Introduction. Relevant Dates During the Cold War
The 1940s
The Cold War began in 1945 after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9. Berlin blockade and airlift (June 1948 to September 1949), and the USSR tested the first nuclear weapon on August 1949).
The 1950s
The US tested the first hydrogen bomb on November 1, 1952, during the Korean war (1950 -1953); USSR launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in October 1957, 1959 marked the onset of a struggle between North and South Vietnam by the US and USSR.
The 1960s
On October 30, 1961, USSR tested its largest nuclear weapon. On August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall began. On October 16, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis involving US and USSR emerged. In 1961 the US deployed Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and established a hotline with the USSR. On November 1983 war scare between US and USSR.
The 1980s
On May 5, 1987, Titan II ICBM came off alert. Berlin War was demolished on June 1987.
The 1990s
On December 8, 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, ending the cold war.
Overview of the Cold War
The term “cold war” developed in the 1930s in French (fr. “Guerre froide”) to describe troubling relationships between European countries. It reemerged after World War II as the United States and the Soviet Union contested global leader acclaim. Soviets resented the Americans’ long-standing refusal to treat the USSR as a genuine part of the international community and delayed their entry into World War II, which resulted in the deaths of millions of Russians and was dissatisfied with the postwar division of Europe. Americans had long been worried about Soviet communism and authoritarian leadership. The period represented inevitable and overwhelming feelings of mutual distrust and hostility.
Impact of the Cold War
The Cold War impacted the local economy and Americans’ personal lives, creating a climate of expected conformity and normalcy. Affected by the presidency, politicians used anti-communist hysteria to campaign. It caused massive indoctrination of American Society, leading to a deterioration of social reforms. The United States supported corrupt and anti-democratic governments but was friendly to America. Meanwhile, the Soviets subsidized groups favorable to their interest. Ultimately dismantled the Soviet Union after the fall of the berlin wall.
Importance of the Cold War
The Cold War shaped American foreign policy and political ideology. It facilitated economic expansion as industries related to war reported enormous growth supported by heavy government expansion. Literature flourished with themes of individualism versus the system. Many nuclear legacies can be identified from the Cold War, such as the availability of new nuclear power and energy technologies. The cold war laid the foundation for space exploration and the development of satellite technology. It showed the importance of leadership on both sides of the Iron Curtain, as depicted by Harry Truman and Josef Stalin to Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Cold War Memories
There is the ongoing development of the Cold War Veterans Memorial beginning in 2021 in Wisconsin as a permanent recognition to stimulate ongoing thought and study honoring the American military and civilians who served and sacrificed during the Cold War era. The memories are captured in works of art by poets like Robert Lowell and movies like “Rebel Without a Cause” and “The Wild Ones.” There are historic voice recordings to describe the emotional state and viewpoint of US Americans, such as by Marc Mittelacher. An international conference on Cold War commemoration was held on September 8 and 9, 2003, at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Cold War International History Project. The war in Ukraine is stirring up memories, changing attitudes, and bringing the history of the cold war alive.
Interesting Nature of the Cold War
The conflict played out against enormous political and cultural shifts largely independent of the bipolar feud in the post-war period. Changes include mass migration, decolonization, consumerism, and globalization. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had limited recourse to weapons. The war can be described as a chess game between the US and USSR using the world map as the board.
Works Cited
Shorten, Richard. “The Cold War as Comparative Political Thought.” Cold War History, vol. 18, no. 4., Feb. 2018, pp. 1–24.
Zelikow, Philip, et al. “Ending the Cold War and Entering a New Era.” Journal of Cold War Studies, vol. 23, no. 4, 2021, pp. 181–210.