The Cold War
The Cold War is the time of hatred and pressure that endured between the Soviet Union and the USA from the mid-1940s to the late 1980s. It began following the Second World War. This period is assigned to as the cold war because there was no real war between the two worldwide superpowers. They did not enforce direct armed conflict against each other. Even though the Cold War's leading purveyors were the two superpowers, it hit multiple parts of the world in complex ways. The financial and technological progress in the Post-Cold War era exhibits a more harmless world. The post-Cold War era marked further technological developments.
The Space Race and the Arms Race
The war characterized competition between the USA and the USSR on different avenues such as the Space Race and the arms race. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched ‘Sputnik’ the first man-made object to enter the planet’s orbit. The technology developed for this mission has been revolutionized and used over the years in various functions such as tracking terrorist threats across the world. The arms race has also ensured the purveyance of peace in the modern times (Antizzo 112). In fact, different countries have developed their militaries to reflect the state of the rest of the countries. The arms race has, in turn, ensured that countries have suppressed thought of war due to the fear of intervention from some of the emerging superpowers. Since the end of the Cold War, the technological advancement of different countries has also influenced the way most of the countries in the world perceive nuclear power. In a way, it has promoted international peace as countries now fear the effects a nuclear war on the world. The constant fear of the ramifications that any form of nuclear conflict would have on the world has ensured that the agreed status quo of peace prevail in the post-cold war period. In 2017, US Defense Secretary James Mattis warned North Korea against the use of nuclear weapons contending that any such plans would meet overwhelming response.
Transition to a Multi-Polar World
The Cold War is also helping the world in the transition from a bipolar world that was controlled by the US and USSR to a multi-polar world. The events that followed after the demolition of the Berlin wall in 1989 signaled the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union (Antizzo 237). It also led to the institution of a new world order with countries such as China and India emerging economic superpowers. China and India emerging as superpowers in a way has helped maintain peace as different countries can now challenge any form of dominance that might arise in the future like the one exhibited by the US and USSR during the Cold War. These nations have also led to the development of the global economy as they have similar foreign policies that work to serve the same purposes. The countries share similar concerns on issues like free trade, the eradication of all forms of terrorism, the need for economic growth in various parts of the world and the suppression of nuclear proliferation. The Global Security Forum held on 1st December 2016 is a clear example of a meeting where different countries discuss the top challenges facing global security. Such initiatives ensure that the world remains free from strife and animosity.
Indirect Beneficiaries of the Cold War
During the actual war, the US and the USSR tried to convince different countries to join their camp by offering help in the form of financial support. In this way, various countries benefitted indirectly from the cold war. The incentives they got from the conflicting nations had a long lasting effect on the individual country’s economies, and they pushed them to a path of stability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the fall of the Soviet Union signified a new chapter in the global. The four decades of strife that existed between the US, the USSR and their allies between the 1940s and the 1980s helped shape the current world order. It has led to the development of the global economy and the rise of the US as the foremost superpower. The suppression of the Soviet Union promoted peace by helping quell the fear of a massive war breaking out in the future.
Work Cited
Antizzo, Glenn J. U.S. Military Intervention in the Post-Cold War Era. [Electronic Resource]: How to Win America's Wars in the Twenty-First Century. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2010., 2010. Political traditions in foreign policy series. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.10408475&site=eds-live.
