What was the Cold War?

World War II destroyed much of Europe. During the war, the United States and the Soviet Union worked together. However, that partnership turned to a 50-year-long conflict. This conflict is called the “Cold War.” The two powers never directly engaged in combat or a “hot war.”

The Cold War came down to some basic differences in world views. The United States believed in a capitalist system of free markets and multiple political parties. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was founded on a communist system. It was controlled by a centralized state. It had a single political party. Communist societies believe in taking from the rich and giving to the poor.
They have state-run economies. The US capitalist system let free markets determine the production and distribution of goods. Both sides used propaganda. They tried to paint a negative picture of their enemies.

Three key features defined the Cold War. The first was the threat of nuclear war. The second was competition over the loyalty of newly independent nations. The third was the military and economic support of each other’s enemies around the world.

A divided Europe

Soviet leader Josef Stalin wanted to expand Soviet territory. He sought to build a buffer between the Soviet Union and Europe. He also wanted control in Central and Eastern European countries. Stalin quickly established strong communist partners in Central and Eastern Europe (the Eastern Bloc). They took orders from the USSR. Meanwhile, the United States provided more than $12 billion in aid to rebuild Western European nations.

This divided Europe into East and West. It was divided along an imaginary line called the Iron Curtain.

Germany became a Cold War battleground. East Germany and West Germany had separate governments and capital cities. The city of Berlin became a small-scale representation of the Cold War. The British, French, and Americans controlled West Berlin. The Soviets controlled East Berlin. To prevent people from leaving one side for the other, the communists built the Berlin Wall in 1961. It divided the city in half. The wall became the most important symbol of the Cold War.

The Cold War heats up around the world

From 1945 to 1953, the USSR expanded its influence. It created the Eastern Bloc. The United States likewise began to meddle in the affairs of foreign nations. It did so where it feared communist governments would gain control. This became known as a policy of containment.

In the 1950s, the competition had spread. It reached the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. By the 1960s, the Cold War reached Africa. Many former colonies had gained independence from European empires. These new nations sided with the Americans or Soviets to receive economic and military aid. Both superpowers supported some violent dictatorships. They did so to gain an edge in the Cold War.

Major Cold War conflicts took place in Asia. Communists took power in China in 1949. The Americans feared other countries would follow. In 1953, Korea had been divided into two zones. There was a communist government in the north and an American-leaning government in the south. To contain the spread of communism, the United States sent in troops. The Chinese responded by sending their own troops. The war killed nearly 5 million people. It left a divided North Korea and South Korea that remains today.

Like Korea, Vietnam was divided into a communist north and pro-West south. To contain the communist north, the United States invaded in the 1960s. The Soviets sent money and weapons to the communist forces. By 1975, North Vietnam defeated the strongest military superpower in the world. More than 58,000 Americans died in the conflict.

After the Vietnam War, tensions briefly decreased. Then, the USSR intervened in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It wanted to ensure the victory of a communist-leaning group. It sent troops to assist them. The United States helped the Soviet enemies in Afghanistan. Ultimately, the USSR was unsuccessful. US-backed forces emerged victorious. After much infighting, an extremist group called the Taliban claimed power in the region.

The end of the Cold War

The Cold War finally ended in the 1990s. The USSR could no longer keep up with US military spending. Meanwhile, the Eastern Bloc faced economic problems. To keep citizens from revolting, the new Soviet leader, Mikhael Gorbachev, proposed changes. These economic reforms were known as perestroika. This means “restructuring.” Gorbachev also relaxed restrictions on freedom of expression, a policy called glasnost, or “openness.” But these reforms were too little too late.

In 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down. The USSR broke up into more than a dozen independent nations.

Fear of a nuclear war likely prevented direct combat. However, the two superpowers supported each other’s enemies in combat. They created a bi-polar system of global power. This forced other nations to choose sides. Economic troubles left the USSR unable to maintain control of the Eastern Bloc. Many Eastern European countries chose a different path. They elected non-communist parties. Many joined the European Union.

Outside of Europe, communists in places such as Cuba and China have remained in power. Whichever path nations have chosen since the collapse of the USSR, the Cold War has left behind a major imprint on the world.