western countries—NATO 5 (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)—was created. Which included 12 countries: USA, Canada, Iceland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Portugal. In response to this, 6 years later, in 1955, Warsaw 6 (Warsaw Pact Organization) was created. Which included 8 countries: USSR, SRR ( Socialist Republic Romania), NRB ( People's Republic Bulgaria), Poland (Polish People's Republic), East Germany, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovak Socialist Republic), Hungary (Hungarian People's Republic), NSRA (People's Socialist Republic of Albania).
Also in 1949, Germany split into two independent republics. 7 FRG (Federal Republic of Germany), which was under Western control. And the GDR (German Democratic Republic), which was under the control of the Soviet Union.
To “secede” these republics, on the territory of the GDR on August 13, 1961, the “Berlin Wall” was erected, which had a height of 3.6 meters and was around West Berlin.
Civil War in China.
In 1946-1949, the Chinese Civil War took place 8. We can confidently say that the reason was the struggle between the two systems. After the end of World War II, China, like Germany, was divided into two parts. The Northeast was in the hands of the People's Liberation Army (communist), and the rest belonged to Kuomintang party leader Chiang Kai-shek (anti-communist).
At the beginning there were seemingly peaceful elections, but after a certain period of time they failed and the war for the reunification of China began. In the end, the winner was the People's Liberation Army; naturally, the victory was not without the support of the Soviet Union.
Korean War.
In 1950-1953, the war broke out in Korea for reunification 9. Korea was divided into two camps, under the control of the USSR and the USA. North Korea (USSR) and South Korea (USA). The camp rulers were supported by the authorities of the Soviet Union and the United States. Kim Il Sung was supported in the north, and Syngman Rhee in the south.
It was a very brutal war, which led to nothing except the deaths of a huge number of people. As a result, the borders of North and South Korea practically did not move.
Berlin crisis.
The most difficult years of the Cold War were rightfully the first years of the 60s. 10 It was at that time that the world was already on the brink of nuclear war.
In 1961, the General Secretary of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev demanded that American President John Kennedy to change the status of West Berlin on a large scale, since the Soviet Union was alarmed by the activity of Western intelligence services, as well as the “brain drain” (immigration of talented individuals and scientists) to other countries, in particular to the West. The nuclear apocalypse did not happen, but as I wrote above, the “Berlin Wall” was built, which is the main symbol of the Cold War.
Caribbean crisis.
The most intense conflict occurred in 1962 Cold war crisis in Cuba 11. It all started when the United States placed its missiles in Turkey, one might say right “under the nose” of the Soviet Union. Naturally, Moscow did not really like this trick. Something had to be done. By this time, a revolution had begun in Cuba led by Fidel Castro. In response to a request from the leaders of the Cuban revolution, the USSR agreed to the deployment of medium-range nuclear missiles on Liberty Island.
As a result, any city in the United States can be wiped out in 3-4 seconds. The United States did not like such a “neighbor”, and even this “neighborhood” almost brought everything to the “red button”, but even then everything worked out and the parties decided to make do with peace. As a result, the Soviet Union refrained from deploying nuclear missiles, and the United States promised not to interfere in Cuba's affairs. The United States also removed its missiles from Turkey.
Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War 12 began in 1964. The point was again to unite the country. Vietnam was divided into North and South. Northern was supported by the USSR, China, and Warsaw countries. Accordingly, the South was supported by the United States and NATO countries.
The Vietnamese fought guerrilla battles on the territory of South Vietnam, and the Americans responded by burning them with napalm. But this did not help the Americans very much, since they suffered heavy losses. During the war years, the Americans lost 58 thousand people killed in the jungle, 2300 missing and over 150 thousand wounded.
As a result, the United States withdrew its troops from Vietnam, and the war ended in victory Northern Vietnam, which united Vietnam under the rule of the CPV (Communist Party of Vietnam).
"Discharge"
The Cold War did not always proceed aggressively. At times, aggression was replaced by “detente.” 13 During such periods, the Soviet Union and the United States concluded the most important treaties on the limitation of strategic nuclear weapons and ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense).
In 1975, the “Helsinki Meeting” 14 was held in which 33 European countries participated, including NATO and Warsaw countries. The following issues were raised at the Meeting: ensuring security in Europe; cooperation in the fields of economics, science, technology and the environment; cooperation in humanitarian and other fields; further steps after the Meeting.
As a result of this “Helsinki Meeting,” 10 principles were identified that should determine the rules and norms of relations between the states that participated in the Meeting.
Principles:
1) Sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty;
2) Non-use of force or threat of force;
3) Inviolability of borders;
4) Territorial integrity of states;
5) Peaceful settlement of disputes;
6) Non-interference in internal affairs;
7) Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief;
8) Equality and the right of peoples to control their own destinies;
9) Conscientious fulfillment of obligations under international law;
10) Cooperation between states.
In 1975, on July 15, with the launch of the Soyuz-19 spacecraft in the USSR and Apollo in the USA, the first joint space flight representatives of different countries. The Soyuz-Apollo program was created. The main goals of which were:
1) Testing of elements of a compatible in-orbit rendezvous system;
2) Testing of the active-passive docking unit;
3) Checking technology and equipment to ensure the transition of astronauts from ship to ship;
4) Accumulation of experience in conducting joint flights of spacecraft of the USSR and the USA.
Afghanistan and new rounds of tension
In 1979, the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan. Despite the fact that at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, Leonid Brezhnev said: “The question was raised about the direct participation of our troops in the conflict that arose in Afghanistan. I think that...it’s not right for us to get drawn into this war now. We must explain...to our Afghan comrades that we can help them with everything they need...The participation of our troops in Afghanistan can harm not only us, but, above all, them.” 15
Due to the introduction of troops, the United States imposed a set of political and economic sanctions against the USSR in 1980-1982, and the installation of more American missiles in European countries began. 16
After the death of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov became the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Under him, the Soviet Union and the United States stopped any negotiations altogether.
Samantha Smith
In 1982, Samantha Smith 17, an American schoolgirl from Maine, at the height of the Cold War, wrote a letter Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU Yuri Andropov. Due to the fact that in the American magazine “Time”, Samantha saw an article that Yuri Andropov is a dangerous person, and that under his leadership the Soviet Union is very dangerous and poses a huge threat to the United States. In the letter, she wrote that she was very afraid that a nuclear war would start, and asked Andropov if he was going to start a war.
At the beginning of 1983, part of Samantha’s letter was published in the Pravda newspaper, and on April 26, she received a letter from Yuri Andropov.
In which it was written that the Soviet Union does not want war, because the citizens of the USSR want peace for themselves and for all the peoples of the planet. At the end of the letter there was an invitation to the Artek pioneer camp for Samantha and her family.
Samantha and her parents left for the USSR on July 7, 1983. As a goodwill ambassador, she visited Moscow, Leningrad, and Crimea. She saw the Kremlin, visited Lenin's mausoleum, laid flowers at the burial place of Yuri Gagarin and at the grave Unknown Soldier. I saw Peterhof and the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers.
