Pursuing Communism Abroad - Superpower Geopolitics and the Role of the Arms Race - Case Study Example

Pursuing Communism Abroad: Superpower Geopolitics and the Role of the Arms Race The Cold War lasted formore than 50 years and during such huge span of time, it impacted a number of culture aspects all around the globe. Due to the Cold War, a number of aspects of international politics changed which resulted in the change in relationships between countries. A number of countries changed their foreign policies during the era of the Cold War and all these factors impacted the overall global culture significantly. The most prominent impact of the Cold War can be witnessed in the primary countries that were involved in the Cold War that are the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War resulted in an arms race between these two countries which lasted as long as the Cold War did. It was this era when one after another destructive nuclear weapons were created by both the US and the Soviet Union. This arms race did not only stir fear among the people of both the countries but also had a significant influence on the culture of the countries as well. The following essay includes a brief history of the Cold War and the arms race and it evaluates the impact of the Cold War and the arms race on the cultural aspects of the American society (Sakwa, 1999). The Cold War The Cold War refers to the continuous state of conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding political agendas, tension between the military forces and the competition of economies. The inception of Cold War was immediately after the successful alliance of the US and the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The conflict initiated when both the US and the Soviet Union perceived each others as superpowers but with political and economic differences. Soon after the war ended, the disagreements started to arise regarding how the post-war Europe should be divided. Both the countries started to ensure the support of their allies and started strengthening their military forces. Some countries decided to join with one of the two powers while some decided to remain neutral. There were some proxy wars fought by the US and the Soviet Union in which both the countries were not directly at war but both of them supported opposite groups. During its huge span, there were times when the Cold War was relatively calm and there were also certain stages when there was high tension between both the countries. Some of the tense periods include the Berlin Blockade which took place between 1948 and 1949, the Korean War which took place between 1950 and 1953, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Soviet war in Afghanistan which took place between 1979 and 1989. In most of these instances, both the US and the Soviet Union supported opposite groups and fought with each other indirectly. The Cold War caused the arms race between both the countries and both the forces held nuclear weapons that could cause mass destruction. Since any use of the nuclear weapons would have caused mass destruction on both the sides, the use of such weapons was not made. The acts of both the countries that represented the Cold War included; provision of extensive support to any state that was deemed vulnerable, engaging in proxy wars, extensive nuclear arms race, rivalry in economic developments, rivalry in sports events, attempts to get support from neutral nations and engaging in space race which is competing with each other technologically. At times, there was a very high risk of destruction of both the powers because of nuclear exchange either by accident or mistake however both the countries sought to deter any direct attack through agreements. Later, the economic and military pressure by the United States was increased on the Soviet Union that was not so successful in developing its economy. This caused the end of the Cold War when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and it rendered the United States as the dominant power. The impact of the Cold War has been quite significant on the American culture and it is still featured in the media as themes of espionage and the threat of nuclear wars (Foner, 2009). The Arms Race between the US and the Soviet Union The Cold War triggered an arms race throughout the globe and so many countries took part in it, however no one engaged in the production of nuclear warheads as the United States and the Soviet Union. After US dropped an atomic bomb on Japan in 1945, fears of mass destruction ran throughout the globe. It was also considered that Uranium, which is primarily required for the production of nuclear weapons, was rare and that the US had the monopoly in the production of nuclear warheads. Later it was found out that the Soviet Union was also working on production of nuclear weapons and it came as a shock to everyone when the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear bomb in 1949. Initially, Soviet Union had limited access to uranium but this limitation was later eliminated when a domestic source for uranium was found by the Soviet Union. This production of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union was perceived as an expression of the Cold War by the US and both the countries engaged in massive production of nuclear weapons which termed as the arms race. Both the US and Soviet Union governments allocated significant amount of their resources to the production of nuclear weapons. Both the governments wanted to have more quality of nuclear warheads along with having the high quality weapons as well. In pursuance for the quality of the nuclear weapons, both the nations initiated the development of a hydrogen bomb. Hydrogen bomb was smaller in size as compared to the conventional nuclear bomb but it was much more destructive. Both the nations put in their best efforts to develop a hydrogen bomb as fast as they could and ultimately the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb in 1952. The US and the rest of the world did not expect the Soviet Union to develop a hydrogen bomb soon due to the lack of proper resources and expertise however the Soviet Union detonated its first thermonuclear device in 1953. This real time response by the Soviet Union was not expected by the world therefore