Module VII·Article II·~2 min read
Translated Title
The Cold War and Decolonization
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Cold War: Ideology, Nuclear Balance, and Proxy Conflicts
Logic of Confrontation
The Cold War (1947–1991) was a confrontation between two superpowers, each of which claimed to hold universal truth about how to build a just society. USA: liberal democracy + market economy = freedom. USSR: communist party + planned economy = equality. Both claimed to be on the “right” side of history.
The paradox of the Cold War: there was never a direct armed conflict between the superpowers—even precisely because of nuclear weapons. Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) created “stability” by making rational use of the weapons impossible. But dozens of proxy wars in third countries took millions of lives.
Cuban Missile Crisis: 13 Days on the Edge
October 1962—humanity was closest it has ever been to nuclear war. The USSR deployed missiles in Cuba. American intelligence detected them. Kennedy demanded their removal. Soviet ships moved toward the blockade. For 13 days, the world was under the threat of nuclear apocalypse.
The crisis was resolved through secret negotiations: the USSR withdrew missiles from Cuba, the USA withdrew Jupiter missiles from Turkey (secretly). Lessons: direct talks between leaders are critically important (the hotline was established), diplomatic “de-escalation ladder” is a real tool, and both sides needed to save “face.”
Proxy Wars: From Korea to Nicaragua
Where superpowers could not fight directly—they fought through allies. Korea (1950–53): divided along the 38th parallel to this day. Vietnam: the USA invested 58 thousand lives and $843 billion (in present-day values) and still lost. Angola, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Afghanistan—in every case the logic was the same: support “your own,” regardless of their real qualities.
Afghanistan (1979–89): Soviet invasion, American support for Mujahideen (including future Taliban). After the Soviet withdrawal, the country plunged into civil war and became a base for al-Qaeda. The long-term consequences of “victory” in the Cold War turned out to be unforeseen.
Détente and the End of the Cold War
After the Cuban crisis—a gradual détente. Détente of the 1970s: SALT-1 and SALT-2 (strategic arms limitation), Helsinki Accords of 1975 (recognition of postwar borders + human rights). But the ideological confrontation did not end.
Gorbachev, who came to power in 1985, tried to reform, not replace, the system. Glasnost and perestroika opened the door to criticism, which got out of control. The fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe, the collapse of the USSR (1991)—what seemed impossible happened: one superpower simply ceased to exist.
Question for reflection: The Cold War created “zero-sum” thinking—a win for one means a loss for the other. What modern competitions (business, international relations) are actually positive-sum games, disguised as zero-sum games?
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