👨‍🏫 👩🏻‍✈️ 🛬 Cold war: years, essence. World during the cold war. Foreign policy during the Cold War 🙎 🕺🏻 🖕🏿

The conflict between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America lasted more than 40 years and was called the Cold War. The years of its duration are estimated by different historians in different ways. However, we can state with full 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 considered through the prism of the Cold War. It was not just a conflict between the two countries.

It was a confrontation of two opposing worldviews, a struggle for supremacy over the whole world.

Main reasons

The year the Cold War began - 1946. It was after the victory over Nazi Germany that a new world map and new rivals for world domination emerged. The victory over the Third Reich and its allies went to great blood throughout Europe, and especially the USSR. A future conflict emerged at the Yalta Conference of 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 produce the so-called division of spheres of influence. Soviet troops, seasoned in battles on their territory, bore the liberation of other European nations. The countries occupied by the Union established friendly socialist regimes.

Spheres of influence

One of these was installed in Poland. At the same time, the previous Polish government was in London and considered itself legal. Western countries supported him, but the Communist Party, elected by the Polish people, de facto ruled the country. At the Yalta Conference, this issue was especially sharply 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, a map of future Europe was finally formed.

The main stumbling blocks of the former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition began after the partition of Germany. The eastern part was occupied by Soviet troops, the German Democratic Republic was proclaimed . The western territories occupied by the allies became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Between the two governments immediately began a feud. The confrontation ultimately led to the closure of borders between Germany and the GDR. Spyware, and even sabotage, began.

American imperialism

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

These were acts of the transfer of prisoners of war (which the Nazis seized) and material assets. However, the next year, the Cold War began. The years of the first exacerbation occurred precisely in the post-war period. Churchill's speech in the American city of Fulton served as a symbolic beginning. Then the former British minister said that the main enemy for the West is communism and the USSR, which personifies it. Winston also urged all English-speaking nations to rally to fight the "red plague." Such provocative statements could not but provoke 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 Blocks

However, although Churchill was a private individual, 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. The fighting was not conducted on American territory (with the exception of attacks by Japanese bombers). Therefore, against the background of a devastated Europe, the States had a rather powerful economy and armed forces. Fearing the beginning 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 NATO military bloc was first voiced . In response to this, the Soviets created their own unit - ATS. It even came to the point that 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 commercial and ideological war.

Arms race

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

In the state of New Mexico, a special secret laboratory was created. On the basis of the nuclear advantage, strategic plans were built for further relations with the USSR. The Soviets, in turn, also began to actively develop a nuclear program. The Americans considered the presence of uranium enriched charges a major advantage. Therefore, intelligence hastily exported all documents on the development of atomic weapons from the territory of defeated Germany in 1945. Soon, a secret Dropshot plan was developed . This is a strategic document that involved a nuclear strike on the territory of the Soviet Union. According to some historians, various variations of this plan appeared to Truman several times. Thus ended the initial period of the Cold War, the years of which were the least stressful.

Union nuclear weapons

In 1949, the USSR successfully conducted the first tests of a nuclear bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site, which was immediately announced by all Western media. The creation of RDS-1 (a nuclear bomb) was made possible largely thanks to the actions of Soviet intelligence, which penetrated, among other things, to a secret training ground in Los Alamosse.

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

Caribbean crisis

For all the years of the Cold War, the most tense situation was in 1961. The conflict between the USSR and the USA went down in history as the "Caribbean crisis." His premises were long before that. It all started with the deployment of American nuclear missiles in Turkey. Jupiter charges were placed so that they could hit any targets in the western part of the USSR (including Moscow). Such a danger could not remain unanswered.

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

Start of 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 nuclear missiles across the United States from the territory of the Union.

Therefore, the secret operation Anadyr was hastily developed. Warships were tasked with delivering long-range missiles to Cuba. In October, the first ships reached Havana. Mounting pads began. At this time, American reconnaissance aircraft flew over the coast. The Americans managed to get a few shots of the tactical divisions, whose weapons were aimed at Florida.

Aggravation of the situation

Immediately after that, the US military was put on high alert. Kennedy held an emergency meeting. A number of dignitaries 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 inflict a nuclear missile strike on the landing. This could very well lead to a world nuclear war. Therefore, both sides began to look for possible compromises. After all, everyone understood what such a cold war could lead to. The years of a nuclear winter were clearly not the best prospect.

The situation was extremely tense, everything could change literally at any second. According to historical sources, Kennedy even slept in his office at this time. As a result, the Americans put forward an ultimatum - to remove Soviet missiles from Cuban territory. Then the sea 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, in which case, repel the American attack. The main blow of the Union could not have been in Cuba, but in Berlin, which was perfectly understood in the White House.

Black Saturday

The world faced the greatest threat of nuclear attacks during the Cold War on October 27, Saturday. On this day, the U-2 U.S. 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 immediately begin the invasion. 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 the US promise not to attack Cuba and remove the 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. Since then, the intensity of the situation began to gradually decline.

Ideological confrontation

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

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

Spy games

The spy intrigues of the Cold War are widely reflected in art. Secret services went to a variety of tricks to be one step ahead of their opponents. One of the most characteristic cases is Operation Confession, which is more like the plot of a spy detective.

Even during the war, the Soviet scientist Leo Term created a unique transmitter that did not require recharging or a power source. It was a kind of perpetual motion machine. The listening device was called Zlatoust. The KGB, by personal order of Beria, decided to install "Zlatoust" in the building of the US Embassy. For this, a wooden shield was created with the coat of arms of the United States. During the visit of the American ambassador to the Artek children's health camp , a solemn line was arranged. At the end, the pioneers sang the US anthem, after which they sent the emblem to the moved ambassador a wooden coat of arms. He, unaware of the trick, installed it in his personal account. Thanks to this, the KGB received information about all conversations of the ambassador for 7 years. There were many such cases, open to the public and secret.