Cold War Politics

Question 1

Duration of Cold War

Answer 1

1945- 1990

Question 2

What is the Cold War?

Answer 2

Cold war was a prolonged phase of geopolitical hostility, competition, and conflict, just sort of open warfare, that existed between the Soviet bloc led by USSR and the Western powers led by USA from 1945 to 1990. As per one definition, cold war is state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other indirect measures short of open warfare. It was cold in the sense that the two superpowers never actually had open or hot warfare between them. But it was otherwise war like situation, in which both camps made military alliances, heavily armed and weaponized their armed forces, developed nuclear arms, deployed them on the long-range missiles directed towards enemy’s territories, mobilized confrontation, supported rivals in armed struggle in 3rd world, spied on each other, and ran propaganda war against each other.
Many view it as cold peace. Cold war signaled abandonment of war as an instrument of foreign policy. This was because both camps had nuclear bomb capabilities. They knew, from the experience of nuclear warfare in world war II, that both parties shall be destroyed in nuclear warfare. This was the concept of mutual assured destruction (MAD). Hence, both camps did everything to the enemy bloc to make it uncomfortable except open warfare.

Question 3

Cold war also denoted ideological war. Explain

Answer 3

Cold war also denoted the ideological war between capitalism with liberal democracy on one side and Socialism and communism on the other side. Fascism as political ideology met its sudden death with the end of second world war. To defeat the fascist forces, both the long-term rival ideologies- liberalism and socialism- joined hands during the second world war. But after demise of Fascism, ideological war between the two remaining ideologies started. Thus, cold war also saw ideological competition and One-upmanship in aspects of types of Govt (liberal democracy vs single party rule), science & technology (especially in war weapons and space exploration), normative values (negative vs positive liberty and rights; equality of opportunity vs equality of outcome; individualism vs collectivism), dress, foods, entertainment, etc.

Question 4

Cold War head profound impact on the global politics and IR

Answer 4

Cold war had profound impact on the global politics and IR. It provided somewhat peace, global governance structure (UN, IMF, GATT, World bank, Bretton wood exchange system, protected sea lane, etc. It acted like a soothing thick buffer (of about 50 years) between the devastating two quick world wars and the contemporary globalised era. World witnessed unprecedented economic growth and reduction in poverty during the cold war period. But it also accelerated the arm race, stockpiling of nuclear bombs, and nuclear missiles, hot wars in different parts of world, mostly in 3rd world in which rival parties were supported by the competing superpowers, division of world into two camps, and lurking (waiting) fear of nuclear war.
Disintegration and demise of USSR in 1991 signalled the end of cold war. This also denoted victory of liberalism as political ideology over communism. Thus, liberalism remained the sole dominating political ideology in post-cold war world. This was called end of history’ (That is, the end-point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of government) by Francis Fukuyama, an American political scientist.

Question 5

Who called the end of Cold War “ end of history”

Answer 5

Francis Fukuyama, an American political scientists

Question 6

Consequences of the Cold War

Answer 6

Eliminated or overshadowed all rivalry except between USA and USSR

Stabilise the global order after the World War II

Excess supply of deadly arms all around the globe

Indirectly health continuance of totalitarian Communist regime

Non-aligned movement

Give scope for benefits to smaller, less powerful new third world nationstates

Made United Nations largely ineffective

Affected, popular culture, art, Cinema, literature, dress, entertainment et cetera

Question 7

Different phases of the Cold War

Answer 7

1946-53: Start of the cold war: The ‘containment’ phase
The ‘Truman Doctrine’ define this phase. The doctrine aimed checking the spread of communism in other parts of world.
• Under the doctrine USA would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.
• Modernization and development Theories of political thinkers of USA were in support of the “Truman Doctrine’. They were theoretical enterprise to help contain spread of communism in 3rd world nations.
Main actors were USA president Harry Truman, and USSR General Secretary Joseph Stalin
Main events during this phase: Berlin Blockade (1948), ‘Iron Curtain’ between east and west Europe, USSR tested Nuclear Bomb (1949), Rise of Communist China (1949), Korean War (1951-53), etc.

• 1953-69: Heightened Tension, Crisis, Escalation
Main actors: US presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and USSR General Secretaries Khrushchev and Brezhnev
• Main events during this phase: Warsaw Pact (1955), Hungarian Revolution (1956), Berlin Crisis(1958-61),Cuban Missile Crisis(1962), Congo Crisis (1960-65),
Vietnam Crisis(1955-75), Arm race, space race, etc.

• 1969-79: De-escalation in conflict: Détente phase
Détente denoted the policy of relaxing tensions between the two superpowers
during the cold war.
• The era was a time of increased trade and cooperation between the ‘west’ and ‘east’ and the signing of series of arms reduction treaties.
• Détente was promoted by US presidents Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and USSR general secretary Leonid Brezhnev. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 ended the détente phase.
• This phase is also known for emergence of ‘North’- ‘South’ dimension in global geo-politics. The newly emerged nations of 3rd world- the South- combined under inter-governmental organizations such as NAM and G-77 to demand for new International Economic Order (NIEO).
Main events during this phase: US-China Détente, Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I& II) (1972), Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (S.T.A.R.T), Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Space cooperation, increased US-USSR and US-China trade, Crisis in Middle East (1973): Arab-Israel conflict, Oil crisis, Vietnam War (1965-75), North- South dialogue in the forum of UNCTAD, etc.

