Cold War Conflicts and Decolonization (1945-1990)

Posted on Mar 19, 2025 in History

Training Bloss (1945-1949): Capitalism and Socialism

Rise of the Cold War: Influence in Europe (U.S. Marshall Plan, USSR: communist governments), the Berlin crisis (division of Germany: East Germany and West Germany, Berlin divided: blocking Berlin and Berlin Wall), the creation of military blocs (NATO, Warsaw Pact).

Wars (1945-1975)

  • Korean War: Between North Korea (communist) and South Korea (pro-West), division of Korea.
  • Vietnam War: French withdrawal from Vietnam and division: the communist North and the South pro-Western, U.S. intervention.
  • Conflict in Cambodia: U.S. intervention.
  • Suez Crisis: Nasser nationalized the canal, attempted intervention by France and Britain, the USSR in support of Nasser.
  • Missile Crisis: Cuban Revolution (1959), tension with the U.S., support of the USSR (ship blockade), attempt to install Soviet missiles.

Years of Peaceful Coexistence

Peaceful Coexistence (1960-1970)

Causes (USSR: Stalin’s death, Khrushchev and de-Stalinization / Canada: end of the witch hunt, Presidency of John F. Kennedy) / Détente (dialogue between the USSR and the USA / agreements to curb the arms race – SALT agreements).

Tension Returns (1979-1991)

Invasion of Afghanistan (Soviet) invasion and interference in Central America (USA), boycotting the Olympics, new arms race.

Severe Problems of Blocs

The Soviet Bloc

Rupture of relations with Yugoslavia and China, riots in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Western Bloc

Ostpolitik: initiated discussions with the USSR and Poland, normalization of relations between the two German states, etc. / France leaves NATO / European criticism of U.S. foreign policy.

Causes of Decolonization

  • Weakness of the metropolis after the Second World War (end of the myth of the invincible metropolis, economic crisis, guerrillas in occupied countries of the Axis).
  • Favorable international context (USSR and U.S. opposed to colonialism, UN in favor of independence).
  • Power of nationalism in the colonies (communist parties, national fronts, religious and ethnic nationalism).

Processes of Independence in Asia

  • India (1947):
    • Leadership of Gandhi: Congress Party.
    • British Empire opposition: civil disobedience.
    • Independence and partition of the country of India and Pakistan.
  • Indonesia (1949):
    • Leadership: Sukarno.
    • Combating Holland.
    • Independence from Indonesia.
  • Indochina:
    • Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh’s leadership.
    • War against France (1946-1954).
    • Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Communist), at war with South Vietnam (pro-Western).
    • Independence of Laos and Cambodia (1954).
  • China:
    • 1911: The Republic of China ends Empire.
    • Confrontations between the Kuomintang (bourgeois forces) and the Chinese Communist Party.
    • 1949: People’s Republic of China born.
    • Allies until 1957 with the USSR.
    • Way forward from 1960 (Cultural Revolution).
    • 1976: Mao dies.

The Arab World: The Middle East

  • 1948: Creation of the State of Israel.
  • Start of Arab-Israeli wars.
  • Crisis in the Arab world: Nasser and Pan-Arabism.
  • Palestinian conflict (expulsion and exodus of Palestinians, creation – Yasser Arafat – PLO, failed negotiations, Intifada and the Palestinian Authority building, unresolved conflict).

North Africa

  • Tunisia and Morocco: nationalist parties and agreed independence.
  • Algeria: a long war of liberation (FLN).

Black Africa

  • British Africa: Agreed independence with the exception of Kenya (Mau-Mau).
  • French Africa: Agreed independence.
  • Belgian Congo: Major fighting.
  • Southern Africa: Belated decolonization (1980-1990).
  • South Africa: Apartheid. Leadership: Mandela. Independence (1993).
  • Portuguese colonies: Independence (1974).

Bandung and the Third World

1955: Bandung Conference among non-aligned and decolonized countries / Neocolonialism of the so-called Third World.