Cold War
The Cold War[1] refers to the heightened tension that existed betweenthe United States and the Soviet Union during the period following theWorld War II until the end of 1980s. In this essay we shall discuss: when,why and how the Cold War began, the factors that perpetuated it from the1940s through the 1980s, and when and why it ended. The Cold War began after the Second World War when the United Statesand the Soviet Union emerged as the two major powers of the world. Evenbefore the war had ended, it had become evident that both countries wantedto play a leading role in the international affairs.[2] The fact that bothcountries represented the opposite spectrums of political ideologies (withthe US representing democracy, individual liberty and capitalism, and theUSSR being committed to the spread of the communist revolution around theworld) further complicated the situation. The event that is believed to have been the start of the Cold War wasthe installation of a pro-Communist provisional government in Poland by the
This led to the Korean War (1950-1953), withthe American-led United Nations forces intervening on behalf of South Koreaand the Communist China fighting alongside North Korea. Another area of a major Cold War conflict in the 1960s and 70s wasVietnam where the U. The Soviets proceeded to establish their "sphere ofinfluence" in Eastern Europe by helping bring Communist governments topower in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, as well. One of the most serious Cold War events was the Cuban Missile Crisisof 1962. A long and bloody war followed that ended after a USwithdrawal in 1975 when the US public opinion turned against the war. Atthe same time, the Soviet leader, Gorbachev, after coming to power in 1985,introduced the policies of Perestroika and Glasnost. Only sensible decision making by the USPresident (Kennedy) and the Soviet leader (Khrushchev) who ignored theadvice of "hawks" in their respective administrations prevented a nuclearholocaust. These radical reformpolicies of restructuring, democratization and openness after decades ofrepression in the Soviet Union and the Communist countries of EasternEurope unleashed pent up forces of freedom that were impossible tosuppress. The reasons for these dramaticevents were the policies of the Reagan administration and Mikhail Gorbachevin the 1980s. The Reagan administration stepped up US military spending toa level that the ailing economy of the Soviet Union was unable to match. The Afghan Warproved to be the Soviet Unions' 'Vietnam' and it was forced to withdrawfrom the country in 1989 in the face of mounting losses. aid to anti-Communist forces in Greece and Turkey. The Cold War was further perpetuated by the disagreement between theSoviet Union and the Western allies led by the US on the fate of NaziGermany after the war.
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Acceptance Essays
