Who or what ended the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union? The answer is not as simple as you might think. First of all, the USSR and USA had long been at odds, but a series of changes triggered the end of the conflict. The USSR, under the revolutionary leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, began liberalizing the economic and political landscape in the USSR. Despite this, the USSR still remained a command economy. While the United States and the Soviet Union were involved in an expensive arms race, the USSR had already begun to crumble due to capitalist changes.
Who Won the Cold War between USA and USSR?
Although the United States and Soviet Union stayed far apart during the superpower conflict, both countries boosted their nuclear arsenals. By the early 1970s, the U.S. had already spent nine percent of its GDP on defense. Its defense budget would rise to $458 billion by 2022. Both countries continued to strengthen their nuclear arsenals, and a policy of detente was declared. In the 1980s, the Soviets’ aggressive behavior against human rights and the invasion of Afghanistan sparked new tensions. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought about new democratic changes in the U.S. and Russia, which prompted both countries to ramp up their defense spending.
In the 1980s, both nations were fighting a cyberspace arms race and a space race. The USSR launched the first artificial satellite in 1957, while the U.S. sent the first man to the moon in 1969. The two superpowers went on to fund a variety of other armed conflicts and even financed political assassinations in Africa and Latin America. As the Cold War came to a close, the Cold War between the two countries was a far cry from what it is today.
How did the Cold War end and who won?
The Cold War was an ideological struggle between two opposing ideologies. The Soviet Union believed in redistribution of wealth, promoting workers, and state-run economies. The United States was the opposite, favoring free markets and the freedom of religion. The result was massive economic inequalities. Both sides relied on propaganda to paint their enemies in a bad light. While the Cold War ended without nuclear annihilation, the legacy of the conflict is still very real.
The Cold War ended in a slow and painful process. In the early 1960s, the communist bloc began to unravel. China and the Soviet Union split and the United States supported both. The US sent troops to the newly independent Korean peninsula to help contain communism. It ended in a stalemate, but the Berlin Wall remains a symbol of Cold War history. This de facto alliance between the US and China was a significant benefit to the Chinese people.
After two decades of tension, the Soviet Union lost its dominance. After the collapse of the USSR, the Eastern Bloc became economically weaker and faced a shortage of goods. The Soviet Union’s economy suffered and its social structures deteriorated. The socialist regimes began to loosen their restrictions on freedom of expression. The result was a Cold War that ended in 1991 and fifteen new nations were created.
When did the Cold War end and why?
The Cold War was a conflict defined by the threat of nuclear war and a struggle for allegiance. Both superpowers sought to control anti-colonial movements. The United States, for instance, demonstrated its dominance in the global military arena by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. The USSR was spurred to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, the United States and Soviet Union conducted bloody campaigns in Korea, with the US losing 8-10 million soldiers and 25 million civilians.
The collapse of the Soviet Union had been decades in the making, but it came suddenly in the late 1980s. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, at least in the realm of U.S.-USSR politics, was no less abrupt. Nevertheless, the first Bush-Gorbachev summit in December 1989 emphasized the need for “superpower cooperation,” ignoring the fact that the Soviet Union had been destroyed as a superpower. The disintegration of the Soviet Union was the result of Gorbachev’s policies, which had ripple effects throughout the entire Soviet world, making central control of Warsaw Pact member states impossible without using military force.
Who ended the Cold War end?
During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union jockeyed for technological supremacy. The Soviets launched the first artificial satellite in 1957, and the U.S. sent a man to the moon in 1969. Both nations resented the aggressive and interventionist foreign policy of their Western counterparts. It was not entirely the fault of the United States and Soviet Union, but it certainly did contribute to the hostile atmosphere.
The United States and Soviet Union ended the Cold War in 1989 when the USSR and its allies stepped back and recognized each other as equals. By the end of the 1980s, the economies of nations behind the Iron Curtain were in deep trouble. East Germans could see their Western counterparts prospering while Russians had to stand in line to buy food and socks. While some historians argue that the Soviets were the culprit, the pent-up demand for freedom in these countries eventually forced them to concede the war.
The emergence of the Internet fueled a renewed interest in space exploration. The launch of the Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, Sputnik, in 1957, became a sensation. It was the first human-made object into the Earth’s orbit. The event shocked many Americans. Space exploration seemed to be the next frontier. America and the Soviet Union were both pursuing space exploration. The emergence of these technologies gave Americans the chance to reach the stars and beyond.
Did the US and Russia fight in the Cold War?
Did the US and Russia fight in the Cold war? The Cold War was a period of great tension and violence between the two countries. The Soviet Union had a nuclear arsenal, while the U.S. had an atomic bomb. The race for technological superiority between the two nations resulted in wars over communism and the development of nuclear arms. These weapons threatened global annihilation.
The USSR and the US were at odds over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Eastern Europe. In 1946, Winston Churchill infamously warned of an “iron curtain” to separate Eastern and Western Europe. The Soviet Union’s leader, Joseph Stalin, further eroded the relationship between the two countries. Stalin declared in 1946 that World War II was inevitable and that it might recur. While the Cold War ended in 1991, the legacy of the conflict lives on in geopolitics.
The United States and the Soviet Union fought each other in World War II. While the United States and the Soviet Union suffered most of the war’s casualties, the Soviet Union gained vast swaths of Eastern Europe from Nazi control. Even so, Stalin was dissatisfied with the division of Europe post-war. Therefore, the Cold War was a period of great tension.
Who ended the Cold War?
The question, “Who or what ended the Cold War?” is one that affects the world today. The Cold War erupted in the aftermath of World War II, and the United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for supremacy in space and technology. The two nations built massive military bases and spent vast amounts of money on defense. Today, NATO wields great political power in the region and now includes 30 member states, including former Soviet states and Warsaw Pact nations. But Russia has viewed this expansion eastward as a threat to its own security.
The end of the Cold War was declared on December 25, 1991, by U.S. President George Bush, who had served from 1989 to 1993. Bush attributed the end of the Cold War to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s efforts to implement much-needed reforms in the Soviet empire. He tried to reform the Communist Party and establish limited democracy throughout Eastern Europe. These reforms caused the collapse of communism, a system of government in which a single party controls most aspects of society.
Who were allies in the Cold War?
The Soviet Union and the United States were the two main players in the Cold War, and they fought over the fate of the world. While the Soviets rivaled the United States in military power, the communist system prevented the Soviet economy from catching up. As a result, the gap between the two countries’ technological advancement and wealth widened decade after decade. The Cold War cost the lives of tens of thousands of American citizens, most of them in the wars in Vietnam and Korea. But, in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan’s resurgence of American power, determination, and economic power gave a new meaning to the Cold War.
The Soviet Union and the United States had different political systems, and their differences prevented them from reaching a common position on key policy issues. As a result, the two sides ended up on the brink of war. The Cold War ended in 1991, but tensions remained high. The United States and the Soviet Union were still powerful world powers, but the Cold War was a very different time in history. What’s more, the two countries had different interests and ideologies, so they continued to compete for influence in the Third World.
About The Author
Mindy Vu is a part time shoe model and professional mum. She loves to cook and has been proclaimed the best cook in the world by her friends and family. She adores her pet dog Twinkie, and is happily married to her books.