The media of the USSR, the USA and the whole world followed her every step, every phrase. Samantha was annoyed by such attention from journalists, but she understood that this was their job, and did not particularly complain. Before flying home on July 22, Samantha smiled at the television cameras and shouted in Russian with a smile: “We will live!”
III Perestroika. End of the Cold War
Mid-1980s 18. Many socialist countries are on the verge of a crisis. Assistance from the USSR came in less and less every year.
People's needs grew, there was a great desire to go to the West, where they discovered many new things. People's consciousness was changing, they wanted change, life in a more open and new society. The technical condition of the Soviet Union from Western countries was increasingly improving.
The General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, understood this, and he tried, through “perestroika,” to revive the economy, give the people more “freedom,” and move on to a “new life.”
The Communist parties of the Socialist camp tried to change and, so to speak, “modernize” the ideology and move to a new economic policy.
Berlin Wall, which was rightfully a symbol of the Cold War, collapsed and Germany was reunified.
The Soviet Union withdrew troops from Afghanistan and Europe.
In 1991, the WTO (Warsaw Pact Organization) was dissolved.
The USSR, which did not survive economic crisis, also collapsed, forming the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).
Conclusion
An indisputable fact - the Cold War played a role key role in the events of the 20th century. The consequences of the largest local conflicts for the Soviet Union and the United States are as follows: the Soviet Union collapsed, the only superpower left on earth was the United States, which established a unipolar model of the world, allowing the United States to use the necessary resources for its own benefit 19 . True, after some time it became clear that during the confrontation between the two superpowers and the subsequent celebration of the victory of the United States, a potential new superpower, China, appeared in the world.
In addition, after the Cold War, the funds that were spent on the arms race began to be used in Everyday life, some funds went into investments.
Poor countries have become puppets of more progressive countries, and so on.
The West believes that the Cold War is over and ended with the victory of the West, because the Soviet Union collapsed, CMEA and Warsaw no longer exist. The West behaves like a winner, wondering why it should take Russia into account.
Our country really wanted to become part of the West, but it became clear that we are not the West, we are different. There is still confrontation between the two superpowers, it’s just different. I would like to believe that, remembering the lessons of the 40s, 50s and 90s, the leaders of countries will not make mistakes and will not lead to a critical point again.
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11 Feklisov A.S. Caribbean nuclear missile crisis / Kennedy and Soviet agents. - M.: Eksmo: Algorithm, 2001. - 304 p. Cc. 234-263.
12 Davidson F. The Vietnam War (1946-1975). - M.: Isographus, Eksmo, 2002. - P. 465-466.
13 Poirier, Lucien. Deterrence and the medium-sized powers. // Military Review. —November 1972.
14 Chernov Ya. F.. Helsinki meeting. Chronos.
15 Greshnov A. B. “Afghanistan: hostages of time.” — M.: Partnership scientific publications KMK, 2006.
16 Secrets of the Afghan War. - M.: Planeta, 1991. - 272 p.
17 Letter to Yu. V. Andropov from American schoolgirl Samantha Smith. November 1982 // RGANI. F. 82. Op. 1. D. 61. L. 8. - Original.
18 Kryuchkov V. A. Personality and power. - M.: Education, 2004, p. 167.
19 J. Arnold, J. Burt, W. Dudley. Flame of the Cold War: Victories that never happened = Cold War Hot: Alternative Decisions of the Cold War / ed. Peter Tsouros (English)Russian, trans. Yu.Yablokova. - M.: AST, Lux, 2004. - 480 s.
Ufa State Aviation Technical University
Department of History of the Fatherland and Cultural Studies
Test
in history
"Cold War": causes, essence, consequences
Completed:
Gaisin A.N.
FIRT student
Group PIE-210z
Introduction
1.The beginning of the Cold War
Causes of the Cold War
1 Korean War
2 Construction of the Berlin Wall
3 Cuban Missile Crisis
4 Vietnam War
5 Afghan War
4. Consequences
Conclusion
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
The unity of the victorious countries could not be strong. The USSR, on the one hand, and the USA, Great Britain and France, on the other, represented different social systems. Stalin sought to expand the territory led by the communist parties. The Soviet Union sought to gain access to resources that were previously controlled by capitalist countries. The United States and its allies sought to maintain their dominance in Asia, Africa and Latin America. All this brought humanity to the brink of the third world war. The confrontation between the USSR and the USA, which unfolded in the mid-40s-80s of the twentieth century and was called the “Cold War,” never resulted in a “hot” war, although it constantly led to conflicts in certain regions. The Cold War caused a split in the world into two camps, gravitating towards the USSR and the USA. The term "Cold War" was coined by Churchill during his speech in Fulton (USA) on March 5, 1946. No longer the leader of his country, Churchill remained one of the most influential politicians in the world. In his speech, he stated that Europe was divided by the “Iron Curtain” and called on Western civilization to declare war on “communism.” In fact, the war between two systems, two ideologies has not stopped since 1917, however, it took shape as a completely conscious confrontation precisely after the Second World War.
Why did it start only after the Second World War? Obviously, this was dictated by the time itself, the era itself. The allies came out of this war so strong, and the means of warfare became so destructive that it became clear: sorting things out using the old methods was too much of a luxury. However, the desire to harass the other side among the coalition partners has not diminished. IN to a certain extent The initiative to start the Cold War belonged to Western countries, for which the power of the USSR, which became obvious during the Second World War, turned out to be a very unpleasant surprise.
So, the Cold War arose shortly after the end of World War II, when the Allies began to take stock of its results. What did they see? Firstly, half of Europe found itself in the Soviet zone of influence, and pro-Soviet regimes were feverishly emerging there. Secondly, a powerful wave of liberation movements arose in the colonies against the mother countries. Thirdly, the world quickly polarized and turned into a bipolar one. Fourthly, two superpowers emerged on the world stage, whose military and economic power gave them significant superiority over others. Plus, the interests of Western countries in various parts of the globe are beginning to collide with the interests of the USSR. It was this new state of the world that emerged after the Second World War that Churchill realized faster than others when he proclaimed the “Cold War.”
1.THE BEGINNING OF THE COLD WAR
In 1945, there was a deep disparity in power and strength between the two main victor countries. Even before the war, imbalances were shifting in America's favor, especially in the economy. But hostilities drove these two countries even further apart. opposite direction. The war did not touch American soil: the fighting took place far from the shores of America. The US economy, which was the main supplier and financier of the entire victorious coalition, experienced an unprecedented leap between 1939 and 1945. The potential of US industrial capacity increased by 50%, production increased by 2.5 times. 4 times more equipment was produced, 7 times more Vehicle. Agricultural production increased by 36%. Wages grew, as did all incomes of the population.
