The history of the cold war is dated back in the 1945 immediately after the World War II. There were differences between superpower countries and their dominance in Asia, western and Eastern Europe. The United States was a major player in the cold war with its dominance power against the other superpower nations. After the World War II, the participating nations including the United States, China, and the USSR had learned the adverse effects of engaging in a hot war. As a result of massive destruction of properties and loss of lives of individuals from the participating nations, there was a consensus to abolish the use of nuclei weapons of mass destruction. The differences between the USA and USSR emerged just after the World War II. It is unexpected that the two nations would result in conflict after they fought as allies in the World War II.
According to historical documents, the rift between the two countries had started way back before the start of World War II. The USA used to refer to the USSR as a devil incarnate. In this regard, it is clear that both nations had come together as a result of having a common enemy, the Germany. The leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, was distrustful with the Americans since he could not discuss his warfare weapons with the Americans. The Americans were known by having the powerful warfare weapons in the world while the Soviet Union was recognized with their large arm known as the Red Army supreme. According to historical records, hot war refers to the situation where nations go in the battlefield with their respective armies in actual war. For instance, the World Wars are examples of hot wars experienced in the history of mankind. Warm war, on the other hand, can be described as a situation where nations hold diplomatic talks in resolving conflicting issues between the nations. As a result, the army is usually mobilized preparing for a command to engage.
Warm war can lead to a hot war or conflicting countries can resolve their differences thus avoiding any chances of engaging in a hot war. There were differences in ideologies between the USA and the USSR is leading to heated cold war between the two nations. Distrust between the two nations occurred as a result of various factors. For instance, the USA was a democratic country unlike the USSR which practiced an autocratic or dictatorship authority. The USA government engaged in free and fair elections while the USSR had no elections.
After the defeat of Hitler’s Nazis, the USA and USSR could not hide their rift anymore. As a result, the two nations engaged in a cold war due to their diverse ideologies and beliefs. The USA was a capitalist democratic nation while the USSR was a communist dictatorship country. The conflicting idea between the two was that each nation saw itself superior over the other and was the world most super powerful country. According to historical writings, Joseph Stalin was harsh with the USA and Britain for aiding the whites during the 1918 to 1921 civil war. He believed that the two were against the USSR and had anticipated for their defeat by the Nazis. There were blame games between the Britain and Americans since the two accused the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact of causing the World War II. The cold war between the USA and the USSR continued until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union collapsed into fifteen countries. The event was a relief in the USA because of the cold war that persisted between the two nations.
According to the recent studies, there is a possibility of a cold war between the USA and Russia in the future. According to the All Russian Public Opinion Research Center, approximately 9 percent of the respondents suggested that a similar situation was likely to re-occur. The statistics showed that around 40 percent of the respondents allowed such a situation to occur. Only 4 percent of the whole population said that the situation was impossible. The recent statistics come up during the heated exchanges between Russia and the USA over Syria possession of nuclei weapons. The united states in collaboration with the United Nations are working to ensure that Syrian chemical weapons are eliminated. The USA involvement in the Syria chemical warfare weapons has heightened exchanges between Russia and the USA.
The cold war between the US and China can also be dated back after the World War II when civil war was anticipated to erupt. The Chinese community was a communist nation led by Mao Zedong. The United States military and some diplomatic representatives in China set out a struggle to overpower. The rift between the two countries can be differentiated from the cold war between the USA and USSR since the latter emerged way before the World War II started. The cold war between the United States and China has become more evident in the recent times where the two countries are fighting for power and dominance over Asia. There have been talks between the two leaders in resolving the rift that persists in the region. The Chinese government has emerged to claim its dominance, resources, and alliance over the United States.
In the current situation, the rift between the Chinese and Americans has been noticed in Asia and anticipated extending over to the Middle East and even Africa. By contrast, the cold war between the United State and China seems to be different from the USA and USSR cold war of 1945. The recent cold war and rifts between the USA and China might adversely affect economic and political ties between the countries. For instance, the rift between the two countries has been evident from the way china has become independent from America. The Chinese government has been exporting commodities to china amounting to a quarter of the entire Chinese trade. There is a positive correlation and interdependence between the two countries due to trade linkage and international relations in both countries. The heated exchange of rifts between the two countries could result into disequilibrium of trade and economic activities. There might be cultural diversity and differences between the US and China though they have a common self interest. The type of leadership style in the two countries might adversely affect the outcome of the existing cold war. The conflict in leadership style between countries could worsen the already existing rift. The rift between Washington and Beijing is anticipated to intensify in the future. By contrast, the situation can be managed if the two parties resolve their differences.
The Chinese government has embarked on a totally complete economic and political system that will ensure independence from any other nation. Every nation is trying to develop its economic structure in order to avoid adverse effects of a cold war occurring in the two countries. As a result, the two leaders have embarked on projects that aim at improving the value of the currency and trade activities. Over the years, China has been one of the United States largest debt holders. The Chinese government has initiated several strategies to ensure that the country becomes independent from the US in the future. The political leadership in China is based on a consensus and it cannot affect the foreign policy to a large extend.
The rift between the United States government and China seems to be deteriorating after some Middle East countries like Iran are forced to take sides with either of the two superpowers. The presence of a cold war between China and the USA could have an adverse effect not only to the involved parties, but also to the rest of dependent countries across the world. The major differences between the two cold wars emerge from their objectives. In the cold war between the US and China, the main objective is to acquire dominance, control over the economy, and independence. The rift between the USA and USSR, however, was as a result of diverse cultural and ideological points of view. The USSR was yearning for power over the USA in order to claim the super powerful title.
Work Cited
Feldman, Noah. Cool War: The Future of Global Competition. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2013.
