The emergence of the concept of the Cold War. Participants of the Cold War: not only the USSR and the USA

During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. However, relations between the two peoples were tense. Americans had long feared Soviet communism and were concerned about the autocratic behavior of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

For its part, the USSR was outraged by the Americans' long-term refusal to consider the country as a legitimate part of the world community, as well as their late entry into World War II, which led to the deaths of tens of millions of Soviet citizens.

After the end of the war, these grievances grew into an overwhelming feeling of mutual mistrust and enmity. Postwar Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe fueled many Americans' fears of wanting to control the world order.

Meanwhile, the USSR was outraged by American officials' bellicose rhetoric, military buildup, and interventionist approach to international relations. In such a hostile atmosphere, neither country was entirely to blame for the Cold War, the problem was mutual and in fact some historians believe it was inevitable.

Cold War: Containment

By the time World War II ended, most American officials agreed that the best defense against the Soviet threat was a strategy of "containment." In 1946, in his famous “long telegram,” diplomat George Kennan (1904–2005) explained it this way: The Soviet Union was a “political force” fanatically determined that there could be no permanent modus vivendi with the United States who do not agree)".

As a result, America's only choice was "long-term, patient, but tough and vigilant measures to contain Russian expansionist tendencies."

President Harry Truman (1884-1972) agreed: “It shall be the policy of the United States,” he told Congress in 1947, “to support free peoples who are resisting attempts at subjugation by outside pressures.” This way of thinking will determine foreign policy USA for the next four decades.

The term "Cold War" first appeared in a 1945 essay English writer George Orwell, which he called “You and the Atom Bomb.”

Atomic Age of the Cold War

The containment strategy also served as the basis for an unprecedented arms buildup in the United States. In 1950, the National Safety Council report known as NSC-68 joined Truman's recommendation that the country use military force to “contain” communist expansionism. In this regard, the authors of the report called for a fourfold increase in defense spending.

In particular, American officials have called for the creation of , despite the fact that it has just ended. Thus began a deadly “arms race.”

In 1949, the Soviet Union tested its own atomic bomb. In response, President Truman announced that the United States would build even more destructive weapon than an atomic bomb: a hydrogen bomb, or “superbomb”. Stalin followed suit.

As a result, the stakes in the Cold War were dangerously high. The first hydrogen bomb tested, at Eniwetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, showed just how terrible the nuclear age could await us all.

The explosion created fireball 25 square miles in size, which evaporated the island, creating a huge hole in the ocean floor. Such an explosion could easily and easily destroy half of Manhattan.

Subsequent American and Soviet tests spewed tons of toxic radioactive waste into the atmosphere.

The constant threat of nuclear annihilation has had a profound impact on American domestic life. People built bomb shelters in their backyards. Schoolchildren practiced evacuation techniques and ways to survive a nuclear attack.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many new films were released, depicting nuclear attacks and the devastation that followed them, the mutations of people exposed to radiation, the audience was horrified. In all aspects of life, the Cold War was constantly present in everyday life Americans.

Expansion of the Cold War into space

Outer space became another dramatic arena for competition in the Cold War. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet P-7 intercontinental ballistic missile is delivered to the world's first artificial satellite, and the first man-made object launched into Earth orbit.

The launch of Sputnik came as a surprise, and not a very pleasant one, for most Americans. In the United States, outer space was seen as the next frontier, a logical extension of the Great American Tradition of Exploration.

In addition, a demonstration of the power of the R-7 missile, which was apparently capable of delivering nuclear warhead to US territory from outer space, was like a slap in the face for the Americans. Intelligence increased the collection of information about Soviet military activities.

In 1958, the United States launched its satellite, developed by the US Army under the leadership of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, and the Space Race began. That same year, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order creating National Administration in Aeronautics and Space Research (NASA).

The federal agency dedicated to space exploration, as well as several programs, have been aimed at harnessing the military potential of outer space. Still, the USSR was one step ahead; the launch of the first man into space took place in April 1961.

After becoming the first American in space, Alan Shepard (1917-1963) made a bold statement to the public, he claimed that the US planned to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. His prediction came true on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong, on NASA's Apollo 11 mission, became the first man to set foot on the moon. This event marked the victory of the Americans in the space race. American astronauts began to be seen as American national heroes. The Soviets, in turn, were presented as villains who were putting all their efforts into overtaking America and proving great power communist system.

Cold War: Red Scare

Meanwhile, starting in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began to work in the other direction. The committee began a series of hearings designed to show that communist subversion was occurring in the United States.

