Background to the Cold War: Causes and Effects

Background to the Cold War: Causes and Effects – What was the Cold War ?The Cold War was a period of conflict, tension and competition between countries, especially the United States (Western Bloc) and Soviet Union (Eastern Bloc) from 1947 to 1991. At this time we will discuss the background and what happened during the war cold. Let's look at the article below to understand it better.

Background to the Cold War: Causes and Effects

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The Cold War is a term for a period of political and military tension between the Western World led by the United States and its NATO allies, With the Communist World led by the Soviet Union and its allied countries the satellite. Competition between these blocs often occurs in various fields, such as ideology, military coalitions, defense and even military coalitions.

This event occurred after the Allies succeeded in defeating Nasi Germany in World War II, which then left the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, along with the countries in Eastern Europe it occupied, formed the Eastern Bloc. The post-war recovery process in Western Europe was facilitated by the USA Marshall Plan program.

The Soviet Union also formed COMECON with its Eastern allies. The USA formed the NATO military alliance in 1949, while the Soviet Union also formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955. Several countries chose to side with one of the two superpowers, while the other chose to remain neutral by founding the Movement Non Block.

Some of the things that became the background of the Cold War, including the following:

The Emergence of the United States as the Winner of the War on the Allies

At that time the allies consisting of Britain, France and the United States succeeded in winning World War II.

In this war America played a major role in helping Western European countries to improve their economic systems.

The Emergence of Russia or the Soviet Union as a Superpower with a Role in Freeing Eastern Europe from German Hands

Some of the countries located in Eastern Europe at that time became part of German rule. Since the emergence of the Soviet Union, this country sponsored the formation of power struggles in the eastern states of Europe.

Among others were Hungary, Romania, Poland, Albania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia which entered the Russian communist government.

The Emergence of Independent Countries After World War II Outside the European Region

After World War II, until there are some countries that have just proclaimed their independence. They are combined into developed and growing countries that can influence world economic and political growth

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Factors Causing the Cold War

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Understanding Differences

The United States and the Soviet Union are two countries that have great power in the world. The two countries which were the victorious countries of the Second World War have different views or ideologies. The Soviet Union adhered to communism while the United States adhered to liberal-capitalistism.

Liberal-capitalist understanding is an ideology that glorifies individual freedom which will allow capitalism to develop rapidly. Meanwhile, social communism believes that a state that controls companies by using their profits for the people will further accelerate the welfare of the workers.

Desire to Power

The Soviet Union and the United States of America both felt that they were strong countries that wanted to become rulers in the world in new ways. The United States as a large creditor country controls a country to be under its control by providing loans.

These loans are used by developing countries for development in the hope of increasing the prosperity of their people. Apart from that, the United States has also become a market for various industrial products and distanced itself from social-communist ideology.

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union used the existence of the poor as an easy target for social-communist ideology. The Soviet Union attracted attention from other countries by providing assistance in the form of experts and weapons.

Formation of the Defense Pact

To overcome the various interests and differences that exist in order to gain power. The countries in Western Europe led by the United States formed a defense pact under the name NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). This organization is a defense organization that is in the Atlantic north.

Meanwhile, in 1955, the Soviet Union also formed a defense pact like the United States, with the name of the Warsaw Pact. Several countries that joined the Warsaw Pact included East Germany, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Albania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland.

The establishment of the two defense pacts ultimately resulted in mutual suspicion between the two, distrust and misunderstanding between the Eastern and Western Blocs.

America is accused of carrying out imperialist politics. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was considered to have used the ideology of communism to expand its hegemony over democratic countries. Because of this, each side was engulfed in the Cold War.

The Process of the Cold War

The Cold War began after the end of World War II with the victory of the United States and the Soviet Union. Because the two of them together have great strength, there is competition between the two. The beginning of the Cold War occurred after Germany was divided into 2 blocks, West Germany and East Germany. East Germany was led by the Soviet Union and West Germany was led by the United States.

This was followed by the division of the city of Berlin into West Berlin and East Berlin. West Berlin was understood by Britain, France and the United States, while East Berlin was understood by the Soviet Union. In only a short period of time from 1945 to 1948, the Soviet Union succeeded in forming a Communist government consisting of several countries.

