cold war- a period of confrontation between the USSR and the USA. The peculiarity of this conflict lies in the fact that it took place without a direct military clash between the opponents. The causes of the Cold War were ideological and ideological differences.
She seemed to be "peaceful". There were even diplomatic relations between the parties. But there was a quiet rivalry. It affected all areas - this is the presentation of films, literature, and the creation of the latest weapons, and the economy.
It is believed that the USSR and the USA were in a state of cold war from 1946 to 1991. This means that the confrontation began immediately after the end of the Second World War and ended with the collapse Soviet Union. All these years, each country sought to defeat the other - this is how the presentation of both states to the world looked like.
Both the USSR and America sought the support of other states. States enjoyed sympathy from Western European countries. The Soviet Union was popular with Latin American and Asian states.
The Cold War divided the world into two camps. Only a few remained neutral (perhaps three countries, including Switzerland). However, some even single out three sides, referring to China.
Political map of the Cold War world 
Political map of Europe during the Cold War
The most acute moments in this period were the Caribbean and Berlin crises. From their start political processes in the world have deteriorated significantly. The world was threatened even with a nuclear war - it was hardly avoided.
One of the features of the confrontation is the desire of the superpowers to overtake each other in various fields, which included military technology and weapons of mass destruction. It was called an "arms race". There was also competition in the field of propaganda in the media, in science, sports, and culture.
In addition, it is worth mentioning the total espionage of the two states against each other. In addition, many conflicts took place on the territories of other countries. For example, the United States installed missiles in Turkey and Western European countries, and the USSR in Latin American states.
The course of the conflict
The competition between the USSR and America could develop into the Third World War. Three world wars in one century is hard to imagine, but it could have happened many times. We list the main stages and milestones of the rivalry - the table below:
| the date | Event | Results |
| 1949 | Appearance atomic bomb from the Soviet Union | Achieving nuclear parity between adversaries. |
| Formation of the military-political organization NATO (from Western countries). | Exists to this day | |
| 1950 – 1953 | Korean War. It was the first "hot spot". The USSR helped the Korean communists with specialists and military equipment. | As a result, Korea was divided into two different states - the pro-Soviet North and the pro-American South. |
| 1955 | Creation of the military-political Organization of the Warsaw Pact - the Eastern European bloc of socialist countries, which was headed by the Soviet Union | Equilibrium in the military-political sphere, but today there is no such bloc |
| 1962 | Caribbean crisis. The USSR installed its own missiles in Cuba, close to the United States. The Americans demanded to dismantle the missiles - they were refused. Missiles from both sides put on alert | It was possible to avoid war thanks to a compromise, when the Soviet state removed the missiles from Cuba, and America from Turkey. In the future, the Soviet Union ideologically and materially supported the poor countries, their national liberation movements. The Americans supported pro-Western regimes under the guise of democratization. |
| From 1964 to 1975 | The Vietnam War, unleashed by the United States, continued. | Vietnam victory |
| Second half of the 1970s | The tension eased. Negotiations began. | Establishment of cultural and economic cooperation between the states of the eastern and western blocs. |
| Late 1970s | The period was marked by a new breakthrough in the arms race. Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. | New aggravation of relations. |
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union began perestroika, and in 1991 it collapsed. As a result, the entire socialist system was defeated. This is how the end of a long-term confrontation that affected all countries of the world looked like.
Reasons for rivalry
When the second World War ended, the USSR and America felt like winners. The question arose of a new world order. At the same time, political and economic systems and the ideologies of both states were opposite.
The doctrine of the United States was to "save" the world from the Soviet Union and communism, and the Soviet side sought to build communism throughout the globe. These were the main prerequisites for the emergence of the conflict.
Many experts consider this conflict artificial. It's just that every ideology needed an enemy - both America and the Soviet Union. Interestingly, both sides were afraid of the mythical “Russian/American enemies”, while seemingly having nothing against the population of the enemy country.