In Hollywood, HUAC forced hundreds of people who worked in the film industry to abandon their left-wing political beliefs and testify against each other. More than 500 people lost their jobs. Many of these blacklisted people were screenwriters, directors, actors and others. They could not find work for more than ten years. HUAC also accused State Department employees of carrying out subversive activities. Soon other anti-communist politicians, especially Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), expanded this to eliminate anyone who worked in the federal government. Thousands of federal employees were under investigation. Some of them were fired or even had criminal charges brought against them. This anti-communist hysteria continued throughout the 1950s. Many liberal college professors have lost their jobs, people have been forced to testify against colleagues, and the “Oath of Allegiance” has become commonplace.

Impact of the Cold War on the World

The fight against subversion in the United States was reflected in the growing Soviet threat abroad. In June 1950, the first real hostilities of the Cold War began when the pro-Soviet North Korean People's Army invaded the territory of its pro-Western southern neighbor. Many American officials feared that this was the first step in a Communist campaign to take over the world. And they believe that non-interference bad option developments of events. President Truman sent, but the war dragged on, became a stalemate and ended in 1953.

Others followed international conflicts. In the early 1960s, President Kennedy faced a number of troubling situations in the Western Hemisphere. 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion and Cuban missile crisis next year. It seemed that in order to prove that there was no real communist threat to third world countries, the Americans had to take part in civil war in Vietnam, where the collapse of the French colonial regime led to fighting between pro-American Dinh Diem and communist Ho Chi Minh in the north. Since the 1950s, the United States had implemented a series of measures to ensure the survival of the anti-communist state in the region, and in the early 1960s it seemed obvious to American leaders that if they were to successfully “contain” communist expansionism, it would require more active intervention in conflicts. However, what was planned as a short-term action, in reality, lasted for 10 years of armed conflict.

End of the Cold War

Almost immediately after taking office, President Richard Nixon (1913-1994) began implementing a new approach to international relations. Instead of viewing the world as hostile, “bi-polar,” he suggested why not use diplomacy rather than military action? To this end, he called on the United Nations to recognize the communist Chinese government and, after a trip there in 1972, the Americans began to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing. At the same time, he adopted a policy of “détente”—“relaxation”—toward the Soviet Union. In 1972, he and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982) signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), which prohibited the production of nuclear missiles for both sides and took a step towards reducing the ten-year threat nuclear war.

Despite Nixon's efforts, the Cold War flared up again during the administration of President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). Like many leaders of his generation, Reagan believed that the spread of communism anywhere threatened freedom throughout the world. As a result, he worked to secure financial and military assistance anti-communist governments and rebellions against established communist authorities around the world. This policy, especially in countries such as Grenada and El Salvador, was known as the Reagan Doctrine.

What was the reason for such a long “cold” confrontation between the West and the East? There were deep and intractable differences between the model of society represented by the United States of America and the system of socialism led by the Soviet Union.

Both world powers wanted to strengthen their economic and political influence and become the undisputed leaders of the world community.

The United States was extremely unhappy that the USSR had established its influence in a number of Eastern Europe. Now the communist movement has come to dominate there. Reactionary circles in the West feared that communist ideas would penetrate further into the West, and that the resulting socialist camp would be able to seriously compete with the capitalist world in the economic and sphere.

Historians consider the beginning of the Cold War to be the speech of the leading English politician Winston Churchill, which he delivered in Fulton in March 1946. In his speech, Churchill warned Western world from mistakes, directly speaking about the impending communist danger, in the face of which it is necessary to unite. The provisions expressed in this speech became an actual call for unleashing a “cold war” against the USSR.

Progress of the Cold War

"Cold" had several climaxes. One of them was the signing nearby Western states North Atlantic Treaty, Korean War and Tests nuclear weapons in the USSR. And in the early 60s, the world followed with alarm the development of the so-called Caribbean crisis, which showed that the two superpowers had such powerful weapon that there will be no winners in a possible confrontation.

Awareness of this fact led politicians to the idea that political confrontation and arms build-up should be brought under control. The desire of the USSR and the USA to strengthen their military power led to enormous budget expenditures and undermined the economies of both powers. Statistics suggested that both economies could not continue to maintain the pace of the arms race, so the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union eventually entered into a nuclear arsenal treaty.

But the Cold War was far from over. It continued in the information space. Both states actively used their ideological apparatuses to undermine each other's political power. Provocations and subversive activities were used. Each side tried to present the advantages of its social system in a favorable light, while simultaneously belittling the achievements of the enemy.

