effects of the cold war essay

Effects of the Cold War

How it works

The Cold War was a time of hostility that went on between the Soviet Union and the US from 1945 to 1990. This rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted decades and created a result in anti communist accusations and international problems that led up to the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster. During World War II, the Soviet Union and United States fought together as allies against the axis powers. However, the two nations have always had a bumpy relationship.

America has always had a suspicious feeling about the Soviet communism and the leader, Joseph Stallin. The soviets turned their backs on Americans for decades long and had refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international society and community as well as their pushed back entry into World War II. After the war ended, the grievance from the Russians rose causing an overwhelming and disastrous feeling of revenge for the death of millions of Russians. The USSR became to resent American leaders and officials. By the time World War II ended, most American officials agreed that they had a good and best defense against the society called containment . This strategy provided the rationale for an uncountable arms buildup in the United States. The Cold War split the temporary wartime alliance against Nazi Germany, leaving the Soviet Union and the United States as two superpowers with prestige economic and political differences. The communist party controlled the state, the press, the military, the economy and many more organizations throughout the second world, including the Warsaw Pact and other satellites. The Cold War was a geopolitical tension between two powerful nations which caused a lot of many more set backs and catastrophes in the process.

• 1 Discuss the policy of containment and the Domino Theory as it applied to the United States foreign policy during the Cold War.
• 2 Discuss the influence of the Vietnam War on the Cold War.
• 3 Why was the Cold War such a driving factor behind the space race?
• 4 What were the causes of the American economic boom in the 1950’s? How did prosperity affect the nation socially, politically, and economically?
• 5 Discuss the significance of NATO, the Marshall Plan, The Truman Doctrine, and the Warsaw Pact as contributing factors to the Cold War.

Discuss the policy of containment and the Domino Theory as it applied to the United States foreign policy during the Cold War.

The policy of containment was a strategy used by the United States against the soviets preventing expansion of the soviets. A component of the Cold War, this policy was a response to a series of moves and strategies by the Soviet Union to expand communist influences in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Africa, and Vietnam. The concept was first outlined in George Kennan’s Long telegram . The policy of containment was adopted by president Harry Truman as part of his Truman Doctrine in 1947, which redefined America’s foreign policy as one that supports the free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures.

Containment remained central to American foreign policy throughout the Cold War, which saw rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1955, the United States entered a proxy war with the soviets, by sending troops into Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese against the north communist Vietnamese. A similar incident took place during the 150s in Korea, which was divided into two states. When North and South Korea were in e United States backed the south, while the soviets backed the north. The domino theory is another policy used in the Cold war. The domino theory was a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in a single nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring, each falling like a perfectly symmetric row of dominos. In Southeast Asia, the American government used the domino theory to justify its involvement with Vietnam. American failure to prevent a communist victory in Vietnam didn’t have a big impact than it had been assumed proponents of the domino theory. The domino theory was the belief that communism would expand and spread from one country to the next until it took over the other world. America’s full acceptance to the domino theory was influenced by events in europe in the 1930s. Almost most Cold War politicians had lived through the pre-war period, when Central European regions had called to Hitler.

The domino theory was first proposed by Harry s. Truman by sending military aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1940s. Overall, this theory proposed that a communist takeover over the country would quickly lead other counties to fall into communism. Cold War foreign policy was folded in the domino theory, which sooner ended up leading to other policies like containment, Marshall plan and the wars in Vietnam and Korea. During the Cold War, this theory dominated American foreign relations. The domino theory led to one conclusion which was ultimately clear: putting limits to the spread of communism was essential to pr venting it from being used within other countries. The policy Containment was created so communism was set where it already originated and existed and prevented it from spreading else where. Containment and the domino theory still live into today’s military ideas, especially containment. Containment today is used more frequently rather than the domino theory was associated mostly with the Cold War specifically. Containment is used throughout our war and invasion with Afghanistan. Containment and the domino theory were a success for a country and so much of it is used today to better us as one.

Discuss the influence of the Vietnam War on the Cold War.

The Vietnam War was a traumatic and historical moment for the United States which hugely impacted our Cold War. The Vietnam war carried from the 1960s to the early 1970s. It was a long, costly conflict which caused the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and their ally, America. This war was intensified by the ongoing Cold War. Communist forces ended the Vietnam war by taking over south Vietnam and uniting as the socialist republic of Vietnam the following Vietnam, has been under French colonial rule since the 19th century. The Vietnam war was so important that it somehow had influences on the Cold War. America entered the Vietnam war because of the domino theory. Some way this war influenced the Cold War was by how the United States went into war with Vietnam. The Vietnam war was drastically different for the United States, as it was a proxy theater for the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Vietnam was a whole new kind of war with the United States. The Vietnam war affected the Cold war because the Soviets were allies with the Vietnamese so in result of that, it was their job to protect them. The soviets were playing the role of protection on Vietnam and they were not happy that other countries and states were going against them. The Soviets were supplying Vietnam with ammo weapons, food, and support. This affected the Cold War because it caused the states to get mad that the Soviets were supporting their enemy. Another influential thing that occurred was America’s defeat by Vietnam. This caused Russia to be confident on their attach on America. It also caused the US to feel foolish because USSR didn’t even have to send a single troop to defeat the US. This kind of defeat made everyone feel for certain Russia was winning this war.