The culprits of the conflict can be called the ambitions of leaders and ideology. It took place in the form of local wars– “hot spots”. Let's take a look at some of them.
Korean War (1950-1953)
The story began with the liberation of the Red Army and the American military of the Korean Peninsula from the Japanese armed forces. Korea has already been divided into two parts - so the prerequisites for future events have arisen.
In the northern part of the country, power was in the hands of the communists, and in the south - the military. The former were pro-Soviet forces, the latter were pro-American. However, in fact, there were three interested parties - China gradually intervened in the situation.
Destroyed tank 
Soldiers in the trenches 
Detachment evacuation 
shooting training 
Korean boy on the road of death 
City defense
Two republics were formed. The state of the communists became known as the DPRK (in full - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and the military founded the Republic of Korea. At the same time, there were thoughts about the unification of the country.
The year 1950 was marked by the arrival of Kim Il Sung (the leader of the DPRK) in Moscow, where he was promised the support of the Soviet government. Chinese leader Mao Zedong also believed that South Korea should be annexed by military means.
Kim Il Sung - leader North Korea
As a result, on June 25 of the same year, the DPRK army went to South Korea. Within three days, she managed to take Seoul, the South Korean capital. After that, the offensive operation was slower, although in September the North Koreans already almost completely controlled the peninsula.
However, the final victory did not take place. The United Nations Security Council voted to send an international military contingent to South Korea. The solution was implemented in September when the Americans came to the Korean Peninsula.
It was they who launched the strongest offensive from the territories that were still controlled by the army of Lee Syngman, the leader South Korea. At the same time, troops landed on the West Coast. The US military took Seoul and even crossed the 38th parallel, advancing on the DPRK.
Lee Seung-man - leader of South Korea
North Korea was threatened with defeat, but China helped it. His government sent "People's Volunteers", that is, soldiers, to help the DPRK. A million Chinese soldiers began to fight the Americans - this led to the alignment of the front along the original borders (38th parallel).
The war lasted three years. In 1950, several Soviet aviation divisions came to the aid of the DPRK. It is worth saying that American technology was more powerful than Chinese - the Chinese had heavy losses.
The truce came after three years war - 07/27/1953. As a result, North Korea continued to be led by Kim Il Sung - the “great leader”. The plan for the division of the country after the Second World War is still in force, and Korea is led by the grandson of the then leader, Kim Jong-un.
Berlin Wall (August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989)
A decade after the end of World War II, Europe was finally divided between West and East. But there was no clear line of conflict dividing Europe. Berlin was something like an open “window”.
The city was divided into two halves. East Berlin was part of the GDR, and West Berlin was part of the FRG. Capitalism and socialism coexisted in the city.
Schematic of the division of Berlin by the Berlin Wall
To change the formation, it was enough to go to the next street. Up to half a million people walked between West and East Berlin every day. It happened that East Germans preferred to move to the western part.
The East German authorities were worried about the situation, besides, the “Iron Curtain” should have been closed due to the spirit of the era. The decision to close the borders was made in the summer of 1961 - the plan was drawn up by the Soviet Union and the GDR. Western states spoke out against such a measure.
The situation escalated especially in October. Tanks of the US Armed Forces appeared near the Brandenburg Gate, and a Soviet army was approaching from the opposite side. military equipment. The tankers were ready to attack each other - the combat readiness lasted more than a day.
However, then both sides took the equipment to distant parts of Berlin. Western countries had to recognize the division of the city - this happened a decade later. The appearance of the Berlin Wall became a symbol of the post-war division of the world and Europe.
Caribbean Crisis (1962)
- Start: October 14, 1962
- The ending: October 28, 1962
In January 1959, a revolution took place on the island, led by 32-year-old Fidel Castro, the leader of the partisans. His government decided to fight American influence in Cuba. Naturally, the Cuban government received support from the Soviet Union.
Young Fidel Castro
But in Havana, there were fears about the invasion of American troops. And in the spring of 1962, N. S. Khrushchev came up with a plan to put nuclear missiles of the USSR in Cuba. He believed that this would frighten the imperialists.
