Cold War: Origins, Characteristics, and Global Impact
The Cold War: The New Post-War Order
Origin and Characteristics of the Cold War
The end of the Second World War, with the defeat of fascist states, marked the beginning of a new era in world history. The Allied victory was not the end of conflict, but the start of a long period of renewed tensions. Disagreements were evident within the winning side, especially between the Americans and Soviets.
Although Britain and France also participated in the allied victory, the very high material and social costs of the war prevented these and other European nations from resuming global leadership. The United States and the Soviet Union experienced the greatest benefits from the allied victory. Soon, these two states achieved great power, not only military and economic, but ideological. The United States championed the freedom of nations and fiercely opposed left-wing dictatorships, advocating for capitalist democracies worldwide. The Soviet Union, meanwhile, had a huge influence on communist countries and its adherents scattered throughout the world. These so-called superpowers began a long period of ideological disputes in which, directly or indirectly, almost all nations were involved. This new form of international relations was known as the Cold War. This period lasted from the end of the War in 1945 until 1991. There is no consensus among historians about the exact start date of the war; some postulate that the conflict began in 1947 with the final break between the U.S. and the USSR, although most agree on 1945, when hostilities began.
Thus, for almost half a century, the world was divided into two antagonistic blocs. The result was the configuration of a bipolar world order, with two poles of development that could substantially influence other countries. However, this conflict was called “cold” because at no time did these two powers engage in a direct or “hot” war. What occurred was a permanent state of tension and isolated conflicts scattered throughout the world, along with an intense propaganda campaign in which each power extolled their qualities and highlighted the weaknesses of their opponents.
The United States and the Soviet Union attempted to maintain their security and to expand or protect their areas of influence. They used every possible means to counter the power of the enemy and to gain adherents worldwide. Some of these forms of demonstration of power and pressure were:
- The development of a real arms race, whose objective was to intimidate the opponent and provide protection for themselves and their allies.
- An intense ideological propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the world population of the benefits of the system appropriate to each superpower.
- Various forms of spying by secret services. Both the American CIA and the Soviet KGB were highly relevant mechanisms for neutralizing the opponent’s plans and gaining advantage in several respects.
- Political and economic pressures were a common way to keep allies in that position or to force the opposite bloc to change its position.
- Localized wars in specific areas of underdeveloped countries in order to maintain dominance over the area.
All these measures, to a greater or lesser extent, marked the Cold War years worldwide.