The Vietnam war was the first war shown on live television. America became furious and humiliated with the soviets for helping this war get air time because it was showing the world how they were being defeated. This caused American troops to not put 100% effort into their doing in combat. Vietnam was overall one of the most catastrophic wars with the US. The Cold War initially changed how the Vietnam war was fought. In January 1973, the United States and north Vietnam concluded a peace agreement p which ended the feud between the two nations. The war between south and north Vietnam still went forward however until 1975 where forces captured Saigon. More than two decades of war and conflict had inflicted a sad rate on Vietnam’s population. After years of at war, around two million Vietnamese were killed, three million were injured, and twelve million were refugees. This destroyed the countries economy and life style but reconstruction was proceeding slowly behind. In the US, the effects of the Vietnam war lingered after the troops returned back home. The nation spent a $120 billion on this war which caused a widespread inflation, which lead to the oil crisis in 1973 and the high rise of fuel prices. Overall, Vietnam took a huge toll on America. It caused the US the death of family, money, dignity and strength but America fought.

Why was the Cold War such a driving factor behind the space race?

As World War II ended, a new conflict rose. The Cold War began between Th soviets and the US but more happened than we realize. Beginning of the late 1950s, space became a dramatic completion arena between these two nations. Each side wanted prove their experienced and high end technology, its military firepower and to an extent its political economic system. The tensions of who had the best ammunition weapons, nuclear weapons, fueled arm races and etc. continued throughout the space race. Space exploration served as a dramatic arena for the Cold War. October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik, which is Russian for traveler. This was the worlds first artificial satellite and first man made object to ever be placed on the earths orbit. Sputnik’s launch surprised the Americans and didn’t make them happy at all. In America, space was seen as the next big thing or frontier. In 1958, America launched its own satellite, Explorer I, created by the US army under the instruction of rocket scientist Wernher van Braun. The same year, president Dwight Eisenhower signed an order to the public creating the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA), which is designed for America to explore space.

Eisenhower created two national security oriented space programs that would operate simultaneously with NASA. First, a spearheaded by the Air Force made itself dedicated to exposing the military potential of space. Second, which was led by the CIA, the Air Force and a new organization called National Reconnaissance Office was code named Corona. It would use orbiting satellites to gather some facts on the Soviet Union and some of their allies along side with them. In 1959, the Soviet Union took a step forward. The Soviet space program launched Luna 2, the first space probe to hit the moon. In April 1961, the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit earth. He traveled in a capsule like space craft Vostok 1. For America to send man into space, NASA created a smaller, cone shaped capsule for lighter than Vostok. They tested this spacecraft with chimpanzees and had s final test launch before the soviets could be ahead with the Gargarins launch. On May 5, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American space without an orbit. Later that may, President John F. Kennedy made the bold statement about how America was going to land a man on the moon before the decade ends. In February 1962, John Glenn was the first man of America to orbit the earth. By the end of the year, project Apollo was in place. By America being able to land on the mood, the United States won the space race. The soviets failed four lunar launching crafts between 1969 and 1972. The American publics attention was taken over by the space race and the many advances in the Soviet and United States space programs updated with the national media. With this turn, the Soviets were seen as the ultimate villains and America holds the trophy.

What were the causes of the American economic boom in the 1950’s? How did prosperity affect the nation socially, politically, and economically?

During Eisenhower’s era, Americans achieved a level of greatness they have never recognized before. The United States was thriving while other countries were struggling to rebuild their economy after destruction of World War II. Eisenhower would be the one to thank for this economic boom. He found the right amount of low taxes, even budgets, and public spending that allowed the country to cruise through. The economy grow 63% during the 1950s. The median American families had grown 30% more by purchasing more strength and power. Inflation was low because Eisenhower’s efforts to balance federal budgets persistently. Except for the heavy recession in 1954 and in 1958, unemployment stayed low at 4.5% in the middle of the decade. Many things together were factors to the 50s boom. The GI Bill, where military veterans were given college education and high end employment opportunities. This gave them a chance to learn many things for them to carry on their lives. Also, cheap oil helped the oil industries running. The advanced in science and technology was growing and becoming extremely productive. Eisenhower helped created a balanced economy simply. Instead of turning a blind eye on the big public projects, he invested federal money in the interstate highway system instead. This is one of the largest spending issues in the countries history. The largest and main economic goal Eisenhower accomplished was the pursuing of both of his terms in office was to get a balanced budget in the government.

The government had a small deficit then registered a surplus. Eisenhower let the deficit grow in order to stimulate the economy. In 1960, he managed to return to a surplus. To achieve a balanced budget was a race within itself. Democrats wanted increases in some defense spending in order to face the soviet threats. Congressional representatives pushed for lower taxes. Eisenhower made sure the people knew that the defense budget didn’t need to be brought up as much as they thought it needed to. Even though he was a fan of low taxes, he stood his ground when the people threatened to put the government into debt. After Eisenhower’s presidency, people criticized him as a great general but a lousy politician. Later on people realized his politics skills were more advanced than people sought out to realize. Eisenhower was the first professional soldier to become president since general Ulysses grant. Well into the 1950s, people didn’t exactly know what party Eisenhower was in. As a military man, he stayed away from politics as much he could but he was put into the Republican Party by the country. Overall politically, the 50s made the federal government’s budgets lower easing the way the country was run into a smoother sail. Socially, the one word we could describe the society under Eisenhower was restless. California’s population grew 49% in the 50s. Many people were content with the way the country was moving but others were a little uncomfortable with how the country was changing so rapidly. Overall, Eisenhower grew our country socially, politically, and economically so smooth America was at ease.

Discuss the significance of NATO, the Marshall Plan, The Truman Doctrine, and the Warsaw Pact as contributing factors to the Cold War.