The end of the Cold War and its results

As a result of the harmful effects of external and internal factors, by the mid-80s of the last century, the Soviet Union found itself in a deep economic and political crisis. The process of perestroika began in the country, which was essentially a course of socialism through capitalist relations.

These processes were actively supported by foreign opponents of communism. The socialist camp began. The culmination was the collapse of the Soviet Union, which in 1991 broke up into several independent states. The goal of the opponents of the USSR, which they set several decades earlier, was achieved.

The West won an unconditional victory in the Cold War with the USSR, and the United States remained the world's only superpower. This was the main result of the “cold” confrontation.

Still, some analysts believe that the collapse of the communist regime did not lead to a complete end to the Cold War. Russia, which has nuclear weapons, although it has taken the capitalist path of development, still remains an annoying obstacle to the implementation of the aggressive plans of the United States, striving for complete world domination. The ruling American circles are particularly irritated by the desire of the renewed Russia to pursue an independent foreign policy.

Cold War- a stage in the development of USSR-US relations, which is characterized as confrontation and increased hostility of countries to each other. This is a huge period in the formation of Soviet-American relations, lasting almost 50 years.

Historians consider Churchill’s speech in March 1946 to be the official beginning of the Cold War, in which he invited everyone Western countries declare war on communism.

After Churchill's speech, Stalin openly warned US President Truman about the dangers of such statements and the possible consequences.

Expanding the influence of the USSR on Europe and third world countries

Perhaps the emergence of this kind of war was associated with the strengthening of the role of the USSR on the continent and in the world after the victory in World War II. The USSR at that moment actively participated in the UN Security Council, on which they had great influence. All countries witnessed the force Soviet army, the magnitude of the spirit of the Russian people. The American government saw how the sympathy of many countries for the Soviet Union was growing, how they bowed their heads to the merits of its army. The USSR, in turn, did not trust the United States because of the nuclear threat.

Historians believe that the main root cause of the Cold War was the US desire to crush the growing power of the USSR. Thanks to the increasing sphere of influence of the Soviet Union, communism slowly but surely spread across Europe. Even in Italy and France, communist parties began to gain more influence and support. The economic devastation in European countries mainly made people think about the correctness of the positions of communism, about the equal distribution of benefits.

This is precisely what horrified powerful America: they emerged the most powerful and richest from World War II, so why are they not asking for help from the United States? Therefore, politicians first developed the Marshall Plan, then the Truman Doctrine, which were supposed to help free countries from communist parties and devastation. Fight for European countries- this is one of the reasons for waging the Cold War.

Not only was Europe the goal of the two powers, their Cold War also affected the interests of third world countries that did not openly side with either country. The second prerequisite for the Cold War is the struggle for influence in African countries.

Arms race

The arms race is another reason and then one of the stages of the Cold War. The United States hatched a plan to drop 300 atomic bombs on the Union - its main weapon. The USSR, not willing to submit to the United States, already had its own nuclear weapons by the 1950s. It was then that they left no chance for the Americans to use their nuclear power.

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR and sought to end the Cold War. Thanks to his actions, the Cold War was ended.

In the 60s, the USSR and the USA signed agreements on the renunciation of weapons testing, on the creation of nuclear-free spaces, etc.

Among the various military and political conflicts of the 20th century, the Cold War stands out. It lasted more than 40 years and covered almost all corners of the globe. And to understand the history of the second half of the 20th century, it is necessary to find out what this confrontation was.

Definition of the Cold War

The expression “cold war” itself appeared in the second half of the forties, when it became clear that the contradictions between the recent allies in the war against fascism had become insurmountable. This described the specific situation of confrontation between the socialist bloc and Western democracies led by the United States.

The Cold War was called because there were no full-scale military operations between the armies of the USSR and the USA. This confrontation was accompanied by indirect military conflicts outside the territories of the USSR and the USA, and the USSR tried to hide the participation of its troops in such military operations.

The question of the authorship of the term “Cold War” still remains controversial among historians.

Propaganda, in which all information channels were involved, was important during the Cold War. Another method of struggle between opponents was economic rivalry - the USSR and the USA expanded the circle of their allies by providing significant financial assistance to other states.

Progress of the Cold War

The period commonly called the Cold War began shortly after the end of World War II. Having defeated the common cause, the USSR and the USA lost the need for cooperation, which revived old contradictions. The United States was frightened by the trend of establishing communist regimes in Europe and Asia.