Inequality also manifested itself in relation to the possession of nuclear weapons. As you know, until 1949, the only power with an atomic bomb was the United States. The Americans did not hide the fact that they perceived nuclear weapons as an attribute of power great power, as a means of intimidating a potential enemy - the USSR and its allies, as a means of pressure.
I.V. Stalin believed necessary creation military counterweight to the United States. Since 1949, he became convinced of the possibility of destabilizing the capitalist system and approaching proletarian revolution in the West.
For its part, the US leadership sought to implement a policy “from a position of strength” and tried to use all its economic and military-political power to put pressure on the USSR. In 1946, the doctrine of US President G. Truman “limiting communist expansion” was proclaimed, supported in 1947 by the doctrine economic assistance"free peoples" ("Marshall Plan", which the USSR abandoned). This meant a turn to the Cold War, which predetermined the deterioration of the international climate and created the threat of military-political crises. Stalin faced a difficult dilemma: whether to resist the pressure that his former allies, now armed with the atomic bomb, were putting on the USSR in conditions when the country was exhausted. Stalin was convinced that the United States and England would not dare to start a war. The Soviet government decided to speed up work on producing its own atomic bomb. The work, carried out in strict secrecy, began in full from August-September 1945. After Potsdam and Hiroshima, Stalin formed, under the supreme control of Beria, a special committee headed by People's Commissar Vannikov, designed to supervise all activities to create new weapons.
The deterioration of relations with the Western world, as well as the revival of imperial ambitions, pushed the Soviet leadership to consolidate control over Central and South-Eastern Europe. In response to the US attempt to link the Western occupation zones with Western European states through economic and political agreements, the USSR and under its pressure, the Eastern European countries refused to participate in American program assistance, and subsequently in the activities of international economic organizations. This is what the world was like after the war. The role of the communists has grown greatly, the authority of the USSR in the world has risen high. This was clearly not beneficial for the USA, Great Britain and other major capitalist powers. The confrontation between the West and the Soviet Union began to wear sharp character. Moreover, Stalin was irritated by the economic power of the United States after the war, in which the states suffered almost no losses. They began to talk more and more often about the bipolar structure of the world; the USSR, which was in ruins, was gradually rising to its feet. Two superpowers rose above all others - the USSR and the USA. Gradually, unnoticed by both opposing camps, an arms race began between them - the Cold War.
Its beginning was associated with atomic weapons. The American military, thinking in the usual categories of naked force, began to look for the appropriate means to strike the “enemy,” that is, the Soviet Union. The philosophical stone in solving a problem that seemed insoluble in the recommendations dating back to 1943-1944 was atomic weapons. Support for the position of the United States by the majority of countries in the world was combined with their exceptional position as holders of a monopoly on the atomic bomb: the Americans again demonstrated their power by conducting test explosions on Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946. Stalin made a number of statements during this period in order to downplay the importance of the new weapon. These statements set the tone for all Soviet propaganda. But the behavior of the representatives of the Soviet Union in private showed their great concern in reality.
But the American monopoly on nuclear weapons lasted only four years. In 1949, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb. This event was a real shock for the Western world and important milestone"Cold War". In the course of further accelerated development in the USSR, nuclear and then thermonuclear weapons were soon created. Fighting has become very dangerous for everyone, and is fraught with very bad consequences. The nuclear potential accumulated over the years of the Cold War was enormous, but the gigantic stockpiles of destructive weapons were of no use, and the costs of their production and storage were growing. If earlier they said “we can destroy you, but you cannot destroy us,” now the wording has changed. They began to say “you can destroy us 38 times, and we can destroy you 64 times!” The debate is fruitless, especially considering that if a war broke out and one of the opponents used nuclear weapons, very soon there would be nothing left not only of him, but of the entire planet.
The arms race was growing at a rapid pace. As soon as one of the sides created some fundamentally new weapon, its opponent threw all its forces and resources into achieving the same thing. Crazy competition has affected all areas military industry. They competed everywhere: in the creation of the latest small arms systems (the US responded to the Soviet AKM M-16), in new designs of tanks, aircraft, ships and submarines, but perhaps the most dramatic was the competition in the creation of rocketry. The entire so-called peaceful space in those days was not even the visible part of the iceberg, but a snow cap on the visible part. The USA has overtaken the USSR in the number of nuclear weapons. The USSR overtook the USA in rocket science. The USSR was the first in the world to launch a satellite, and in 1961 it was the first to send a man into space. The Americans could not bear such obvious superiority. The result is their landing on the moon. At this point, the parties reached strategic parity. However, this did not stop the arms race. On the contrary, it has spread to all sectors that have at least some connection with weapons. This could, for example, include the race to create supercomputers. Here the West took unconditional revenge for lagging behind in the field of rocket science, since for purely ideological reasons the USSR missed a breakthrough in this area.
The arms race has even affected education. After Gagarin's flight, the United States was forced to reconsider the foundations of the education system and introduce fundamentally new teaching methods.
The arms race was subsequently voluntarily suspended by both sides. A number of treaties were concluded limiting the accumulation of weapons.
3.CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR
The Cold War was characterized by the frequent appearance of “hot” spots. Each local conflict was brought to world stage, thanks to the fact that Cold War opponents supported the warring sides. Let's take a look at some of the "hot spots".
3.1 Korean War
In 1945, Soviet and American troops liberated Korea from Japanese army. US troops are located south of the 38th parallel, and the Red Army to the north. Thus, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts. In the North, the communists came to power, in the South - the military, relying on the help of the United States. Two states were formed on the peninsula - the northern Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the southern Republic of Korea. The North Korean leadership dreamed of uniting the country, even if only by force of arms.
In 1950, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung visited Moscow and enlisted the support of the Soviet Union. Plans for the "military liberation" of South Korea were also approved by Chinese leader Mao Zedong. At dawn on June 25, 1950, the North Korean army moved to the south of the country. Her offensive was so powerful that within three days she occupied the capital of the South, Seoul. Then the advance of the northerners slowed down, but by mid-September almost the entire peninsula was in their hands. It seemed from final victory The army of the north is only one decisive effort away. However, on July 7, the UN Security Council voted to send international troops to help South Korea.
And in September, UN troops (mostly American) came to the aid of the southerners. They launched a powerful attack on the North from the area that was still held by the South Korean army. At the same time, troops were landed on the west coast, cutting the peninsula in half. Events began to develop with the same speed in the opposite direction. The Americans occupied Seoul, crossed the 38th parallel and continued their offensive against the DPRK. North Korea was on the brink of complete disaster when China suddenly intervened. The Chinese leadership proposed, without declaring war on the United States, to send troops to help North Korea. In China they were officially called "people's volunteers." In October, about a million Chinese soldiers crossed the border Yalu River and engaged the Americans in battle. Soon the front lined up along the 38th parallel.
The war continued for another three years. During the American offensive in 1950, the Soviet Union sent several aviation divisions. The Americans were significantly superior to the Chinese in technology. China suffered heavy losses. On July 27, 1953, the war ended with a truce. In North Korea, the government of Kim Il Sung, friendly to the USSR and China, remained in power, accepting the honorary title of “great leader.”
