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Cold War
The nuclear arms race divided the world in a struggle as costly as any another war. East vs. West, Communism vs. Democracy, the Bear vs. the Eagle; all these were major factors in the lives of millions for 4 decades.
6,177 Questions
The iron curtain divided the world into what?
The Iron Curtain divided the world into two opposing spheres: the Western bloc, led by the United States and its NATO allies, which promoted democratic governance and capitalism, and the Eastern bloc, led by the Soviet Union and its satellite states, which embraced communism and authoritarian rule. This division symbolized the ideological conflict of the Cold War, highlighting the stark differences in political systems and economic structures. The Iron Curtain also represented the physical and political boundaries that separated Europe during this period.
What is the difference between the cold war and world war 1?
The Cold War wasn't an actual war. No big battles, no large amounts of people openly killed. It was an arms race and an overhanging threat of war, not outright fighting as in WW 1.
What is the best way to interact with rival countries that possess nuclear weapons?
Historically, nuclear weapons have served as a deterrent to violence with the concept of mutually-assured destruction. This means that a nuclear attaick would result in a nuclear attack in return that would jeopardize your own citizens. As a result, this has prevented conflict. However, mutually-assured destruction only works as a philosophy if both governments actually care about their people living. If there is a government that believes its righteous citizens would be better off in heaven, this might change the philosophy we will have to engage for nuclear weapon defense.
What European country provide the first test case in the cold war?
The first test case in the Cold War was the Berlin Blockade, which began in June 1948 when the Soviet Union blocked all ground access to West Berlin in an attempt to consolidate its control over the city. In response, the United States and its allies launched the Berlin Airlift, supplying West Berlin with food and fuel via air. This confrontation marked a significant escalation in Cold War tensions and set the tone for the geopolitical struggle between the East and West.
Why was a defeat of free institutions anywhere a defeat everywhere in the cold war?
A defeat of free institutions in one country during the Cold War was perceived as a defeat for democracy and capitalism globally, as it could embolden authoritarian regimes and inspire communist movements elsewhere. The ideological battle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union meant that the fall of democratic governance in one nation could signal vulnerability and undermine the credibility of free institutions worldwide. This domino effect was feared, as it threatened to shift the balance of power towards communism, prompting a unified response from Western powers to support and defend free societies. Thus, every defeat was not merely a localized issue but a potential catalyst for broader geopolitical shifts.
What is the difference between cold war and proxy war-?
A Cold War is a war without open military conflict between two or more nations which includes spying, sabotage, and economic and political brinksmanship designed to bring the opposing nation(s) to submission or failure. A Proxy War is a war where the nations in military conflict are being directly and often primarily funded by greater nations who are often in a cold war against each other. This allows for military conquest without the need to send one's own troops into battle. The US and the USSR used this strategy in nations around the world during their cold war. This was done most notably in South and Central America and The Middle East.
MAD, Mutual Assured Destruction, didn't actually prevent war, there were numerous small wars that were paid for by either the US or the USSR. What MAD did was make nuclear war unthinkable to any sane person. If one of the nuclear club had launched their missiles it would have caused instant retribution with enough atomic munitions to kill the population of the earth several times over. It made it so nuclear war was a no win scenario. A good resource for this is the movie, "War Games".
That should be "was" because he died in 1953.
One could say that he was a dick because of everything he said and everything he did, but two things stand out.
First is that he LIKED starving his citizens to death.
He was also one of the most paranoid people in the world. Stalin held a series of purges of people he thought were against him, and many of the people caught up in these purges were loyal, dedicated communists.
Which economy has suffered greatly after the Cold War?
The Russian, and almost all eastern european countries, and a lot of the former soviet republics
What was the relationship between soviet union and Czechoslovakia during cold war?
Czechoslovakia was a puppet state of USSR, led by a communist government. There was a chance of reformation to a more democratic country in 1968 which was however stopped by Soviet invasion that lasted till 1990s.
The Marshall Plan was put in place between 1948 to 1952 and was also called the European Recovery Program (ERP). It worked to develop western Europe and repel the spread of communism from eastern Europe during the Cold War.
he promised the soviets that if they help him, they would all get their dcks sucked but he didn't follow through so they didn't trust him.
Is the cold war part of world war 2?
no
No, the Cold War is quite separate from WW II. Note that in WW II, Russia was an ally of the US, while Germany and Japan were enemies of the US. In the Cold War, Russia became the main enemy of the US, and West Germany and Japan were allies of the US. So the alliances switched.
What became the color and the symbol in the cold war?
RED was the color that became the symbol of the cold war..
Why was Germany and Berlin divide after World War 2?
In an attempt to prevent a possible future apocalypse that they just forced an end to. To prevent Germany from possibly again becoming a country led by a mad tyrant.
Who was known for his policy of massive retaliation and his approach of war called brinkmanship?
John Foster Dulles
Why did the Cold War follow World War 2?
The cold wars followed after world world war 2 because, the war produced two super powers, The United States and The USSR. Both had their own beliefs and government and wanted their beliefs to be the ideal one for other country's. The largest factor of the cold war was democracy vs. communism. During the cold war the United States fought the USSR indirectly by using different country's Some examples of this are the Korean war and the Vietnam war.
What was the general belief of Americans concerning in the cold war during the 1950s?
Americans were afraid of a possible nuclear attack.
What made 1989 the Miracle Year in the Cold War?