As a result, already at the end of the forties, Europe was divided into two parts - western part continent accepted the so-called Marshall Plan - economic assistance from the United States, and the eastern part moved into the zone of influence of the USSR. Germany, as a result of contradictions between the former allies, was eventually divided into the socialist GDR and the pro-American West Germany.

The struggle for influence also took place in Africa - in particular, the USSR managed to establish contacts with the Arab states of the Southern Mediterranean, for example with Egypt.

In Asia, the conflict between the USSR and the USA over world domination entered the military phase. The Korean War divided the state into northern and southern parts. Later, the Vietnam War began, which resulted in the defeat of the United States and the establishment of socialist rule in the country. China also came under the influence of the USSR, but not for long - although the Communist Party remained in power in China, it began to pursue an independent policy, entering into confrontation with both the USSR and the USA.

In the early sixties, the world was closer than ever to a new world war - the Cuban Missile Crisis began. In the end, Kennedy and Khrushchev managed to agree on non-aggression, since a conflict of this scale with the use of nuclear weapons could lead to the complete destruction of humanity.

In the early eighties, the period of “détente” began - the normalization of Soviet-American relations. However, the Cold War only ended with the collapse of the USSR.

As you remember, the site decided to start a series of articles that we devoted to fairly deep and serious topics. Last time we looked at the question of why the USSR collapsed, this time we want to consider an equally serious, and from a historical and analytical point of view, a very interesting episode called the “Cold War”. Many representatives of the younger generation have heard about this, and some even witnessed these events and remember all the tense moments of this conflict. Now many this concept used as a common noun in a situation of a “bad world”, but, nevertheless, today in the political aspect the Cold War is relevant again, but this is a topic for a separate article. Today we will briefly look at the Cold War during the period of relations between the USSR and the USA.

What is the Cold War

The Cold War is a period of time when there was confrontation between two superpowers, and as you understand, it was between the USSR and the USA. This concept was used because the two countries were not engaged in a weapons war. And in all other, mostly peaceful ways. It seems that diplomatic relations were maintained between the countries, and sometimes the peaks of confrontation subsided, meanwhile, a quiet struggle was constantly going on in all areas and directions.

The years of the Cold War are counted from 1946 to 1991. The Cold War began with the end of World War II, and ended with the collapse of the USSR. The essence of the Cold War was to establish world dominance by one country and defeat the other.

Causes of the Cold War

After the end of World War II, when both superpowers considered themselves victors in this war, they wanted to build the world situation at their own discretion. Each of them wanted to dominate the world, while both countries had diametrically opposed systems government and ideology. Subsequently, such a confrontation would become part of the ideology of the two countries; the Soviet Union wanted to destroy America and establish communism throughout the world, and the United States wanted to “save” the world from the USSR.

If we analyze everything that happened, we can say with confidence that this is an artificial conflict, since any ideology must have its enemy, and both the USA for the USSR and the USSR for America were ideal options as an enemy. Moreover soviet people they hated the mythical enemies of the Americans, although they perceived the inhabitants of America themselves as normal, just like the Americans - they were afraid of the mythical “Russians” who do not sleep, but think about how to conquer and attack America, although they had nothing against the inhabitants of the union themselves. Therefore, it is safe to say that the Cold War was a conflict of leaders and ideologies, inflated due to their own ambitions.

Cold War politics

First of all, both countries tried to enlist the support of other countries in their course. The USA supported all the countries of Western Europe, when the USSR was supported by the countries of Asia and Latin America. Essentially, during the Cold War, the world was divided into two confrontational camps. Moreover, there were only a few neutral countries.

Most of all, the aggravation of the political situation was caused by the Cold War conflicts, in particular, we will highlight only two of them: the Berlin and Caribbean crises. It was they who became the catalyst for the deterioration of the situation, and the world was really on the brink of a nuclear war, which, fortunately, was prevented and the situation was defused.

The constant race, in everything, was also part of the Cold War. First of all, there was an arms race, both countries developed various types weapons: new military equipment, weapons (mostly mass destruction), missiles, spy equipment, etc. There was also a propaganda race on television and in other sources; fierce propaganda was constantly carried out against the enemy. The race was not only in the military sphere, but also in science, culture and sports. Each country sought to overtake the other.

Both countries constantly monitored each other, and there were spies and intelligence agents on both sides.

But, probably, to a greater extent, the Cold War took place on foreign territory. As the situation accumulated, both countries installed long-range missiles in countries neighboring the enemy; for the USA it was Turkey and the countries of Western Europe, while for the USSR it was the countries of Latin America.