Among others are Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. In view of such rapid growth, the United States feels threatened and forms a Political Containment Policy strategy. The political strategy adopted was in the form of the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, which aimed to limit the Soviet Union's path to the south, which would criticize western countries. This conflicting view of life grew as far as Asia.

Key Events During the Cold War

Throughout the formation of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union did not wage war directly. However, they exert a fairly strong influence on conflicts in various countries. Here are some significant events during the formation of the Cold War:

Containment strategy by the United States

Seeing the emergence of the influence of the Soviet Union which adhered to communism, the United States then came up with a strategy of containment or containment. At that time the Soviet Union expanded their communist understanding in Eastern Europe, Korea, Vietnam, China, and Africa. The United States then attempted to implement containment.

This strategy is related to the policy of President Harry Truman (1945-1953) in the form of the creation of NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO is an organization built for mutual security. The countries that are members of it agree that if there is an attack on one of the members, it is considered an attack on all members.

The Age of the Atomic Bomb

In 1949, the Soviet Union tested their own atomic bomb. Responding to this, the President of the United States, Harry Truman announced that he wanted to build a more lethal atomic bomb weapon. The tension between the two countries since then continues to be felt. This atomic bomb test resulted in toxic radioactive pollution in the atmosphere.

In the United States, people build bomb shelters in their backyards. They also practice attack drills in schools and other public places.

Competition in Space

Not only the atomic bomb, the United States and the Soviet Union also competed in terms of spacecraft. In 1957, the Soviets released Sputnik, the first artificial satellite as well as the first human object to be placed in Earth orbit. This demonstration looks dangerous for the United States.

In 1958, the United States launched its own satellite, Explorer I. That same year President Dwight Eisenhower signed off on the creation of a federal agency to deal with space exploration. In 1969, America later claimed success in the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon.

Communism Fear Grows in the United States

Beginning in 1947, in the United States itself, signs of communism began to emerge. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) then attempted to contain this growth.

HUAC subsequently forced thousands of people working in the film industry to renounce left-wing political beliefs. More than 500 people have run out of their jobs. After that, many film workers entered the dark record, starting from writers, directors, and actors.

Not only in the film industry, HUAC also accused workers at the State Department of participating in subversive activities. Anti-Communist politician Senator Joseph McCarthy then included all those working in the federal government for investigation.

War in Various Countries

During the Cold War, America and the Soviet Union were often behind the war in various countries. By 1950, the Soviet military was behind the North Korean army which had then swept through the South. America then worried that this was a step of the communist campaign. Truman then sent American troops into Korea.

In Vietnam, the French colonial was facing collapse following the American troops who were behind the nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem. Since the 1950s, the United States has been committed to fighting for anti-communist governments in Vietnam and other countries.

In the early 1960s, President Kennedy experienced various unpleasant circumstances. It followed the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis the following year. This shows that the communist threat was clearly abnormal after the colonial era of the Third World.

Impact After the Cold War

As long as there was tension between America and the Soviet Union, it actually had a good influence on economic growth. The two extraordinary power countries are capital holders. They are competing to gain profits by investing in growing countries.

The Cold War which took place quite a long time after that had quite a big impact on the existence of the Soviet Union. In 1989, the Soviet Union's alliance lies on the brink of collapse. In conclusion, in 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved, Russia became its own country. At that time the president of the United States, George H. W. Bush said that America had won the Cold War.

After the Soviet Union ended, the United States remained as a superpower. But many American soldiers became victims because they participated in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Within the former Soviet Union itself, there were new ethnic and civil conflicts especially from the rest of Yugoslavia. In Central and Eastern Europe, there has been economic growth and an increasing number of countries adopting democracy.

After the Cold War, the existence of war between countries has dwindled. However, conflicts in various regions can still be found. Previously, the United States and the Soviet Union were competing to provide military assistance to conflict countries. After the Soviet Union disbanded, only the United States remained, which continued to send troops to various conflict areas after that.

In the current era, war between countries using military force is not visible. However, tensions between countries still exist and result in economic problems. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a new power emerged like China which excelled in the field of trade.

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