Effects of Cold War on the United States and the World - Literature review Example

Effects of Cold War on US and the World Nicole Horgan GEN 499 Anne Marie Fowler October 13, Cold War Effects Introduction Immediately after the Second World War, there was another war only that this time it did not involve the use of firearms. However, it was worse than the two previously fought wars since it posed a threat even to those who had nothing to do with it. Apparently, the nuclear power Shocking as it may sound, two groups of countries held the rest of the world at ransom for a period of almost five decades. As expected, the warring parties experienced some of the worst economic effects since the ill relations meant no business could happen between them. In this essay, critical analysis has been done on at least three articles written by several individuals regarding the said topic. Background Between 1947 and 1991, the Soviet Union faced up to the United States and its allies in a political tension that threatened the peace of other uninvolved nations. With the two groups having nuclear capabilities, the world nearly suffered due to differences. While none of the two actually engaged in military attacks against each other, threats were issued as diplomatic rows raged on (Totten, 2013). Unfortunately, even though the row involved only two groups, whatever else happened in the world was largely dictated by the events unfolding between the two. Literature review A number of publications and journals exist on the implication, course and causes of the cold war on the United States and different other countries across the globe. Most of these articles have focused on the post-cold war era, providing vivid description of how many countries adjusted to a new political and social dispensation that had massive implications on business, education and the economy. Kessler (2006) evaluates the manner in which the dominance of the United States and the Soviet Union affect most non-proliferated regimes across the globe and curtailed their ability to develop nuclear weapons (Richards, 2008). Though the two countries had different views on almost everything, Washington and Moscow adopted a common position on the issue of nuclear weapon proliferation in different countries. Allowing countries to independently develop nuclear weapons will have catastrophic and uncontrollable consequences on other countries across the globe. As a result, the two countries led the nonproliferation regimes until the end of the cold war, ushering in a new environment that presented significant implications to global security (Kessler, 2006). With the fall of the Soviet Union, the geopolitical balance of power changed completely, with the control of the non-proliferated nations being designated to the United States. Though Washington remained powerful with the decline of the Soviet Union, the responsibility of protecting the world from the emergence of other nuclear powers was also placed on its solders. However, the United States did not have the massive power and ability to oversee the operations and arms buildup of most countries, giving room for the development of nuclear weapons within the non-proliferated countries such as Iran. Kessler (2006) attributes this delicate balance to the terrorist and security threat that has face the world as a result of the inability of the united states to prevent further proliferation of nuclear weapons especially in countries without stable and democratic government models. The cold war rhetoric that characterized the two countries affected the relations between Russia and is neighboring countries such as Georgia and Ukraine. The current conflict between Russia and the Georgia is majorly based on the rhetoric that has emerged between the United States and Russia, a situation that is replicative of the cold war era in the county (Bayulgen & Arbatli, 2013). The duo examines the role the united states media and government has played in exposing Russia and providing negative publicity despite the progress the country has made this far. Though Russia and Georgia have internal and independent issues to address without the intervention of the United States, the media has been used to cast aspersions on the intention on Russia, thus setting up Georgia against Russia and affecting the relationship between the two countries (Bayulgen & Arbatli, 2013). Today, though the intensity of the war is nowhere near that time, Bayulgen and Arbatli (2013) claim that there is still a cold war between the US and Russia. Recently, the US has fallen victim of Russian spies whose infiltration into US signifies a continued mistrust between the two. Therefore, it could be argued that another effect of the cold war is the never-ending snooping of each country against the other. All this is done in order to locate the perceived enemy’s weakness and capitalize on it either now or when the need arises. According to Richards (2008) this trend is a threat to a country since much effort and resources will be directed to stopping the so-called foe as opposed to investing in other areas as is the case in the US and Russia (Richards, 2008). The development of the rest of the world stalled thanks to these events, even though it was never part of it. Kessler (2006) claims that other countries never supported any of the two sides, as they feared the end-result of ensuing silent scuffle. Had the nuclear weapons been used in the ever-surging war, the world would not be spared the adverse effects. Sharing these sentiments, Bayulgen and Arbatli (2013) state that it is not the economy of these two sides that stalled only but rather everyone else’s. Effects of cold war Impact on education War- whether real or cold- is a detriment to education, and if could be avoided, that is the best option. Totten (2013) claims that the status of US education and the world at large was greatly affected