The northern Atlantic treaty organization was created in 1949 by the US, Canada, and other eastern countries to provide some kind of security from the Soviet Union. NATO provided support for the West’s military against the USSR and its allies for the next 40 years, with it also going through the era of the Cold War. The Soviet Union emerged from the war dominated states in cent al and Eastern Europe. During the Cold War, NATO’s primary focus was to unify and strengthen the western allies. In the 1950s NATO received a nuclear retaliation from the US. NATO later developed a flexible response strategy which United States took as to mean that a war in Europe did not go up to nuclear exchange. A conventional and nuclear delay between the two sides continued through the early 1960s, them some relief in the 1970s. The members of NATO were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Later Greece and Turkey became members along with western Germany and Spain. The Marshall plan, also known as the European recovery program, gave aid to Western Europe following the destruction of World War II. This plan provided over $15 billion to help finance rebuilding on the continent. The Truman Doctrine is a promise that the United States would do what was necessary economically and militarily to keep the spread of communism around the world. The Marshall plan proved enormously successful, helping to recreate European nations that accepted aid. The Warsaw Pact pact, so named because the treaty was signed in Warsaw, included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, east Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Belgium as members. This pact remained til 1991. This pact focused on the objective of creating a coordinated defense among its member nations in order to protect themselves from an enemy attack. Over all, this pacts and plans and doctrines helped protect our states and allies, strengthening our war strengths.

In conclusion, the Cold War was significant in many qualities. It impacted our country and many countries around us significantly. The end impact of this war created the US as the superpower in the world and wise. This war stomped down on communism but as we know, communism still lives on within this world. This unified America and the world just a little more. Because of this war, many different communist states transitioned to democracy or a capitalist based economy. Some good impacts were the radical inventions and exponential growth in America’s fields of science and technology. The space race and the United States victory and being able to advance the skills and finally get man on the moon. Within this time, America’s technology grew so much they were able to invent computers, satellites, robots, radars, aerospace technology etc. which America is advancing today. Also, the rise of aligned nations. America grew their mindsets in military turning their wrongs into wrongs and fixing what was turning us down. My opinion on this war is all over the place. What I was able to gather from all this information was the variety of conflicts that were really going on within this one huge war. I had no idea about the space race but it gave me an insight on how America grew such intense spacecraft and developed the country within itself. This Cold War made our country strong and I’m proud to be an American.

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Cold War History

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 26, 2023 | Original: October 27, 2009

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension marked by competition and confrontation between communist nations led by the Soviet Union and Western democracies including the United States. During World War II , the United States and the Soviets fought together as allies against Nazi Germany . However, U.S./Soviet relations were never truly friendly: Americans had long been wary of Soviet communism and Russian leader Joseph Stalin ’s tyrannical rule. The Soviets resented Americans’ refusal to give them a leading role in the international community, as well as America’s delayed entry into World War II, in which millions of Russians died.

These grievances ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity that never developed into open warfare (thus the term “cold war”). Soviet expansionism into Eastern Europe fueled many Americans’ fears of a Russian plan to control the world. Meanwhile, the USSR came to resent what they perceived as U.S. officials’ bellicose rhetoric, arms buildup and strident approach to international relations. In such a hostile atmosphere, no single party was entirely to blame for the Cold War; in fact, some historians believe it was inevitable.

Containment

By the time World War II ended, most American officials agreed that the best defense against the Soviet threat was a strategy called “containment.” In his famous “Long Telegram,” the diplomat George Kennan (1904-2005) explained the policy: The Soviet Union, he wrote, was “a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with the U.S. there can be no permanent modus vivendi [agreement between parties that disagree].” As a result, America’s only choice was the “long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.”

“It must be the policy of the United States,” he declared before Congress in 1947, “to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation…by outside pressures.” This way of thinking would shape American foreign policy for the next four decades.

Did you know? The term 'cold war' first appeared in a 1945 essay by the English writer George Orwell called 'You and the Atomic Bomb.'

The Cold War: The Atomic Age

The containment strategy also provided the rationale for an unprecedented arms buildup in the United States. In 1950, a National Security Council Report known as NSC–68 had echoed Truman’s recommendation that the country use military force to contain communist expansionism anywhere it seemed to be occurring. To that end, the report called for a four-fold increase in defense spending.

In particular, American officials encouraged the development of atomic weapons like the ones that had ended World War II. Thus began a deadly “ arms race .” In 1949, the Soviets tested an atom bomb of their own. In response, President Truman announced that the United States would build an even more destructive atomic weapon: the hydrogen bomb, or “superbomb.” Stalin followed suit.

As a result, the stakes of the Cold War were perilously high. The first H-bomb test, in the Eniwetok atoll in the Marshall Islands, showed just how fearsome the nuclear age could be. It created a 25-square-mile fireball that vaporized an island, blew a huge hole in the ocean floor and had the power to destroy half of Manhattan. Subsequent American and Soviet tests spewed radioactive waste into the atmosphere.

The ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation had a great impact on American domestic life as well. People built bomb shelters in their backyards. They practiced attack drills in schools and other public places. The 1950s and 1960s saw an epidemic of popular films that horrified moviegoers with depictions of nuclear devastation and mutant creatures. In these and other ways, the Cold War was a constant presence in Americans’ everyday lives.

HISTORY Vault: Nuclear Terror

Now more than ever, terrorist groups are obtaining nuclear weapons. With increasing cases of theft and re-sale at dozens of Russian sites, it's becoming more and more likely for terrorists to succeed.

The Cold War and the Space Race

Space exploration served as another dramatic arena for Cold War competition. On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik (Russian for “traveling companion”), the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit. Sputnik’s launch came as a surprise, and not a pleasant one, to most Americans.