3.2 Construction of the Berlin Wall
In 1955, the division of Europe between East and West finally took shape. However, a clear line of confrontation has not yet completely divided Europe. There was only one open “window” left in it - Berlin. The city was divided in half, with East Berlin being the capital of the GDR, and West Berlin being considered part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Two opposing social systems coexisted within the same city, while every Berliner could easily get “from socialism to capitalism” and back, moving from one street to another. Every day up to 500 thousand people crossed this invisible border in both directions. Many East Germans, using open border, left for the West forever. Thousands of people were resettled in this way every year, which greatly worried the East German authorities. And in general, the wide-open window in the “Iron Curtain” did not at all correspond to the general spirit of the era.
In August 1961, Soviet and East German authorities decided to close the border between the two parts of Berlin. Tension in the city grew. Western countries protested the division of the city. Finally in October the confrontation reached highest point. U Brandenburg Gate and on Friedrichstrasse, near the main checkpoints, American tanks lined up. The Soviets came out to meet them combat vehicles. For more than a day, the tanks of the USSR and the USA stood with their guns aimed at each other. Periodically, the tankers turned on their engines, as if preparing for an attack. The tension was somewhat relieved only after the Soviet, and after them, American tanks retreated to other streets. However, Western countries finally recognized the division of the city only ten years later. It was formalized by an agreement between four powers (USSR, USA, England and France), signed in 1971. Throughout the world, the construction of the Berlin Wall was perceived as a symbolic completion of the post-war division of Europe.
cold war revolution crisis
3.3 Cuban Missile Crisis
On January 1959, a revolution led by 32-year-old guerrilla leader Fidel Castro won in Cuba. The new government began a decisive struggle against American influence on the island. Needless to say, the Soviet Union fully supported the Cuban Revolution. However, the Havana authorities seriously feared a US military invasion. In May 1962, Nikita Khrushchev put forward an unexpected idea - to place Soviet nuclear missiles on the island. He jokingly explained this step by saying that the imperialists “need to put a hedgehog in their pants.” After some deliberation, Cuba agreed to the Soviet proposal, and in the summer of 1962, 42 nuclear-tipped missiles and bombers capable of carrying nuclear bombs were sent to the island. The transfer of missiles was carried out in the strictest secrecy, but already in September the US leadership suspected something was wrong. On September 4, President John Kennedy said that the United States would under no circumstances tolerate Soviet nuclear missiles 150 km from its coast. In response, Khrushchev assured Kennedy that there were and would not be any Soviet missiles or nuclear weapons in Cuba.
October, an American reconnaissance plane photographed missile launch sites from the air. In an atmosphere of strict secrecy, the US leadership began to discuss retaliatory measures. On October 22, President Kennedy addressed the American people on radio and television. He reported that Soviet missiles had been discovered in Cuba and demanded that the USSR immediately remove them. Kennedy announced that the United States was beginning a naval blockade of Cuba. On October 24, at the request of the USSR, the UN Security Council urgently met. The Soviet Union continued to stubbornly deny the presence of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The situation in the Caribbean Sea became increasingly tense. Two dozen Soviet ships were heading towards Cuba. The American ships were ordered to stop them, if necessary by fire. True, it didn’t come to sea battles. Khrushchev ordered several Soviet ships to stop at the blockade line.
On October 23, an exchange of official letters began between Moscow and Washington. In his first messages, N. Khrushchev indignantly called the actions of the United States “pure banditry” and “the madness of degenerate imperialism.”
Within days, it became clear that the United States was determined to remove the missiles at any cost. On October 26, Khrushchev sent a more conciliatory message to Kennedy. He recognized that Cuba had powerful Soviet weapons. At the same time, Nikita Sergeevich convinced the president that the USSR was not going to attack America. As he put it, “Only crazy people can do this or suicides who want to die themselves and destroy the whole world before that.” Khrushchev offered John Kennedy a commitment not to attack Cuba; then the Soviet Union will be able to remove its weapons from the island. The President of the United States responded that the United States was willing to make a gentleman's commitment not to invade Cuba if the USSR withdrew its offensive weapons. Thus the first steps towards peace were taken.
But on October 27 came the “Black Saturday” of the Cuban crisis, when only a miracle did not break out a new world war. In those days, squadrons of American aircraft flew over Cuba twice a day for the purpose of intimidation. And on October 27, Soviet troops in Cuba shot down one of the US reconnaissance aircraft with an anti-aircraft missile. Its pilot, Anderson, was killed. The situation escalated to the limit, the US President decided two days later to begin bombing Soviet missile bases and a military attack on the island.
However, on Sunday, October 28, the Soviet leadership decided to accept the American conditions. The decision to remove the missiles from Cuba was made without the consent of the Cuban leadership. Perhaps this was done deliberately, since Fidel Castro categorically objected to the removal of the missiles. International tensions began to subside quickly after October 28. The Soviet Union removed its missiles and bombers from Cuba. On November 20, the United States lifted the naval blockade of the island. The Cuban (or Caribbean) crisis ended peacefully.
3.4 Vietnam War
The Vietnam War began with the Gulf of Tonkin incident, during which ships coast guard The DRV fired on American destroyers that were providing fire support to government forces of South Vietnam in their fight against the partisans. After this, everything secret became clear and the conflict developed according to the already familiar pattern. One of the superpowers entered the war openly, and the second did everything in its power to make the war “not boring.” The war that the United States thought would be a cakewalk turned out to be America's nightmare. Anti-war demonstrations rocked the country. Young people rebelled against the senseless slaughter. In 1975, the United States thought it best to announce that it had “completed its mission” and begin evacuating its military contingent. This war greatly shocked the entire American society and led to major reforms. The post-war crisis lasted more than 10 years. It’s hard to say how it would have ended if the Afghan crisis had not come along.
3.5 Afghan War
In April 1978, a coup took place in Afghanistan, later called April revolution. Afghan communists came to power - the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). The government was headed by writer Noor Mohammed Taraki. However, within a few months, a sharp struggle broke out within the ruling party. In August 1979, a confrontation broke out between the two leaders of the party - Taraki and Amin. On September 16, Taraki was removed from his post, expelled from the party and taken into custody. He died soon after. These events caused discontent in Moscow, although outwardly everything remained as before. The mass “cleansings” and executions that began in Afghanistan among the party were condemned. And since they reminded Soviet leaders Chinese" cultural revolution", there were fears that Amin might break with the USSR and move closer to China. Amin repeatedly asked for the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan to strengthen revolutionary power. Finally, on December 12, 1979, the Soviet leadership decided to fulfill his request, but at the same time remove him Amina. Soviet troops were sent into Afghanistan, Amin was killed by a grenade explosion during the storming of the presidential palace. Now Soviet newspapers they called him a “CIA agent” and wrote about the “bloody clique of Amin and his minions.”