Results of the Cold War

Many people often wonder who won the Cold War? Maybe. America won the Cold War, since the war ended with the fall of its enemy, and main reason the end of the Cold War - the collapse of the USSR, it is not a fact that it was not the work of the American intelligence services.

If we talk about the results, then none of the countries (the USA and Russia) learned any useful lessons, except that the enemy does not sleep and is always ready.

If there had been no Cold War, then all the enormous potential of the two countries could have been used for peaceful purposes: space exploration, new technologies, etc. It's possible that mobile phones, Internet, etc. If scientists had appeared 20 years earlier, instead of developing weapons, they would have been engaged in solving various world mysteries, of which there are a huge number.

And the United States of America lasted for more than 40 years and was called the Cold War. The years of its duration are estimated differently by different historians. However, we can say with complete confidence that the confrontation ended in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR. The Cold War left an indelible mark on world history. Any conflict of the last century (after the end of World War II) must be viewed through the prism of the Cold War. This was not just a conflict between two countries.

It was a confrontation between two opposing worldviews, a struggle for dominance over the entire world.

Main reasons

The year the Cold War began was 1946. It was after the victory over Nazi Germany that the new map world and new rivals for world domination. The victory over the Third Reich and its allies cost the whole of Europe, and especially the USSR, enormous bloodshed. The future conflict emerged at the Yalta Conference in 1945. At this famous meeting of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, the fate of post-war Europe was decided. At this time, the Red Army was already approaching Berlin, so it was necessary to carry out the so-called division of spheres of influence. Soviet troops, seasoned in battles on their territory, brought liberation to other peoples of Europe. In the countries occupied by the Union, friendly socialist regimes were established.

Spheres of influence

One of these was installed in Poland. At the same time, the previous Polish government was located in London and considered itself legitimate. supported him, but was elected by the Polish people Communist Party de facto ruled the country. At the Yalta Conference, this issue was especially acutely considered by the parties. Similar problems were also observed in other regions. The peoples liberated from Nazi occupation created their own governments with the support of the USSR. Therefore, after the victory over the Third Reich, the map of the future Europe was finally formed.

Main stumbling blocks former allies By anti-Hitler coalition began after the partition of Germany. The eastern part was occupied Soviet troops, was proclaimed Western Territories occupied by the Allies became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Infighting immediately began between the two governments. The confrontation ultimately led to the closure of the borders between Germany and the GDR. Espionage and even sabotage actions began.

American imperialism

Throughout 1945, the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition continued close cooperation.

These were acts of transfer of prisoners of war (who were captured by the Nazis) and material assets. However, the following year the Cold War began. The years of the first aggravation occurred precisely in the post-war period. The symbolic beginning was Churchill’s speech in the American city of Fulton. Then the former British minister said that the main enemy of the West is communism and the USSR, which personifies it. Winston also called on all English-speaking nations to unite to fight the “red infection.” Such provocative statements could not but cause a response from Moscow. After some time, Joseph Stalin gave an interview to the newspaper Pravda, in which he compared the English politician with Hitler.

Countries during the Cold War: two blocs

However, although Churchill was a private person, he only outlined the course of Western governments. The United States has dramatically increased its influence on the world stage. This happened largely thanks to the war. Fighting were not carried out on American territory (with the exception of Japanese bomber raids). Therefore, against the backdrop of devastated Europe, the States had a fairly powerful economy and armed forces. Fearing the outbreak of popular revolutions (which would be supported by the USSR) on their territory, capitalist governments began to rally around the United States. It was in 1946 that the idea of creating a military unit was first voiced. In response to this, the Soviets created their own unit - the ATS. It even got to the point where the parties were developing a strategy of armed struggle with each other. At the direction of Churchill, a plan for a possible war with the USSR was developed. The Soviet Union had similar plans. Preparations began for a trade and ideological war.

Arms race

The arms race between the two countries was one of the most significant phenomena that the Cold War brought. Years of confrontation led to the creation of unique means of warfare that are still in use today. In the second half of the 40s, the United States had a huge advantage - nuclear weapons. The first nuclear bombs were used back in the Second World War. world war. The Enola Gay bomber dropped shells on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, practically razing it to the ground. It was then that the world saw the destructive power of nuclear weapons. The United States began to actively increase its stockpiles of such weapons.

