The Cold War

• Period: 1947-1991

• Participants: USA (capitalist) vs. USSR (communist)

• Causes: Ideological differences, WWII aftermath, competition for global influence

• Characteristics:

  • Political Tension: No direct military conflict, but intense political rivalry

  • Arms Race: Both sides developed nuclear weapons, leading to a balance of terror

  • Space Race: Competition in space exploration, symbolized by the moon landing

• Key Events:

  • Berlin Blockade (1948-49)

    • cut off transit between west Berlin and west Germany

    • purpose was to force allies to abandon city

  • Korean War (1950-53)

    • North Korea invaded south Korea

  • Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

    • Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba in order to attack the US

    • US found out and the two powers eventually came to an agreement that if the US pulled missiles out of Turkey, the Soviet Union would pull the missiles out of Cuba

  • Vietnam War (1955-75)

    • The United States entered Vietnam with the principal purpose of preventing a communist takeover of the region

• End: Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, marking the end of the Cold War

• Legacy: Shaped global politics, led to the formation of NATO and Warsaw Pact, influenced proxy wars in developing countries.