In the West, the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan caused violent protests. The Cold War flared up with renewed vigor. On January 14, 1980, the UN General Assembly demanded the withdrawal of “foreign troops” from Afghanistan. 104 states voted for this decision.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan itself, armed resistance to Soviet troops began to intensify. It was, of course, not Amin’s supporters who fought against them, but opponents of the revolutionary government in general. At first, the Soviet press claimed that there were no battles in Afghanistan, that peace and tranquility reigned there. However, the war did not subside, and when this became clear, the USSR admitted that “bandits were rampaging” in the republic. They were called "dushmans", that is, enemies. Secretly, through Pakistan, they were supported by the United States, helping with weapons and money. The United States knew well what war against an armed people was. The experience of the Vietnam War was used 100%, with only one small difference, the roles changed. Now the USSR was at war with an underdeveloped country, and the United States helped it feel what a difficult thing it was. The rebels controlled large parts of Afghanistan. All of them were united by the slogan of jihad - the holy Islamic war. They called themselves "Mujahideen" - fighters for the faith. Otherwise, the rebel groups' programs varied widely.
The war in Afghanistan has not stopped for more than nine years... More than a million Afghans died during the fighting. Soviet troops, according to official data, lost 14,453 people killed.
In June 1987, the first, so far symbolic, steps towards establishing peace were taken. The new Kabul government offered "national reconciliation" to the rebels. In April 1988, the Soviet Union signed an agreement in Geneva on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. On May 15, the troops began to leave. Nine months later, on February 15, 1989, the last soviet soldier. For the Soviet Union on this day Afghan war ended.
4. CONSEQUENCES
The dismantling of the Berlin Wall is considered the last milestone of the Cold War. That is, we can talk about its results. But this is perhaps the most difficult thing. Because for everyone the consequences are twofold.
What are they like for the USSR and present-day Russia? After the Second World War, the USSR restructured its economy in such a way that the overwhelming majority of funds went to the military-industrial complex, since the USSR could not afford to be weaker than the USA. This turned the USSR into a country of general shortages and a weak economy, and destroyed the once mighty power. However, on the other hand, thanks to this, another state appeared on the political map - Russian Federation, the state in which we now live, which is developing, and builds exclusively friendly and partnership relations with other countries.
What about the USA? First of all, they lost a dangerous rival in the person of the USSR, and gained a partner in the person of the Russian Federation. And secondly, by helping the “dushmans” in Afghanistan, they gave birth to a worldwide evil - international terrorism.
And finally, the Cold War emphasized that the main component that determined the victory of one of the sides was human values, which neither the fantastic development of technology nor sophisticated ideological influence could outweigh.
CONCLUSION
A slight detente in the confrontation occurred in the 70s. Its crowning achievement was the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The participating countries deliberated for two years, and in 1975 in Helsinki, these countries signed the Final Act of the meeting. On the USSR side, it was sealed by Leonid Brezhnev. This document legitimized the post-war division of Europe, which is what the USSR sought. In exchange for this Western concession, the Soviet Union pledged to respect human rights.
Shortly before this, in July 1975, the famous Soviet-American joint flight to spaceships"Soyuz" and "Apollo". The USSR stopped jamming Western radio broadcasts. It seemed that the Cold War era was forever a thing of the past. However, in December 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan - another period of the Cold War began. Relations between the West and the East reached a freezing point when, by decision of the Soviet leadership, a South Korean plane with civilian passengers on board was shot down, which ended up in airspace THE USSR. After this event, US President Ronald Reagan called the USSR “an evil empire and the center of evil.” It was only by 1987 that relations between East and West began to gradually improve again. In 1988-89, with the beginning of perestroika in Soviet politics dramatic changes have occurred. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. On July 1, 1991, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. The socialist camp collapsed. In a number of countries - its former members - democratic revolutions took place, which were not only not condemned, but were supported by the USSR. The Soviet Union also refused to expand its influence in third world countries. Such a sharp turn in Soviet foreign policy in the West is associated with the name of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Encyclopedia for children. T.5, part 3. Moscow "Avanta+". 1998.
History of Russia: Educational minimum for applicants. " graduate School". Moscow. 2001.
N.N.Yakovlev. "CIA against the USSR." "Young guard". Moscow.1983.
Stephen Ambrose. "Eisenhower - soldier and president." "LTD Book." 1993.
Winston Churchill. "The Second World War".T3. "Military Publishing House". 1991.
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And the United States of America lasted for more than 40 years and was called the Cold War. The years of its duration are estimated differently by different historians. However, we can say with complete confidence that the confrontation ended in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR. The Cold War left an indelible mark on world history. Any conflict of the last century (after the end of World War II) must be viewed through the prism of the Cold War. This was not just a conflict between two countries.
It was a confrontation between two opposing worldviews, a struggle for dominance over the entire world.
Main reasons
The year the Cold War began was 1946. It was after the victory over Nazi Germany a new map of the world and new rivals for world domination. The victory over the Third Reich and its allies cost the whole of Europe, and especially the USSR, enormous bloodshed. The future conflict emerged at the Yalta Conference in 1945. At this famous meeting of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, the fate of post-war Europe was decided. At this time, the Red Army was already approaching Berlin, so it was necessary to carry out the so-called division of spheres of influence. Soviet troops, seasoned in battles on their territory, brought liberation to other peoples of Europe. In the countries occupied by the Union, friendly socialist regimes were established.
Spheres of influence
One of these was installed in Poland. At the same time, the previous Polish government was located in London and considered itself legitimate. supported him, but the Communist Party, elected by the Polish people, de facto ruled the country. At the Yalta Conference, this issue was especially acutely considered by the parties. Also similar problems were also observed in other regions. The peoples liberated from Nazi occupation created their own governments with the support of the USSR. Therefore, after the victory over the Third Reich, the map of the future Europe was finally formed.
The main stumbling blocks of the former allies anti-Hitler coalition began after the partition of Germany. Eastern part occupied by Soviet troops, was proclaimed Western Territories occupied by the Allies became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Infighting immediately began between the two governments. The confrontation ultimately led to the closure of the borders between Germany and the GDR. Espionage and even sabotage actions began.
American imperialism
Throughout 1945, the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition continued to cooperate closely.
These were acts of transfer of prisoners of war (who were captured by the Nazis) and material assets. However, already in next year the Cold War began. The years of the first exacerbation occurred precisely in post-war period. The symbolic beginning was Churchill’s speech in the American city of Fulton. Then the former British minister said that the main enemy of the West is communism and the USSR, which personifies it. Winston also called on all English-speaking nations to unite to fight the “red infection.” Such provocative statements could not but cause a response from Moscow. After some time, Joseph Stalin gave an interview to the newspaper Pravda, in which he compared the English politician with Hitler.
