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THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON

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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Lesson 20
THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR
PHENOMENON
What does the Cold War refer to?
The Cold War refers to the phenomenon that overshadowed world politics from the end of WWII until the
fall of the former Soviet Union. It is one of the most significant events from the perspective of students of
international relations.
Implications of the Cold War
The term Cold War signifies the state of affairs in which bitter relations, hostility and confrontation
between the two post-WWII superpowers (US and USSR). The Cold War did not result in outbreak of war
between the superpowers.
The Cold War did result in an arms race, diplomatic confrontation, proxy warfare, ideological competition
which engulfed the entire world order. The Cold War resulted in formation of eastern and western power
blocks and corresponding alliances and institutions under the Communist and Capitalist power blocks.
The United States accused the Soviet Union of seeking to expand their version of communism throughout
the world. The Soviets, meanwhile, charged the United States with practicing imperialism and attempting to
stop revolutionary activity in other countries.
Cold War tensions increased the likelihood of a third world war, which could have led to devastating
consequences due to the possibility of nuclear conflict. The Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan were some of the violent conflicts indirectly fueled by the Cold War.
Another manifestation was in the propaganda wars between the United States and the USSR. Indeed, it was
far from certain that a global nuclear war wouldn't result from smaller regional wars, which heightened the
level of concern for each conflict. This tension shaped the lives of people around the world almost as much
as the actual fighting did.
One major hotspot of conflict was Germany, particularly the city of Berlin. Arguably, the most vivid symbol
of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall. The Wall isolated West Berlin (the portion of the city controlled by
West Germany and the Allies) from East Berlin and the territory of East Germany, which completely
surrounded it and was supported by the Soviets.
Formation of Power Blocks
The eastern (communist) power block led by the Soviets and the western (capitalists) power block by the
US also formed alliances. The communist nations were held together by the Warsaw Pact and the capitalist
power block formed NATO.
Communist Ideology and Practice
The common ownership of means of production and distribution provided the political and economic basis
for the spread of communism, based on Marx's philosophy of empowering the proletariat.
Communism in practice resulted in dominance of a single political party and centralized decision making.
The bureaucracy became the new bourgeoisie under communism in practice.
Capitalist Ideology and Practice
Capitalism is based on the notion of individual liberty and the right to own private property. At the political
level, capitalism emphasized the need for democratic government, multiparty politics, the independence of
the judiciary, and freedom of press. In practice capitalism has caused problems for minorities, growing
inequalities and arguments concerning the role of the state in managing the economy.
Relevant Vocabulary
Centralized: controls resting with the central government instead of with regional authorities
Proletariat: the working class
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Bourgeoisie: the elite
Empowering: the process of enabling a given segment of people the capacity to yield more political and
economic power
Superpower: very powerful state, like the US in the current world politics circumstances
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 6 in `"A Study of International Relations" by Dr. Sultan Khan
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
The Cold War Museum
www.coldwar.org
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell