The Vietnam War: The Cold War

The cold war was marked by a conflict that spanned from 1947 to1991 involving subtle surveillance in the biggest cities of the world to violent battles in the tropical jungles of Vietnam. Its general ideas were for the United States to hinder the spread of communism or for the Soviet Union to expand their communist government. With this the cold war largely influenced the economic, revolutionary, and humanitarian aid of both rivaling nations for areas that suffered the most after World War II. Their pursuit to build a democratic or communist world was established through events such as the Iron Curtain, War in Korea, and the period of Detente. The Iron Curtain is a representation of the physical, ideological, and military division between
After being under the Japanese control, the United States and the USSR shared control of the Korean Peninsula. Korea was divided at the 38th parallel with the Soviet Union taking control of the northern area and the U.S. in control of the southern area (Gertz 1). Both rivaling sides provided military support and created new governments friendly to each respective superpower. Moreover, it also showed the weak handed control of the U.S. in South Korea. They were limited in the amount of military support, “lacking tanks, aircrafts and all but small amounts of field artillery” (Hickey). Korea presents to be moving towards a more communist rule. As the War continued in Korea, the United States showed no interest in Korea. This sudden disinterest in Korea was due to it having no geopolitical significance (Hickey). Unfortunately, the USSR took this as an opportunity to extended communism by providing military support for North Korean forces to capture almost all of the peninsula in a matter of months. In the end the Korean War showed American and Soviet revolutionary aid in the spread or resistance of communist expansion in Asia through direct military
For instance, the fear of a nuclear conflict that arose between the two superpowers after the event of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This led to one of the earliest agreements on nuclear arms control which included the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in 1963 (“Détente and Arms Control”). The formal agreements made between the two superpowers assured the security of the people against a possible nuclear attack which benefited both sides. Further negotiations continued with the Conference on Security and Cooperation. They emerged with an act that “recognized political borders, established military confidence building measures, created opportunities for trade and cultural exchange, and promoted human rights” (“Détente and Arms Control”). It presented both sides willingness to agree upon economic, and humanitarian solutions regarding the tensions between them. However, the era of Detente came to an unsatisfying halt. Public dissatisfaction and the continued competition increasingly manifested as they further intervene in the third World (“Détente and Arms Control”). It ended in a stalled progress on arms control and brought them back to the brink of confrontation. In conclusion, Detente was an event that showed vast improvements in the use of aid to create common