How did the cold war affect Western Society and the Decolonization process in the 1950s & 1960s

Cold War Effects on Western Society and Decolonization

The Cold War was often referred to as the period of elusive peace As such , the Cold War can be characterized by a series of indirect confrontation between the two world superpowers in this era , the United States of America and the Soviet Union . This is described as a territorial conflict escalated by competing ideological backgrounds - United States being an agent of globalization and capitalism while the Soviet Union pushing to spread communism in the area (Nosotro , n .d

Sustaining the cold war

had been a very costly stage for the United States and the Soviet Union , for both had participated in an arms race ' which was highlighted by the competition between the two states in developing more sophisticated weapons and armaments , while developing advanced military forces . For both United States and Soviet Union government spending was directed towards funding this war . As such economies and the social service sector in both states suffered severely (Kishlansky , 2005 . The United States spending for the war caused them to lessen the spending on other domestic needs while the Soviet Union also experienced chromic economic slow down and instability , which greatly contributed to the weakening the In line with this , the Cold War also prompted for proxy wars which involved other states in the process . These proxy wars forced U .S and Soviet allies in the middle of the war . As such , countries in Asia Africa , Latin America and the rest of the European block became rather involved in the war . In addition to the military and political assaults made by the two world superpowers against each other 's allies , economic manipulation also took place which greatly affected the countries being unwillingly pushed in the middle of the war . Economic embargoes had been pushed which left a distinct impact in the economies of the countries in the west . And eventually at the end of the war , the Marshall Plan was also used to erase the distinct influence of the communist Soviet in Europe (Nosotro , n .d

One of the most important trace of the cold war is the decolonization process that most of weaker countries and former colonies had undergone Decolonization literally meant declaration of independence from the status of being former allies and colonies . Consequently , the series of decolonization met during the cold war added to the unrest and shifted the conflicts towards Asia , Middle East , Latin America and Africa ( The Elusive Peace The Cold War ' 1992 . Decolonization was used by both U .S and Soviet as a tool in influencing former colonies to take sides with them by handing out grants in forms of military and financial aids . Both world superpowers used their influence in to impose and attract independent countries in embracing the either communism or capitalism (Nosotro , n .d

References

Kishlansky , M (2005 ) Civilization in the West , Volume C (since 1789 7th edition

Nosotro , R (n .d . The cold war . Hyperhistory . Retrieved August 9 , 2008 from http /www .hyperhistory .net...