In the United States, space was seen as the next frontier, a logical extension of the grand American tradition of exploration, and it was crucial not to lose too much ground to the Soviets. In addition, this demonstration of the overwhelming power of the R-7 missile–seemingly capable of delivering a nuclear warhead into U.S. air space–made gathering intelligence about Soviet military activities particularly urgent.

In 1958, the U.S. launched its own satellite, Explorer I, designed by the U.S. Army under the direction of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, and what came to be known as the Space Race was underway. That same year, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a federal agency dedicated to space exploration, as well as several programs seeking to exploit the military potential of space. Still, the Soviets were one step ahead, launching the first man into space in April 1961.

That May, after Alan Shepard become the first American man in space, President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) made the bold public claim that the U.S. would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. His prediction came true on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission , became the first man to set foot on the moon, effectively winning the Space Race for the Americans. 

U.S. astronauts came to be seen as the ultimate American heroes. Soviets, in turn, were pictured as the ultimate villains, with their massive, relentless efforts to surpass America and prove the power of the communist system.

The Cold War and the Red Scare

Meanwhile, beginning in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee ( HUAC ) brought the Cold War home in another way. The committee began a series of hearings designed to show that communist subversion in the United States was alive and well.

In Hollywood , HUAC forced hundreds of people who worked in the movie industry to renounce left-wing political beliefs and testify against one another. More than 500 people lost their jobs. Many of these “blacklisted” writers, directors, actors and others were unable to work again for more than a decade. HUAC also accused State Department workers of engaging in subversive activities. Soon, other anticommunist politicians, most notably Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), expanded this probe to include anyone who worked in the federal government. 

Thousands of federal employees were investigated, fired and even prosecuted. As this anticommunist hysteria spread throughout the 1950s, liberal college professors lost their jobs, people were asked to testify against colleagues and “loyalty oaths” became commonplace.

The Cold War Abroad

The fight against subversion at home mirrored a growing concern with the Soviet threat abroad. In June 1950, the first military action of the Cold War began when the Soviet-backed North Korean People’s Army invaded its pro-Western neighbor to the south. Many American officials feared this was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world and deemed that nonintervention was not an option. Truman sent the American military into Korea, but the Korean War dragged to a stalemate and ended in 1953.

In 1955, the United States and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) made West Germany a member of NATO and permitted it to remilitarize. The Soviets responded with the Warsaw Pact , a mutual defense organization between the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria that set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union.

Other international disputes followed. In the early 1960s, President Kennedy faced a number of troubling situations in his own hemisphere. The Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis the following year seemed to prove that the real communist threat now lay in the unstable, postcolonial “Third World.” 

Nowhere was this more apparent than in Vietnam , where the collapse of the French colonial regime had led to a struggle between the American-backed nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem in the south and the communist nationalist Ho Chi Minh in the north. Since the 1950s, the United States had been committed to the survival of an anticommunist government in the region, and by the early 1960s it seemed clear to American leaders that if they were to successfully “contain” communist expansionism there, they would have to intervene more actively on Diem’s behalf. However, what was intended to be a brief military action spiraled into a 10-year conflict .

The End of the Cold War and Effects

Almost as soon as he took office, President Richard Nixon (1913-1994) began to implement a new approach to international relations. Instead of viewing the world as a hostile, “bi-polar” place, he suggested, why not use diplomacy instead of military action to create more poles? To that end, he encouraged the United Nations to recognize the communist Chinese government and, after a trip there in 1972, began to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.

At the same time, he adopted a policy of “détente”—”relaxation”—toward the Soviet Union. In 1972, he and Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982) signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), which prohibited the manufacture of nuclear missiles by both sides and took a step toward reducing the decades-old threat of nuclear war.

Despite Nixon’s efforts, the Cold War heated up again under President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). Like many leaders of his generation, Reagan believed that the spread of communism anywhere threatened freedom everywhere. As a result, he worked to provide financial and military aid to anticommunist governments and insurgencies around the world. This policy, particularly as it was applied in the developing world in places like Grenada and El Salvador, was known as the Reagan Doctrine .

Even as Reagan fought communism in Central America, however, the Soviet Union was disintegrating. In response to severe economic problems and growing political ferment in the USSR, Premier Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022) took office in 1985 and introduced two policies that redefined Russia’s relationship to the rest of the world: “glasnost,” or political openness, and “ perestroika ,” or economic reform. 

Soviet influence in Eastern Europe waned. In 1989, every other communist state in the region replaced its government with a noncommunist one. In November of that year, the Berlin Wall –the most visible symbol of the decades-long Cold War–was finally destroyed, just over two years after Reagan had challenged the Soviet premier in a speech at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” By 1991, the Soviet Union itself had fallen apart. The Cold War was over.

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159 Cold War Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

• 🤫 Secrets of Powerful Essay on Cold War

🏆 Best Cold War Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

🥇 most interesting cold war topics to write about, 💡 simple & easy cold war essay titles, 🎓 good research topics about cold war, ❓ cold war essay questions, 🤫 secrets of powerful essay on the cold war.

The Cold War is a significant part of the world’s history. Its term refers to the period between 1950 and late 1980, known for a great tension between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Essays on the Cold War are important assignments because they allow students to research the topic in detail. As the war was a major event that has affected many countries, students should prepare well for writing their Cold War essays. Our goal is to help you in writing an outstanding paper.

