After World War II, the conflict between the Western countries, mainly the United States, and the Eastern countries, mainly the Soviet Union, continued for about 44 years.
This confrontational structure is Cold War It is called [ war without fire ] However, it sometimes developed into a war with direct fire, such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghan War.
Nowadays, the strongest era in the United States continues, but during the Cold War era, there was a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were glaring at each other even if they did not have a direct war.
As mentioned earlier, even though the two countries did not fight each other like the Korean War and the Vietnam War, proxy wars continued and the world was in a tense situation.
This time, the [ Cold War was held between the United States and the Soviet Union. ] Will be introduced.
What is the East-West Cold War? ??
1945-1989 Continued to America / UK / France Cold War about the conflict between capitalist nations (Western countries) and communist nations (Eastern countries) such as the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. Is called.
The word Cold War is cold war because the United States and the Soviet Union only intervened in the form of proxy wars and did not directly war. It is said that it was expressed as.
The beginning and expansion of the Cold War between East and West
Yalta Conference for post-war processing after World War II The Allied powers that carried out the above were divided and ruled by Germany and Austria, and the territorial decisions of the countries controlled by Germany were made.
In the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc. in Eastern Europe came under the influence of the Soviet Union at the Yarta talks, and it was decided to divide Germany into the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union.
Roosevelt, the president of the United States at the time, was a tolerant person to the Soviet Union and was the result of almost drinking the Soviet demands of this talk.
After the surrender of Germany, the old territory was divided by the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union as agreed by the Yalta Conference, but Roosevelt died suddenly shortly thereafter.
The successor, President Truman, was not initially hostile to the Soviet Union, but saw the emergence of communist nations in Eastern European countries [ the whole of Europe became communist. ] I was worried.
In this way, the United States joined forces with Britain and France to oppose the Soviet Union.
Marshall Plan and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]
After World War II, the United States sends enormous support to its economic background to make the tattered Britain and France a breakwater for communism.
In the name of the Secretary of State of the United States at that time, [ Marshall Plan ], The United States and Britain / France strengthened cooperation and prevented the communism of Western Europe. In addition, 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) To form a military alliance against the Soviet Union and try to counter it.
On the other hand, the Soviet Union is also an economic cooperative that supports communism in Eastern Europe to counter the United States COMECON . Established, and Warsaw Pact It also made and opposed the United States centered on communist countries.
East-West Schism and Proxy War
1944 America is a atomic bomb Developed 1945 Dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and showed its power to the world.
In this way, the United States became the only nation possessing nuclear weapons in the world, but the Soviet Union also rapidly advanced nuclear development against it, 1949 . The Soviet Union also succeeded in experimenting with an atomic bomb. The terrifying era has arrived in which the great powers of the United States and the Soviet Union have nuclear weapons.
The Cold War had the aspect of a nuclear development competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.
After that, the United States and the Soviet Union promoted the nuclear development competition, 1954 . The United States has developed a hydrogen bomb that is more powerful than the atomic bomb, and nuclear test at Bikini Atoll As you know, we did and blew off a large amount of atolls.
The Soviet Union is not defeated 1961 The emperor's bomb Tsar Bomba was completed and experimented with.
The competition for nuclear development between these two countries has escalated, and it is said that there were enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world 50 times at the peak.
Birth of a divided nation
During the Cold War, one country was divided into a socialist country and a capitalist country.
The representative nations are Germany and Korea, Vietnam was.
Germany was divided into four countries after the defeat, as mentioned earlier. Among them, the area occupied by the Soviet Union is [ East Germany ], The occupied territories of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom are [ West Germany ] As 1949 It was established and divided.
Furthermore, Berlin, the capital of Germany, was divided into the west and the east, and West Berlin was surrounded by East Germany as an excursion of West Germany. The wall surrounding West Berlin is [ Berlin Wall 】is.
The economic disparity between capitalist West Germany and socialist East Germany widens day by day, and there are many people trying to move from east to west in search of a better life, and East Germany feels a sense of crisis and surrounds West Berlin. It was the Berlin Wall that was made in such a way.
This wall can be said to be a symbol of the Cold War.
Also on the Korean Peninsula, 1945 Due to the defeat of Japan, the Soviet Union occupies the north side and the United States occupies the south side of the 36th parallel north. But in the south, Republic of Korea (Korea) Became independent.
Vietnam rebelled against being a French colony 1945 Declares independence, but France opposes it. Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the north side after the First Indochina War Is South Vietnam in the south Was born by dividing.
Outbreak of proxy war
During the Cold War, there was no direct confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, but there were many conflicts between the communist and capitalist camps around the world.
That is Vietnam War and Korean War was.
Korean War
The Korean War was a war between South Korea and North Korea. North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union, and South Korea was fought with the support of Western countries led by the United States. Although this war has been suspended, no end of the war has been declared even now.
Vietnam War
1955-1975 It was a war in Vietnam until 1964 North Vietnam Gulf of Tonkin Incident When the United States intervenes in the Vietnam War, the war situation intensifies.
The United States carries out a fierce air bombing called the North Bomb on North Vietnam, but struggled with the guerrilla tactics of North Vietnam, and eventually the United States withdrew 1975 North Vietnam ends with a victory.
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 Cuba, a communist nation, was born in Japan, when the United States and the Soviet Union became tense just before the war.
The Soviet Union supported Cuba and placed nuclear missiles in Cuba to intimidate the United States. In the United States, Cuba should not have a Soviet base in such a place just a stone's throw from the Florida Peninsula.
The Soviet Union and Cuba's actions caused tensions around the world with a statement that the United States would not quit the nuclear war with the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Union made a last-minute concession and managed to get rid of the crisis.
Since this event, the United States and the Soviet Union have gradually come to terms with each other.
The end of the Cold War and the subsequent movement of the world
1989 The Soviet Union, which reigned as a male communist sphere and was a superpower alongside the United States, was particularly Warsaw Pact nations against the backdrop of weakening the influence of Eastern Europe due to the decline in national power due to the economic crisis.> Is defeated one after another Eastern Europe Revolution Will occur.
It was also this year that the Berlin Wall collapsed and East and West Germany merged.
In addition, the Soviet Union's financial collapse due to the invasion of Afghanistan will steadily reduce its national power, and Gorbachev's general secretary will carry out reforms by perestroika. Then, a meeting was held between the United States and Malta, and the Cold War ended.
Two years later, a coup d'etat occurred in the Soviet Union Russian Federation . Was born.
It was thought that the collapse of the Soviet Union would bring about the strongest era in the United States, but Russia will also shift to capitalism, and the relationship between the two countries will become calmer. However, in the 2000s, Russia was wary of the unilateral rule of the United States and strengthened relations with anti-American nations such as Latin America and Iran and China.
Such a relationship between the United States and Russia [ Second Cold War ], Which brings tension to each other and is also a driving force for innovation in various fields such as space development and the leap of Internet technology.
And as a big move after the Cold War, in Europe [EU] (European Union) The birth of. After World War II, European countries, which had been in a slump, aimed to regain their rights by integrating them. Also, 2002 Is a unified currency [ Euro ] Was introduced, and the road to economic recovery has begun.
A major event in modern history [ Cold War ] Has ended for the time being, but it can be said that the aftermath is still continuing as it is called the Second Cold War. It is an event that is the basis of the current world situation, so I would like to firmly control the flow.