Civilization in Cold War
The end of the Second World War left the world with two superpowers – the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) – that nearly controlled every aspect of politics, economics and social life worldwide. The two superpowers, after completion of the Second World War, started fierce rivalry that did not involve direct military engagements in the battlefields. The fight for scientific, political, economic, and military control as a way of civilization led the Americans to support one group or country over the others. The war involved the two superpowers in hideously supporting, financing and implementing their ideologies oover their satellite, proxy and/or sponsored states. The civilization and ideological conflicts between the US and USSR led to an increase in arms struggle globally. It was necessary to have improved and increased nuclear armaments as a way of protection, especially, among nations that flex their muscles. Historians recognized that the Cold War period was the time when numerous nuclear weapons were tested. The tests were done with minimal inspection to ensure that their effect would not cause harm to the surrounding communities. The two superpowers believed that the country with the best military technologies was the most civilized. The civilization at this moment would not be measured on human development basis but with the military might. The need of military power has extended to the current period as some countries continually advance their technologies through nuclear testing to get the attention of the world. The supply of weapons for both sides of the two great power wielders led to extended wars and massive loss of life in other regions worldwide. Historians provide data showing the arms supplied by the two used even by illegal arms groups, which led to insecurity and instability in many countries.
Although the US and USSR mutually agreed to avoid another world war in a nuclear age, they have their own responsibility to protect their national security and interests for them to continuously sustain their world power and dominance. The US had its theory of civilization based on capitalistic theory. The USSR, on the other hand, had its own ideology of civilization grounded on the communist form of leadership. The capitalistic mode of development was blamed on placing powers on individuals and corporations without the much-needed control leaving by the government. On the contrary, the communist theory believed that property should be owned and controlled by the state government. America’s effort to hinder the spread of communism in its territory and around the world helped its allied countries to spread to its humanitarian ideology. Unlike the USSR and its communist faction, they have mostly resorted to human right violations (e.g., media and political censorship, incarceration of individuals without due trials, executions in extraordinarily repressive conditions, tortures, etc.). On the other hand, the US and its allies acted out of calculable balance and diplomacy for their mutual interests; hence, the US maintained its power in the process. The US utilized its humanitarian machineries (despite some form of McCarthyism or Red Scare and counter-intelligence maneuverings), whereas the USSR used proxy wars and Iron Curtain. The US was prudent in its international relations using not just the Marshall Plan, but also other propagandas (e.g., Truman Doctrine, Eisenhower’s Doctrines, Berlin Airlift, etc.). Specifically, under the Marshall Plan, the US provided finances for reconstruction to countries that support capitalism after the Second World War. Because of this form of financial assistance, many bought American products, goods and services. Despite the Soviet’s effort to curtail its member states not to participate in this economic trade, America succeeded in getting foothold as the primary economic power internationally. On the other hand, the USSR also developed a financing plan under the Warsaw pact that supported nations that would take up communism after the Second World War. This was done to counter US’ effort to spread its western ideologies. However, some countries became divided within themselves such that they supported communism and thus received finances to reconstruct their economies, while others did the same under capitalism. The difference in ideologies in a nation led to their internal divisions. The USSR, with help from its proxy countries, spent a lot of money in sending astronauts while simultaneously building their weaponries. The heavy budgetary spending of the USSR on weapons led to its bankruptcy until its end in 1991.
In addition to the above scenarios, Western civilization, which was built on Christian mode of religion, divided the world into two civilizations. The countries that were mostly in support of the communist form of government practices Buddhism, Islam and other forms of religion. The Americans, upon getting the attention of a country, sent Christian missionaries to spread Christianity. The countries that supported Communism had no need of spreading religion as a way of civilization. Many countries believed that religious teachings played a significant role in changing human behaviors. The influence of the two major power players were evident and mostly felt in many African countries. Religion spread in continents such as in Africa that supposed to end some behaviors that were seen to be existing among the other civilization champions. Some of the behaviors that the US wanted to eliminate were extreme forms of religious rituals, taboos, etc. intraditional forms of society. The spread of religion as part of civilization was to help the Americans have an easier time in spreading their Western ideologies to African countries like Ghana. The religious conflict would lead to some questioning on whether same gender marriages should be allowed within the churches. The American argument was that accepting same gender marriage is a way of accepting civilization and change in the world happenings. As history continued to unfold, many African countries, upon receiving their independence, became victims of the civilization plans and conflicts between the two superpowers. Consequently, to receive favors between the two superpowers, some African countries balanced their involvement. Ghana, immediately after its independence, was one of the countries that benefited on aid from the western and eastern blocs in order to take capitalism or socialism as its policy. The fight on application of socialism and capitalism was blamed for some conflicts in African countries. The Congolese was one key conflict that was blamed for the influence of the USA and USSR over their need to control their own governments through their respective ideologies on civilization. In Somali, Africa, in 1969, there were bloodless coup led by army officers, which established the socialist Democratic Republic of Somalia. It is the USSR that supported it. In 1974, pro-American Ethiopia was overthrown by pro-Soviet loyalists (that is, with the assistance from the Russians). It was in 1977-78 when the Somali-Ethiopia Ogaden War occurred wherein the Somali lost Soviet’s support. However, they turned for weapons and support to countries that were pro-US. But the Ethiopians gained their support from the Russians for advice and armaments. Despite the US’s neutrality and insistence that Somalis violated Ethiopian sovereignty, in 1980, the US still cooperated militarily with Somalia. In 1974, Angola and East Timor gained their independence from colonial rule. This is because the Angolan rebels waged war for their independence against their colonizer. Nonetheless, the long-decade anti-colonial civil war was replaced as the fight broke out between the nationalist front and communist faction of Angola. The former was supported by the US while the latter was assisted by the USSR, which eventually gained an upper hand.
