POL 211 IR Final Paper
The Cold War was a conflict that lasted almost half a century between the United States and the
Soviet Union. The Cold War was only cold in the sense that the United States and Russia were
never directly at war, but not with the Cubans, Koreans, Vietnamese and others caught in the
middle. The Cold War was communism's attempt to destabilize the world of freedom, democracy
and capitalism. The Cold War was a life-or-death struggle between freedom and tyranny. The
Cold War began with Joseph Stalin, the great dictator of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin knew he
could not stand up to the armies of the free West, so he started a proxy war in an effort to
advance a communist agenda. Stalin's first target was Eastern Europe: the Baltic states of
Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, where
Stalin was stationed after World War II. World War. Joseph Stalin promised US President
Franklin Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference in 1945 that he would withdraw all forces from other
countries, but this did not happen. The Soviet Union could easily take over the governments of
countries that still had troops, and this was Stalin's impetus to continue. When Joseph Stalin
threatened Turkey and Greece, the American president had seen enough and Harry Truman
instituted the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine declared that no further expansion of the
communist empire would be allowed, triggering the Cold War. For the next five years, on four
continents, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for influence. The political tension
between the United States and the Soviet Union became apparent when Nikita Khrushchev told
the West "We will bury you!" 1956. In this article we will delve into the details of the rise and
fall of the Soviet Union.
The proxy war in the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1961, the United States tried
unsuccessfully to overthrow the new communist government in Cuba; This failed attempt
became known as the Bay of Pigs incident. This failed invasion caused Cuba to ask the Soviet
Union for help, which it fortunately did. The Soviet Union secretly deployed nuclear capabilities
to Cuba in an attempt to defend Cuba from another attack. When the United States discovered
this, John F. Kennedy announced that the US Navy would intercept all shipments to Cuba. Cuba
was not happy about this, so it spent the most dangerous 6 days of the Cold War. The United
States insisted that the missiles be removed from the island, and Cuba and the Soviet Union said
they were only used for defensive purposes. In the absence of cooperation, the United States
prepares for nuclear war, with its arsenal on standby, ready to be withdrawn at any moment. In
Washington, D.CAttorney General Robert Kennedy met secretly with Soviet Ambassador
Anatoly Dobrynin, where they reached an agreement. The deal was that the United States would
withdraw missiles from Turkey and Italy and promise never to invade Cuba again. The Soviet
Union agreed to withdraw its forces from Cuba, under the auspices of the United Nations. The
Soviet Union withdrew its missiles from Cuba and the Cuban Missile Crisis ended. Hegemony
took center stage in international relations between the two countries involved, but foreign policy
saved the day.
The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War were a direct result of our policy and operational
realism. Realism created the hostile environment that affected the world at the time, but kept the
Soviet Union and the United States in power, while advocating each other's policies and offering
their own ideas on how to run the country. Without the nuclear arsenal and capabilities to refuel
both countries at this point, one of them will inevitably fail and be taken over by the two most
powerful armed nations. The Soviet Union and the United States took a pragmatic approach to
asserting their sovereignty, which I believe was necessary. This is a classic example of a proxy
war between the United States and the Soviet Union, in which both countries were involved but
had no direct contact with each other. The Soviet Union was supposed to be a dream country
where families prospered, the class system was overthrown and citizens were equal, where
everyone lived in harmony and worked for the common good, but it was far from the Soviet
dream. Lian Cheng. The USSR was ruled by one party, and unfortunately that party was the
Communist Party. In 1924, Joseph Stalin came to power and the Soviet Union transitioned from
communism to totalitarian control. Joseph Stalin took control of the entire economy and created
collective farms. Stalin's dictatorship was no exception in political and social life, so that anyone
who spoke out against the regime was arrested or even executed. After only 29 years in power,
Joseph Stalin died in 1953, leaving the country's leadership vacant. Nikita Khrushchev and five
others came to power to lead the Soviet Union, denouncing Stalin's brutal policies. The
condemnation of what can only be described as an inhumane policy is a beacon of hope for the
people. The rulers of the Soviet Union no longer ruled under a totalitarian regime, but
communism once again took center stage in the country. In the new communist Soviet Union in
the mid-1950s, leaders turned their attention to the United States and focused on the Cold War.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union engaged in a costly arms race with the United States and
used military force until 1985 to try to suppress anti-communism in Europe. In 1985, a seasoned
communist politician, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, came to power. Gorbachev introduced
new policies that he hoped would help the Soviet Union flourish, one of which was political
openness. Mikhail put an end to all vestiges of Joseph Stalin's authoritarian rule, such as banned
books and the secret police. Gorbachev brought new hope to the Soviet Union, freeing political
prisoners, restoring freedom of speech against the government, and even giving non-communist
parties the right to vote. The second set of policies introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev was
economic restructuring. He believed that the best way to revive the stagnant economy of the
Soviet Union was to loosen government controls. During Mikhail's economic restructuring,
citizens were allowed to own businesses for the first time since the 1920s. He also encouraged
foreign investment in Soviet companies and gave people the right to protest for higher wages and
benefits. Mikhail Gorbachev's policies helped keep the economy afloat, but, in his words, "the
old order collapsed before the new order could function." As a result, rationing, food shortages,
and hunger lines were common for the Soviets. Gorbachev believed that the only way to improve
the economy depended on improving relations with the rest of the world, especially with the
United States, so Gorbachev promised to withdraw from the arms race. Mihail's policy of
non-interference had an effect on the Polish revolution of 1989. Non-communist trade unionists
reached an agreement with the communist government demanding free elections. The success of
the Polish revolution led to mostly peaceful revolts across Europe. It was Mikhail's practice of
non-interference that inspired the continuation of the independence movement of the Soviet
republics, and even the Baltic states declared their independence. In August 1991, members of a
botched military and government operation placed Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest. The
coup leaders declared a state of emergency and tanks rolled into Moscow, but were met with
resistance. Instead of this dramatic coup, Soviet citizens fought the army with human chains and
barricades to protect the Russian parliament. The coup failed three days after it began. On
December 8, Yeltsin visited Minsk, and other leaders of Belarus and Ukraine signed an
agreement to formally secede from the Soviet Union and become an independent country.