Start with researching the topics for your essay and selecting the one that interests you the most. Here are some Cold War essay titles we can suggest:

• Does the Cold War affect people or nations today?
• The link between the Cold War and the Korean War
• Argumentative essay on which country started the war
• Capitalist and communist economies during the Cold War
• The impact of the Cold War on international relations
• The link between the Domino theory and the Cold War
• The Effect of the Cold War on the environment

Select one of our titles or check out the examples of the Cold War essay topics online. Now you are ready to work on your essay. Here are some secrets of writing a powerful paper on the Cold War:

• Research the selected issue and think of the Cold War essay prompts you will discuss. Develop an outline for your paper based on your future arguments. Remember that an outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Do not forget to add a title page, if necessary.
• A good Cold War essay introduction should include some background information about the issue, its causes, and effects. Present a thesis statement in the last sentence of this section. It can look like this:

The Cold War still affects the population of North Korea.

• Discuss all relevant data in the body paragraphs. Identify the Cold War leaders, its ideology, global powers, and propaganda. Remember that the reader should get a full perspective on the issue you are discussing.
• Discuss the events that had happened before the Cold War began. What caused its eruption? What were the interests of parties responsible for the Cold War?
• Reflect on the consequences of the Cold War and its effects on today’s world. It will help you to get the reader’s interest.
• You can also discuss what would have happened if the war did not erupt or ended differently.
• Support your claims with evidence and add in-text citations when you refer to information from outside sources. Hint: Use peer-reviewed articles or scholarly books as your main sources of information. Do not rely on personal blogs or websites like Wikipedia.
• Summarize your arguments in a concluding paragraph. Restate your thesis and present the findings of the paper. Remember to end your essay on a positive note.
• Although content is important, make sure that you use correct grammar and sentence structures too. Check the paper several times to make sure that you have made no crucial mistakes. Remember that spelling is important too. You can ask your peers to review the paper for you, if possible.

Remember that our free samples are there for you if you need some ideas for your paper!

• “The Cold War: A New History” by John Lewis Gaddis In Chapter 1 “Return of Fear”, Gaddis states that the Cold War was caused due to the competing and divergent ideologies of the United States and the Soviet Union.
• The Cold War and the Balance of Power Theory The end of the Cold War and the fall of the Communist Block have led to a complete change in the balance of power in the international arena.
• The Film Industry During Cold War The end of world war two marked the start of the cold war between the Unites States of America and the Soviet Union.
• The Cold War: Causes and Consequences United States, which sustained the minimal damage during the apocalyptic war, was elevated to the status of the savior of the new world in the west whilst mighty Soviet Union whose winters not only mercilessly […]
• Cold War: Summary, Causes, History, & Facts The plot of the Soviet Union to spread the issue of communism to all parts of the world stands out as the major cause of the Cold War.
• The Cold War and the Events of September 11 The anxieties arising from the issue of European immigrants echo the sentiments of securitization and Islamophobia following the events of September 11.
• The Cold War: US Foreign Policy The paper seeks to explore issues surrounding the US foreign policy in the course of the war, as well as the implications of the war on the United States’ society and culture.
• International Relations: Atomic Bombs and Cold War The dropping of the nuclear bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States directly contributed to the initiation of the Cold War. The utilization of the bombs led the Soviet Union to see the […]
• Countries That Suffered the Greatest as a Result of the Cold War After the Second World War, there was a long period of tension between the democracies of the Western World and the communists’ countries of Eastern Europe, which is called The Cold War.
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• How Did Cold War Affect Popular Culture?
• What Factors Influenced the Origins of the Cold War?
• What Did the Berlin Wall Mean to Both Sides in the Cold War?
• Why Was the Cold War Called the Cold War?
• How Did the Cold War Shape the American Economy, Society, and Politics?
• How Did the Berlin Crisis Affect the Cold War?
• What Were the Main Reasons for the Beginning of the Cold War Between the USA and the Ussr?
• What Were the Key Elements of the Policy of Deterrence and Containment During the Cold War?
• How and Why Did the Cold War End?
• Why Did the Cold War in Europe and Asia Get More Serious?
• Did the Cold War Affect International Relations?
• Why Was Ronald Reagan Not Responsible for Ending the Cold War?
• Why Did the Cold War End, and What Roles Did Hard and Soft Power Play?
• Why Was the Cuban Missile Crisis a Turning Point in Cold War Relations?
• Why Did the Liberal World System Win the Cold War?
• Why Did the Detente Didn’t End the Cold War?
• What Impact Did World War II and the Cold War Have On the Development of Science in the 20th Century?
• Why Did the United States Get Involved in the War in Korea, and in What Sense Was It an Outgrowth of the Cold War?
• What Were Americans Fears During the Cold War?
• What Was the Domino Theory During the Cold War?
• What Was the Cold War, and How Did It Start?
• Did Ronald Reagan End the Cold War?
• Why Did the Cold War Never Become Hot?
• What Caused the Clash Between Communism and Capitalism During the Cold War?
• How Did the Cold War Affect Domestic Policy and American Society?
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The Cold War (1945-1989) essay

The Cold War is considered to be a significant event in Modern World History. The Cold War dominated a rather long time period: between 1945, or the end of the World War II, and 1990, the collapse of the USSR. This period involved the relationships between two superpowers: the United States and the USSR. The Cold War began in Eastern Europe and Germany, according to the researchers of the Institute of Contemporary British History (Warner 15).  Researchers state that “the USSR and the United States of America held the trump cards, nuclear bombs and missiles” (Daniel 489). In other words, during the Cold War, two nations took the fate of the world under their control. The progression of the Cold War influenced the development of society, which became aware of the threat of nuclear war. After the World War II, the world experienced technological progress, which provided “the Space Race, computer development, superhighway construction, jet airliner development, the creation of international phone system, the advent of television, enormous progress in medicine, and the creation of mass consumerism, and many other achievements” (Daniel 489). Although the larger part of the world lived in poverty and lacked technological progress, the United States and other countries of Western world succeeded in economic development. The Cold War, which began in 1945, reflected the increased role of technological progress in the establishment of economic relationships between two superpowers.   The Cold War involved internal and external conflicts between two superpowers, the United States and the USSR, leading to eventual breakdown of the USSR.