by the standoff. Before the war escalated, the effects were not felt that much but that situation changed as the intensity of the war took to new heights. Sadly, the flashpoints witnessed during this war were passed on to the children hence affecting their lives negatively. Consequently, the relations between the students from the countries at war expressed similar attitudes to each thus polarizing the education status (Parry-Giles, 1994). Great fear seized the Western countries and their respective citizens with many fearing the worst in terms of economic status (Richards, 2012). Many feared that Russia’s financial gains would worsen the matter; the US feared domination of the rest of the world by Russia. As a result, every side tried as much as possible to assemble its allies in case the war turned violent. Furthermore, crisis happening elsewhere in the world saw each of the side support one and oppose the other with stakes (Richards, 2008). The cold war between the former USSR and the United States was not merely fought on the war front, but from an academic and technological angle. The two countries developed strong competition to develop more advanced technologies to spy against each other and counter the influence of each other. In terms of technological innovations, the Soviet Union was first in introducing new devices and making initiatives that jolted the United States into action. For example, when the Russian federation launched the sputnik communication gadget into space in 1957, the United States refocused its research and technological innovations towards developing a similar and more superior gadget. As a result, the early cold war between the USSR and the united states was pushed by strong technological competition, a situation that significant led to the introduction of radical changes in the education system of the country (Totten, 2013). The united states thus changed its education from the bottom up curriculum that was initially in place which concentrated major on the 3Rs. Lower educational levels in the country were more concerned with teaching reading, writing and arithmetic to students, a situation that was subjected to a review due to the need to improve the technical knowledge and abilities of the graduates (Sakwa, 2013). To implement proper education curriculum, the country passed the national defense education act of 1958 which was aimed at ensuring that the education system produced able and knowledgeable individuals to improve the competition between the two countries on scientific innovations. To benefit from this pact, students were forced to sign a loyalty pact and commit to the country’s military technological and scientific research based on the McCarthyism legacy (Richards, 2008). The national defense education act also enhanced the commitment of the students to their country as they became to associate education and scientific education skills to the protection of their country against external aggression. A good education ceased to be associated with the desire to acquire a good job placement, but rather a conduit to protecting their country against the aggression of the communists. To meet its end of the bargain and encourage innovation among the students, the government released grants and loans to students in order to advance their education in various fields including rocket science, aerospace technology and communication (Richards, 2008). Due to the policies that were adopted by the united states government in the 50s, the united states education experienced a complete overhaul that led to the emergence of scientific innovation and products to rival the influence of the communists. Different sectors of the public, the legislature and the civil societies did not oppose the focused that the government was placing on education thus providing an enabling environment for the country. The spending on education was viewed as a solid investment that would push the American economy to greater heights and introduce scientific innovations necessary to defeat the enemy (Parry-Giles, 1994). Because of the security risk and imminent attack from the Soviet Union that the country faced, there was need to upgrade public awareness and response to an imminent attack. As a result, the government initiated the ‘duck and cover’ drills to enhance student’s ability to overcome flying objects in case of an attack. On every Fridays, schools were instructed to have the duck and cover drill to protect them from the missiles fired by the Soviet Union (Richards, 2008). Though the cold war had various implications on education, technological and scientific competition defined the policies and curricula that were initiated in the United States. During the 60s, the pressure was on the need to beat the USSR on the trip to the moon and earn the bragging rights. On July of 1969, the United States won the moon trip competition and this ushered in a new political, social and education era into the United States. The previous initiatives to improve education by providing proper educational materials and increasing the number of teachers in the country had a reverse impact on the economy (Totten, 2013). By the 70s, the number of qualified teachers doubled but the teaching positions remained constant, a development that led to the emergence of qualified but unemployed teachers. This period, commonly known as the stagflation in economics, saw the demand for teaching positions rise. The salary of teachers had previously been raised to empower teachers and attract the brightest minds into the profession. However, this was now working against the economy as the financial situation of the country could not support the high wage. Demand for a reduction in teacher’s salary increased and this led to the emergence of a crisis in the education sector in the country. Based on the arguments presented, the cold war affected the educational