Determine why the Cold War ended so quickly. Touch on at least two of the following areas: social to include both religion and education, political, economic, cultural and global forces.
Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union that had been going on ever since the end of the Second World War lasted for decades and involved all of the spheres of the life in these two countries. The United States and the Soviet Union used to be allies in the times of the World War II, these two massive and powerful states never engaged into any kind of confrontation through their histories. At the end of 1940s the world was too scared of another all-consuming conflict. The most influential powers of the world were trying to avoid an eruption of a new armed confrontation that could lead to the third war; this tension gradually grew and led to the mutual suspicions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both sides accused each other of having imperialistic moods and attempts of increasing their influence on the rest of the world. That was the beginning of the Cold War. The end of it was very brief. The confrontation that was developing for decades stopped its existing within just a couple of years. This happened because of several important economical and political factors that appeared all at the same time.
The economical factors that contributed to the ending of the Cold War were the serious financial issues the Soviet Union was going through due to the expenses of the arms race that were escalating very quickly.
- The country was devastated by the race; most of its resources were directed at sponsoring the production of weapons. Another serious factor that influenced the economical situation in the Soviet Union of that time was the war in Afghanistan, which lasted for nine years and by the end of the 1980s exhausted the financial costs that could be used for its further support. The Union no longer had the proper economy to support its influence in the countries of Eastern Europe; this is why the Eastern Bloc started to fall apart gradually. The Hungarian leaders removed the border separating them from the West of Europe, and the Soviet Union did not react to his event. This is the political factor that caused the weakening of the Soviet power and the loss of its influence. One of the main symbols of the reduction of Soviet authority in Europe was the fall of Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany that happened in 1989 (Cold War: A Brief History, par.
- That year is also known for massive uprisings in the majority of Eastern European countries, the nations demanded independence and the leaders were powerless against such global moods and movements. In 1990 the republics that were included into the Soviet Union one by one started to declare their independence. The territory of the Soviet Union was shrinking rapidly. Finally, in 1991 the Union fell apart completely and stopped its existing. This was the official end of the Cold War that lasted for forty five years.
The rapid ending of the Cold War was caused by multiple factors that hit together and at the same time. The Soviet Union could not last under the growing social, economical, political and cultural pressure and other global forces, it was torn apart within a couple of years and this put the ending to the Cold War with the United States.
Works Cited
Cold War: A Brief History. Atomic Archive. 2013. Web.
The End of the Cold War.American History. 2000. Web.