• The Cold War: background information

The Cold War consisted of several confrontations between the United States and the USSR, supported by their allies. According to researchers, the Cold War was marked by a number of events, including “the escalating arms race, a competition to conquer space, a dangerously belligerent for of diplomacy known as brinkmanship, and a series of small wars, sometimes called “police actions” by the United States and sometimes excused as defense measures by the Soviets” (Gottfried 9). The Cold War had different influences on the United States and the USSR. For the USSR, the Cold War provided massive opportunities for the spread of communism across the world, Moscow’s control over the development of other nations and the increased role of the Soviet Communist party.

In fact, the Cold War could split the wartime alliance formed to oppose the plans of Nazi Germany, leaving the USSR and the United States as two superpowers with considerable economic and political differences. The USSR was based on a single-party Marxist–Leninist system, while the United States was a capitalist state with democratic governance based on free elections.

The key figure in the Cold War was the Soviet leader Gorbachev, who was elected in 1985. He managed to change the direction of the USSR, making the economies of communist ruled states independent. The major reasons for changing in the course were poor technological development of the USSR (Gottfried 115). Gorbachev believed that radical changes in political power could improve the Communist system. At the same time, he wanted to stop the Cold War and tensions with the United States. The cost of nuclear arms race had negative impact on the economy of the USSR. The leaders of the United States accepted the proposed relationships, based on cooperation and mutual trust. The end of the Cold War was marked by signing the INF treaty in 1987 (Gottfried 115).

• The origins of the Cold War

Many American historians state that the Cold War began in 1945. However, according to Russian researchers, historians and analysts “the Cold War began with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, for this was when the capitalist world began its systematic opposition to and effort to undermine the world’s first socialist state and society” (Warner13). For Russians, the Cold War was hot in 1918-1922, when the Allied Intervention policy implemented in Russia during the Russian Civil War. According to John W. Long, “the U.S. intervention in North Russia was a policy formulated by President Wilson during the first half of 1918 at the urgent insistence of Britain, France and Italy, the chief World War I allies” (380).

Nevertheless, there are some other opinions regarding the origins of the Cold War. For example, Geoffrey Barraclough, an outstanding English historian, states that the events in the Far East at the end of the century contributed to the origins of the Cold War. He argues that “during the previous hundred years, Russia and the United States has tended to support each other against England; but now, as England’s power passed its zenith, they came face to face across the Pacific” (Warner 13). According to Barraclough, the Cold War is associated with the conflict of interests, which involved European countries, the Middle East and South East Asia. Finally, this conflict divided the world into two camps. Thus, the Cold War origins are connected with the spread of ideological conflict caused by the emergence of the new power in the early 20-th century (Warner 14). The Cold War outbreak was associated with the spread of propaganda on the United States by the USSR. The propagandistic attacks involved the criticism of the U.S. leaders and their policies. These attacked were harmful to the interests of American nation (Whitton 151).

• The major causes of the Cold War

The United States and the USSR were regarded as two superpowers during the Cold War, each having its own sphere of influence, its power and forces. The Cold War had been the continuing conflict, caused by tensions, misunderstandings and competitions that existed between the United States and the USSR, as well as their allies from 1945 to the early 1990s (Gottfried 10). Throughout this long period, there was the so-called rivalry between the United States and the USSR, which was expressed through various transformations, including military buildup, the spread of propaganda, the growth of espionage, weapons development, considerable industrial advances, and competitive technological developments in different spheres of human activity, such as medicine, education, space exploration, etc.

There four major causes of the Cold War, which include:

• Ideological differences (communism v. capitalism);
• Mutual distrust and misperception;
• The fear of the United State regarding the spread of communism;
• The nuclear arms race (Gottfried 10).

The major causes of the Cold War point out to the fact that the USSR was focused on the spread of communist ideas worldwide. The United States followed democratic ideas and opposed the spread of communism. At the same time, the acquisition of atomic weapons by the United States caused fear in the USSR. The use of atomic weapons could become the major reason of fear of both the United States and the USSR. In other words, both countries were anxious about possible attacks from each other; therefore, they were following the production of mass destruction weapons. In addition, the USSR was focused on taking control over Eastern Europe and Central Asia. According to researchers, the USSR used various strategies to gain control over Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the years 1945-1980. Some of these strategies included “encouraging the communist takeover of governments in Eastern Europe, the setting up of Comecon, the Warsaw Pact, the presence of the Red Army in Eastern Europe, and the Brezhnev Doctrine” (Phillips 118). These actions were the major factors for the suspicions and concerns of the United States. In addition, the U.S. President had a personal dislike of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his policies. In general, the United States was concerned by the Soviet Union’s actions regarding the occupied territory of Germany, while the USSR feared that the United States would use Western Europe as the major tool for attack.

• The consequences of the Cold War

The consequences of the Cold War include both positive and negative effects for both the United States and the USSR.

• Both the United States and the USSR managed to build up huge arsenals of atomic weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
• The Cold War provided opportunities for the establishment of the military blocs, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
• The Cold War led to the emergence of the destructive military conflicts, like the Vietnam War and the Korean War, which took the lives of millions of people (Gottfried13).
• The USSR collapsed because of considerable economic, political and social challenges.
• The Cold War led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the two German nations.
• The Cold War led to the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact (Gottfried 136).
• The Cold war provided the opportunities for achieving independence of the Baltic States and some former Soviet Republics.
• The Cold War made the United States the sole superpower of the world because of the collapse of the USSR in 1990.
• The Cold War led to the collapse of Communism and the rise of globalization worldwide (Phillips 119).

