The BAPS, Self Learning Materials follows the UGC prescribed State Model Syllabus under Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). This course material is designed and developed by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi and K.K Handiqui Open University. Bachelor of Arts POLITICAL SCIENCES (BAPS) BAPS-7 Perspectives on International Relations Block-4 AN OVERVIEW OF TWENTIETH CENTURY IR HISTORY-II UNIT-14 COLD WAR EVOLUTION AND DIFFERENT PHASES UNIT-15 EMERGENCE OF THE THIRD WORLD UNIT-16 END OF THE COLD WAR UNIT-14 COLD WAR EVOLUTION AND DIFFERENT PHASES Structure 14.1 Objectives 14.2 Introduction 14.3 What Was the Cold War 14.4 Different Phases of Cold War 14.5 Cold War in the Far East 14.6 Relaxation of the Cold War 14.7 The Rebirth of the Cold War 14.8 Patterns and Dimensions 14.9 End of the Cold War 14.10 Disintegration of USSR 14.11 Summary 14.12 Key Words 14.13 Exercise 14.14 Reference 14.1 OBJECTIVES This unit discusses the Cold War, after going through the Unit you will be able to: define the concept of the Cold War; trace the origin of this non-military conflict; define the different phases of cold war understand the pattern and dimensions of the Cold War; identify the causes for the demise of the Cold War; and Define the impact and aftermath of the Cold War. 14.2 INTRODUCTION The First World War (1914-18) ended with the birth of a new system, the socialist system in the world. The war also sowed the seeds of another world war. These two developments have conditioned the subsequent decades in a big way. In 1939 the Second World War broke out. The Second World War was fought between the two blocs-the Allied powers and the Axis powers. The socialist bloc joined the Allies. The Allies won the war. The war ended with the destruction of the old capitalist 1 imperialist dominated world. The world now was divided into two blocs-Western or capitalist blocs, headed by the neo-colonialist power, the United States of America (USA) and the Socialist bloc headed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The USA and the USSR emerged as the two super powers. no blocs represented two contradictory systems. Conflict between them was inevitable. The conflict was turned into Cold War because the world meanwhile experienced a qualitative change. At the end of the Second World War, a world body named United Organisation (UN) was founded to make the world safe for peace. The two superpowers acquired highly sophisticated destructive weapons. Europe became dependent upon the USA. Decolonialization became the reality. Above all world public opinion disfavoured any worldwide holocaust. But these developments failed to stop the local or civil wars in different countries and to refrain the two superpowers from tension ridden competition for establishing supremacy over the world. The hostile competition turned into Cold war. 14.3 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR The Cold War was an unarmed peacetime conflict. It was a war in which armed forces did not engage themselves in battles, guns were not fired, the tanks did not roll and the bombs were not dropped. The Second World War had begun in 1939 with the German attack on Poland and consequent declaration of war by the British Empire, its Dominions and France against Germany. Hitler's Germany was joined by Italy and Japan. Together these three powers were known as the Axis Powers. The opponents, called Allies led by the UK and France were joined in June 1941 by the Soviet Union (after German attack on it), and the United States in December 1941 following Japanese bombardment at Pearl Harbor. As the war drew to a close the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two Super Powers as their combined might had defeated the enemy. The other victors lost much of their military and economic capabilities. It hastened decolonisation, and yet many East European countries were brought into communist fold. They were led by the USSR, and known as the Eastern or Communist bloc. Several Western capitalist countries came under the American wings and were called Western or American Bloc. The emergent international system featured distribution of powers between many European and non-European sovereign States. "In addition", wrote Kegley Jr, and Wittkopf in World Politics, "the advent of nuclear weapons radically changed the role that threats of warfare would play henceforth in world politics. Out of these circumstances grew the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for hegemonic leadership." Meaning and Nature of Cold War The term Cold War was first used for hostile attitude adopted by the United States and its friends on one side, and the Soviet Union and its allies on other, soon after the 2 Second World War. Unlike traditional wars, this was a diplomatic conflict, without the use