Cold Rivalries

READ 678-681. WRITE a blog post in which you compare the rivalry of the Cold War (as outlined in the reading and in our in-class work) with other international rivalries we've studied this year.
LABEL: Your first name, cold rivalries

The rivalry of the cold war had many similarities and differences to the more traditional rivalries we studied earlier in the year. The "normal" rivalries typically consisted of dissent between adjacent nations, an arms race of some sort, perhaps a fortification of borders, and maybe even an attack. In this sense, the cold war was both traditional and not at the same time.
As most people know, the cold was was a major nuclear arms race between America and the Soviet Union. This type of arms race leading up t a war is completely normal, but in this case the arms race pretty much was the war. It was this nuclear presence that set the cold war so far apart from others. Because the US and Russia were across the seas from each other, the fortifications occurred in other countries in Europe, which was very unusual. And instead or making defenses for their own country, each side simply pointed progressively more nuclear weapons at the other side. The long range of the weapons was what created and international panic: now even countries on the other side of the world were a serious threat.
The "war" was the result in a difference of two ideals, those of communism and those of capitalism. This kind of cause is normal, although the two sides were not. While sometimes fighting may break out on one side of the argument, the communists weren't even CLOSE to unified, which is highly unusual for a war, and especially ironic, as the point of communism is everyone working together for a better future.
While you could argue that actually engaging is battle is not necessary for war, it seems that a term like "contretemps" may better fit the cold war.


Note: I am not trying to say the cold war wasn't an issue; I understand that it was very close to being World War III, and quite possibly the end of life in Russia and America, but I'm not sure it fits the definition o a war.

Connections With the Cold War

I just read about the emergence of the United States as a global superpower from 1945-1975. The United States's political influence was everywhere in its attempts to stop the spread of communism during the Cold War, its economy was booming and, perhaps most importantly, the US's culture spread to many countries around the world. At the same time Communism was at its peak from the 1950s-1970s. Despite internal problems like the death and denunciation of Stalin, the revealing suppression of individual movements, and squabbles between China and the Soviet Union, communism was just as influential globally as American democracy and capitalism.

"Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it." A famous quote about history whose author fails me. The United States and the Soviet Union during the years after World War II almost came to a nuclear war in a clear repeat of the rivalry between European nations in the years leading up to World War I.

The Industrial Revolution and the advanced technology Europe possessed allowed countries like Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia to emerge as the more powerful countries in the world. But the new power also came with an insatiable desire for more power and the countries engaged in an arms race. Tensions between these countries about weapons along with many other factors exploded and led to the Great War where millions of citizens were killed.

A very similar chain of events occurred between the international rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Both were powerful after defeating the Germans in World War II. Both countries wanted to be more powerful than the other and went to great lengths to assert themselves. Just like the great arms race leading up to World War I, the US and the USSR built up their military capability, to the nth degree because this time nuclear weapons were being built. The principal difference was that these tensions resulted in a World War with many countries being involved. Many countries were involved in the struggle between the two global superpowers, but luckily an actual war was avoided. Narrowly avoided.

Cold War

The Cold War somewhat relates to pre World War 1. Before World War 1 started there was a lot of focus on building up a army. In fact everyone in Europe was looking to have a war. Everyone wanted the latest and greatest war productions. Because everyones focus was mainly on building up their army, it relates to the Cold War because it was all talk. What I mean is that between the Soviet Union and the United states there was the continuing of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II. Like Pre-WWI everyone was ready to get into another war because they wanted to show off how great they were. Tension like this happens in history due to the urge to demonstrate their countries strength. 

Friends and Foes

Rivalries during the Cold War mirror rivalries that we have seen all through history. During the Cold War, (which mainly consisted of a bunch of countries growling at each other) tensions were running high between not only the West and East, but between communist groups themselves. The tensions between the East and the West resembled tensions between almost all European countries just before WWI. No one wanted to be the one to provoke a fight, but both sides were bent on being stronger and more well-equiped than the other. They were also both tangled up with alliances and complicated political divisions. The difference here is that while the assassination in Serbia was the final straw which started WWI, the Cold War never escalated to that level. Instead, the countries managed to negotiate their way out of a possible nuclear war.

Cold War Rivalries

Rather than a traditional war in which one country's military is directly pitted against another or even the morphed trench warfare of the first world war, the Cold War was a war that took place on all other fronts. Primarily consisting of the rivalry between the USSR and the United States, each country aimed to spread it's ideals - the battle between democracy and communism. In addition, the constant threat of nuclear warfare emphasized the "cold" nature of the war. While the tensions were always high, it was truly the rivalry that defined the war.