The impact of the Cold War on the development of many countries was enormous. The consequences of the Cold War were derived from numerous internal problems of the countries, which were connected with the USSR, especially developing countries (India, Africa, etc.). This fact means that foreign policies of many states were transformed (Gottfried 115).

The Cold War (1945-1989) essay part 2

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Essay on the Cold War: it’s Origin, Causes and Phases

After the Second World War, the USA and USSR became two Super Powers. One nation tried to reduce the power of other. Indirectly the competition between the Super Powers led to the Cold War.

Then America took the leadership of all the Capitalist Countries.

Soviet Russia took the leadership of all the Communist Countries. As a result of which both stood as rivals to each other.

Definition of the Cold War:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

In the graphic language of Hartman, “Cold War is a state of tension between countries in which each side adopts policies designed to strengthen it and weaken the other by falling short by actual war”.

Image Source: i.ytimg.com/vi/y9HjvHZfCUI/maxresdefault.jpg

Infact, Cold War is a kind of verbal war which is fought through newspapers, magazines, radio and other propaganda methods. It is a propaganda to which a great power resorts against the other power. It is a sort of diplomatic war.

Origin of Cold War:

There is no unanimity amongst scholars regarding the origin of the Cold War In 1941 when Hitler invaded Russia, Roosevelt the President of USA sent armaments to Russia. It is only because the relationship between Roosevelt and Stalin was very good. But after the defeat of Germany, when Stalin wanted to implement Communist ideology in Poland, Hungery, Bulgaria and Rumania, at that time England and America suspected Stalin.

Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England in his ‘Fulton Speech’ on 5 March 1946 said that Soviet Russia was covered by an Iron Curtain. It led Stalin to think deeply. As a result of which suspicion became wider between Soviet Russia and western countries and thus the Cold War took birth.

Causes of the Cold War:

Various causes are responsible for the outbreak of the Cold War. At first, the difference between Soviet Russia and USA led to the Cold War. The United States of America could not tolerate the Communist ideology of Soviet Russia. On the other hand, Russia could not accept the dominance of United States of America upon the other European Countries.

Secondly, the Race of Armament between the two super powers served another cause for the Cold War. After the Second World War, Soviet Russia had increased its military strength which was a threat to the Western Countries. So America started to manufacture the Atom bomb, Hydrogen bomb and other deadly weapons. The other European Countries also participated in this race. So, the whole world was divided into two power blocs and paved the way for the Cold War.

Thirdly, the Ideological Difference was another cause for the Cold War. When Soviet Russia spread Communism, at that time America propagated Capitalism. This propaganda ultimately accelerated the Cold War.

Fourthly, Russian Declaration made another cause for the Cold War. Soviet Russia highlighted Communism in mass-media and encouraged the labour revolution. On the other hand, America helped the Capitalists against the Communism. So it helped to the growth of Cold War.

Fifthly, the Nuclear Programme of America was responsible for another cause for the Cold War. After the bombardment of America on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Soviet Russia got afraid for her existence. So, it also followed the same path to combat America. This led to the growth of Cold War.

Lastly, the Enforcement of Veto by Soviet Russia against the western countries made them to hate Russia. When the western countries put forth any view in the Security Council of the UNO, Soviet Russia immediately opposed it through veto. So western countries became annoyed in Soviet Russia which gave birth to the Cold War.

Various Phases of the Cold War:

The Cold War did not occur in a day. It passed through several phases.

First Phase (1946-1949 ):

In this phase America and Soviet Russia disbelieved each other. America always tried to control the Red Regime in Russia. Without any hesitation Soviet Russia established Communism by destroying democracy in the Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungery, Yugoslavia and other Eastern European Countries.

In order to reduce Russia’s hegemony, America helped Greece and Turkey by following Truman Doctrine which came into force on 12 March 1947. According to Marshall Plan which was declared on 5 June, 1947 America gave financial assistance to Western European Countries.

In this phase, non withdrawal of army from Iran by Soviet Russia, Berlin blaockade etc. made the cold was more furious. After the formation of NATO in 1949, the Cold War took a halt.

Second Phase (1949-1953 ):

In this phase a treaty was signed between Australia, New Zeland and America in September, 1957 which was known as ANZUS. America also signed a treaty with Japan on 8 September, 1951. At that time by taking armaments from Russia and army from China, North Korea declared war against South Korea.

Then with the help of UNO, America sent military aid to South Korea. However, both North Korea and South Korea signed peace treaty in 1953 and ended the war. In order to reduce the impact of Soviet Communism, America spent a huge amount of dollar in propaganda against Communism. On the other hand, Soviet Russia tried to be equal with America by testing atom bomb.

Third Phase (1953-1957):

Now United States of America formed SEATO in 1954 in order to reduce Soviet Russia’s influence. In 1955 America formed MEDO in Middle East. Within a short span of time, America gave military assistance to 43 countries and formed 3300 military bases around Soviet Russia. At that time, the Vietnamese War started on 1955.

To reduce the American Power, Russia signed WARSAW PACT in 1955. Russia also signed a defence pact with 12 Countries. Germany was divided into Federal Republic of Germany which was under the American control where as German Democratic Republic was under Soviet Russia. In 1957 Soviet Russia included Sphutnick in her defence programme.