Despite what happened during the Cold War, the civilization wars between the two superpowers resulted to some developments in some poor nations. States like Nigeria have seen competition between the two major power blocks on resources, thus allowing full utilization of its onshore and offshore oil. Other world economic players competed on the extractions of oils in other African countries. The difference in ideologies between the two nations on civilization has led a tight competition among companies worldwide. The competitions between the countries gave African nations an option to choose the companies offering the best services. It was the fall of the USSR that ended the division of the world based on capitalism and communism, but that was not solely true. The division of the world based on religion is still taking shape with the western blocs of the world as Christianity spread as a form of civilization. The fall of communism led to most counties that were under the USSR to resort to capitalistic way of running their affairs. The effects of the civilization ideologies and conflicts between the US and USSR are still felt in this modern world, especially, in countries trying to restore their internal peace. Nevertheless, the weakness of USSR’s political legitimacy resulted to the premature end of the Cold War. People knew well how their non-religious leaders lied to them. Hence, they enormously were outraged because they suffered personally. All things being equal, the collapse of the former soviet socialist was a byproduct of many causes that were accidentally or contingently deeply-rooted. In comparison to America’s conventional knowledge, the end of the Cold War began from atop and not at the level of the grassroots level. Thus, the Soviet republics and its proxy states clamored for political changes and economic independence.
Finally, during the 1970s, the already waning Cold War era was primarily attributed to the increasing presence and relevance of multinational companies, transnational corporations, international and non-governmental organizations. There were the growing interdependence among various states and developments in international relations. Force and single power hierarchy were no longer viewed as the sole basis of global relations and dominance. Through US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev opened up its country and satellite states to pro-democratic and liberal form of government. Thus, the premature demise of the Cold War period was later become more intelligible using as bases the constant laws of abstract culture behind local variations and other factors important to its understanding. The US, by far, remained intact and survived the Cold War because of its ideology concerning the non-sharing of power and interdependence of its allies, as compared with the ideology of the former Soviet superpower. Thus, by the late-1990s, US and its democratic allies, kept on expanding even in countries such as in Eastern and Central Europe.
Primary Sources
Corber, Robert. Homosexuality in Cold War America: Resistance and the Crisis of Masculinity. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1997.
The text is important in detailing about how the Americans tried to introduce western life style into the rest of the world. The book shows how civilization was associated with Christianity. The book tells about home sexuality was seen by Americans as a form of civilization.
David, Law. Russian Civilization. New York: CENGAGE Learning, 1975.
The text gives an account of what the former USSR believed to be civilization according to their communist policies. The policies of the USSR were shown to be main cause of conflicts between the two superpowers. The text talks about the Warsaw pact, which was a global financing pact to the rest of world nations.
Endy, Christopher. Cold War: Effect on World Nations. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.
The text is important in showing how different wars were fought in Africa and financed by the two superpowers. The text shows how the two blocs supplied weapons to various groups involved in the fights. The text also talks of how the weapons supplied were used in the modern world in war-torn nations.
Immerman, Richard, and Petra Goedde. The Oxford Handbook of the Cold War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
The text is important in giving the chronology of the events that took place during the Cold War period. The text gives accounts of the different conflicts the two nations, USA and USSR, were involved in. The text explains the reasons for the different wars in the world.
Perry, Marvin. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Massachusetts: Wadsworth, CENGAGE Learning, 2011.
The text shows how politics and civilization were an important aspect in running the world affairs. The text details how the two blocs controlled the world politics as they spread their ideologies regarding their type of civilization.
Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization. California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2009.
The text has a belief history on how the USA tried to introduce democratic forms of governments in the world as a way of civilization. The text show how its aim brought division of nations all over the world.
Secondary Sources
Booker, M. Monsters, mushroom clouds, and the Cold War: American Science Fiction and the Roots of Postmodernism, 1946-1964. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001.
The text is important in providing accounts on fight between the US and USSR in trying to control Asian nations. The text details the wars in some countries around the world.
Harburtt, Fraser. The Cold War Era. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2002.
The text is important in giving the chronology of the events that took place during the Cold War era. The text gives an account of the different wars fought between the 1960 to 1990 and who supported them. The book shows how conflicts reduced the world after the fall of USSR.
Huntington, Samuel, and et al. The Clash of Civilizations?: The Debate. New York: Foreign Affairs, 2010.
The writers of the text try to provide, in a debate form, the problems that were associated to civilization. The text avoids biasness and looks at both sides of the worlds. The text shows how poor nations benefitted from the war Cold War on receiving donations in return for loyalty.
Huntington, Samuel, and Zbigniew Brzezinski. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2011.
The text gives an account of how the US and USSR clashed on issues regarding civilization. The clash on civilization was based on providing finances to the different nations gaining independence, mostly in Africa. The text shows how nuclear struggle was introduced into the world.
Ong, Russell. China’s Security Interests in the Post-Cold War Era. Virginia: Curzon, 2002.
The text book is an account on how Communist countries did not believe in spreading religion as part of civilization. On the contrary, the text also shows how other nations believed in religion as a way of spreading civilization.
Perry, Marvin. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Massachusetts: Wadsworth, CENGAGE Learning, 2011.
The text gives details of how western civilization was built on Christianity. The history of on how western thought introduced religion to the world as a way of bringing civilization to other countries that embraced it.
