The Cold War and The Containment Policy

The victors in World War 2 became the main superpowers that had ideological differences[1]. These superpowers were the USSR and USA. They were militarily and economically superior to other nations in the world. However, they had ideological differences, mistrust, and suspicion towards each other[2]. The Americans had a deep dislike against communism and tyrannical rule exhibited by Joseph Stalin who exercised leadership over the Soviet Union[3]. On the other hand, the Soviets were not impressed by the Americans and other allies for their delayed help towards the Soviets leading to deaths of millions of Russians during the siege by the Axis powers[4]. In addition, the Americans had opposed the legitimacy of the Soviets in the international community.

Containment policy pursued by the Americans

The expansion of communism by the Soviet Union was also known as USSR to Eastern Europe greatly worried the Americans[5]. The Americans believed that the Russians harbored an ambition to spread communism and eventually rule the world[6]. To stop the expansionist ambitions of the Soviet Union, the Americans came up with a Containment policy in 1946[7]. The Americans believed that it was impossible to reach consensus with an antagonist nation like USSR. In 1947, the American foreign policy deeply supported by Harry Truman who was then the president of the United States convinced the Congress the need to oppose a nation that was subjecting its people to subjugation[8].

Military suppression to contain communism

 The Americans developed nuclear weapons that helped end the World War 2[9]. The development of more powerful nuclear weapons was recommended in 1950 by Truman[10].  Furthermore, increased defense spending was planned to increase by four times.  The hostility towards the Soviets triggered an arms race between the two superpowers.

The Soviet Union responded by testing their first atomic bomb in 1949[11].  After the Russians developed their first atomic bomb, the Americans threatened to develop a more powerful nuclear weapon.  The bomb they were talking about was a hydrogen bomb[12].  The first hydrogen bomb was tested by the Americans at the Marshall Islands[13]. Both the Soviets and the Americans tested many nuclear weapons that left the atmosphere polluted with a lot of hazardous radioactive wastes. The American citizens were always worried that their nation would face nuclear annihilation[14].  As a result, the citizens engaged in constant drilling at places like schools.  The movies also spread fear of annihilation among the members of the public. 

Space Race

The next frontier of the rivalry manifested itself in space exploration. In 1957, the Soviet Union became the first country to have an artificial satellite[15]. The Soviets introduced an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile called R-7 into the Orbit of the Earth. The new Soviet military installations brought immense fear to the Americans[16]. They believed that the Soviet would attack the American airspace with nuclear warheads mounted on R-7. The United States spied on the Soviets in order to gain substantial intelligence about the military activities of the Soviet Union[17]. The Americans began to offset the advantages enjoyed by the Russians by developing their first satellite in 1958. The artificial satellite was called Explorer 1.

The diplomacy over military action

The administration of President Richard Nixon introduced an approach based on diplomacy as opposed to using military intervention to counter communism. Through diplomacy, Nixon wanted to create a multi-polar world as opposed to a bi-polar world. He sought to establish good diplomatic relations with communist China and began to achieve this by visiting Beijing in 1972[18]. In the same year, Nixon also met the then premier of the Soviet Union, Brezhnev. The aim of this trip was to roll out arms reduction and reduce arms race. The two leaders introduced the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty 1. The purpose of the treaty was to prevent the manufacture of nuclear missiles by both nations.

The Reagan Presidency

 The desire to end production of nuclear weapons by Nixon became futile after the election of Ronald Reagan as the president of the United States[19]. The Cold War rose to a new level as Reagan introduced a hostile doctrine towards the Soviet Union[20]. Reagan viewed communism as a threat to freedom and democracy in the world[21]. He offered military and financial assistance to nations that were hostile to communism in order to curtail its spread[22]. Developing nations such as Grenada were beneficiary of the so-called Reagan Doctrine.

The last premier of the Soviet Union

 The Soviet Union had begun to wane due to its economic woes and political revolutions. The arms race and invasion of nations such as Afghanistan drained most of its revenue[23]. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came into power[24]. He decided to introduce new economic policies that were presumed to be a cure for the economic problems affecting the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev introduced political openness (glasnost) and economic reforms known as perestroika[25]. The two policies played an essential role in the disintegration of the Soviet Union[26]. The approach taken by Gorbachev encouraged other communist nations to introduce political and economic reforms in 1989[27]. The political and economic reforms provided the citizens and government officials with too much freedom yet the Soviet Union was not founded through entrenchment of democracy and freedom[28]. The reforms introduced by Gorbachev were some of the factors that contributed to a gradual disintegration of once powerful Soviet Union[29].

The revolutions arose within the Soviet Union due to excessive freedom introduced by Gorbachev. He never anticipated that the great USSR would fall. The main purpose of the reforms was to speed up the economic recovery of the Soviet Union. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was another signal that manifested the slow death of the USSR and hence the end of the Iron curtain[30].

Political and economic changes

Glasnost

Glasnost encouraged the introduction of political reforms in the Soviet Union[31]. The far-reaching reforms introduced openness by supporting the incorporation of western values and ideas as well as the introduction of goods produced in western nations such as the United States[32]. The government officials working for the Soviet Union were expected to support the political reforms introduced by Gorbachev[33].

Perestroika

On the other hand, perestroika encouraged reforms in the economic sector of the Soviet Union[34]. The economic reforms would provide market incentives to the citizens of the Soviet Union[35].

The anti-communist revolution

The once sphere of influence of the Soviet Union began to crumble. Poland was the first communist nation to vote in an anticommunist opposition government into power[36]. The world became wary as it was believed that the Soviet Union would intervene militarily to prevent the ascension of the new government in power but nothing happened[37]. Gorbachev appeared disinterested in toppling the new Polish administration since he was a reformist. This, however, encouraged other communist nations to follow suit. All the Baltic nations, Romania, and Ukraine became independent[38]. In 1991, Gorbachev began to feel the need to protect the territory of the Soviet Union through the Union Treaty that would give the former Soviet republics more freedom while governing them under a central command.

The attempts to control the Soviet republics through a treaty failed to succeed[39]. The final blow to the existence of the Soviet Union came after Russia, Byelorussia, and Ukraine became independent. The Soviet Union now became defunct and was therefore dissolved in 1991.

The fall of USSR came unexpectedly. The Americans received the news of disintegration of their arch rival enemy with great shock. There was a belief that the star wars proposed by Reagan that enticed the Soviet Union to overspend of defense could have been one of the reasons that led to the crumbling of a communist empire. The invasion of Afghanistan by USSR was also believed to be another reason that depleted the financial resources of the superpower[40]. The demise of the Soviet Union created even more problems for the United States like terrorism, rogue nations, and rebel groups[41].

Conclusion

The ideological rivalry between the superpowers manifested itself through proxy wars, the arms and space race. The superpowers were economically and militarily advanced and their rivalry entailed the use of all means possible to suppress the spread of each other’s ideologies. Nevertheless, the Soviet Union began to disintegrate due to its economic woes and introduction of political and economic reforms. Its fall was not foreseen owing to the fact that the introduction of reforms was meant to accelerate its economic progress instead of its fall.

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