of armed forces. The two sides maintained normal diplomatic relations, yet behaved like enemies. Walter Lippmann, in 1947, used the term "diplomatic war". The Cold War was defined by Fleming as "a war that is fought not in the battle field, but in the minds of men; one tries to control the minds of others." John Foster Dulles, US secretary of state in early 1950s, a leading critic of the USSR, had said that, "The Cold War was a moral crusade for normal values-for good against bad; right against wrong; religion against atheism" Giving a moral dimension to the Cold War. Dulles thus described the Soviet Union as bad, wrong and atheist. Louis Malle in his book The Cold War as History described the Cold War as a situation of high tension between two power blocs, it was more dangerous than an armed conflict; the parties to the Cold War tried to complicate the issues rather than attempt to resolve them; and all disputes and conflicts were used as pawns in the Cold War. Unlike a normal war, it was fought in the diplomatic channels and the United Nations forum. According to Grieves, the Cold War was "a form of conflict taking place below the level of hot war in a thermonuclear age." The nature of Cold War underwent constant changes during over four decades of its duration. However, Kegley Jr. and Wittkopf mentioned three primary characteristics of the Cold War. These were: The periods of intense conflict alternated with periods of relative cooperation; and reciprocal, action-reaction exchanges were also evident. Both actors (US and USSR) were willing to disregard their respective professed ideologies whenever their perceived national interests rationalized such inconsistencies, for example, each backed allies with political systems antithetical to its own when the necessities of power politics seemed to justify doing so. Throughout the Cold War contest: both rivals consistently made avoidance of all-out war their highest priority. Through a gradual learning process involving push and shove, restraint and reward, tough bargaining and calm negotiation, the Super Powers created a security system, or rules for the peaceful management of their disputes. Thus, Cold War was a state of peacetime unarmed warfare. Both the Super Powers had constructed their blocs, mostly on ideological basis. There indeed were several unattached or non-aligned countries, but Cold War was essentially fought between two power blocs. Each side used ideological weapons against the other. The two Super Powers tried to weaken the other block to generate defections, and to strengthen their own position. Both gave liberal economic aid and established military bases in the territories of smaller allies. Propaganda, espionage, military intervention, military alliances, regional organisations and supply of armaments were some of the tools used to promote the bloc interests. Such actions aggravated the cold war. The Super Powers and their close allies looked at every issue from their ideological and 3 bloc viewpoint. Attempts were made to encourage industrial unrest, ethnic conflicts, and feelings of narrow nationalism to weaken the opposite bloc. Thus, as Louis Halle said, the Cold War was even worse than a regular-armed conflict. Origin and Evolution of Cold War In this unit dealing with end of the Cold War, it is neither necessary nor possible to go into details of origin and evolution of the Cold War. However, a brief mention may be made here to highlight the major events. Nobody could say for certain as to when the Cold War began. Blame was put on the US by the Soviet Union for having started the conflict by not opening the second front against Germany till mid-1944, leaving USSR alone to light the enemy. The West was also suspected of hidden agenda to seek destruction of both Nazi-Fascist dictators and the Soviet .Union so that the Western countries could alone enjoy the fruits of victory. The Soviet Union felt strongly upset at the secret development of atom bomb by the United States and its use against Japan when the USSR was just about to declare war against it. After the war, the United States created anti- Soviet front through Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. The Fulton speech of Winston Churchill in March 1946 (preceding Truman Doctrine) signaled hate Champaign against the Soviet Union Churchill had condemned the USSR for violation of Yalta Agreement to hold democratic elections in liberated countries, and for having erected an "iron curtain" at the East-West dividing line. He called for a campaign to protect freedom, Christian civilization and democracy, and to contain communism. The Western countries, on the other hand, blamed the USSR for violation of pledge to allow liberated countries to elect governments of their choice and for installing puppet communist regimes in Eastern Europe.