The Cold War: An The Cold War: An IntroductionIntroduction
What was the Cold WarRelevancy of Cold War to 21st century
Aims of this course
The 21The 21stst Century Century
Treaties of past wars sought to balance power◦ Treaty of Westphalia◦ Treaty of Ghent◦ Congress of Vienna◦ Treaty of Versailles
New World Order after Soviet defeat◦ International cooperation◦ No longer a world of ‘Us v. Them’◦ Democracy will grow out of necessity ◦ Interconnectedness between politics and economics◦ “Trade pacts are of greater importance than missiles”
Martin Walker in The Cold War
Clinton PresidencyClinton Presidency
Faced with new challenge in uni-polar worldNew foreign policy needed to deal w/ challengeClinton speech on eve of Congressional vote on
NAFTA:◦“This vote comes at a defining moment for our
nation. This country is now the most productive country in the world across a broad spectrum of manufacturing and service industries in this economy. We can win. And we have to decide whether we are going to reach out and win or try to withdraw” Martin Walker, The Cold War
Winning no longer means defeating Communism, but remaining the most relevant economic power in the world- How else to retain American supremacy in post Cold war era?
History Full CircleHistory Full Circle
Clinton strategy similar to post-WWII◦ Japan and Germany rebuilt to provide an economic
stabilizer in both Europe and Asia◦Marshall Plan and NATO worked hand-in-hand to create
buffer zone between the ‘West’ and Soviet RussiaFormer Soviet satellites would be brought into
collective agreements◦Democracy would reach the crevices of old Soviet system◦Post Cold War policy was to bring China, India and places
in Africa into this circle of trust and cooperativeness◦Former countries behind Iron Curtain (Estonia, Ukraine,
Romania, Bulgaria to name a few) would enter to economic and political agreements w/in framework of European Union
A World w/out a Balancing ForceA World w/out a Balancing Force
“The press is now searching for a different organising principle- North-South tensions, religion versus secularism, nationalm versus internationalism… The Cold War could turn anything into an issue of national interest if Communism was somehow implicated. That easy link is gone…How does the press relate national interest to more or less obscure wars in remote areas, to communal strife in India, corruption in Brazil, AIDS in Zaire or overpopulation worldwide? How does it make clear to the public that the old dividing line between foreign and domestic affairs is getting ever thinner.”◦ Time magazine editor Henry Grunwald (1993) on the global
media’s role in a ‘New World Order’
Good v. EvilGood v. Evil
Good and evil according to U.S. and U.S.S.R.Cold War was a war of perceptions
◦Perceptions became realityNo matter the viewpoint, a definitive evil existedPropaganda used to influence and dictate
domestic & foreign policyFax machines, cell phones, satellite TV made that
definition all too cloudy◦East Berlin and Fall of Berlin Wall◦Glasnost◦Poland’s ‘Solidarity’◦Tiananmen Square in Beijing
Cold War DefinedCold War Defined
History of Cold War has been world history between 1945-1991
Martin Walker argues that it still continues today
Global conflict reaching Korea, Vietnam, Venezuela, Cuba, Turkey, Afghanistan and Greece to name a few places
War fought by proxy- never ‘hot’ between Soviets and Americans
DeterrenceDeterrence
U.S. strategy adopted to deter warMassive weapons build-up; ready military forces;
political will to use themNukes would be ultimate deterrentIs this a balanced deterrent? Amt of nukes would be
disproportional to threatDeterrence and collective security- UN introduced-
championed by U.S. This foreign policy/military strategy known as MAD
◦ Mutually Assured Destruction◦ Both parties (Soviets & American) would have to mind one
another’s military weaponry when determining foreign policy
1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995
UNITED STATES 6 3,057 31,265 26,675 22,941 14,766
SOVIET UNION 0 200 6,129 19,443 39,197 27,000
BRITAIN 0 10 310 350 300 300
FRANCE 0 0 32 188 360 485
CHINA 0 0 5 185 425 425
Source: National Resources Defense Council
History of Nuclear Warhead Stockpiles: 1945-1995* Notes: totals are estimates. Lists include strategic and non-strategic
warheads, as well as warheads awaiting dismantling
Similarities and Contrasts Similarities and Contrasts
U.S. & U.S.S.R: Similarities Contrasts
Both latecomers to international prominence
Large population and resource centers
Drawn into continental rivalry
Both had messianic visions about political organization
Demonstrated massive military capability
Heart of rivalry was national interest and ideology
Rivalry was clash between principles
Capitalism v. Socialism Individual liberty v. state
security Religious freedom v.
scientific materialism International diversity v.
Communist Commonwealth◦ For the Common Defense: A Military
History of the United States by Peter Maslowski
An InstitutionAn Institution
Perversely, Cold War became way of life
Social norms, behaviors and patterns witnessed in both U.S. and U.S.S.R.
Cold War became a warped stability
Cold War was also an economic war- U.S. won because it could produce more guns, food, health care, vacations and private cars than Soviets◦ The Cold War - Martin Walker
In Conclusion
We will analyze and assess the Cold War this SemesterYou will implement skills of interpretation, analysis,
evaluation and synthesis as we carry forwardWe will be able to provide answers to questions such as, but
not limited to:◦ Is there a blame to be placed on a certain country or government for the Cold
War?◦ For what reasons did the Cold War never become a ‘hot war?’◦ Change the meaning of Cold War around, was the Cold War, in fact, a hot war?◦ To what reasons should we attribute the fall of Communism and the Soviet
Union?◦ Was the Cold War a war of perception?◦ Did the U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War determine American foreign
policy in the post Cold War era?◦ Was M.A.D. a valid military strategy during the Cold War?◦ How do you describe the Cold War culture as different from U.S. culture today?