Countries during the Cold War: two blocs
However, although Churchill was a private person, he only outlined the course of Western governments. The United States has dramatically increased its influence on the world stage. This happened largely thanks to the war. No combat operations took place on American soil (with the exception of Japanese bomber raids). Therefore, against the backdrop of devastated Europe, the States had a fairly powerful economy and armed forces. Fearing the outbreak of popular revolutions (which would be supported by the USSR) on their territory, capitalist governments began to rally around the United States. It was in 1946 that the idea of creating a military unit was first voiced. In response to this, the Soviets created their own unit - the ATS. It even got to the point where the parties were developing a strategy of armed struggle with each other. At Churchill's direction, a plan was developed possible war from the USSR. The Soviet Union had similar plans. Preparations began for a trade and ideological war.
Arms race
The arms race between the two countries was one of the most significant phenomena that the Cold War brought. Years of confrontation led to the creation of unique means of warfare that are still in use today. In the second half of the 40s, the United States had a huge advantage - nuclear weapons. The first nuclear bombs were used back in the Second World War. world war. The Enola Gay bomber dropped shells on Japanese city Hiroshima, which practically razed it to the ground. It was then that the world saw the destructive power of nuclear weapons. The United States began to actively increase its stockpiles of such weapons.
A special secret laboratory was created in the state of New Mexico. They were built on the basis of nuclear advantage strategic plans regarding further relations with the USSR. The Soviets, in turn, also began to actively develop a nuclear program. The Americans considered the presence of charges with enriched uranium as the main advantage. Therefore, intelligence hastily removed all development documents atomic weapons from the territory of defeated Germany in 1945. Soon a secret strategic document was developed, which envisaged nuclear attack across the territory of the Soviet Union. According to some historians, variations of this plan were presented to Truman several times. So it ended initial period Cold War, whose years were the least intense.
Union nuclear weapons
In 1949, the USSR successfully conducted the first tests of a nuclear bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site, which everyone immediately announced Western media. The creation of RDS-1 (nuclear bomb) became possible largely thanks to the actions of Soviet intelligence, which also penetrated the secret training ground in Los Alamossa.
Such a rapid creation of nuclear weapons came as a real surprise to the United States. Since then, nuclear weapons have become the main deterrent to direct military conflict between the two camps. The precedent in Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed the whole world the terrifying power of the atomic bomb. But in which year was the Cold War the most brutal?
Caribbean crisis
During all the years of the Cold War, the situation was most tense in 1961. The conflict between the USSR and the USA went down in history as its prerequisites existed long before. It all started with the deployment of American nuclear missiles in Turkey. The Jupiter charges were placed in such a way that they could hit any targets in the western part of the USSR (including Moscow). Such a danger could not go unanswered.
A few years earlier, Cuba began people's revolution led by Fidel Castro. At first, the USSR did not see any promise in the uprising. However, the Cuban people managed to overthrow the Batista regime. After this, the American leadership declared that it would not tolerate a new government in Cuba. Immediately after this, close diplomatic relations were established between Moscow and Liberty Island. Soviet armed units were sent to Cuba.
Beginning of the conflict
After the deployment of nuclear weapons in Turkey, the Kremlin decided to take urgent countermeasures, since for this period it was impossible to launch atomic missiles at the United States from the territory of the Union.
Therefore, it was hastily developed secret operation"Anadyr". The warships were tasked with delivering long-range missiles to Cuba. In October, the first ships reached Havana. The installation of launch pads has begun. At this time, American reconnaissance planes flew over the coast. The Americans managed to obtain several photographs of tactical divisions whose weapons were aimed at Florida.
Aggravation of the situation
Immediately after this, the US military was placed on high alert. Kennedy held an emergency meeting. A number of senior officials called on the President to immediately launch an invasion of Cuba. In the event of such a development of events, the Red Army would immediately launch a nuclear missile strike on the landing force. This could well lead to a worldwide conflict. Therefore, both sides began to look for possible compromises. After all, everyone understood what such a cold war could lead to. Years of nuclear winter were definitely not the best prospect.
The situation was extremely tense, everything could change literally at any second. According to historical sources, at this time Kennedy was even sleeping in his office. As a result, the Americans put forward an ultimatum - to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. Then the naval blockade of the island began.
Khrushchev held a similar meeting in Moscow. Some Soviet generals They also insisted not to give in to Washington’s demands and, if necessary, to repel an American attack. The main blow of the Union could not have been in Cuba at all, but in Berlin, which was well understood in the White House.
"Black Saturday"
The world suffered the greatest blows during the Cold War on October 27, Saturday. On this day, an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flew over Cuba and was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners. Within a few hours, this incident became known in Washington.
The US Congress advised the President to launch an invasion immediately. The President decided to write a letter to Khrushchev, where he repeated his demands. Nikita Sergeevich responded to this letter immediately, agreeing to them, in exchange for a US promise not to attack Cuba and to remove missiles from Turkey. In order for the message to reach as quickly as possible, the appeal was made via radio. This is where the Cuban crisis ended. From then on, the tension in the situation began to gradually decrease.
Ideological confrontation
Foreign policy During the Cold War, both blocs were characterized not only by competition for control over territories, but also by a fierce information struggle. Two different systems They tried in every possible way to show the whole world their superiority. The famous Radio Liberty was created in the USA, which was broadcast to the territory of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. The stated purpose of this news agency was to fight Bolshevism and communism. It is noteworthy that Radio Liberty still exists and operates in many countries. During the Cold War, the USSR also created a similar station that broadcast to the territory of capitalist countries.
Every significant event for humanity in the second half of the last century was considered in the context of the Cold War. For example, Yuri Gagarin's flight into space was presented to the world as a victory socialist labor. Countries spent enormous resources on propaganda. In addition to sponsoring and supporting cultural figures, there was a wide agent network.
Spy games
The espionage intrigues of the Cold War were widely reflected in art. The secret services went to all sorts of tricks to stay one step ahead of their opponents. One of the most typical cases is Operation Confession, which is more like the plot of a spy detective story.
Even during the war, the Soviet scientist Lev Termin created a unique transmitter that did not require recharging or a power source. It was a kind of perpetual motion machine. The listening device was named "Zlatoust". The KGB, on Beria’s personal orders, decided to install “Zlatoust” in the US Embassy building. For this purpose, a wooden shield was created depicting the coat of arms of the United States. During the visit of the American ambassador, a ceremonial assembly was held at the children's health center. At the end, the pioneers sang the US anthem, after which the touched ambassador was presented with a wooden coat of arms. He, unaware of the trick, installed it in his personal account. Thanks to this, the KGB received information about all the ambassador’s conversations for 7 years. There were a huge number of similar cases, open to the public and secret.
Cold War: years, essence
The end of the confrontation between the two blocs came after the collapse of the USSR, which lasted 45 years.
Tensions between West and East continue to this day. However, the world ceased to be bipolar when Moscow or Washington was behind any significant event in the world. In which year was the Cold War the most brutal, and closest to a “hot” one? Historians and analysts are still debating this topic. Most agree that this is the period of the “Cubicle crisis,” when the world was one step away from nuclear war.