1979-85: New cold war:
• Phase of Renewed Conflict, Arms race, Heightened tension
• This phase started with USSR sending its troops to Afghanistan to support the communist regime and USA helping the ‘Mujahidin’ fighting the communist Govt.
• Main actors: US presidents Jimi carter and Ronald Reagan, and USSR General Secretary Brezhnev.
• Main events during this phase: Afghanistan Crisis (1979), Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979), US Strategic Defence Initiative- Star War (1983), Olympic Boycotts Moscow Olympic1980 by the West’, and Los Angles Olympic 1984 by the
‘East’), NATO military exercise (1983), US navy fleet Exercises (1983), renewed arms race & new Missile Deployments.

• 1985-91: Last Phase; The End
• This phase started with Mikhail Gorbachev becoming USSR General Secretary and initiating political and economic reforms -‘Glasnost’ and ‘Perestroika’
• The Peacebuilders were US presidents Ronald Reagan and USSR General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Role of both the leaders, especially Gorbachev was significant in ending the cold war.
• Main events during this phase: 3 summits between two superpowers to bring peace and cooperation- Geneva Summit (1985), Reykjavik Summit (1986), Washington Summit (1987); INF Treaty, East European Revolutions, Fall of Berlin wall (1989).
USSR dissolved (1991), and end of cold war.

Question 8

Main actors of the containment face 1946 to 1953

Answer 8

USA, President, Harry Truman and USSR secretary, general, Joseph Stalin

Question 9

Main actors of the cold war between 1953 to 1969- heightened tension

Answer 9

US presidents- eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson

USSR general secretaries - Khrushchev and Brezhnev

Question 10

Main actors during the detente phase 1969 to 1979

Answer 10

Presidents- Richard Nixon, harry Kissinger,

USSR, general secretary- Leonid Brezhnev

Question 11

Actors during the new Cold War- 1979 to 85

Answer 11

 US President- Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan

USSR, general secretary - Brezhnev

Question 12

Main actors during the last phase of the Cold War, 1985 to 9091

Answer 12

US President Ronald Regan

USSR, general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev

Question 13

When was the Berlin Wall broken?

Answer 13

November 1989, which signalled end of Cold War era

Question 14

When did the blockade or West Berlin happened?

Answer 14

1948-49

Question 15

When was the Berlin wall erected?

Answer 15

1961

Question 16

Korean war

Answer 16

1950- 1953

Question 17

What is considered as the high point of the Cold War?

Answer 17

Cuban missile crisis is considered as a high point of the Cold War • “Caban Missile Crisis’ is considered as the high point of the Cold War because this incident brought USA and USSR on brink of hot war. Such war between two rival superpowers could have triggered Nuclear World War. This could have been catastrophic for entire world. This crisis demonstrated the tensions, rivalry, and confrontation backed by nuclear weapon. In a way Cuban Missile Crisis defined what cold war was.

Question 18

What was called the Bay of pigs invasion

Answer 18

• Cuba became a communist nation overthrowing the USA backed regime under the charismatic leadership of Fidel Castro in 1959. USA, of course, became concerned about an island nation strategically located just 100 miles off its Florida coast going into the communist camp. USA, in 1961, therefore, attempted, unsuccessfully, to dislodge the Fidel Castro government. This was called The Bay of Pigs Invasion.
This move of USA was retaliated by Fidel Castro by entering into a secret pact with
USSR to deploy nuclear missile in Cuban territories directed towards USA.

Question 19

Between whom was the agreement made after the tension in Cuban missile crisis?

Answer 19

US president Kennedy and USSR general secretary Khrushchev

Question 20

North and South Vietnam in 19 55 what is created along which degree

Answer 20

17° latitude

Not Vietnam was communist while South Vietnam was capitalist

Question 21

When did USA attack north Vietnam?

Answer 21

1965, the war continued till 1975

Question 22

Which crisis renewed face of heightened confrontation after the detente phase

Answer 22

Afghanistan crisis

Question 23

Who was the leader of the Iraniyan Islamic revolution of 1979

Answer 23

Ayatollah Khomeini

Question 24

United Nations conference on trade and development UNCTAD

Answer 24

In 1964 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established. G-77, a group of 77 developing countries was also formed in the first session of UNCTAD in 1964. UNCTAD became the forum through which the nations of the
“South’ engaged into the dialogue with developed “North’ on issues of trade, development, economic policies, etc. to make the world economically more equitable and just. This engagement and discussion between the ‘North’ and the South’ through the forum of UNCTAD in 1970s was termed as North South dialogues.

Question 25

UNCTAD United Nations conference on trade and development was established in which year

Answer 25

1964

Question 26

The broader political agenda of the South was primarily set up and promoted through what

Answer 26

Non-aligned movement NAM

Question 27

No economic agenda of the South was driven primarily by who

Answer 27

Expanding group of 77 G-77 members in the United Nations conference on trade and development

Question 28

Vision of NIEO new international economic order

Answer 28

(i) give the “the South’ control over their natural resources exploited by the developed Western countries,
(in) Obtain access to Western markets so that the ‘the South’ could sell their products and, therefore, make trade more beneficial for the poorer countries. (iii) Reduce the cost of technology from the Western countries, and (iv) provide the “the South’ with a greater role in international economic institutions. What

Question 29

When did NAM call for a New international Economic order

Answer 29

NAM summit in Algiers

Question 30

Results of the north South dialogue

Answer 30

By the late 1980s, however, the NIEO initiative had faded, mainly because of the stiff opposition from the ‘North’ who acted as a united group while the “the South’ struggled to maintain their unity in the face of this opposition from the North’. Falling commodity prices in 1980s also eased the pressure on North’ to accept the demands of ‘South’. Thus, despite expectations, the North-South dialogue produced few results and the world remained as unequal and unjust as before.

Question 31

The rising alternate power centres other than USA

Answer 31

China
European Union
BRICS- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
ASEAN- Association for South East Asian Nations
India