• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines

WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR?

March 10, 2010 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Fashion trends reflected Cold War realities.

From the end of World War II in 1945 until the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the world was polarized by a global conflict between two wartime allies, the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Cold War’s impact was global in scope and created political divisions based on free world orientation, socialist orientation, or nonalignment.

The two superpowers — the United States and the Soviet Union — struggled for dominance. Their obsession with national security was reflected in strategies of containment, pact building, and military and economic assistance programs.

To many the Cold War was perceived to be:

  • a contest between democratic and totalitarian political systems
  • a clash between Marxist and capitalist theories of development/economic progress.

Superpower competition in the less developed world — the Third World — centered on tactics of covert action, insurgency, wars of liberation, and trade dependency.  Accompanying activity included escalating militarism and disproportionate allocations of revenue for arms build-ups.

The term competitive grand strategy refers to the rivalry between the individual grand strategies of the two superpowers as they competed for power and influence in the less developed world.

American grand strategy can be defined as an integration of military and economic objectives in the war against communism.

The military component of grand strategy was concerned with repelling the Soviet threat through a policy of containment.

The economic component was concentrated on protecting America’s desire for open markets.

At first these two prongs could be separated. By the end of the Eisenhower administration though the two were intertwined.

American grand strategy evolved into liberal grand strategy as the US became more explicit in its drive to foster democracy and capitalism abroad.

Soviet grand strategy focused on combating the threat of capitalist encirclement and on acquiring the resources necessary to develop economic and industrial prowess as a preparation for the ‘hot war’ that the Russians thought was inevitable as long as capitalism existed.

To summarize, after World War ll, the United States was obsessed with the war against communism and the idea of containment which scholars say “has truly been America’s grand strategy since the late 1940s.”

The overarching US objective was to prevent Soviet penetration of emerging nations.

The USSR, on the other hand, was determined to prevent ‘capitalist encirclement’ of its territories and was eager to prove its economic and industrial prowess.

By the mid-1950s, each superpower believed that the success of its grand strategy depended on “winning” the Third World. The competition to supply military and economic assistance, weapons, technology, and expert advice to the less developed world accelerated.

Cold War rivalry dominated the last half of the 20th century.

Filed Under: Cold War Historical Overview

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

Comments

  1. Benedikt F. says

    April 6, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    Hello,
    I just want to ask if there is a copyright for this picture or could I use it?
    thanks and regards,
    Benedikt

  2. Lisa Reynolds Wolfe says

    April 6, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Thanks for asking Benedikt. It’s a great photo isn’t it? I puchased the photo from iStock at http://www.istockphoto.com/. You should check with them.

    Best — Lisa

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War Studies Follow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
2 Feb

https://hyperallergic.com/794974/soheila-sokhanvari-honors-iran-feminist-rebels/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=D020223&utm_content=D020223+CID_1268eb65e911b86d63e38651e133b202&utm_source=hn&utm_term=Soheila+Sokhanvari+Honors+Irans+Feminist+Rebels

Reply on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Retweet on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Like on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Twitter 1621120886408617984
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

11 Places to Explore Spycraft @atlasobscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/history-of-spies

Reply on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Retweet on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Like on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Twitter 1619760825916604417
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

Inside Cold War spy Kim Philby's life - sex, deception and double-dealing https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-cold-war-spy-kim-29074870?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Reply on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Retweet on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Like on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Twitter 1619760444658565120
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
28 Jan

Check out this article from @nytimes. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/opinion/sunday/knitting-fabric-michelle-obama.html?unlocked_article_code=1ew_IOkoQKL6pwCvaRQwqw7kaWYxQwBmX4RM8ZwtFdZYqpOghTnXUxbK7NmSwILpgVkTsehpl3Au4GhqUs1-dQP4onemJRdEVXYlONemCl8eqaGxUhfyGFeV0mwhRgrGJBllB6l7bc09s40JuyYDCn-Pzj_QRnzJRPcBVqRfaOwmRVceyoxIxg3hjSG4aJC0jFK7rVqZ3d-HPGkCAInMKNtJNaRye6_h-msXKJWjY1ipfpuF4gvQQjACg6r618EQKLx4kY3mXwdfk4DYZAbtqtAoHTE9btePy6OljFN7QC_ZDdcEA_0JCp2Cqwlnrht_EQUuLBsVhjEs-doVEvBw0WJ9hFHqwu9kVp9GTguk1Q&smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Retweet on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Like on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Twitter 1619318960922714113
Load More

Affiliate Disclosure

Cold War Studies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small commission by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You never pay more if you puchase your Amazon product from one of our links. Thanks for supporting Cold War Studies!

 

How Much Do You Know About the Cold War?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

 

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Fashion: The Early Years (1950s-1960s)

History of Colonization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Precursor to Cold War Conflict

Cold War Chile

The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste

The Red Scare

10 Little Known Facts About the Peace Sign

Immigration to the US During the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Korean War Music

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in