Current international relations between East and West can hardly be called constructive. IN international politics Today it is becoming fashionable to talk about a new round of tension. What is at stake is no longer a struggle for the spheres of influence of two different geopolitical systems. Today, the new Cold War is the fruit of the reactionary policies of the ruling elites of a number of countries and the expansion of international global corporations in foreign markets. On the one hand, the USA European Union, the NATO bloc, on the other - the Russian Federation, China and other countries.
Russia's foreign policy inherited from the Soviet Union continues to be influenced by the Cold War, which kept the whole world in suspense for 72 long years. Only the ideological aspect has changed. There is no longer any confrontation between communist ideas and the dogmas of the capitalist path of development in the world. The emphasis is shifting to resources, where the main geopolitical players are actively using all available opportunities and means.
International relations before the start of the Cold War
On a cold September morning in 1945, on board the American battleship Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay, official representatives Imperial Japan capitulation was signed. This ceremony marked the end of the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in history. human civilization. The war, which lasted 6 years, engulfed the entire planet. During the hostilities that took place in Europe, Asia and Africa, different stages 63 states took part in the bloody massacre. 110 million people were drafted into the armed forces of the countries involved in the conflict. There is no need to talk about human losses. The world has never known or seen such a large-scale and mass murder. The economic losses were also colossal, but the consequences of the Second World War and its results created ideal conditions for the start of the Cold War, another form of confrontation, with other participants and with other goals.
It seemed that on September 2, 1945, the long-awaited and long-lasting peace would finally come. However, just 6 months after the end of World War II, the world again plunged into the abyss of another confrontation - the Cold War began. The conflict took other forms and resulted in a military-political, ideological and economic confrontation between two world systems, the capitalist West and the communist East. It cannot be argued that Western countries and communist regimes were going to continue to coexist peacefully. Plans for a new global military conflict were being developed at military headquarters, and ideas for the destruction of foreign policy opponents were in the air. The condition in which the Cold War arose was only a natural reaction to the military preparations of potential opponents.
This time the guns did not roar. Tanks, warplanes and ships did not come together in another deadly battle. A long and grueling struggle for survival between the two worlds began, in which all methods and means were used, often more insidious than a direct military clash. The main weapon of the Cold War was ideology, which was based on economic and political aspects. If previously large and large-scale military conflicts arose mainly for economic reasons, on the basis of racial and misanthropic theories, then in the new conditions a struggle for spheres of influence unfolded. The inspirers of the Crusade against Communism were US President Harry Truman and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The tactics and strategy of confrontation have changed, new forms and methods of struggle have appeared. It is not for nothing that the global Cold War received such a name. During the conflict there was no hot phase, the warring parties did not open fire on each other, however, in terms of its scale and the amount of losses, this confrontation can easily be called the Third World War. After the Second World War, the world, instead of detente, again entered a period of tension. During the hidden confrontation between two world systems, humanity witnessed an unprecedented arms race; the countries participating in the conflict plunged into the abyss of spy mania and conspiracies. Clashes between the two opposing camps took place on all continents with varying degrees of success. The Cold War lasted for 45 years, becoming the longest military-political conflict of our time. There were also our own in this war decisive battles, there were periods of calm and confrontation. There are winners and losers in this confrontation. History gives us the right to assess the scale of the conflict and its results, making the right conclusions for the future.
Causes of the Cold War that broke out in the 20th century
If we consider the situation in the world that has developed since the end of the Second World War, it is not difficult to notice one important point. The Soviet Union, which bore the main burden of the armed struggle against Nazi Germany, managed to significantly expand its sphere of influence. Despite the enormous loss of life and devastating consequences war for the country's economy, the USSR became a leading world power. It was impossible not to take this fact into account. The Soviet Army stood in the center of Europe, and the positions of the USSR in the Far East were no less strong. This in no way suited the Western countries. Even taking into account the fact that the Soviet Union, the USA and Great Britain nominally remained allies, the contradictions between them were too strong.
These same states soon found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades, becoming active participants in the Cold War. Western democracies could not come to terms with the emergence of a new superpower and its growing influence on the world political scene. The main reasons for rejection of this state of affairs include the following aspects:
- huge military power THE USSR;
- the growing foreign policy influence of the Soviet Union;
- expansion of the sphere of influence of the USSR;
- spread of communist ideology;
- activation in the world of people's liberation movements led by parties of Marxist and socialist persuasions.
Foreign policy and the Cold War are links in the same chain. Neither the United States nor Great Britain could calmly look at the capitalist system collapsing before their eyes, at the collapse of imperial ambitions and the loss of spheres of influence. Great Britain, having lost its status as a world leader after the end of the war, clung to the remnants of its possessions. The United States, emerging from the war with the world's most powerful economy and in possession of the atomic bomb, sought to become the sole hegemon on the planet. The only obstacle to the implementation of these plans was the mighty Soviet Union with its communist ideology and policy of equality and brotherhood. The reasons that prompted the next military-political confrontation, reflect the essence of the Cold War. The main goal of the warring parties was the following:
- destroy the enemy economically and ideologically;
- limit the enemy's sphere of influence;
- try to destroy his political system from within;
- bringing the enemy's socio-political and economic base to complete collapse;
- overthrow of ruling regimes and political liquidation of state entities.
IN in this case the essence of the conflict was not very different from the military version, because the goals set and the results for the opponents were very similar. The signs characterizing the state of the Cold War also very much resemble the state in world politics that preceded the armed confrontation. For this historical period characterized by expansion, aggressive military-political plans, military buildup, political pressure and the formation of military alliances.
Where does the term "Cold War" come from?
This phrase was first used by the English writer and publicist George Orwell. In this stylistic way, he outlined the state of the post-war world, where the free and democratic West was forced to face the brutal and totalitarian regime of the communist East. Orwell clearly outlined his rejection of Stalinism in many of his works. Even when the Soviet Union was an ally of Great Britain, the writer spoke negatively about the world that awaited Europe after the end of the war. The term invented by Orwell turned out to be so successful that it was quickly picked up by Western politicians, using it in their foreign policy and anti-Soviet rhetoric.
It was with their initiative that the Cold War began, the start date of which was March 5, 1946. The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom used the phrase “cold war” during his speech in Fulton. During the statements of a high-ranking British politician, the contradictions between the two geopolitical camps that emerged in the post-war world were publicly voiced for the first time.
Winston Churchill became a follower of the British publicist. This man, thanks to whose iron will and strength of character Britain emerged from the bloody war, the winner, is rightfully considered “ godfather» new military-political confrontation. The euphoria in which the world found itself after the end of World War II did not last long. The balance of power that was observed in the world quickly led to the fact that two geopolitical systems collided in a fierce battle. During the Cold War, the number of participants on both sides was constantly changing. On one side of the barricade stood the USSR and its new allies. On the other side stood the United States, Great Britain and other allied countries. As in any other military-political conflict, this era was marked by its acute phases and periods of detente; military-political and economic alliances were formed again, in the person of which the Cold War clearly identified the participants in the global confrontation.
