The Effects of the Cold War on Europes Peace - Report Example

The effects of the Cold War on Europe’s Peace International peace remains to be the most essential variable to not only the industrialized and developed nations, but also to the developing/ third world nations (Larres & Lane, 2001). In pursuit for world peace and competition for world supremacy, nations have gone into direct wars, ethnic cleansing, regimes, dictatorial governments and administrations have been, toppled while accusations and counter accusations have been, made on the intentions to interfere in wars as a means to safeguard international peace and stability (Alexander, 1992). This was so in the onset and end of the cold war after the Second World War and in the end of the 1980’s (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). This report will candidly highlight whether the Cold War did actually lead to peace in Europe between 1947 and 1989. The Cold War One cannot discuss whether the Cold War did actually lead to peace in Europe between 1947 and 1989 without understanding what was the cold war, what nations were involved and what the reasons were for the Cold War. The Cold War illustrated a tense time with rising differences in the political and the ideological views (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). In addition, military pressures, alternative wars, geo political and social economic rivalry involving nations and states with Communist views, which included the Soviet Union / USSR and its then satellite nations and associates, and states with the Western nations with Capitalist democratic views led by the United States and her associates (Buchanan, 2006). The reason why the time period after the second world war and fall of the Soviet Union is referred to as the Cold War is because, although the two competing sides did not see eye to eye and had conflicting interests, they did not dare go into direct military action and combat (Halliday, 2009). This was associated with the fear that a direct war would mean the two sides that had access to atomic bombs would use them and thereby bringing the human race and the world in general to extinction (Larres & Lane, 2001). Therefore, the two competing rivals resorted to military alliances, planned military operations such as the Afghan wars, Vietnam wars and missile crisis in Cuba, increased reinforcement to weaker states such as South and North Korea, supporting different partitions of warring sides, using spies and intelligence and units to monitor what the other side is planning and doing (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). Additionally, increased competition in production of nuclear and spacecrafts and spreading of political and economic propaganda, adoption of new technological solutions, boycotts of Olympic sporting events and rallying for support from neutral states (Buchanan, 2006). Reasons for the Cold War Although United States and the Soviet Union had joined hands in bringing down the Nazi regime led by Hitler, they did not consent on what the best move was on reparations and how to treat Germany, Poland and other Eastern European countries. USSR established the Eastern Bloc while the US created the NATO as a plan to stop the spread of Communism to other parts of Europe and Asian nations (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). USSR proposed plans to keep Germany muzzled to avoid emergence of new Nazi-type war while USA and allies needed Germany to be a democratic State in order to support them in curbing the infiltration of Communistic dogmas and ideologies to Western European Nations (Gaddis, 2006). The rivalry could, be traced back to the three year Civil Wars that began in 1918 where USSR blamed US and allies for supporting the Whites and the belief that the military delays the US and allies did in the Second World War, were meant to allow Hitler obliterate the Soviet Union. On the other hand, the US and her allies faulted USSR for signing the late 1930’s pact with the Nazi, which is, believed to have sparked the Second World War (Larres & Lane, 2001). Reasons cited to fuel the Cold War was the hate between the presidents ruling the two States at the time, the apprehension the USSR had of the US and her allies making the Western Europe a base to invade her and the anger the USSR had over U.S secret production of atomic bomb that was, used in Japan (Buchanan, 2006). Did the Cold War actually lead to peace in Europe between 1947 and 1989? In essence, the Cold War did lead to the much-needed peace in Europe within the period the tensions remained. Although the Cold War resulted in splitting Europe into two, subjecting the locals to two complete different ideologies and governance, the two blocs had peaceful existence and immense reconstruction of the States after the just ended World War II (Gaddis, 2006). The US and her allies took precedence over the Western European Countries consisting of Luxembourg, Belgium, United Kingdom, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Italy, France, and the Netherlands (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). USSR annexed the Eastern side making the states its satellite states such as Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary and Poland (Alexander, 1992). In the later stages of the Cold War the Berlin Wall was, destroyed thus merging the two sides of Germany and Europe. Additionally, the Western Bloc received the much-needed aid to recover and develop its damaged political, economic, social and geo-military structures (Halliday, 2009). This meant a boom in the economic growth rates, peace and unity among the European western states. In the late 1950’s the East Germany would realize an increase in its agricultural and industrial output meant to improve the GDR to match that of West Germany. In the later stages of the war, USSR satellite states attained independence (Larres & Lane, 2001). The Cold War saw Western ally sign peace and safeguarding aggression treaties. As such is the Treaty of Dunkirk, treaty of Brussels between UK and France that offered a base for mutual co-existence, defense and economic unification and social political union for Western European nations (Buchanan, 2006). Consequently, the establishment of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization helped in the prevention of spreading of communistic ideologies that would have jeopardized the international peace, stability, economic growth and discouraging international trade, which the USSR proposed (Gaddis, 2006). The Cold War allowed collaboration between the United States and Europe, which it would have been impossible to do in different circumstances. Formation of the Warsaw Pact by USSR and her allies ensured peace, defense, and assistance for them (Buchanan, 2006). NATO and Warsaw Pact ensured there were no aggression, war and disagreement between member states, which translated to more peace, and order in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, even though the rivaling blocs were in disagreement. The Cold War ensured the two competing sides did not go into direct combat, which would have damaged severely the satellite states of each super power in Europe, having come out of a recent war (Lynn-Jones & Miller, 1993). It was during the Cold war that the Golden age of capitalism was realized which was associated with tremendous economic growth rates for majority of Asian nations and Western Europe which led to the great migration to the West from the East (Halliday, 2009). Western European states gradually initiated a process of geo political and social economic co-operation, which was, meant to unify the continent and safeguard regional and international aggression (Larres & Lane, 2001). It is during the Cold War, fundamental institutions used currently such as the Council of Europe, International Criminal Court and the European Union were established. However, there were cases of peace instability as seen in public insurgence in Poland where the US interfered with administrations created by USSR. Moreover, the Cold War resulted in USSR attacking Hungary in pursuit to restore the USSR command (Larres & Lane, 2001). The Cold War saw manipulation of electoral votes in the Eastern Bloc as seen by US intervention in the elections in Italy, discharge of communists leaders in Italy and France, Hungarian Prime Minister has to seek asylum, execution of Bulgarian activist Petkov, fleeing of Polish democratic leader to the Western Bloc and incarceration of Maniu in Romania. The construction of the Berlin Wall meant a division rather than unity as the two competing sides pursued their own personal interests (Buchanan, 2006).The satellite states were under strain to pursue their own national and political goals and those of the super powers they were under (Halliday, 2009). The effects of the Cold War on the peace of Europe as a continent is debatable since the European nations found themselves in the middle ground of a tag of war between superpowers with differing ideologies, intentions and were in pursuit of weighing who between the two was stronger than the other (Buchanan, 2006). Among differing opinions of the two super powers are the economic intentions with the US advocating free international trade while USSR advocating for segregation, in quest of protecting herself from external interference, which would have eaten into Russian power and principles of governance. Conclusion The international peace and existence of humanity as we know it came to the blink of extinction were it not for the Cold War. The Cold War, a result of rivalry between the US and Russia, saw the two use propagandas, spies, boycotts, appeals to neutral states, military reinforcement to warring sides and increased production of nuclear and ship crafts. These methods were, used since the two could not afford to go into direct military combat without destroying themselves. Although Europe and Germany were, divided into two, it saw the two sides sign peace and assistance treaties among member states of the respective blocs, which indirectly bore peace for Europe. Occasional peace instability was prevalent but the two super powers did not allow them to go too far. The states that suffered most peace wise were Asian states such as Afghanistan, north and South Korea, and Vietnam among others. References Alexander, W. 1992. Anarchy is what states make of it: the social construction of power politics. International Organization, 46, pp. 391-425 doi: 10.1017/S0020818300027764 Buchanan, T. 2006. Europe's troubled peace, 1945-2000. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Gaddis, J.L. 2006. The Cold War: a new history. New York: Penguin Books. Halliday, F. 2009. The Cold War: Lessons and Legacies. International Journal of Comparative Politics, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 1–28. Larres, K. & Lane, K. 2001. The Cold War: the essential readings. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Lynn-Jones, S.M., & Miller, S.E. 1993. The Cold war and after: prospects for peace. New York City: MIT Press. Read More