A special secret laboratory was created in the state of New Mexico. They were built on the basis of nuclear advantage strategic plans regarding further relations with the USSR. The Soviets, in turn, also began to actively develop a nuclear program. The Americans considered the presence of charges with enriched uranium as the main advantage. Therefore, intelligence hastily removed all documents on the development of atomic weapons from the territory of defeated Germany in 1945. Soon a secret strategic document was developed, which envisaged nuclear attack across the territory of the Soviet Union. According to some historians, variations of this plan were presented to Truman several times. So it ended initial period Cold War, whose years were the least intense.

Union nuclear weapons

In 1949, the USSR successfully conducted the first tests of a nuclear bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site, which everyone immediately announced Western media. The creation of RDS-1 (nuclear bomb) became possible largely thanks to the actions of Soviet intelligence, which also penetrated the secret training ground in Los Alamossa.

Such a rapid creation of nuclear weapons came as a real surprise to the United States. Since then, nuclear weapons have become the main deterrent to direct military conflict between the two camps. The precedent in Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed the whole world the terrifying power atomic bomb. But in which year was the Cold War the most brutal?

Cuban missile crisis

During all the years of the Cold War, the situation was most tense in 1961. The conflict between the USSR and the USA went down in history as its prerequisites existed long before. It all started with the deployment of American nuclear missiles in Turkey. The Jupiter charges were placed in such a way that they could hit any targets in the western part of the USSR (including Moscow). Such a danger could not go unanswered.

A few years earlier, a popular revolution led by Fidel Castro began in Cuba. At first, the USSR did not see any promise in the uprising. However, the Cuban people managed to overthrow the Batista regime. After this, the American leadership declared that it would not tolerate a new government in Cuba. Immediately after this, close diplomatic relations were established between Moscow and Liberty Island. Soviet armed units were sent to Cuba.

Beginning of the conflict

After the deployment of nuclear weapons in Turkey, the Kremlin decided to take urgent countermeasures, since for this period it was impossible to launch atomic missiles at the United States from the territory of the Union.

Therefore, the secret operation "Anadyr" was hastily developed. The warships were tasked with delivering long-range missiles to Cuba. In October, the first ships reached Havana. The installation of launch pads has begun. At this time, American reconnaissance planes flew over the coast. The Americans managed to obtain several photographs of tactical divisions whose weapons were aimed at Florida.

Aggravation of the situation

Immediately after this, the US military was placed on high alert. Kennedy held an emergency meeting. A number of senior officials called on the President to immediately launch an invasion of Cuba. In the event of such a development of events, the Red Army would immediately launch a nuclear missile strike on the landing force. This could well lead to a worldwide conflict. Therefore, both sides began to look for possible compromises. After all, everyone understood what such a cold war could lead to. Years of nuclear winter were definitely not the best prospect.

The situation was extremely tense, everything could change literally at any second. As evidenced historical sources, at this time Kennedy was even sleeping in his office. As a result, the Americans put forward an ultimatum - to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. Then the naval blockade of the island began.

Khrushchev held a similar meeting in Moscow. Some Soviet generals also insisted not to give in to Washington's demands and, if necessary, to repel an American attack. The main blow of the Union could not have been in Cuba at all, but in Berlin, which was well understood in the White House.

"Black Saturday"

The world suffered the greatest blows during the Cold War on October 27, Saturday. On this day, an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flew over Cuba and was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners. Within a few hours, this incident became known in Washington.

The US Congress advised the President to launch an invasion immediately. The President decided to write a letter to Khrushchev, where he repeated his demands. Nikita Sergeevich responded to this letter immediately, agreeing to them, in exchange for a US promise not to attack Cuba and to remove missiles from Turkey. In order for the message to reach as quickly as possible, the appeal was made via radio. This is where the Cuban crisis ended. From then on, the tension in the situation began to gradually decrease.

Ideological confrontation

Foreign policy during the Cold War for both blocs was characterized not only by competition for control over territories, but by a tough information struggle. Two different systems tried in every possible way to show the whole world their superiority. The famous Radio Liberty was created in the USA, which was broadcast to the territory of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. The stated purpose of this news agency was to fight Bolshevism and communism. It is noteworthy that Radio Liberty still exists and operates in many countries. During the Cold War, the USSR also created a similar station that broadcast to the territory of capitalist countries.

Every significant event for humanity in the second half of the last century was considered in the context of the Cold War. For example, Yuri Gagarin's flight into space was presented to the world as a victory for socialist labor. Countries spent enormous resources on propaganda. In addition to sponsoring and supporting cultural figures, there was a wide agent network.