The NATO bloc, the Warsaw Pact, and bilateral military-political pacts have become a military instrument of international tension. The arms race contributed to the strengthening of the military component of the confrontation. Foreign policy took the form of open confrontation between the parties to the conflict.
Winston Churchill, despite his active participation in the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition, pathologically hated the communist regime. During the Second World War, Britain, due to geopolitical factors, was forced to become an ally of the USSR. However, already during the military operations, at a time when it became clear that the defeat of Germany was inevitable, Churchill understood that the victory of the Soviet Union would lead to the expansion of communism in Europe. And Churchill was not mistaken. The leitmotif of the subsequent political career of the British ex-prime minister was the theme of confrontation, the Cold War, a state in which it was necessary to contain the foreign policy expansion of the Soviet Union.
The British ex-prime minister considered the United States to be the main force capable of successfully resisting the Soviet bloc. The American economy, American armed forces and navy were to become the main instrument of pressure on the Soviet Union. Britain, finding itself in the wake of American foreign policy, was assigned the role of an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
At the instigation of Winston Churchill, the conditions for the outbreak of the Cold War were clearly outlined overseas. At first, American politicians began to use this term during their election campaign. A little later they started talking about the Cold War in the context of the foreign policy of the United States.
Major milestones and events of the Cold War
Central Europe, in ruins, was divided into two parts by the Iron Curtain. Found itself in the Soviet zone of occupation East Germany. Almost all of the Soviet Union found itself in the zone of influence. Eastern Europe. Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Romania, with their people's democratic regimes, unwittingly became allies of the Soviets. It is incorrect to believe that the Cold War is a direct conflict between the USSR and the USA. Canada has entered the orbit of confrontation, all of Western Europe, which was in the area of responsibility of the USA and Great Britain. The situation was similar on the opposite side of the planet. In the Far East in Korea, the military-political interests of the United States, the USSR and China collided. In every corner of the globe, pockets of confrontation arose, which subsequently became the most powerful crises of Cold War politics.
Korean War 1950-53 became the first result of the confrontation between geopolitical systems. Communist China and the USSR tried to expand their sphere of influence on the Korean Peninsula. Even then it became clear that armed confrontation would become an inevitable companion to the entire period of the Cold War. Subsequently, the USSR, the USA and their allies did not take part in military operations against each other, limiting themselves to using the human resources of other participants in the conflict. The stages of the Cold War are a whole series of events that, to one degree or another, influenced global foreign policy development. Equally, this time can be called a roller coaster ride. The end of the Cold War was not part of the plans of either side. The fight was to the death. The political death of the enemy was the main condition for the beginning of detente.
The active phase is replaced by periods of detente, military conflicts in different parts of the planet are replaced by peace agreements. The world is divided into military-political blocs and alliances. Subsequent Cold War conflicts brought the world to the brink global catastrophe. The scale of the confrontation grew, new subjects appeared in the political arena, causing tension. First Korea, then Indochina and Cuba. The most acute crises in international relations were the Berlin and Caribbean crises, a series of events that threatened to bring the world to the brink of a nuclear apocalypse.
Each period of the Cold War can be described differently, taking into account the economic factor and the geopolitical situation in the world. The mid-50s and early 60s were marked by increased international tension. The warring parties took an active part in regional military conflicts, supporting one side or another. The arms race picked up pace. Potential opponents entered a steep dive, where the count of time was no longer decades, but years. The economies of the countries were under enormous pressure from military expenditures. The end of the Cold War was the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Disappeared from political map world Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact, the military Soviet bloc that became the main opponent of the military-political alliances of the West, has sunk into oblivion.
Final salvos and results of the Cold War
The Soviet socialist system turned out to be unviable in the intense competition with Western economy. This was due to the lack of a clear understanding of the path for further economic development of socialist countries and the insufficiently flexible management mechanism government agencies and interactions socialist economy with the main global development trends civil society. In other words, the Soviet Union could not withstand the confrontation economically. The consequences of the Cold War were catastrophic. Within just 5 years, the socialist camp ceased to exist. First, Eastern Europe left the zone of Soviet influence. Then it was the turn of the world's first socialist state.
Today the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France are already competing with communist China. Together with Russia, Western countries are waging a stubborn struggle against extremism and the process of Islamization of the Muslim world. The end of the Cold War can be called conditional. The vector and direction of action has changed. The composition of the participants has changed, the goals and objectives of the parties have changed.
Becoming the largest and most brutal conflict in the entire history of mankind, a confrontation arose between the countries of the communist camp on the one hand and 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 competition for dominance in the new post-war world.
The main reason for the Cold War was the insoluble ideological contradictions between 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, also played a role.
Historians highlight next steps Cold War:
- March 5, 1946 - 1953: The Cold War began with Churchill's speech in Fulton in the spring of 1946, which proposed the idea of creating an alliance of Anglo-Saxon countries to fight communism. The US goal was an economic victory over the USSR, as well as achieving military superiority. In fact, the Cold War began earlier, but it was by the spring of 1946 that, due to the USSR’s refusal to withdraw troops from Iran, the situation seriously worsened.
- 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 tensions between the USSR and the USA, strategic arms limitation agreements were signed. The development of the joint Soyuz-Apollo space program began. 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 deteriorated again after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. In 1983, the United States deployed ballistic missiles at bases in Italy, Denmark, England, Germany, and Belgium. The development of an anti-space defense system was underway. The USSR responded to the actions of the West by withdrawing from the Geneva negotiations. During this period, the warning system missile attack was in constant combat readiness.
- 1987-1991: 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 completely undermined the economy of the Soviet Union, which led to the country's virtual defeat in the Cold War.
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 Khrushchev's Thaw, it was at this stage that events took place in the GDR and Poland, the anti-communist uprising in Hungary, as well as Suez crisis. International tensions increased following the development and successful test USSR in 1957 intercontinental ballistic missile.
However, the threat of nuclear war receded as the Soviet Union was now able to retaliate against US cities. This period of relations between the superpowers ended with the Berlin and Caribbean crises of 1961 and 1962. respectively. The Cuban missile crisis was resolved only through personal negotiations between the heads of state - Khrushchev and Kennedy. As a result of the negotiations, agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons were signed.
The end of the Cold War was caused by the weakness of the Soviet economy, its inability to no longer support the arms race, as well as pro-Soviet communist regimes. Anti-war protests in different parts of the world also played a certain role. The results of the Cold War were dismal for the USSR. The symbol of the victory of the West was the reunification of Germany in 1990.
After the USSR was defeated in the Cold War, a unipolar world model emerged with the United States as the dominant superpower. However, these are not the only consequences of the Cold War. Began fast development science and technology, primarily military. Thus, the Internet was originally created as a communications system for the American army.
Many documentaries and feature films about the Cold War period. One of them, telling in detail about the events of those years, is “Heroes and Victims of the Cold War.”