Critically evaluate the International Contemporary Politics Changes

took place during the cold war

Introduction:
The Cold War, which lasted roughly from the end of World War II in 1945 to the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991, was characterized by intense geopolitical rivalry and ideological conflict
between the United States and its Western allies on one side, and the Soviet Union and its
Eastern Bloc allies on the other. Throughout the Cold War, several significant contemporary
changes took place, shaping the course of international relations, politics, and society. Here are
some key aspects:
1. Arms Race and Nuclear Proliferation:
 Both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in an arms race, developing
and stockpiling massive arsenals of nuclear weapons.
 The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 heightened tensions as the two superpowers
came close to nuclear conflict.
2. Space Race:
 The Cold War saw an intense competition between the United States and the
Soviet Union to achieve significant milestones in space exploration.
 The launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Soviet Union in 1957,
marked the beginning of the Space Race.
3. Decolonization:
 Many former colonies gained independence during the Cold War period as
European colonial powers weakened.
 The superpowers often sought to influence newly independent nations, leading to
proxy conflicts in regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
4. Proxy Wars:
 The superpowers supported opposing factions in various conflicts around the
world without direct military engagement against each other.
 Examples include the Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam War (1955-1975), and
conflicts in Afghanistan and Nicaragua.
5. Detente:
 Periods of détente occurred, characterized by a thawing of relations between the
U.S. and the Soviet Union, such as during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
  Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) aimed to reduce nuclear arms, and the
Helsinki Accords in 1975 sought to improve relations and address human rights.
6. Economic Developments:
 The economic competition between the capitalist system led by the U.S. and the
communist system led by the Soviet Union influenced global economic policies.
 The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War and
brought about significant economic and political changes in Eastern Europe.
7. Cultural and Social Changes:
 The Cold War had a profound impact on culture, influencing literature, cinema,
and the arts.
 Social changes included the civil rights movement in the U.S. and the
counterculture movements of the 1960s.
8. Technology and Communication:
 Advancements in technology, including the development of the internet, had
profound effects on communication and espionage during the Cold War.
 The development of mutually assured destruction (MAD) doctrine influenced
military strategies.
Berlin Airlift: Dawn of the Cold War in Europe
Using Aid as a Tool of Diplomacy:
By using aid as a diplomatic tool instead of a military attack, the United States kept the West
Berliners supplied for nearly a year. Not wanting to risk a military confrontation, the Soviet
Union backed down and opened the roads to the West in May of 1949.

Near the border with Soviet-controlled Poland, the city of Berlin was geographically vulnerable
to communist influence. Citizens of West Berlin were surrounded and could not pass freely to
East Berlin or through East Germany to travel to western democratic nations.

Thirteen years later, Berlin again became the center of Cold War tensions when, in a surprise
move, the Soviets literally built the Berlin Wall overnight, dividing the city in half.

After World War II, Germany and its capital Berlin were divided in two. The western Allies
(including the United States) occupied West Germany and West Berlin. The Soviet Union
occupied East Germany and East Berlin. At this time, the United States and the Soviet Union
were allies but were soon at odds when faced with the challenge of how to rebuild the political,
economic, and infrastructure of war-torn Europe.

In June of 1948, the Soviets blocked the West’s access to West Berlin in an attempt to seize
control of the entire city. President Harry S Truman’s administration responded with the Berlin
Airlift: a massive campaign to drop food and supplies to West Berliners from the air.
Using Aid as a Tool of Diplomacy:

By using aid as a diplomatic tool instead of a military attack, the United States kept the West
Berliners supplied for nearly a year. Not wanting to risk a military confrontation, the Soviet
Union backed down and opened the roads to the West in May of 1949.

Near the border with Soviet-controlled Poland, the city of Berlin was geographically vulnerable
to communist influence. Citizens of West Berlin were surrounded and could not pass freely to
East Berlin or through East Germany to travel to western democratic nations.

Thirteen years later, Berlin again became the center of Cold War tensions when, in a surprise
move, the Soviets literally built the Berlin Wall overnight, dividing the city in half.

Diplomacy During the Civil Rights Movement:

During the Cold War, U.S. diplomacy was focused on halting the spread of communism and
limiting its influence where it already existed. American politicians believed that promoting
democracy would expand individual liberties for people everywhere.

However, the democratic United States had a problem. It could not claim democracy as the best
form of government when millions of its citizens experienced racial discrimination and
segregation.

Thawing Relations Through Ping Pong Diplomacy:

As we have often seen in history, sometimes, the first people that are able to “break the ice”
within “frozen” diplomatic relationships are ordinary citizens. We often refer to these people as
“citizen diplomats.”

In April 1971, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China,
becoming the first delegation of Americans to visit the country in decades. Following the 1949
Chinese Revolution, there had been no diplomatic ties, limited trade, and almost no contact
between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

Their trip started what became known as “ping-pong diplomacy” and helped lay the groundwork
for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic
of China. Ping-pong diplomacy also improved people-to-people understanding and cultural
exchange between the two nations.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall:

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany is often considered the symbolic
end of the Cold War.

In the mid-1980s, through glasnost (openness and freedom ) and perestroika (economic
restructuring), then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev demonstrated a willingness to loosen
government strangleholds in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, including East Germany.
While his openness was praised in the West, he met resistance from East German leader Erich
Honecker and his regime.
For decades, protests against suppression from members of the German Protestant church grew
into a political movement. On Monday, November 4, 1989, evening services in Leipzig grew
into a demonstration of over 100,000 protesters. The protestors demanded that Honecker resign.
By November 9, protests in Leipzig had reached 500,000.

Two hours away in East Berlin, an estimated 1,000,000 citizens demonstrated in the streets. That
evening of November 9, East Berlin police retreated, allowing protestors to cross into West
Berlin peacefully. Many took sledgehammers to the wall, and the process of political
reunification began.

The Diplomatic Agreement that Unified Germany:

On October 3, 1990, the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, known in
diplomatic parlance as the “Two Plus Four Agreement,” was signed in Moscow. This treaty
completed the reunification of Germany under international law.

The United States welcomed reunification. However, they understood the negotiations would be
a complex diplomatic exercise in trust-building, working with existing alliances, and listening to
the desires of the German people. American diplomatic leadership worked with all parties to
ensure that reunification happened peacefully.

Conclusion:

These contemporary changes during the Cold War had lasting effects on global politics, security,
and the international order. The eventual end of the Cold War ushered in a new era, with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union and the emergence of new geopolitical dynamics.