system in the United States positively but the pressures associated with the competition created a crisis during the last phase of the cold war (Wallsh, 2013). Emergence of Muslim dictatorial power Part from the impacts on education, the cold war led to an increase in Islamic influence across the globe as the countries that were initially part of the Soviet Union disintegrated into independent states. The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to the emergence of powerful and strong Islamic nations whose military and political power had been strengthened through the link with the Soviet Union. Countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan emerged as major economies in the Middle East due to their oil wealth and connection with the Soviet Union (Totten, 2013). Though these countries are no longer part of the communist union, western countries have remained wary of their activities and weapon abilities. These countries have emerged as major anti-fundamentalists, adopting policies aimed at reducing the influence of the west and supporting terrorist activities. Though the west cannot directly deal with the ramification of these nations, letting them continue with their military actions has presented significant security threat to the United States and its ally states. The despot nature of these countries has been used to explain the rising number of refugees, more so from Muslim countries in Asia and the Middle East (Wolfe, 2012). However, this has significantly changed over the years, rising to over 90% by the 90s, a demonstration that the disintegration of the Soviet Union affects the Muslim countries and this presents significant humanitarian and security challenge to the United States and the world (Wallsh, 2013). The emergence of the Islamic states and the security threats that it has presented to the United States and other countries in the world can be attributed to the massive wealth distribution in the region. Before 1991, 60% of the total global oil wealth was under the influence and control of Islamic states, a situation that has changed due to the breakup of the Soviet Union. This is due to the emergence of new Islamic republics within central Asia who have increased their grip on the oil wealth and currently controls over 74% of the total global oil wealth, a situation that presents significant economic and security challenges to the United States and other western countries (Cuny, n.d). With oil wealth concentration within this region, social and political competition has emerged among the Islamic countries that previously belonged to the Soviet Union. This has led to an increase in military power, arms buildup and increase security threats especially to countries in the west such as the united states that have remained an enemy to the soviet union (Wallsh, 2013). The growth of ethno-nationalism During the cold war, multiethnic nations were held harmoniously together by the common enemy and the need to protect the country against external aggressors. However, the end of the cold war has led to a decline in the military security threats facing countries in different parts of the globe. As the nations that formed the soviet union breakup and develop independent powerful states with own political and economic position, other countries in the third world country that were either affiliated to the united states or the soviet union have faced massive disintegration. To remain relevant during the cold war, the superpowers supported tribal hegemonies in the third world countries and this led to inequitable development in most countries in Africa and Asia (Cuny, n.d). However, the decline in the principle of inviolability within countries has led to a decline in regime tolerance and has thus created room for the disintegration and decline of nations that were initially held together irrespective of their multiethnic nature. Minority ethnic countries have led in the quest for political and social freedom from majority ethnic communities that enjoyed the benefits of the socio-political and economic competition associated with the cold war. Currently, 15 independent states have emerged from countries that were initially united by cold war propaganda and manipulation, demonstrating that this war was premised on fallacious principles (Brier, 2013). For example, Eritrea, a former part of Ethiopia acquired independence from the country following years of military agitation, a situation that is currently witnessed in other parts of the world such as the Kurdish region in Iraq. Violence has accompanied the need for minority ethnic countries to divorce the minority regions that have ruled them over the years as witnessed in countries such as Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia, countries that were initially affiliated to the Soviet Union (Thies, 2013). This new development has also created significant challenges in countries bordering each other due to the spillover effect on the population and uncontrolled migrations. Countries such as Ukraine have minority Russian ethnic communities living within the country as witnessed in other countries such as turkey, Iran and Syria. Such new developments have act as recipe for chaos, political and independence agitation and instability in most countries as was recently witnessed between Russia and Ukraine over the Russian minorities in the country (Stuart, 2013). Effects on the global markets The end of the cold war was based on a perception that the west had overrun the Soviet Union, a situation that has provided room for the ideologies initially associated with the western countries to creep into other countries. The west was known for the market based democratic governments with a capitalistic approach to wealth accumulation and business approaches. The communist ideologies of the Soviet Union have significantly declined over the years, with few