The mounting pre-WWI tensions in Europe were very similar to those of the Cold War. For years, the Central Powers were striving for imperialistic domination over its surrounding nations. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the chain of retribution by allies and rivals illustrated that competition between nations could result in the immediate snapping of national tensions. It could be said that Ming Dynasty China's competition between itself and the rest of the world was a sort of rivalry. At a point, China decided to shut itself off to foreign influence because it believed that, due to technological and cultural advancement, it was so advanced of a society that no other nation could possibly be better than it. Similarly, the US and Russia both struggled to prove themselves more advanced in a war based on national superiority. After the self-fueled Meiji Restoration and the corresponding surge in nationalism in Japan, Japan believed itself superior to China. Japan invaded China many times, culminating in the Rape of Nanking, in which the Japanese captured the Chinese capital of Nanking, slaughtered its people, and raped its women. Unlike the rivalry between the US and Russia, Japan had a significant advantage over China, and while building tensions played a factor, their wars were based on physical decimation of the enemy.

Cold vs. Lukewarm

The Cold War between the US and USSR evolved out of advancement in technology, colonization, and the spread of communism. The US had a reputation of wealth, rich culture, thriving economy, and having a "hip" taste for life in general. The USSR, on the other hand (and on the other side of the world), suffered from devastating WWII losses and economic turmoil. This vast difference in state helped develop the tension and jealousy of the Cold War. Although, the US and USSR never formally engaged in direct warfare during the war, the hostilities and tensions of this rivalry were released in other locations around the globe. For instance, colonies in Africa, some one the verge of communism, experienced violence as a result of the Cold War. Overall, the US acted as a worldwide anti- communist police force, while simultaneously battling an atomic bomb threat war with the USSR.

However, the rivalry of the Cold War is not a first timer. Numerous international rivalries have occurred in history that display a similar kind of hostility, such as Japan and China. Japan had started to evolve technologically, economically, and culturally. As a result of these advancements, Japan developed a strong military, a successful economy, and a superior sense of nationalism. Japan's "new self" expanded and also started to invade China literally and figuratively. Japan became more of a threat, adding tension between the two eastern Asian superpowers. Soon enough, in WWII, Japan physically invaded parts of China, letting loose the long-time tension. In comparison to the Cold War, the Japan-China conflict can be considered the Lukewarm War, since physical invasion eventually took place. The Cold War, however, remains the only true example of its own genre: a continuous string of offense, defense, threats, arms racing, and overall confusion.

It's not a hot war without guns.

The cold was was very different from other wars we've seen in history for one simple reason: in other wars, you try to take down the enemy's people. In the cold war, countries tried to build up their own people. While it may seem like it amounts to the same thing, it really is quite different because there was not an emphasis on who had more powerful weapons or who had a stronger military. It was who could attract more people to their side and way of government. That being said, strength in numbers is the idea behind every war, the cold war just took a different approach.

Personally I think it was smart that the USSR and the US really took some time to think about what would happen if they started firing weapons. They knew that one gunshot would lead to a bomb which would lead to a nuclear bomb. And after two world wars in one generation, starting a nuclear war would just be pretty stupid.

Comparing Cold War Rivalries to Other International Rivalries

The Cold War was ridiculous. It was a war of propaganda and stealth as opposed to a physical beat-down. The Cold War was similar to an internet cat-fight; the objective of each side was to tarnish the other sides reputation through propaganda and the support of other countries. If you were looking for a true, hate-filled rivalry, then just look at Japan and China. Those two countries genuinely despise each other and their not subtle about it. For example, the Japanese invaded China then proceeded to rape and murder more than 200,000 innocent people in what is referred to as the rape of nanking. There no rape of anything during the cold war, just empty threats and rumors. Overall, compared to other gruesome international rivalries, the Cold War seems insignificant.

Cold Rivalries

The Cold War was a not a war of bombs and guns, but a war of politics between rivaling countries. The USSR and the USA were two of the main players in the Cold War. The USSR established it's position of power in a very similar way to Germany at the start of WWII. It gained power over it's neighboring countries with treaties and kept them in check and subservient with force. This rise to power caught the USA's attention and raised tensions between the two countries. It also raised tensions with the Chinese, who also had joined the race for nuclear power. All three countries were jockeying for political and technological power.