Cuba agreed with Khrushchev's idea. This led to the sending of forty-two missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, as well as bombers for nuclear bombs, to the territory of the island. The equipment was transferred secretly, although the Americans found out about it. As a result, US President John F. Kennedy protested, to which he received assurances from the Soviet side that there were no Soviet missiles in Cuba.
However, in October, a US spy plane took photographs of the missile launch sites, and the US government thought about a response. On October 22, Kennedy made a televised address to the US population, where he spoke about Soviet missiles on Cuban territory and demanded that they be removed.
Then came the announcement of a naval blockade of the island. On October 24, a meeting of the UN Security Council was held at the initiative of the Soviet Union. The situation in the Caribbean became tense.
About twenty ships of the Soviet Union sailed towards Cuba. The Americans were ordered to stop them even with fire. However, the battle did not take place: Khrushchev ordered the Soviet flotilla to stop.
From 23.10 Washington exchanged official messages with Moscow. In the first of these, Khrushchev said that the behavior of the United States was "the madness of degenerate imperialism" and also "the purest banditry."
After a few days, it became clear: the Americans want to get rid of the enemy's missiles by any means. On October 26, N. S. Khrushchev wrote a conciliatory letter to the American president, where he acknowledged the presence of Soviet powerful weapons in Cuba. However, he assured Kennedy that he would not attack the United States.
Nikita Sergeevich said that this is the way to the destruction of the world. Therefore, he demanded from Kennedy a promise not to commit aggression against Cuba in exchange for the removal of Soviet weapons from the island. The President of the United States agreed to this proposal, so a plan for a peaceful settlement of the situation was already being created.
October 27 was the “Black Saturday” of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Then the Third World War could begin. Aircraft of the US Armed Forces flew in squadrons twice a day in the air of Cuba, trying to intimidate the Cubans and the USSR. On October 27, the Soviet military shot down an American reconnaissance aircraft using an anti-aircraft missile.
Pilot Anderson, who flew it, died. Kennedy decided to start bombing the Soviet missile bases and attack the island within two days.
But the next day, the authorities of the Soviet Union decided to agree to the conditions of the United States, that is, to remove the missiles. But this was not agreed with the leadership of Cuba, and Fidel Castro did not welcome such a measure. However, after that, the tension decreased and on November 20, the Americans ended the naval blockade of Cuba.
Vietnam War (1964-1975)
The conflict began in 1965 with an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin. Vietnamese coast guard ships fired on American destroyers that supported the anti-guerrilla struggle of the South Vietnamese troops. Thus happened the open entry into the conflict of one of the superpowers.
At the same time, the other, that is, the Soviet Union, indirectly supported the Vietnamese. The war proved difficult for the Americans and provoked massive anti-war demonstrations led by young people. In 1975, the Americans withdrew their contingent from Vietnam.
After that, America embarked on domestic reforms. The crisis continued in the country 10 years after this conflict.
Afghan conflict (1979-1989)
- Start: December 25, 1979
- The ending: February 15, 1989
In the spring of 1978, revolutionary events took place in Afghanistan that brought the communist movement, the People's Democratic Party, to power. Nur Mukhamed Taraki, a writer, became the head of the government.
The party soon became mired in internal conflicts, which in the summer of 1979 resulted in a confrontation between Taraki and another leader named Amin. In September, Taraki was removed from power, expelled from the party, after which he was arrested.
Afghan leaders of the 20th century
"Purges" began in the party, which caused indignation in Moscow. The situation was reminiscent of cultural revolution" in China. The authorities of the Soviet Union began to fear a change in the course of Afghanistan to a pro-Chinese one.
Amin voiced requests to bring Soviet troops into Afghan territory. The USSR implemented this plan, at the same time deciding to eliminate Amin.
