The cold war marked a period of political tensions between numerous countries after the end of t the Second World War. These tensions were mainly between the communist nations and the capitalist countries. The most opposing parties within this conflict were the USA and the now defunct USSR. In the 1970s, the cold war mainly referred to the period that spanned between the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis beginning October 1962; all the way to the Détente period from 1969 into the 70s (Shaw 71).
The Cuban crisis arose from a confrontation between the Soviet Republic and the United States of America. The Soviets were deploying a nuclear ballistic missile in Cuba. The aim was to deter Americans from harassing Cuba. The U.S was threatening an invasion of Cuba. Cuba is a communist country that was heavily aligned with the USSR. For this reason, there was a lot of rivalry between this nation and the United States. The US had vowed to put all its efforts into o the eradication of communism. As a counter strategy, the US responded by installing missile bases in Turkey and Italy.
The main driving force for this act was the failed invasion of the Bay of Pigs. These acts further escalated the cold war and nearly caused a full-scale nuclear war. The tensions were rife, and both adversaries stepped up their intelligence activities to gain the upper hand in the conflict. America used the European missile bases to send out a warning to the Soviets. They were conveying a message that any attacks on American soil would get countered by brutal retaliation by the American military. These conflicts continued throughout the sixties and started showing signs of waning towards the late sixties. This period became known as the Détente period.
The Détente period
This word means relaxation in the French language. The term mainly gets used to refer to the easing of strained relations between the major conflicting sides. Countries were increasingly becoming wary of the tensions and conflicts. This condition proved a hindrance to economic progress and social development in the involved nations. The communist and capitalist blocks could not carry out any trade or business. Also, there was a lot of propaganda perpetrated by members from both sides of the conflict. This heresy made people to live in fear and constant anxiety (Litwak 14).
Both capitalists and communists, therefore, took some steps that led to the easing of tensions between the two factions. As a result, the geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union eased. They were the primary opponents in the conflict. Furthermore, this period got signified by the signing of some treaties. One significant agreement became known as SALT. The name is an acronym for Strategic Arms Limitations talk. The main aim of this conference was to chart the way forward on how the world superpowers could reduce their stockpiles of weapons.
The previous cold war had resulted in a nuclear arms race whereby countries were acquiring and developing weapons of mass destruction at an accelerating pace. This situation led to massive stocks of arms that posed a danger to both environment and global security. The SALT treaty laid the foundations for the START II treaty. This was the strategic arms reduction treaty. It was a bilateral agreement that got signed by Russia and the United States of America. The two nations wanted to limit and reduce strategic offensive arms. The two presidents who signed the treaty were Boris Yeltsin of Russia and George H. W. Bush of the United States. The signing of the treaty banned the utilization of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles on intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Helsinki accords were talks aimed at improving the relations between the communist bloc and the capitalist nations. There was a need for the two sides to work together towards the greater goal of global development both socially and economically. The increasing tensions were leading to more alienation and conflicts between the two factions. However, the talks were not binding. The reason for the collapse of the accord was that no treaty got signed after the conclusion of the discussions (Korey 11).
The Nixon doctrine
In the early 70s, it became apparent that the third world posed the greatest danger to global stability. Most people regarded underdeveloped countries as the most volatile and dangerous sources of conflict and instability. President Richard Nixon laid out plans to take corrective actions in the height of the Vietnam War. The elements of the plan later became known as the Nixon Doctrine. Nixon came up with these plans in 1969, but most of them got implemented in the 70s.
This doctrine was a sign of contempt by the US to the UN. Through the United Nations, underdeveloped nations were gaining influence through the power of numbers. Authoritarian regimes also gained increasing support. These regimes oppressed the people and denied them access to the much needed basic resources. Most citizens lived in abject poverty and any dissent to the ruler got met by brutal punishment. The United States was not happy with this state of affairs.
For example, in 1970, the CIA availed funds in Chile to support the government against Marxist movements. However, when Marxist president Salvador Allende came to power via free elections, the US started channeling funds to the opposition. Their main aim was to destabilize the government. In 1973, The United States government gave support to a military Junta that seized power from President Allende.
Decolonization
During this time, the third world countries had massive economic disadvantages. They became increasingly vulnerable to foreign pressures and influence. They lacked the military might or economic strength to challenge the major powers. Most of these countries derived their resources for economic development from the ties they had with the major economies. For this reason, they stronger countries could dictate to the third world nations the policies they should adopt. They also gave them stringent conditions on matters of trade. In other words, these countries traded with the West and the Soviet Union under the terms and conditions of these powers.
In his 1972 speech to the UN, Salvador Allende stated, “Chile is also a country whose retarded economy has been subjected and even alienated to foreign capitalists firms, resulting in a foreign debt of more than US$ 4,000 million whose yearly services represent more than 30 per cent of the value of the country's exports.” (Allende 15)
Governments of underdeveloped countries would seek loans for economic development from these countries. Moreover, they would also ask for grants and donations to fund their recurrent expenditures in the budget. The donor countries were most commonly the former colonial masters. This situation forms what is known as neo-colonialism. The emerging countries were in an indirect colonization and had to bow to their masters' demands (Parsons 23).
Culture and media
In the 1970s, cold war themes pre-occupied the television and film industry. Most of these productions were social commentaries and parodies of the war (Sarantakes 76). A good example is a concert for Bangladesh film directed by Saul Swimmer. The film got produced as a fundraiser for the refugees from the Bangladesh liberation war. This was a revolution and armed conflict fought by the Bengali nationalists and self-determination movements. The battle took place in East Pakistan and was mainly triggered by the Bangladesh genocide of 1971. Millions of civilians got killed, and many people fled and became refugees both internally and externally.
Children of Glory is a 2006 film directed by Kristina Goda. It is set against the backdrop of the Hungarian revolution that took place in 1956. The Russian water polo team got defeated by the Hungarian team. However, the match turned out to become a bloody ordeal; the deadliest in sporting history. The main aim of the film is to sensitize on the effects of tensions and hatred and how they lead to conflict (Brooke 31).
Tony Mascarenhas wrote an essay in the June 1971 Sunday times. It was called “Genocide.” This essay was about the mass killings in Bangladesh that captured the attention of the entire world. He highlighted the atrocities committed on the basis of religion and their lasting effects on the successive generation. This essay discusses how ideology can have an impact on how we relate to different cultures and beliefs (Mascarenhas 13).
Works cited
Allende, Salvador. "Speech to the United Nations." International Firms and Modern Imperialism. Baltimore: Penguin Books (1975).
Brooke, Michael. "'Children of Glory.'" (2008): 49-50.
Mascarenhas, Anthony. "Genocide." Sunday Times (1971): 12-14.
Korey, William. Human Rights and the Helsinki Accord: Focus on US Policy. Headline Series No. 264. Foreign Policy Association, 470 Park Avenue South, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016-6819; tele, 1983.
Litwak, Robert S. Détente and the Nixon doctrine: American foreign policy and the pursuit of stability, 1969-1976. CUP Archive, 1986.
Parsons, Anthony. From cold war to hot peace: UN interventions 1947-1994. M. Joseph, 1995.
Sarantakes, Nicholas Evan. "Cold War Pop Culture and the Image of US Foreign Policy: The Perspective of the Original Star Trek Series." Journal of Cold War Studies 7.4 (2005): 74-103.
Shaw, Tony. "The politics of Cold War culture." Journal of Cold War Studies3.3 (2001): 59-76.
