The Cold War

TL;DR

The Cold War was a political and military standoff between two world powers, the US and the Soviet Union, that lasted from the end of World War II in 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The two sides supported different economic and political systems and engaged in proxy wars, espionage, and a nuclear arms race. 2.)

Five Minute Fill

The Cold War was a prolonged state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after the end of World War II in 1945 and lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The conflict was driven primarily by ideological differences between the two countries' economic and political systems. The United States represented capitalism and democracy, while the Soviet Union embodied communism and totalitarianism.

There were several key events that marked the early years of the Cold War. In 1947, President Harry Truman announced the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the U.S. would provide military and economic aid to any country threatened by communism. The Marshall Plan, which provided aid to Western Europe to help rebuild after the war, was also established in 1947. That same year, the Soviet Union responded by establishing Cominform (the Communist Information Bureau) to coordinate communist parties throughout Europe.

As the Cold War progressed, it increasingly played out as a series of proxy wars. In Korea, conflict broke out in 1950 when North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. The U.S., along with other United Nations member countries, then stepped in to support South Korea. This resulted in a stalemate and eventual truce in 1953, with the 38th parallel, separating North and South Korea, becoming the de facto border.

Vietnam was another important Cold War-era proxy war. The U.S. became involved in the Vietnam conflict as a response to Soviet-backed communist forces in the north. The war raged on for over a decade, with the U.S. eventually withdrawing in 1973. North Vietnam claimed victory and reunited the country under communist rule in 1975.

Another notable event of the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, which sparked a tense stand-off with the U.S. over the risk of nuclear war. After several days of negotiations, the missiles were removed and the crisis was resolved.

Throughout the Cold War, there was a constant arms race as both sides sought to develop their nuclear arsenals. This led to a policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), in which both sides had the ability to destroy each other, leading to a deterrent effect. Eventually, this strategy helped lead to arms reduction treaties, such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

The Cold War also had a significant impact on global culture and politics. It led to a rise in propaganda and media manipulation on both sides, as well as a division of the world into discrete spheres of influence. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War and a shift in global politics. The U.S. emerged as the dominant superpower, but the world had been irreversibly changed by the conflict.