The West condemned these actions - this is how the aggravation of the Cold War happened. In the winter of 1980, the UN General Assembly voted for the withdrawal of the Soviet army from Afghanistan by 104 votes.
At the same time, Afghan opponents of the communist revolutionary authorities began to fight against the Soviet troops. The armed Afghans were supported by the United States. They were "mujahideen" - supporters of "jihad", radical Islamists.
The war lasted 9 years and claimed the lives of 14 thousand Soviet soldiers and more than 1 million Afghans. In the spring of 1988, in Switzerland, the Soviet Union signed an agreement to withdraw troops. Gradually, this plan began to be put into action. The military withdrawal process lasted from February 15 to May 15, 1989, when the last soldier Soviet army left Afghanistan.
Effects
The last event in the confrontation is the elimination of the Berlin Wall. And if the causes and nature of the war are clear, then it is difficult to describe the results.
The Soviet Union had to reorient the economy to finance military sphere because of the rivalry with America. Perhaps this was the reason for the shortage of goods and the weakening of the economy and the subsequent collapse of the state.
Today's Russia lives in conditions when it is necessary to find the right approaches to other countries. Unfortunately, there is no sufficient counterbalance to the NATO bloc in the world. Although 3 countries are still influential in the world - the USA, Russia and China.
The United States, by its actions in Afghanistan - by helping the Mujahideen - gave birth to international terrorists.
In addition, modern wars in the world are also waged locally (Libya, Yugoslavia, Syria, Iraq).
In contact with
After the end of World War II, the contradictions among the allies intensify and the struggle for spheres of influence begins. In short, why the Cold War began, the reason lies in the indomitable thirst for enrichment on the part of representatives of world capital.
The big powers are trying to expand their possessions, on the one hand the USSR is acting, and on the other - western states, the military-political leader of which is the United States. The main reasons and prerequisites for the start of the Cold War of the 20th century are as follows:
| Causes and background | Decryption |
| The fear of Western countries before the communist ideology. It was strange for them that private property becomes state property. | The main root is the existence in the world of two leading ideologies that were in confrontation and confrontation with each other. Western countries supported the capitalist model of society, the main values of which are personal well-being and private property, and the direct engine of the market is entrepreneurship. The socialist model of society is based on the foundation of the idea of general well-being and socialized means of production, and the economy is planned. The difference in the assessment of human values between capitalists and communists formed the preconditions and causes of the Cold War |
| The two strongest world states, the USSR and the USA, are trying to increase their influence by supporting the regimes of weaker states. | Thus, there is a split between the world powers, each of which maintains its own ideology and tries to increase its influence in the international arena. |
| The absence of a common enemy among the victorious countries | During World War II, ideological contradictions did not come to the fore, and all countries united against a common enemy. After the defeat of Germany, the victorious countries begin to divide the international space among themselves, and the issue of spheres of influence becomes relevant. The Soviet Union prevented the capitalists from robbing the defeated peoples. Conflicts in the international political arena gave rise to the main prerequisites for the Cold War, which was declared by the United States and Western Europe against the Soviet people as early as 1946. |
The causes and origins of the Cold War are described by many publicists. The main ones are the confrontation of two worldviews on the destiny of man on Earth. For some, he is the builder of communism, for others, he is just cattle.
Main stages of the cold war
Let us briefly describe the main stages of the Cold War.
