THE COLD WAR
Causes
Ever since WWII, countries around the world grouped themselves based on their political ideals. Communism was represented by the Soviet Union, and Democracy was represented by the United States. The two countries had long been enemies due to their opposite political systems. For example, the Bolshevik Revolution(1917-1923) in the Soviet Union inspired a nationwide movement(the Red Scare) in the United States to fear the communists. Not only did the completely different political ideals motivate the Cold War, but the discovery of the atomic bomb also released immense pressure on the Soviet Union, which ultimately resulted in more arms races in the world. Different political ideals combined with the development of deadly nuclear weapons eventually led both countries into the Cold War.
Trigger events
The Cold War was triggered by a series of events. Starting with the Potsdam conference in 1945. The meeting of the three superpowers of the time further increased the suspicion of the Soviet Union and the United States, as Stalin figured the U.S had developed the first atomic bomb. Moreover, the Soviet Union’s refusal to regulate its nuclear energy and to eliminate atomic bombs worsened U.S-Soviet relations. Additionally, from 1946-1948, Communist leaders from the Soviet Union strongly promoted the idea of communism to its satellite states. These countries include Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. These influences made capitalist countries worry more.
The description
Truman enacted the Containment policy(1947) in his Truman Doctrine to stop the Soviet Union’s aggressive behavior by providing economic and military aid to revive the economies of European countries under the influence of the USSR. This allowed the United States to strengthen its democratic influences. The divide between democratic states and communist states became apparent when the two opposing military alliances formed. In 1949, led by the United States, NATO united democratic countries to defend its members from communist attacks. However, NATO would later be countered with the Warsaw pact(1955), led by the Soviet Union.
The significance
At the end of the day, the Cold War left some impactful effects on the world. For example, due to the United State’s recovery programs, it assisted countries in Europe by giving them support. Finally, they were able to escape from communist ideologies that prevented them from the right to self-determination. However, the negative impacts as a result from the Cold War were apparent as well. One instance can be found with the rising numbers of atomic weapons. Initially the United States was the only country that developed atomic bombs. However, the Soviet Union successfully tested their first atomic bomb in 1949, which allowed for arms race to happen in the world, as more countries demanded nuclear weapons as a way for deterrence. Soon, Truman demanded that a nuclear weapon that is thousands of times more powerful than the “Little boy” that was dropped on Hiroshima. In 1952, the United States finally developed the H-bomb. To this date, around nine nations possess nuclear weapons.