In 1953 Stalin died and Khrushchev became the President of Russia. In 1956 an agreement was signed between America and Russia regarding the Suez Crisis. America agreed not to help her allies like England and France. In fact West Asia was saved from a great danger.

Fourth Phase (1957-1962):

In 1959 the Russian President Khrushchev went on a historical tour to America. Both the countries were annoyed for U-2 accident and for Berlin Crisis. In 13 August 1961, Soviet Russia made a Berlin Wall of 25 Kilometres in order to check the immigration from eastern Berlin to Western Berlin. In 1962, Cuba’s Missile Crisis contributed a lot to the cold war.

This incident created an atmosphere of conversation between American President Kenedy and Russian President Khrushchev. America assured Russia that she would not attack Cuba and Russia also withdrew missile station from Cuba.

Fifth Phase (1962-1969 ):

The Fifth Phase which began from 1962 also marked a mutual suspicion between USA and USSR. There was a worldwide concern demanding ban on nuclear weapons. In this period Hot Line was established between the White House and Kremlin. This compelled both the parties to refrain from nuclear war. Inspite of that the Vietnam problem and the Problem in Germany kept Cold War between USA and USSR in fact.

Sixth Phase (1969-1978 ):

This phase commencing from 1969 was marked by DETENTE between USA and USSR- the American President Nixon and Russian President Brezhnev played a vital role for putting an end to the Cold War. The SALT of 1972, the summit Conference on Security’ of 1975 in Helsinki and Belgrade Conference of 1978 brought America and Russia closer.

In 1971, American Foreign Secretary Henry Kissinger paid a secret visit to China to explore the possibilities of reapproachment with China. The American move to convert Diego Garcia into a military base was primarily designed to check the Soviet presence in the Indian Ocean. During the Bangladesh crisis of 1971 and the Egypt-Israel War of 1973 the two super powers extended support to the opposite sides.

Last Phase (1979-1987 ):

In this phase certain changes were noticed in the Cold War. That is why historians call this phase as New Cold War. In 1979, the American President Carter and Russian President Brezhnev signed SALT II. But in 1979 the prospects of mitigating Cold War were marred by sudden development in Afghanistan.

Vietnam (1975), Angola (1976), Ethiopia (1972) and Afghanistan (1979) issues brought success to Russia which was unbearable for America. American President Carter’s Human Rights and Open Diplomacy were criticised by Russia. The SALT II was not ratified by the US Senate. In 1980 America boycotted the Olympic held at Moscow.

In 1983, Russia withdrew from a talk on missile with America. In 1984 Russia boycotted the Olympic game held at Los-Angeles. The Star War of the American President Ronald Regan annoyed Russia. In this way the ‘New Cold War’ between America and Russia continued till 1987.

Result of the Cold War:

The Cold War had far-reaching implications in the international affairs. At first, it gave rise to a fear psychosis which resulted in a mad race for the manufacture of more sophisticated armaments. Various alliances like NATO, SEATO, WARSAW PACT, CENTO, ANZUS etc. were formed only to increase world tension.

Secondly, Cold War rendered the UNO ineffective because both super powers tried to oppose the actions proposed by the opponent. The Korean Crisis, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War etc. were the bright examples in this direction.

Thirdly, due to the Cold War, a Third World was created. A large number of nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America decided to keep away from the military alliances of the two super powers. They liked to remain neutral. So, Non-Alignments Movement became the direct outcome of the Cold War.

Fourthly, Cold War was designed against mankind. The unnecessary expenditure in the armament production created a barrier against the progress of the world and adversely affected a country and prevented improvement in the living standards of the people.

Fifthly, the principle ‘Whole World as a Family’, was shattered on the rock of frustration due to the Cold War. It divided the world into two groups which was not a healthy sign for mankind.

Sixthly, The Cold War created an atmosphere of disbelief among the countries. They questioned among themselves how unsafe were they under Russia or America.

Finally, The Cold War disturbed the World Peace. The alliances and counter-alliances created a disturbing atmosphere. It was a curse for the world. Though Russia and America, being super powers, came forward to solve the international crisis, yet they could not be able to establish a perpetual peace in the world.

Related Articles:

• Essay on the Cold War, 1945
• Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO): Structure, Principles and Other Details
• History of The Cold War: Origin, Reasons and Other Details
• Truman Doctrine: A Policy Statement Made by US during the Cold War

Home — Essay Samples — War — Cold War — Analysis of How Did The Cold War Shaped American Politics, Society, and Economy

Analysis of How Did The Cold War Shaped American Politics, Society, and Economy

• Categories: 20Th Century Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis

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Words: 714 |

Published: Sep 4, 2018

Words: 714 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

The essay explores the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, tracing its origins to the aftermath of World War II and the historical backdrop of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. The Cold War was a multifaceted conflict encompassing ideology, economics, politics, and military posturing, but it notably never escalated into a direct battlefield confrontation between the two superpowers. Instead, it was characterized by tensions and hostilities on a global scale, marked by a mutual understanding of the catastrophic consequences of direct conflict.

The essay delves into the impact of the Cold War on American society, highlighting the emergence of strong anti-communist sentiments that led to McCarthyism. During this period, the fear of communism and the obsession with identifying and removing communists from American society resulted in various actions, including the establishment of organizations like the FBI and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Laws such as the Communist Control Act and the McCarran Act were enacted, leading to questioning, job loss, and even fatalities, as exemplified by the Rosenberg case.

The essay also discusses the pervasive fear that gripped both American and Soviet societies during the Cold War, often driven by the arms race and events like the Cuban missile crisis. Despite the absence of direct military conflict, the constant threat of nuclear warfare loomed large, shaping the psychology of the era.

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