World War II and Cold War: Causes, Events, Consequences

Posted on Mar 28, 2025 in History

World War II

Causes

  • Underlying Causes: International instability, Germany’s desire for revenge following WWI.
  • Immediate Cause: Aggressive foreign policies of Germany and Italy.

Combatant Blocs

  • Axis Powers: Led by Germany and Italy, later joined by Japan.
  • Allied Powers: Initially led by Great Britain and France, later joined by the USA and the USSR.

War Characteristics

  • Global scale.
  • Powerful and improved weaponry.
  • Extreme brutality.

Stages of WWII

  • First Stage (1939-1942)

    Germany executed a “blitzkrieg” (lightning war), rapidly conquering significant territory. Germany’s air attack on Great Britain (Battle of Britain) failed. Simultaneously, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, leading to the USA’s entry into the war.

  • Second Stage (1942-1945)

    The Allies worked to contain and halt the advance of the Axis powers. Starting in 1944, the Allies launched several simultaneous offensives (including the Normandy landings) which the Axis could not effectively counter. The war concluded with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Peace Conferences

  • At the Yalta and San Francisco Conferences, the United Nations (UN) was created. The UN promulgated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.
  • At the Potsdam Conference, the division of Germany into four occupation zones was agreed upon.
  • The borders of Europe were adjusted in 1946.

Consequences of WWII

  • Political: Fall of totalitarian regimes in Axis countries.
  • International: Europe lost its global hegemony to the USA and the USSR.
  • Economic: Widespread destruction of fields, industries, and cities, except notably in the USA.
  • Demographic: Approximately 55 million deaths, with millions more injured and maimed.
  • Social: The war’s brutality created a profound moral crisis.

The Cold War (1947-1991)

Formation of Blocs

The Soviet Union and the USA possessed vastly different political, social, and economic systems. These differences led to clashes that divided the world into two opposing blocs. The USA pressured Western European countries with coalition governments to expel communists. Conversely, the Soviet Union installed communist governments in Central and Eastern European countries.

The Beginning of the Division

President Truman proclaimed the “Truman Doctrine,” denouncing the establishment of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. He offered economic aid to Europe (the Marshall Plan) under the condition that recipient countries allow US bases in strategic locations. This solidified the division of the world into two blocs, separated by an imaginary line termed the “Iron Curtain.”

Cold War Characteristics

  • Establishment of economic cooperation instruments: Marshall Plan (Western Bloc) and COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance – Eastern Bloc).
  • Creation of large military arsenals.
  • Formation of defensive military alliances: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization – Western Bloc) and the Warsaw Pact (Eastern Bloc).

Stages of the Cold War

  • Maximum Tension (1947-1956)

    • Stalin imposed a blockade on West Berlin (1948-49) after disagreements over German reunification; the USA supplied the city via aircraft (the Berlin Airlift).
    • The Korean War (1950-1953) erupted between the Soviet-backed North and the US-backed South, ending in a stalemate near the original border.

  • Peaceful Coexistence (1956-1977)

    Following Stalin’s death, leaders like US President Dwight D. Eisenhower (later John F. Kennedy) and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev acknowledged the dangers of nuclear war and initiated a period of “Peaceful Coexistence,” though intense rivalry continued.

    Advances Toward Détente:
    • Emergence of protest movements advocating for disarmament and opposing conflicts like the Vietnam War.
    • Formation of the Non-Aligned Movement, comprising mostly newly independent states from decolonization, refusing to align with either major bloc.

  • Resurgence of Tension (1977-1985)

    • The Soviet Union accelerated its arms buildup, deploying missiles threatening Western Europe, and invaded Afghanistan (1979).
    • The USA supported anti-communist dictatorships in South America and aided efforts against Marxist governments.
    • US President Ronald Reagan initiated the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), often called “Star Wars,” a proposed system to destroy incoming nuclear missiles from space.

  • Final Phase (1985-1991)

    • Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR and initiated internal political and economic reforms (Glasnost and Perestroika).
    • Gorbachev declared Soviet disarmament intentions, withdrew troops from Afghanistan, and allowed Eastern European countries to choose their own political paths.
    • These actions led to several arms reduction agreements with the USA, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), and ultimately, the dissolution of the USSR (1991).