The Cold War was the name given to the long period of tense opposition and unfriendly relations between the two superpowers and their allies on each side. The USA and the NATO countries were constantly in a state of tension with the USSR and the Warsaw Pact countries. Each power bloc treated the other with great suspicion and was constantly competing, but they were careful to avoid actually going to war against each other directly. Can you remember why?
Instead of openly declaring war they competed in a number of other ways and this post will look briefly at some of these,
- Propaganda wars Both superpowers used mass media, art, films, cultural and sporting events, and foreign aid to try and persuade the world that they were good and caring governments while the other side was dangerous and trying to take over the world. A popular area for spreading propaganda was university campuses. Propaganda was aimed at the opposition to try and persuade them to change their views, but it was also directed inward at the country’s own population to ensure their continued loyalty.
- Arms race. Although neither the USSR nor USA were willing to risk using nuclear weapons in a war, hence the “Cold” war, they were both determined to have more weapons and firepower than the other side as a form of threat. Each side kept developing and building more and bigger weapons and carrying out nuclear tests. They would position nuclear missiles where it was obvious that they were targeting each other and this became especially tense when USSR set up nuclear missiles on Cuba very close to the USA. President Kennedy issued Chairman Kruschev of the USSR with an ultimatum which he initially ignored and for a day or two it looked as if the third world war was about to start, then the Russians backed down and withdrew their missiles. This sort behaviour in which the superpowers tested the limits with each other and tried to see how far they could push one another is called brinkmanship and occurred quite often during the Cold War. Today it is still sometimes used in the middle east between Israel and its neighbours.
- Space race. In 1956 the USSR launched the two Sputnik satellites which included animals on board. These were the first man-made spacecraft and proved a propaganda victory for the Soviets and a huge embarrassment for the USA. it started a desperate race between the two superpowers for superiority in space technology. In 1960 the Soviets put the first man into space, Maj. Yuri Gagarin and only the following year did the USA launch its first manned flight with Maj. John Glen. Only in 1969 when the USA succeeded in the first manned moon-landing did they gain the lead in the space race. Today many countries are involved in space exploration (even South Africa has had some astronauts!) and the focus is on international cooperation not competition.
- Puppet states and proxy wars. Both superpowers tried to extend their sphere of influence by extending aid and establishing military and commercial presence in independent countries. Where there were strong communist parties in smaller countries, the USSR or China would help these to take control of the government and at the same time, the USA would support the anti-communist forces in those countries. Not all of the anti-communist governments or parties were actually democratic or benevolent. In some cases, they were openly corrupt and sometimes even turned against the USA at a later stage. The conflict which sometimes arose in these independent countries would lead to Soviet and American troops becoming involved and the resulting wars are called proxy wars because they were fought between other forces on behalf of the superpowers. The most significant of these proxy wars were the Korean War (1951-1956) and the Vietnam War.
Your assignment:
Sino: Arms Race and Proxy wars
Malakhiwe: Space race and Propaganda war
Use the internet to find three interesting facts and examples of the topics you have been assigned and write a short paragraph explaining why the superpowers used those methods to compete with each other.
What was one effect of each of the four elements listed above?