A moment in history that the cold war brings us back to is the huge leaps in technology that came out of WWI. Both instances show how conflict is what really motivates countries to improve upon their technology. There is always a constant sizzle of innovation in the background of history, but it only really boils over when major powers go to war. In WWI we saw huge innovations in airplanes, bombs (including chlorine and mustard gas bombs), and weaponry in general. Again, in the cold war we see huge improvements in nuclear technology, all in effort to get ahead of rivaling countries.

Stone Cold Rivalries

The Cold War was a useless war that used propaganda to scare the enemy. It really shouldn't even be considered a war because there was not fighting, just threats. The Soviet Union and the USA did not like each other, though they were allies during World War 2, tried to create weapons to out do the opposition. Some of the time, this wasn't even true. These weapons were only used as threats and never actually used against the other side. It was a war of propaganda and nothing more. This rivalry is nothing compared to that of Germany and Russia, China and Japan, and Britain and France. These countries were rivals for a long time, and they actually got in physical conflicts with one another. Japan grew economically and with innovation and later invaded China and sparked a long standing rivalry between two eastern powers. In almost every war, Germany and Russia always fought against each other such as in World War 1 and World War 2. Britain and France was a huge rivalry in medieval times as they kept fighting to claim the crown of biggest superpower of Europe. One thing that makes these rivalries different from that of USA and USSR is geography. The aforementioned pairs were located near each other whereas the USA and USSR were located on opposite sides of a war. It is easier to sustain a rivalry when the two sides see each other a lot more.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Though the main rivalry of the Cold War was that between the West and the East, or more specifically, the United States and the USSR, there were many other important ones that can be related to those that we studied previously. The tensions between countries in this time are most easily connected to those directly before World War II. In this metaphor, the USSR takes the place of Germany. As Germany did, the USSR allied itself with several countries over the course of its rising power. When these countries were no longer needed or put up rebellion, however, they were invaded in spite of agreements otherwise. Specifically, I relate the peace agreement between Germany, Britain, and France to that between Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the USSR. The USSR's rivalry with other communist states can be related to the contention between differences between fascist nations, namely Germany and Italy. Despite having the same beliefs on government, cultural and geographical opposition between the USSR, China, and Vietnam caused dispute and brought threats of nuclear war (like fascist Japan and the United States). Though the latter pair never made it to the stage of blows, the inevitability of an eventual war between the two had they kept their power was great. So while different countries participated in each of these conflicts, this history is still one that reoccurs.

They're like siblings....but countries. YAY RIVALRIES!!

The rivalry of the Cold War resemble the pre- World War I rivalries between the major European powers. During the Cold War, America, China, and the Soviet Union were all up at arms about the nuclear crisis and each country had a different view on the matter. Though America was primarily against the use of nuclear weapons, it still made the point very clear that they would not be afraid to fight back if nuclear war ensued. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, saw almost no problem with using the weapons to start war if they had to (though in the end it was them that backed down). The worst of all was China, who saw no problem in the use of weapons and went as far as to criticize the USSR for backing down. And while this missile crisis was going on, each country, the USSR and the US in particular, were building up their armies so that they could be on top at all times. This resembles the German mindset during World War I. Germany was so set on being the best country that they fortified they spent all of their money fortifying their army. Even further, after World War I Hitler still tried to keep their army strong so that he could win.

Though the conflict inside of the Soviet Union between the communists and the rebels was not an international conflict per se, it still resembles the conflict between colonial countries in Africa and their European counterparts. During Cold War times in Russia, small bands of rebels in Hungary and Czechoslovakia were crushed quickly by the communist leaders of the USSR because they were scared of what could happen. This is very similar to the rebel movements in the African colonies that were quickly squashed because the Europeans were scared of losing control.

Brrr. It's Cold in Here.

Like many things in history, the Cold war is similar to previous international conflict. Parallels can bee seen in both world wars, as well as in ancient China.

The cold war is similar to World War I because there were many invasions. In WWI, it was a chain reaction of invasions that eventually lead to an international conflict. During the time of the cold war, China went to war against Vietnam, who then invaded Vietnam. Also, the Soviet Union invaded many countries, like Czechoslovakia and Hungary who were their supposed allies. This part of the cold war parallel the Manchu takeover of China. The Manchu kept control of the Ming Dynasty by force, like the Soviet Union kept control of it's invaded states.

There are also many similarities between the cold war and World War II. In each situation, technology played a major role. In World War II, whoever had the newest technology had the clear advantage in the war. Although no bombs or weapons were used in the cold war, technology still played an important part. Whoever had the most powerful nuclear weapons had the advantage.