Cold War
Causes and Effects of the Cold War
The Soviet-American combat, known as the "Cold War" hung heavy over global affairs for more
than forty long years; structuring the world with extensive military buildups, an unceasing nuclear
arms rivalry, intensive surveillance, and relentless technological emulations. Further elaborated
are the causes and repercussions of this menacing fracas drawn upon the world by the two
superpowers; the United States of America and the Soviet Union.
The Cold War dominated the second half of the 20th century, resulting in the collapse of
communism. The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility between the United States of
America and the Soviet Union from the mid-40s to the late 80s. It began with the end of the
Second World War. Free society would have termed it as World War III, but instead, used a
whimsical name pertaining to no direct military confrontation between the two nations, fearing
nuclear escalation assured mutual destruction. Nevertheless, both the nations indulged in indirect
conflicts and proxy wars by supporting allied nations in places like Korea and Vietnam. Cuban
missile crisis in 1962 was the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war; when an American U2
spy plane took photographs of Soviet intermediate ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear
payloads, sending a total of 42 medium range missiles and 24 intermediate range missiles to Cuba.
The US, then threatened to invade Cuba over the issue forcing the Soviets to remove the missiles
on America's assurance of not invading Cuba.
Role of the Soviet Union
Although the Soviet Union and China started off as allies in 1949, there emerged an estrangement
between them, which was cleverly exploited by the Americans. The US formed an alliance with
China in 1971 to contain the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1980, which
led to the United States and its allies
The Soviet-American combat, known as the "Cold War" hung heavy over global affairs for more
than forty long years; structuring the world with extensive military buildups, an unceasing nuclear
arms rivalry, intensive surveillance, and relentless technological emulations. Further elaborated
are the causes and repercussions of this menacing fracas drawn upon the world by the two
superpowers; the United States of America and the Soviet Union.
The Cold War dominated the second half of the 20th century, resulting in the collapse of
communism. The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility between the United States of
America and the Soviet Union from the mid-40s to the late 80s. It began with the end of the
Second World War. Free society would have termed it as World War III, but instead, used a
whimsical name pertaining to no direct military confrontation between the two nations, fearing
nuclear escalation assured mutual destruction. Nevertheless, both the nations indulged in indirect
conflicts and proxy wars by supporting allied nations in places like Korea and Vietnam. Cuban
missile crisis in 1962 was the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war; when an American U2
spy plane took photographs of Soviet intermediate ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear
payloads, sending a total of 42 medium range missiles and 24 intermediate range missiles to Cuba.
The US, then threatened to invade Cuba over the issue forcing the Soviets to remove the missiles
on America's assurance of not invading Cuba.
Role of the Soviet Union
Although the Soviet Union and China started off as allies in 1949, there emerged an estrangement
between them, which was cleverly exploited by the Americans. The US formed an alliance with
China in 1971 to contain the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1980, which
led to the United States and its allies