The Cold War: Causes and Effects

Definition of the Cold War

  • A state of hostility between two states.

  • Characterized by an ideological struggle rather than open warfare.

  • Specifically, the Cold War was between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Causes of the Cold War

1. Conflicting Ideologies

  • United States: Democratic capitalism

    • Emphasizes free market economics.

    • Emphasizes political participation from citizens.

  • Soviet Union: Authoritarian communism

    • Emphasizes strict government control of the economy.

    • Emphasizes redistribution of wealth equally to all citizens.

    • Citizens have essentially no voice in the government.

  • Problem: Neither ideology adheres to a "you do you and I do me" principle.

    • Both are universalizing ideologies, aiming for global adoption.

    • Each seeks to prove its superiority by conforming the entire world to its system.

    • The US aimed to spread Democracy, and the Soviets aimed to spread communism throughout the world, which caused some problems.

2. Mutual Mistrust

  • Started even before World War II ended.

  • Post-War Plans:

    • The US, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain met to discuss the post-war world.

    • Agreement: Central and Eastern European countries would hold free elections.

  • Soviet Violation:

    • Joseph Stalin kept these countries under Soviet control as a buffer zone.

    • These nations became communist satellite states.

    • The US viewed this as a violation of self-determination and democracy.

  • Germany:

    • Divided into four occupation zones: Soviet, French, British, and United States.

    • Stalin refused to release Eastern Germany, which became another communist satellite state.

    • Winston Churchill declared that an "iron curtain" had fallen across Europe.

Effects of the Cold War

  • The conflict's implications reached nearly every part of the world.

Intersection with Decolonization

  • The US and the Soviet Union raced to influence newly independent states.

  • These new states were seen as pawns in the ideological struggle.

The Non-Aligned Movement

  • Arose as a refusal to be pawns in the superpower conflict.

  • Led by Indonesian President Ahmed Sukarno.

  • First meeting in 1955 with 29 African and Asian heads of state, including:

    • India

    • Ghana

    • Indonesia

    • Egypt

  • Represented states formerly under colonial rule or resisting it.

  • Sought to communicate that they refused to be controlled by the conflict between the two superpowers.

  • The non-aligned movement represented an alternative to the existing economic, political, and social orders created by the Cold War rivalry.

  • Leaders knew how to take advantage of the Cold War rivalry by seeking support from one side or the other.

  • Some states gained weapons and resources for defense and development.

    • Example: Indonesia received aid from the Soviet Union but also suppressed the Communist Party, resulting in approximately 500,000 deaths.