One after another the countries of Eastern Europe held open multi-party elections and borders were opened.
At the start of the year all countries in Eastern Europe (Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria), plus the USSR were one-party states where you could be put in gaol for disagreeing with the government, by the end they had all had democratic elections and democratic governments. In many cases the new governments were in the hands of the very people who had been in prison at the start of the year.
The main events were:
- 18th January, Poland - The Polish United Workers' Party votes to legalize Solidarity.
- 15th February, Afghanistan - End of the Soviet war in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
- 24th February, USSR (Estonia) - After 44 years, Estonian flag is raised to the Pikk Hermann Castle tower.
- 16th March, USSR - The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union approves agricultural reforms allowing farmers the right to lease state-owned farms for life.
- 27th March, USSR - The first contested elections for the Soviet parliament result in losses for the Communist Party.
- 5th April, Poland - The Polish Government and the Solidarity trade union sign an agreement restoring Solidarity to legal status, and agreeing to hold democratic elections.
- 17th May, China - More than 1 million Chinese protesters march through Beijing demanding greater democracy.
- 4th June, China - The Tiananmen Square massacre takes place in Beijing on the army's approach to the square, and the final stand-off in the square is covered live on television.
- 4th June, Poland - Solidarity's victory in Polish elections is the first of many anti-communist revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989.
- 19th August, Poland - President Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to be Prime Minister, the first non-communist in power in 42 years.
- 19th August, Hungary / Austria - The Pan-European Picnic, a peace demonstration held on the Austrian-Hungarian border.
- 23rd August, USSR - Two million indigenous people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, then still occupied by the Soviet Union, join hands to demand freedom and independence, forming an uninterrupted 600 km human chain called the Baltic Way.
- 23rd August, Hungary - Hungary removes border restrictions with Austria.
- 10th September, Hungary - The government opens the country's western borders to refugees from the German Democratic Republic. GDR government bans all travel to Hungary.
- 30th September, Czechoslovakia - Nearly 7,000 East Germans who had come to Prague are allowed to leave on special refugee trains for the West.
- 7th October, Hungary - The communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party votes to reorganize itself as a socialist party, to be named the Hungarian Socialist Party.
- 18th October, Hungary - The National Assembly votes to restore multi-party democracy.
- 7th November, DDR (East Germany) - The Communist government of East Germany resigns, although SED leader Egon Krenz remains head of state.
- 9th November Berlin - The end of the Berlin Wall
Günter Schabowski accidentally states in live broadcast press conference that new rules for travelling from East Germany to West Germany will be put in effect "immediately". East Germany opens checkpoints in the Berlin Wall, allowing its citizens to travel freely to West Germany for the first. - 10th November, Bulgaria - After 45 years of Communist rule, Bulgarian Communist Party leader Todor Zhivkov is replaced by Foreign Minister Petar Mladenov, who changes the party's name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
- 17th November, Czechoslovakia - The Velvet Revolution: A peaceful student demonstration in Prague is severely beaten back by riot police. This sparks a revolution aimed at overthrowing the Communist government (it succeeds on 29th December).
- 20th November, Czechoslovakia - Velvet Revolution: The number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague swells from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million.
- 28th November, Czechoslovakia - Velvet Revolution: The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces they will give up their monopoly on political power (elections held in December bring the first non-communist government to Czechoslovakia in more than 40 years).
- 1st December, DDR - East Germany's parliament abolishes the constitutional provision granting the Communist-dominated SED its monopoly on power.
- 7th December, USSR - The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic becomes the first of the republics of the Soviet Union to abolish the Communist Party's monopoly on power.
- 10th December, Czechoslovakia - President Gustáv Husák swears in a new cabinet with a non-Communist and then immediately resigns as president.
- 10th December, Mongolia - Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj announces the establishment of Mongolia's democratic movement, that peacefully changes the second oldest communist country into a democratic society.
- 17th December, Romania - The Romanian Revolution begins in Timişoara when rioters break into the Committee Building and cause extensive vandalism. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units.
- 21st December, Romania - Nicolae Ceausescu addresses an assembly of some 110,000 people outside the Romanian Communist Party HQ in Bucharest. The crowd begin to protest against Ceausescu and he orders in the army to attack the protesters.
- 22nd December, Romania - After a week of bloody demonstrations the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu ends. He flees his palace in a helicopter to escape inevitable execution after the palace was invaded by rioters. The Romanian troops, who the day before had followed Ceausescu's orders to attack the demonstrators, change sides and join the uprising.
- 25th December, Romania - Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena are executed by military troops after being found guilty of crimes against humanity.
- 29th December, Czechoslovakia - former 'dissident' Václav Havel is elected president of Czechoslovakia.
Phew, what a year!
This was followed in 1990 by the 'summer of the funny number-plates'. This summer wherever you went in the tourist spots of western Europe, you would see cars with number plates you had never seen before. Visitors from Eastern Europe getting their first chance to see the sights of the west.
How did the cold war began and what weapons were used to fight?
It began in 1946 after WW2 as a means of containment between Russia and the Western allies. At the end of the war the allies controlled parts of Berlin and so did the Russians. It was agreed that Berlin would be divided into 4 parts. Three of the four were western powers and the 4th was Russian. This divided Germany into 2 parts east Germany (Russian ) and western Germany (western nations). Eventually, the Berlin Wall was built and the two sides faced off at the border until 1989 when it fell. The Cold War was not a shooting war, but a war of threats and words.
