This summary of the Cold War is meant for anyone who is interested in the course of the events that took place during the war. It is not written for any particular school course. I hope you enjoy reading it. - Lauran
Sources:
- ‘The Entire History of the Cold War Explained | Best Cold War Documentary’
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDrykOhrb5s) produced by The Life Guide
- Wikipedia
Summarized by: L. C. Claassen
Dear reader,
This summary is written for those who are interested in the course of events that took place
during the Cold War. The information in this summary was mainly gathered from the Youtube
Documentary ‘The Entire History of the Cold War Explained | Best Cold War Documentary’
uploaded by the channel The Life Guide. Additional information was gathered from
Wikipedia. I have written down all the main events so you are able to gain a good
understanding of the war. I hope you enjoy reading my summary.
- Lauran
NOTE: I have written in a manner where I assumed that the reader has basic knowledge of
general concepts (e.g. concepts such as ‘capitalism’ or ‘communism’ are not elaborated on).
, A SUMMARY OF THE COLD WAR
- The Cold War was a war that took place between the two victorious superpowers of the
Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union. It lasted from 1947 until 1991.
The rise of communism in Russia
- In the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution brought new tools and technologies for
production which transformed Western societies into the most powerful nations on earth.
However, the wealth and prosperity gained by the owners of the production companies often
came at the expense of the health and well-being of the workers due to their low salaries and
terrible working conditions.
- Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher who believed that the economic
inequality of the industrial West could only be resolved through a revolution in which the
workers would rise up against the company owners and replace capitalism with communism.
Marx’s theories and beliefs later became known as Marxism.
- The Russian Revolution was a revolution in Russia during the First World War lead by
Vladimir Lenin and his followers, the Bolsheviks. After the First World War, Lenin was
able to establish a one-party communist state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR) or Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, communism was enforced by any means
necessary, including the spread of propaganda and military action against enemies of the state.
- Joseph Stalin was Lenin’s successor as the leader of the Soviet Union, who successfully
lead the nation through the Second World War and transformed it into an industrial
superpower.
The world after the Second World War
- During the Second World War, the Russians allied with the Americans and the British
against the Axis powers. After the war had ended, both the Soviets and the Western nations
seeked to increase their safety against future attacks. Together with many other countries, the
United States established the United Nations, an international organization aimed to maintain
cooperation and peace amongst its member states. The Soviet Union became a member of the
United Nations as well.
- Apart from the United Nations, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were
two other global organizations that were established after the Second World War. The aim of
these organizations was to improve and secure the global economy. However, Stalin refused
to become a member because he saw these organizations as attempts to promote capitalism.
- The Soviet Union’s attempts to preserve post-war security consisted of installing pro-Soviet
governments in the Eatern European countries, taking away Germany’s autonomy and
military power, and forcing Germany to pay massive sums of money for reparations.
- After the Second World War, Stalin attempted to secure the southern border of the Soviet
Union by positioning troops in Iran and attempting to claim Turkish territory. However,
Harry S. Truman, the president of the United States, decided to send American troops to the
Eastern Mediterranean as a warning. It worked, and Stalin backed down. However, president
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