Cold War - Causes and Consequences of the Battle of Two Ideologies - Essay Example

The cold war was the result of the clashing between capitalism and communism which at the moment were two opposing worldviews. For the two countries involved, the war was a battle between the two civilizations capitalism and communism. There was also the concern by the Soviet Union to protect its sovereignty by securing its borders. This was due to the two previous invasions in one century by the Germans in 1941 and Japan in 1904. In 1945, the U.S.A created and used the atomic bomb against Japan.

This sparked an arms race with Russia attempting to make one of its own thus both countries created large stocks of missiles and other arms. There was also the threat that Russia felt after the U.S.A moved its bombers to Europe and the rearming of Germany as well as its admission to NATO. The war was further aggravated to show technological superiority using the space race as a platform with the launching of satellites into space by the race. Politically the war was meant to be a quest for dominance across the world; thus, the competition between them and their political allies was geopolitical in that their allies were strategically found around the world.

As a result, the United States aimed at containing the expansion of Soviet power. The two countries also sought to influence new governments the world over following the power vacuum after decolonization. For this, the United States backed brutal dictators only to prevent the spread of communism that was advocated for by the Soviet Union. As a result, the U.S. abandoned its ideals of self-determination. The cold war, in regard to politics, led to the election of anticommunist leaders into power such as Nixon, Regan, Kennedy, and Truman.

The leaders and Truman in particular approved funds for developing nations, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to curb communism.