The Cold War

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that there were many factors leading to the end of the Cold War, including the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the Soviet disengagement from Europe, the pioneering role of Poland in the elections of 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Reunification of Germany. The paper also describes the structural and long-term factors that contributed to the transformation of Soviet policy such as the stagnating economy, the burden of the arms race, and the persisting challenge of nationalism.

From the Paper:

"The Cold War was a worldwide conflict between the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in the years following World War II. The expansion of Stalin's control in Eastern Europe, the competition for nuclear weapons, and differing philosophies of political and economic life contributed to the growing tension between the East and West. For over forty years, the United States and the Soviet Union confronted one another directly and indirectly all over the world. The most important areas of tension were Berlin, Southeast Asia, and Cuba. Thus, the history of the Cold War is the history of the world since 1945. For forty-five years, through missile crises, the Vietnam War, and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the world lived in anxiety. Finally, the Soviet Union was dissolved in the last days of 1991, bringing the cold war to an end."

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