Cold War Legacies What were the main effects of the Cold War on the world and humanity? The cold war stemmed from a deep rivalry between superpowers America and the Soviet Union. Escalated by a lack of trust from each party and threats of nuclear warfare the cold war affected the security of the whole world and humanity. The main effects of the cold war are often seen as ‘legacies’ left by the war, and are most evident in international systems, politics, economics, warfare, and the failure of human rights. The cold war resulted in a change of international systems.
Soviets distrusted Americans because of the delayed attack on Germany. These issues created tension between the superpowers even before World War I
Both sides were fearful that they would be caught in a “missiles gap,” meaning that they had less missiles or warheads than the other side. Therefore, both sides frantically constructed weapons to maintain an advantage, pouring out their money and damaging their economies. One step ahead, the US developed the hydrogen bomb first. This bomb was approximately 2500 times stronger than the bomb they had dropped on Hiroshima. Once this had
The terms of the treaty were very harsh to the Germans and they took on great resentment. It was a fragile peace agreement that would be used as fuel to keep hostilities going 20 years later. When the details of the treaty were published in
This was in large part due to the complaints of George Clemenceau about the treaty’s original leniency. Germany after the signing of the treaty would be changed forever as it would face crippling restrictions and sanctions as well as massive amounts of reparations, as well as large hunks of Germany’s original territory being divided amongst Britain, France, and U.S.A. Massive reparations were placed on Germany as a result of the biased treaty, these reparations served to not only cripple Germany but grant the members of the Triple Entente monumental bonuses by taking from the formerly rich and powerful Germany, ultimately turning the country into a mere shadow of its formal self. In total the reparations ended up costing Germany 6.6 billion Euros, at the time that was enough money to bankrupt an entire country. The cost of a loaf of bread in 1919 changed from 250 marks to 200,000 marks almost
Both the economies of Iran and Iraq were spurred by oil extraction – Iraq, in particular, was the second largest oil producer in 1979. As a result of the war, Iran suffered heavy damages to its infrastructure, with oil pipelines taking a massive hit. However, Iran managed to keep its economy stable despite economic sanctions that resulted from a regime change, courtesy of oil exports and its contribution to foreign exchange. Iraq suffered from rampant inflation and a decline in foreign reserves. Even though the war resulted in a stalemate, it was the deadliest conventional war ever fought between regular armies of developing countries, which would shape regional developments for many years to
The incident with the atomic bomb led to two of the greatest powers going at it. Stalin was infuriated by the thought of having world power snatched away all because of a bomb dropping. It did not sit well with him. Both the West and Eastern Europe struggled to grasp on to power. Gaining and keeping world dominance was a struggle.
Shortly, people all around the world started questioning the new rules of carrying out 4th generation warfare. The government officials showed their concerns regarding the use of nuclear nukes and technology and even tried to convince Harry S. Truman that the outcomes of a nuclear attack would be catastrophic. Though both United States of America and Japan wanted to achieve global peace, yet the goal could not be achieved. While there have been various paradoxes concerning this matter, Harry S. Truman’s initiative to bomb the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not reasonable in my opinion, because to ensure the
Britain lost their power, France lost lives and land, Germany lost everything and Japan lost thousands of civilians in their suicidal attacks. Now, maybe if governments use the past as a guide to the future we won't have to fight such a bloody battle ever again. Especially with nuclear weapons so easily
The spread of communist ideals was the main cause of The Cold War; the political and economical differences between the Soviet Union and the United States of America created high tension between such countries. As a capitalist country, United States wanted to promote democracy and free markets, while communist USSR wanted to make sure that the communist ideals spread all over the world. After World War II ended, the Soviets created a sphere of influence in which they established communist governments in several other countries. This angered and worried a lot the United States so they created the Containment policy and formed NATO to try to stop the spread of Communism. In return, the USSR formed the Warsaw Pact to formalize military relations with its allies and spread communism in third-world countries.