The Cold War Era
Cuban Missile Crisis
➢ Cuba was an ally the Soviet union and received diplomatic and financial aid from it. in April 1961,leaders of USSR were worried that the united states of America would invade communist-ruled Cuba and overthrow its President Fidel Castro.
➢ In 1962 the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev ,placed nuclear missiles in Cuba for converting it into a Russian base.
➢ Three weeks later, Americans became aware of it .The US President John F .Kennedy and his advisers tried to find a solutions to avoid full-scale nuclear war. But they were determined to get Khrushchev to remove the missiles and nuclear weapons from Cuba.
➢ Kennedy ordered American warships to intercept any Soviet ship heading to Cuba as a way of warming the USSR. This clash between the USA and the USSR came to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. it made the whole world nervous .
➢ The Cuban Missile Crisis was high point which came to be Known as the Cold War . it refers to competition, the tensions and a series of confrontations between the United States and Soviet Union.
Cold War
➢ The Cold War the war of ideologies. The US followed the liberal democracy and capitalism while the USSR backed the ideologies of socialism and communism .
➢ The Second World War (1939-1945) came to an end with the defeat to the Axis powers led by Germany, Italy and Japan by allied forces led by US Soviet Union, Britain and France.
➢ It marked the beginning of the Cold War ended when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, causing Japan to surrender.
➢ But the Cold War inspite of being an from of rivalry between great powers, remained a (cold) and not hot or shooting war. It was due the “logic of deterrence”
➢ The two superpowers and their were expected to behave as rational and responsible actors.
The Emergence of Two Power Blocs
• The two superpowers i-e. the US and USSR wanted to expand their spheres of influence in different part of the world. Hence, they decided to take help of the smaller countries.
• These smallest states got the promise of protection, weapons and mostly regional neighbours.
• The first division took place in Europe. Most countries of Western Europe sided with the US and thus, came to be “Western alliance”
• The Western alliance Formed itself into an organisation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It came into existence in April, 1949 with twelve states.
• The NATO declared that armed attack on any one of them in Europe or north American would be regarded as an attack on all of them.
• The smallest countries were of more help to the superpowers because they were the means to gain vital resources such as oil and minerals; locations to spy each other and to launch weapons.
Arenas of the cold war
➢ The arenas of the Cold War to arenas where crisis and war occurred or threatened to occur between the alliance systems but did not cross certain limits.
➢ The Cold War was also responsible for several shooting wars.
➢ The two superpowers were poised for direct encounter in Korea (1950-53), Berlin (1958-62), the Congo and in several other places.
➢ The US and USSR Decided to collaborate in limiting or eliminating certain kind of nuclear and nonnuclear weapons.
➢ The two sides signed three significant agreements within a decade, these were;
1.Limited test ban Treaty (LTBT)
2.Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
3.Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT)
Challenge to bipolarity
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) offered the newly decolonised countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America a third option i.e. not to join any of the alliance.
• NAM was founded by three-
Leaders –Yugoslavia s Josip Tito, India ’s Jawaharlal Nehru and Egypt” s Sukarno and Ghana “s Kwame Nkrumah strongly supported them. The First NAM summit was held in 1961 at Belgrade
Non- Alignment neither means isolationism nor neutrality. It played a role in mediating between the two alliances.
New International Economic Order –
• The challenge for the newly decolonised countries was to become more developed economically and to lift their people out of poverty . The idea of a new International Economic order (NIEO) Origination with this realisation.
• The nature of Non –Alignment changed to give greater important to economic issued. As a result N A M become an economic pressure group.
India and the cold war
India followed a two way policy regarding the Cold War. It did not join any of the alliance and raised voice against the newly Decolonised countries becoming part of these alliance
• The policy of India was note ‘fleeing away’ was in favour of actively intervening in world affairs to soften Cold War rivalries.
• India’s policy of Non-Alignment was criticised on a number of counts. But still it has become both as an international movement and a core of India ‘s foreign policy.
2 Mark questions -
1. Which two objectives Jawaharlal Nehru wished to achieve through the strategy of Non- Alignment ?
Ans- The two objective Jawaharlal Nehru wished to achieve through the strategy of Non-Alignment were;
I. To equip India to take a firm stand on international issue.
II. To enable India to balance one superpowers against the other through NAM.
2 Why was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation also called Western Alliance ?
Ans- The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was also known as Western Alliance Because most countries of Western Europe.
3. Why was the Warsaw Pact also called the ‘ Eastern Alliance’’?
Ans- The Warsaw pact was also called the ‘Eastern Alliance’ due to the alliance of ‘ Eastern Alliance’’ countries with the Soviet Union.
4. What is the full form of “SEATO”?All India 2016
Ans- The full form of “SEATO” is the south East Asian Treaty Organisation.
5 .what is meant by the Cold War? Delhi 201
Ans- The Cold War the tense relationship between the US and the USSR and their allies which emerged after the second the USSR and their which of the Cold War was due to the different ways of thinking i-e. socialism and capitalism.
6 .Name the two superpowers responsible for Cold War. When did the world become
unipolar? Delhi-2013
Ans- The USA and USSR were the two were superpowers responsible for the Cold War. The world became unipolar with the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, thus ending the bipolarity regime.
7 .when and why did India sign the twenty-years ‘Treaty of Peace and Friendship’ with the Soviet Union ?
Ans- India signed the twenty years ‘Treaty of Peace and Friendship’ with the Soviet Union in 1971 in order to counter the US-Pakistan . China axis. This treaty assumed India of Soviet support it country forced any attack.
8. Why has India refused to sign the CTBT? ALL INDIA 201
Ans - India has opposed the International treaties aimed of non-proliferation since they were selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and ligitimised the monopoly of five nuclear powers. Thus, India has reused to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
9 .What was the main objective of the New International Order? ALL INDIA 2011
Ans -The main objective of the New International Order was development of the Least Development Countries (LDC) and to lift their people out of poverty.
10 .What was New International Order? ALL INDIA 2011
ANS -New International Order was the Order aimed at the economic development of the Least Development Countries (LDC) and to lift their people out of poverty.
11.”Non-a-Aligment does not imply neutrality or equidistance” What does this statement mean ? ALL INDIA 2011
Ans -The statement means that Non-Alignment is not a policy of ”fleeing away” or being neutral from the superpowers.
12 .Mention the impact of the end of the Cold War. ALL INDIA 2011
Ans- Impact of the end of the Cold War ;
I. The hostility between the US and the USSR came to an end
II. Soviet Union was disintegrated.
III. The end of the Cold War meant “the end Bipolarity” in the world
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