1. The beginning of the warChurchill's speech in Fulton in 1946: the USSR is accused of non-observance of human rights and freedoms, as well as of active world expansion. Truman Doctrine 1947: The President of the United States announces that the totalitarian ideology is forcibly imposed on other countries, cooperation between former allies ceases, the policy of "containment". All countries of the world are divided into three groups: the socialist camp, the capitalist camp and the neutral countries of the third world |
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2. Alignment of forcesMarshall Plan, 1947: a program to help the European economy Creation of the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, an association of socialist countries: the USSR, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia) and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which includes most of the countries of Europe, the USA and Canada) as the two largest associations of states Division of Germany, China and Korea into opposing camps with opposing regimes, civil wars Development nuclear weapons in the USSR |
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3. Arms raceIn the early 1960s The world is on the brink of nuclear war. The construction of the Berlin Wall. Cuban crisis: at the request of the leaders of the Cuban revolution, the USSR allows the deployment of nuclear missiles at a close distance from the United States, the conflict is resolved peacefully. Caribbean crisis. Rivalry is intensifying between adversary countries in the development of new technologies, nuclear weapons, rocket science, and space exploration. |
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4. DischargingThe 1970s were marked by the peaceful course of the Cold War, the United States and the USSR conclude treaties to limit the use of nuclear weapons |
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5. New roundDuring the Cold War, the so-called "Iron Curtain" was established - a political and informational barrier that the capitalist countries set up to isolate themselves from the states of the socialist bloc. In 1979, the USSR introduces its troops into Afghanistan, in response, the United States imposes new sanctions against the USSR, and also installs new missiles in Europe. 6. End of the warThe socialist countries are in decline and the USSR is providing less and less assistance, people want a better life. The General Secretary of the CPSU is trying to revive the economy through a policy of "perestroika", but these measures do not help. The Berlin Wall falls, Germany reunites, and in 1991 the USSR collapses. The end of the Cold War is the destruction of the Soviet people |
Cold War issues
The main problems of the Cold War are the threat of unleashing direct armed conflicts, the so-called hot clash, and as a result, the use of nuclear weapons, which can lead to the inevitable death of all mankind.
In addition, the cold war, the results of which are unpredictable, weakens the economy of the state, draws out a huge amount of resources, as evidenced by the numerous world post-war economic crises.
USSR and USA during the Cold War
In the United States, after the end of World War II, there has been significant economic growth, the standard of living in cities is getting better, and the number of people living in rural areas is decreasing. The mass production of goods is growing.
The ideas of building a just society, one way or another, periodically appeared among different thinkers, however, the USSR for the first time put into practice the socialist model of society, but it turned out that in the conditions of a state built according to the Soviet model, such a model does not work.
A person will not work efficiently if he is not interested in the results of his labor, if he is limited in his ability to choose consumer products. The USSR lost the war primarily because the complications were transferred to the economy and it could not stand it.
Later, everyone comes to the conclusion that the declared model is utopian.
But peace never came after the end of the Cold War. On the contrary, NATO unceremoniously began to bomb countries in the Middle East, invaded Ukraine and destroyed Yugoslavia.
What are the consequences of the cold war
What led to the confrontation of the common people in the face of Soviet citizens and the sharks of capitalism, what are the results of the Cold War, are listed in the table:
| Results | Decryption |
| Collapsed socialist camp | After the collapse of the USSR, five states remained that supported the former regime, but on the whole the bloc of socialist countries fell apart. The ideology of the USA and the USSR, which was at the forefront of contradictions, has ceased. However, this historical stage left a major mark in Russian history. |
| A monopolar world has been established | The USA remained the only world power. The result of this is the wars unleashed by this state in Serbia, Libya, Iraq, the results of which the rest of the countries are forced to recognize. Terrorism becomes the official external enemy. Striving for bipolarity |
| Weakened nuclear threat | The confrontation between the United States and Russia is weakening, and accordingly, the threat of the real use of nuclear weapons becomes less likely. |
| The economic crisis began in Europe and the post-Soviet republics | A sharp change in the economic regime leads to a deep decline in the economies of countries of Eastern Europe and former USSR |
The significance of the Cold War lies in the formation of modern international relations and the rapid development of new technologies aimed at reducing the world's population.
After the end of the Cold War, the United States and its vassals have forgotten about international laws and easily destroy entire countries on false accusations of anti-democracy of leaders of independent states.
Military conflicts after the Cold War
After the liquidation of the USSR by Yeltsin, the world stands on the verge of the destruction of all mankind. Military conflicts after the Cold War erupted with renewed vigor around the globe.