Weeks after Belarus and Ukraine declared independence, eight of the remaining nine republics
followed suit and became independent. On Christmas Day 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev announced
his resignation, saying: "We now live in a new world. The end of the Cold War, the arms race
and the absurd militarization of the country have weakened our economy, our attitudes and our
morality." The Soviet flag was removed from its position, never stolen again
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the crime rate in Russia increased, there was no
leadership, the economy soared and the Russian mafia stepped up amid the chaos, taking a
leading role.The Russian mafia struggled to survive in the communist country, but once it took
control, it grew rapidly. Not only did the collapse of the Soviet Union bring down the economic
systems and trade relations of Eastern Europe, but government infrastructure, from basic public
services to the police, largely disappeared during the collapse (In Aftermath of the Collapse of
the Soviet Union, 2017). Almost all government salaries disappeared, and when they did, former
KGB officers, policemen and Soviet soldiers entered the ranks, looking for steady work and pay.
The Russian mafia gained enormous power during this time, and criminal activity increased
under their watch. To this day, the Russian mafia is still well organized in Russia.
With the disintegration of the international political system, the theoretical dilemma facing
scholars of international political relations at the time was how to deal with a country that no
longer had a leader to represent itself or its national name. At that time, it was alarming that
specialists in international political relations had to know how to deal with the mafia. The
theoretical dilemma: Are we trying to build a relationship with the Russian mafia or deny its
dominance? Remember, this is a declining country, yes, but it has a strong military capability that
poses a threat, and that needs to be handled carefully. The collapse of the Soviet Union affected
the foreign policy of the time, as the blockade no longer made sense. The policy of containment
was introduced with the Truman Doctrine in 1947, an attempt by the United States to limit
communism to already established countries and not go further, which led to tensions between
Russia and the United States.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, we no longer need restrictions. The United States no
longer needs to recruit other countries to join the Cold War camp, so it is time to re-examine the
way we conduct international relations and find a new purpose. The new goal of US foreign
policy is to maintain US national security. Promotion of democratic values and human rights
Promotion of cooperation in foreign trade and global participation in international trade
organizations
A glance at these goals shows that they are based on cooperation with other countries, although
"maintaining the national security of the United States" implies potential competences and
conflicts. (Foreign Policy: Now What? There is also a big difference. The difference between the
Cold War and the War on Terror is that Russia did not launch any attacks on American soil. The
War on Terror began with the attacks on 9/11 on US soil In 2001, a terrorist killed 2,996 US
citizens in a well-planned attack in New York. Although the Soviet Union never attacked the
United States personally, it did kill the American military in several power wars during the Cold
War. During the Cold War, more than 30,000 Americans died in proxy conflicts, during which
the United States supported South Korea, the Soviet Union supported North Korea, and China
supported Korea from the North (June 27, 1950 AD: America Enters the Korean War | National
Geographic Society, 2022).
The outcome of the Cold War has shaped current political events, further angering the current
Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin has often spoken out against the United States
and how the Cold War gave them a false sense of superiority. As Russia emerged from the
collapse of the Soviet Union and became an active member of the international world, a new
aggression against the United States and democracy itself began. As they say, history repeats
itself. The scope of international relations is wide, and includes many countries, alliances,
religions, cultures and other components that come together to form an endless line of dialogue
that connects the world. Once completed, it will be a very beautiful dance. Appropriately.
International Relations taught me a lot and was one of the most interesting courses I took at
university. International Relations surprised me as I read for hours without knowing why the sun
was shining. Everything I learned made me ask more questions and do my own independent
research after evaluating all the subjects. From liberalism, realism and Marxism to various
economic development strategies, all the different theoretical foundations of statecraft have led
to the great success of a once struggling country like China. I learned new ways to approach the
subject and many new ways to face the same situation, which taught me that it is essential to
make a good assessment of the possible proposals and their theoretical consequences. In an
emotional situation, there is always the temptation to act quickly, but this can lead to an
emotional response. For too long we have allowed ourselves to manipulate our emotions, and
this has created a dangerous world for everyone. Keeping the lines of communication open
without electricity will help keep the peace and ensure our country doesn't get electrocuted. It
will never happen again.
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