The Cold War as a Turning Point in History Essay

Introduction

The history of mankind is rich in events that have become a point of no return for the entire public and the world. Of particular importance in this process were the wars and the next moments that followed them. Hence, since 1945, one of the brightest turning points in history has been the invasion of the Middle East by America and the USSR in the end of the 20^th century. The result of these actions was the emergence of such a historiographic intervention as the refugee crisis, which increased concern about the problem of terrorism and the victimization of refugees. These two aspects will be studied in this paper and analyzed with the help of scholarly sources that assisted in shaping the arguments.

The Cold War in the World History

It is worth noting that when analyzing primary sources, the current study concluded that they had undergone some changes. Therefore, the more scientific works moved away from the actual time of the events that were analyzed and described, the more detailed they became. Perhaps this is due to the fact that over time, restrictions on what could be said about the problem under discussion were removed. Hence, a more significant number of points of view of historical figures and people who were direct participants in the events began to appear.

Thus, one of the main events that became the subject of public discussion and concern of the world community was the actions of the United States of America and Russia in relation to the Middle East. Many viewed this as a Cold War between rival countries, which entailed destabilized the regions that were affected by the powers. The ideologies of Russia and America played a unique role in this process, which formed the characteristics of the interventions being conducted. Sources note, “During the Cold War, American symbols– the free market, anti-communism, fear of state power, faith in technology – had teleological functions: what is America today will be the world tomorrow”¹. At the same time, it is emphasized that at that time, the United States perceived its foreign policy based on the belief in the essential role of its democratic republic in influencing the world.

On the other hand, the leading player in this process was Russia, or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was also characterized by its own particular ideology. Thus, “Soviet elites denied the market,” “communism was the higher stage of modernity,” and they “placed the liberation of the productive potential of the people at the core of the political process”². As America, this country puts the welfare of humanity in the top place while neglecting the concepts of identity and nation. Therefore, the clash of interests and worldviews of countries and the attitude towards the introduction of their forces into the Third World entailed severe consequences.

Thus, the strained relations between the countries and the desire to master the Third World countries have caused such phenomena as Islamic defiance, the Iranian Revolution, and interventions in Afghanistan. This was influenced by the spread of Islamism in both Iran and Afghanistan, which “helped to destroy the modernization enterprises of the regimes”³. Representatives of this movement engaged in the establishment of a caliphate to replace that which had been destroyed by Western imperialism. Due to the constant opposition from the USSR and the United States, which tried to bring their ideology to the mentioned lands, Islamism turned into a kind of left-wing revolutionism, becoming an underground organization for the fight against countries.

Moreover, the Cold War between the two powers resulted in the Iranian Revolution, which contributed to the refugee crisis in Europe that happened latter. Unwilling to submit to Russia and America, people held demonstrations and staged violent riots, which had severe consequences⁴. Moreover, these circumstances contributed to the further spread and strengthening of Islamism. In addition, the Soviet Union intervened in support of the communist Afghanistan government and clashed with Muslim guerrillas, whose resentment of USSR land and social reforms⁵. All these events caused civil war, economic hardship, and the repressive Islamist regime.

USSR had several negative consequences for both sides. Thus, it has suffered significant financial and resource losses. The current situation in the country affected the fall of the Soviet Union. In turn, the United States began to pay more attention to nuclear weapons and tried to limit the protests and unrest that arose⁶. One of the severe consequences was the spread of terrorism, which posed a danger to the community.

During all these events, the phenomenon of migration of people to the United States of America and European countries from oppressed countries became relevant. Thus, the concept of the refugee crisis appeared, and nationalist and white supremacy sentiments in society began to spread⁷. The influx of people who wanted to leave their homes for a better life was not positively assessed by all Americans and Europeans. Furthermore, the result was a change in the representation and vision of people, especially from countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq. Thus, the media narrative involved hydrophobic metaphors of floods and waves of immigrants that pose economic, social, & security threats to developed countries⁸. On the other hand, more radical residents viewed the flow of refugees as potential terrorists or victims of a brutal regime.

The changes that have taken place in the world have led to a reshaping of the understanding of what refugees are. Thus, more and more people viewed them as “not villains, not victims, but full-fledged, autonomous individuals that shouldn’t be boiled down to a single stereotype”⁹. In the future, the prejudice about their insecurity and unreliability will be fixed for people moving to European countries and American states. On the other hand, many people feel sorry for these people and only want to help.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this work considered how historical events that have occurred in the world can negatively affect society. Thus, the Cold War and the confrontation of the United States of America against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to exert more significant influence on the Middle East became the cause of the refugee crisis. This phenomenon occurred due to the fact that in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, people were not satisfied with the situation and the desired the powers to instill their own faith and order in their territory. This circumstance led to a civil war and multiple confrontations. Therefore, people began to leave their homes and move to America and Europe, which was not always met positively. The spread of migrants influenced the reshaping of understanding and understanding of what the refugees were.

References

Menashri, D. (2019). The Iranian revolution and the Muslim world. Routledge.

Siddiqui, A. J., & Butt, D. K. M. (2020). Afghanistan-Soviet relations during the Cold War: a threat for South Asian peace. South Asian Studies, 29(2).

Smets, K., Mazzocchetti, J., Gerstmans, L., & Mostmans, L. (2019). Beyond victimhood: Reflecting on migrant-victim representations with Afghan, Iraqi, and Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in Belgium. Images of Immigrants and Refugees in Western Europe, 177-198.

Taylor, I. (2012). The struggle for modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1967-1970.The Round Table, 101, 381 – 383.

Westad, O.A. (2005). The global Cold War: Third World interventions and the making of our times. Cambridge University Press.

Footnotes

1. Westad, O.A. (2005). The global Cold War: Third World interventions and the making of our times. Cambridge University Press.
2. Westad, O.A. (2005). The global Cold War: Third World interventions and the making of our times. Cambridge University Press.
3. Westad, O.A. (2005). The global Cold War: Third World interventions and the making of our times. Cambridge University Press.
4. Menashri, D. (2019). The Iranian revolution and the Muslim world. Routledge.
5. Siddiqui, A. J., & Butt, D. K. M. (2020). Afghanistan-Soviet relations during the Cold War: a threat for South Asian peace. South Asian Studies, 29(2).
6. Siracusa, J. (2020). Nuclear weapons: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
7. Smets, K., Mazzocchetti, J., Gerstmans, L., & Mostmans, L. (2019). Beyond victimhood: Reflecting on migrant-victim representations with Afghan, Iraqi, and Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in Belgium. Images of Immigrants and Refugees in Western Europe, 177-198.
8. Taylor, I. (2012). The struggle for modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1967-1970. The Round Table, 101, 381 – 383.
9. Smets, K., Mazzocchetti, J., Gerstmans, L., & Mostmans, L. (2019). Beyond victimhood: Reflecting on migrant-victim representations with Afghan, Iraqi, and Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in Belgium. Images of Immigrants and Refugees in Western Europe, 177-198.