Spy games

The espionage intrigues of the Cold War were widely reflected in art. The secret services went to all sorts of tricks to stay one step ahead of their opponents. One of the most typical cases is Operation Confession, which is more like the plot of a spy detective story.

Even during the war, the Soviet scientist Lev Termin created a unique transmitter that did not require recharging or a power source. It was kind of perpetual motion machine. The listening device was named "Zlatoust". The KGB, on Beria’s personal orders, decided to install “Zlatoust” in the US Embassy building. For this purpose, a wooden shield was created depicting the coat of arms of the United States. During the visit American Ambassador A ceremonial assembly was held at the children's health center. At the end, the pioneers sang the US anthem, after which the touched ambassador was presented with a wooden coat of arms. He, unaware of the trick, installed it in personal account. Thanks to this, the KGB received information about all the ambassador’s conversations for 7 years. There were a huge number of similar cases, open to the public and secret.

Cold War: years, essence

The end of the confrontation between the two blocs came after the collapse of the USSR, which lasted 45 years.

Tensions between West and East continue to this day. However, the world ceased to be bipolar when Moscow or Washington stood behind any significant event in the world. In which year was the Cold War the most brutal, and closest to a “hot” one? Historians and analysts are still debating this topic. Most people agree that this is the period of the “Cubicle crisis,” when the world was one step away from nuclear war.

Cold War

Cold War is a military, political, ideological and economic confrontation between the USSR and the USA and their supporters. It was the result of contradictions between two government systems: capitalist and socialist.

The Cold War was accompanied by an intensification of the arms race and the presence of nuclear weapons, which could lead to a third world war.

The term was first used by the writer George Orwell October 19, 1945, in the article “You and the Atomic Bomb.”

Period:

1946-1989

Causes of the Cold War

Political

Unsolvable ideological contradiction between two systems, models of society.

The West and the United States are afraid of the strengthening role of the USSR.

Economic

The struggle for resources and markets for products

Weakening economic and military power enemy

Ideological

Total, irreconcilable struggle of two ideologies

The desire to shield the population of their countries from the way of life in enemy countries

Goals of the parties

Consolidate the spheres of influence achieved during World War II.

Put the enemy in unfavorable political, economic and ideological conditions

USSR goal: complete and final victory of socialism on a global scale

US goal: containment of socialism, opposition to the revolutionary movement, in the future - “throw socialism into the dustbin of history.” The USSR was seen as "evil empire"

Conclusion: Neither side was right, each sought world domination.

The forces of the parties were not equal. The USSR bore all the hardships of the war, and the United States received huge profits from it. Only by the mid-1970s was it achieved parity.

Cold War weapons:

Arms race

Bloc confrontation

Destabilization of the enemy's military and economic situation

Psychological warfare

Ideological confrontation

Interference in domestic politics

Active intelligence activity

Collection of incriminating evidence on political leaders, etc.

Main periods and events

March 5, 1946- W. Churchill's speech in Fulton(USA) - the beginning of the Cold War, in which the idea of creating an alliance to fight communism was proclaimed. Speech by the British Prime Minister in the presence of the new American President Truman G. two goals:

Prepare the Western public for the subsequent gap between the winning countries.

Literally erase from people’s consciousness the feeling of gratitude to the USSR that appeared after the victory over fascism.

The United States has set a goal: to achieve economic and military superiority over the USSR

1947 – "Truman Doctrine"" Its essence: containing the spread of the expansion of the USSR by creating regional military blocs dependent on the United States.

1947 - Marshall Plan - aid program for Europe after World War II

1948-1953 - Soviet-Yugoslav conflict over the question of ways to build socialism in Yugoslavia.

The world is split into two camps: supporters of the USSR and supporters of the USA.

1949 - the split of Germany into the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany, the capital is Bonn, and the Soviet GDR, the capital is Berlin. (Before this, the two zones were called Bisonia)

1949 – creation NATO(North Atlantic Military-Political Alliance)

1949 – creation Comecon(Council for Mutual Economic Assistance)

1949 - successful atomic bomb testing in the USSR.

1950 -1953 – Korean War. The USA participated in it directly, and the USSR participated in a veiled manner, sending military specialists to Korea.

US target: prevent Soviet influence on Far East. Bottom line: division of the country into the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea (capital Pyongyang), established close contacts with the USSR, + into the South Korean state (Seoul) - a zone of American influence.

2nd period: 1955-1962 (cooling in relations between countries , growing contradictions in the world socialist system)

At this time, the world was on the verge of a nuclear disaster.