everyone was surprised. A true multistage hydrogen bomb was detonated by the Soviet Union in 1955. This rapid development of the weapons of mass destruction by both these nations created a global fear. It was feared if these nations initiate a nuclear war, there would be significant destruction and the world would be affected by such a war. Both the countries knew that both of them had sufficient nuclear weapons to exchange nuclear attacks however it was also understood that this would do nothing but massive destruction on both the sides. The arms race also triggered the Space Race and both the countries started directing a significant amount of their resources towards development of space technology. The United States lagged behind in the space race initially but due to the availability of resources it caught up with the Soviet Union and ultimately got ahead of the Soviet Union in this race. The first manned mission to moon was the outcome of this space race. Another significant development as a result of this arms race was the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These missiles were capable of carrying nuclear weapons to significantly long distances. In the year 1957 it was showed by the Soviet Union that they had developed missiles that could reach any part of the world alongside the launch of its satellite Sputnik and this representation spurred a fear of nuclear attack all over the globe. Soon afterwards, US also launched their satellite. The outlook of this space race was for exploration and education but actually the technology was being developed only to assist both these nations in making their nuclear warheads more and more effective. All these developments, both in nuclear warheads and space technology, had a significant impact on the world and they caused a number of changes in international relations. The impact on the culture also followed these developments (Hoffmann, 2010). Impact on Culture and Politics The Cold War and the arms race had such an impact on the culture and politics of the United States that its signs can still be observed in the popular culture. The impact on culture escalated specifically due to the defined values held by both the United States and the Soviet Union. The US represented capitalism and democracy while on the other hand the Soviet Union represented communism and authoritarianism. Impact on Culture One of the aspects of the Cold War and the arms race was the cultural battle between the US and the Soviet Union. National security agencies used the cultural aspects of the US as a propaganda tool and encouraged its media to produce anticommunist movies and shows. Such movies sparked patriotism among the people of the US and they encouraged capitalism. The culture of the US absorbed this impact and soon it reflected the anticommunist sentiments. These anticommunist sentiments turned out to be destructive when the hatred for the communists grew stronger and a number of people were accused of being communists on the basis of very weak evidence. Such people were blacklisted, fired and their civil rights were violated based merely on the claims that they were communists. However, some of the aspects of the cultural conflict between both the nations turned out positive for the US when laws were passed banning discrimination. Since the US was supporting democracy and capitalism, it was bound to provide equal opportunities to all its citizens therefore a number of legitimate actions were taken that helped in elimination of discrimination in the US to a significant extent. According to Halliwell (2007), the only impact the Cold War had on American culture was in the 1950s but this argument can be easily questioned in the wake of a number of factors that represent the influence of the Cold War and the arms race in this age. Impact on Foreign Policies In the Korean and Vietnam wars, both these nations supported their proxies in the name of defending each other’s agendas however these wars did not impact the US policies as much as the Cold War did. The Cold War had long lasting impact on the domestic and foreign policy of the US along with the culture and the economy. The United States supported those countries that shared its views regarding capitalism. Thus the US modified its foreign policy in such a way that it represented anticommunist sentiment as it showed a negative relationship towards those countries that supported communism. Impact on Entertainment Industry The entertainment industry was used as a tool by the national security agencies to produce movies that promoted capitalism and that created an anticommunist sentiment. Even after the end of the Cold War, it can be observed that there are a number of movies that are based on the themes of arms race and the Cold War. A number of movies show that there are Russian agents infiltrating the national security agencies in the US or that nuclear attacks are being planned by the Russian authorities on the US. Such themes clearly reflect the thinking and culture that was developed during the Cold War and it can be inferred that even after the end of the Cold War, the culture has absorbed the developments that took place during that era. Conclusion It can be concluded that the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union resulted in a number of political, cultural and economical conflicts and it spurred the arms race as well. Significant developments in the production of nuclear warheads were made by both the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. All these conflicts and propagandas had significant impact on the culture of the United States and the biggest impact was the creation of the anticommunist sentiment among the people of the US. The cultural themes relating to the era of the Cold War can still be observed in the movies and the popular culture. Works Cited Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print. Halliwell, Martin. American Culture in the 1950s. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. Print. Hoffman, David. The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War, Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy. Knopf Double Day Publishing Group, 2010. Print. Sakwa, Richard. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. New York, NY: Routledge, 1999. Print. Read More