countries such as china continuing to advance its principles (Cuny, n.d). Immediately after the end of the cold war and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many third world countries which embraced socialism and communism embraced change, leading to the emergence of market democratization in the regions. Most of these countries were ruled by dictators who imposed a Marxist approach of leadership as a way of acquiring support and finance from the soviet bloc. However, the end of the cold war led to a decline on the grip that the Soviet Union had on the countries and this provided room for the emergence of democratic ideals and market structures in these countries (Stuart, 2013). The communist supported governments in different parts of the world were riddled by corruption, dictatorship and political assassinations and intolerance. For democracy to flourish, the rule of law had to be established which explains the political agitations that most of these countries faced post-cold war? Dictatorial governments have fall in different parts of the globe and this has provided an enabling environment for the establishment of democratic ideals, practices and approaches in most of these countries (Cuny, n.d). The military and relief operations The end of the cold war signaled the end of geopolitical rivalries that was common during this period, a situation that has enabled countries to remain transparent in their military operations. Most donor countries such as the United States, Britain and France have engaged their military forces in different activities. For example, countries faced with economic and natural calamities today allow free movement of foreign soldiers within their boundaries in order to manage relief operations among others. The military has been engaged in various non-conflict activities such as the support of peace and humanitarian operations in foreign countries, a situation that is attributed to the level of trust that has been developed after the decline of the Soviet Union (Stuart, 2013). Despite the positive effort of the developed nations to help other countries in Africa and Asia during calamities, most of these host countries have viewed such operations with circumspect. Though they accept the donations and support from these countries, the feeling of hidden motive and agenda behind the relief and support from these countries has predominantly remained in the mind of the nations. This was witnessed due to the events that followed the Vietnam War, leading to an arm’s length military aid policies in most countries in Asia and Africa. For example, during the gulf war, most agencies were unwilling to offer humanitarian aid to the victims due to the United States involvement in the war pitying ire and Kuwait. Though the military role has changed across the world after the cold war, the level of trust among countries has remained low and this has affected most humanitarian operations across the globe (Cuny, n.d). Conclusion The cold war was an era of relatively no military engagement between countries but a rather a competition that was based on fueling secondary conflicts and supporting other countries in order to advance individual interest. Due to the high level of scientific and technological competition that characterized this era, the education of the United States witnessed significant changes which defined its future innovations. Apart from education, the cold war had other implications on the United States and other countries especially members of the developing world who belong to either side of the divide. This paper has succinctly described the impact of the cold war on different sectors of the world economy, political and social arrangements and how it shaped future relations between countries across the globe. References Bayulgen, O., & Arbatli, E. (2013). Cold War redux in US–Russia relations? The effects of US Media framing and public opinion of the 2008 Russia–Georgia war. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 46(4), 513-527. Cuny, F. C. (n.d). “Humanitarian Assistance in the Post- Cold War era”. PBS. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cuny/laptop/coldwar.html Kessler, C. (2006). Post–Cold War Effects on the Non-Proliferation Regime. Problems of Post-Communism, 53(2), 30-38. Richards, A. (2008, February 5). “The Cold War: Definition, Causes & Early Events”. Education Portal. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-cold-war-definition-causes-early-events.html#lesson Totten, M. (2013, September 26). “The Effects of the Cold War on us Education”. Education space360. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.educationspace360.com/index.php/the-effects-of-the-cold-war-on-us-education-39/ Thies, C. G. (2013). The Roles of Bipolarity: A Role Theoretic Understanding of the Effects of Ideas and Material Factors on the Cold War. International Studies Perspectives, 14(3), 269-288. doi:10.1111/j.1528-3585.2012.00486.x Wolfe, A. (2012). The Cold War Context of the Golden Jubilee, Or, Why We Think of Mendel as the Father of Genetics. Journal of the History of Biology, 45(3), 389-414. Sakwa, R. (2013). The cold peace: Russo-Western relations as a mimetic cold war. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 26(1), 203-224. doi:10.1080/09557571.2012.710584 Wallsh, D. (2013). Syrian Alliance Strategy in the Post-Cold War Era: The Impact of Uni-polarity. Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 37(2), 107-123 Brier, R. (2013). Broadening the Cultural History of the Cold War. Journal of Cold War Studies, 15(4), 104-127. Doi: 10.1162/JCWS_a_00396 Parry-Giles, S. J. (1994). Propaganda, Effect, and the Cold War: Gauging the Status of Americas "War of Words". Political Communication, 11(2), 203-213. Stuart, N. (2013). A World on the Brink of Nuclear War – The Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Agora, 48(2), 52-58. Read More