Anti-communist protests in Hungary, Poland, events in the GDR, Suez crisis

1955 - creation OVD- Warsaw Pact organizations.

1955 - Geneva Conference of Heads of Government of the Victorious Countries.

1957 - development and successful test in the USSR an intercontinental ballistic missile, which increased tension in the world.

October 4, 1957 - opened space age. Launch of the first artificial earth satellite in the USSR.

1959 - victory of the revolution in Cuba (Fidel Castro). Cuba became one of the most reliable partners of the USSR.

1961 - worsening relations with China.

1962 – Cuban missile crisis. Settled by N.S. Khrushchev And D. Kennedy

Signing of a number of agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

An arms race that significantly weakened the economies of countries.

1962 - complication of relations with Albania

1963-USSR, UK and USA signed first nuclear test ban treaty in three spheres: atmosphere, space and underwater.

1968 - complications in relations with Czechoslovakia (“Prague Spring”).

Dissatisfaction with Soviet policy in Hungary, Poland, and the GDR.

1964-1973- US war in Vietnam. The USSR provided military and material assistance to Vietnam.

3rd period: 1970-1984- tension strip

1970s - the USSR made a number of attempts to strengthen “ détente" international tension, arms reduction.

A number of agreements on the limitation of strategic weapons have been signed. So in 1970 there was an agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany (W. Brand) and the USSR (Brezhnev L.I.), according to which the parties pledged to resolve all their disputes exclusively by peaceful means.

May 1972 - American President R. Nixon arrived in Moscow. Systems limitation agreement signed missile defense (PRO) And OSV-1- Interim Agreement on Certain Measures in the Field of Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.

Convention on the prohibition of development, production and accumulation of reserves bacteriological(biological) and toxic weapons and their destruction.

1975- the highest point of détente, signed in August in Helsinki Final Act Security and Cooperation Meetings in Europe And Declaration of Principles on Relationships Between states. 33 states signed it, including the USSR, USA, and Canada.

Sovereign equality, respect

Non-use of force and threats of force

Inviolability of borders

Territorial integrity

Non-interference in internal affairs

Peaceful settlement of disputes

Respect for human rights and freedoms

Equality, the right of peoples to control their own destinies

Cooperation between states

Conscientious fulfillment of obligations under international law

1975 - joint space program Soyuz-Apollo.

1979- Treaty on the Limitation of Offensive Arms – OSV-2(Brezhnev L.I. and Carter D.)

What are these principles?

4th period: 1979-1987 - complication of the international situation

The USSR became a truly great power that had to be reckoned with. The detente of tension was mutually beneficial.

The aggravation of relations with the United States in connection with the entry of USSR troops into Afghanistan in 1979 (the war lasted from December 1979 to February 1989). USSR goal- protect borders in Central Asia against the penetration of Islamic fundamentalism. As a result- The United States did not ratify SALT II.

Since 1981 new president Reagan R. deployed programs SOI– Strategic defense initiatives.

1983- US hosts ballistic missiles in Italy, England, Germany, Belgium, Denmark.

Anti-space defense systems are being developed.

The USSR withdraws from the Geneva negotiations.

5 period: 1985-1991 - the final stage, mitigation of tension.

Having come to power in 1985, Gorbachev M.S. pursues a policy "new political thinking".

Negotiations: 1985 - in Geneva, 1986 - in Reykjavik, 1987 - in Washington. Recognition of the existing world order, expansion of economic ties between countries, despite different ideologies.

December 1989- Gorbachev M.S. and Bush at the summit on the island of Malta announced about the end of the Cold War. Its end was caused by the economic weakness of the USSR and its inability to further support the arms race. In addition, pro-Soviet regimes were established in Eastern European countries, and the USSR lost support from them as well.

1990 - German reunification. It became a kind of victory for the West in the Cold War. Fall Berlin Wall(existed from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989)

December 25, 1991 - President D. Bush announced the end of the Cold War and congratulated his compatriots on their victory.

Results

The formation of a unipolar world, in which the United States, a superpower, began to occupy a leading position.

The United States and its allies defeated the socialist camp.

The beginning of the Westernization of Russia

Collapse Soviet economy, the decline of its authority in the international market

The emigration of Russian citizens to the West, his lifestyle seemed too attractive to them.

The collapse of the USSR and the beginning of the formation of a new Russia.

Terms

Parity- the primacy of a party in something.

Confrontation– confrontation, collision of two social systems (people, groups, etc.).

Ratification– giving the document legal force, accepting it.