In the early 90s. the basis of new military conflicts are:
- Religious divisions (Muslims, Jews in the Middle East, Hindus in India, Christian communities in the USA);
- Decline in advanced industrial countries leads to ideological disputes (fascist currents in Germany);
- An increasing number of countries are discovering nuclear weapons (Pakistan, North Korea, possibly Israel);
- Economic contradictions and the struggle for natural resources.
The Cold War, whose years are conventionally limited to the period that began a year after the victory of the countries of the anti-fascist coalition and continued until the events of 1991, which resulted in the fall of the Soviet system, was a confrontation between the two political blocs that dominated the world arena. Not being a war in the international legal sense of this term, it was expressed in the confrontation between the ideologies of the socialist and capitalist models of government.
The beginning of the confrontation between the two world systems
The prologue of the Cold War was the establishment by the Soviet Union of control over the countries of Eastern Europe, liberated from fascist occupation, as well as the creation of a pro-Soviet puppet government in Poland, while its legitimate leaders were in London. Such a policy of the USSR, aimed at establishing control over the maximum possible territories, was perceived by the US and British governments as a threat to international security.
The confrontation between the main world powers became especially acute in 1945 during the Yalta Conference, which, in fact, decided the issue of the post-war division of the world into spheres of influence. A vivid illustration of the depth of the conflict was the development by the command of the armed forces of Great Britain of a plan in case of a war with the USSR, which they launched in April of the same year by order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Another significant reason for the aggravation of contradictions between yesterday's allies was the post-war division of Germany. In its eastern part, controlled by Soviet troops, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created, the government of which was completely controlled by Moscow. In the western territories, liberated by the Allied forces - Federal Republic Germany (FRG). A sharp confrontation immediately began between these states, which caused the closure of borders and the establishment of a long period of mutual hostility.
The anti-Soviet position of the governments of Western countries was largely dictated by the policy pursued by the USSR in post-war years. The Cold War was the result of the aggravation of international relations caused by a number of Stalin's actions, one of which was his refusal to withdraw Soviet troops from Iran and tough territorial claims against Turkey.
Historical speech by W. Churchill
The beginning of the Cold War (the year 1946), according to most historians, was indicated by the speech of the head of the British government in Fulton (USA), where on March 5 he expressed the idea of the need to create a military alliance of the Anglo-Saxon countries aimed at fighting world communism.
In his speech, Churchill called on the world community not to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s and, united, to put up a barrier on the path of totalitarianism, which had become the fundamental principle of Soviet policy. In turn, Stalin, in an interview with the Pravda newspaper on March 12 of the same year, accused the British Prime Minister of calling for war between the West and the Soviet Union, and likened him to Hitler.
Truman Doctrine
The new impetus that the Cold War received in the post-war years was the statement of the American President Harry Truman, made by him on March 12, 1947. In his address to the US Congress, he pointed out the need to provide all-round assistance to peoples who are fighting against attempts to enslave them by an armed minority within the country, and opposing external pressure. In addition, he described the rivalry between the USA and the USSR as a conflict between totalitarianism and democracy.
Based on his speech, the American government developed a program that later became known as the Truman Doctrine, which guided all subsequent US presidents during the Cold War. It determined the main mechanisms for deterring the Soviet Union in its attempts to spread its influence in the world.
Taking as a basis the revision of the system of international relations that had taken shape during the reign of Roosevelt, the creators of the doctrine called for the establishment of a unipolar political and economic system in the world, in which the United States would be the leader. Among the most active supporters of the transition to a new form of international relations, in which the Soviet Union was seen as a potential adversary, were such prominent American political figures of those years as Dean Acheson, Allen Dulles, Loy Henderson, George Kennan and a number of others.
Marshall Plan
At the same time, US Secretary of State George C. Marshall put forward a program of economic assistance to European countries affected by World War II. One of the main conditions for helping to restore the economy, modernize industry, and eliminate trade restrictions was the refusal of states to include communists in their governments.
The government of the Soviet Union, having put pressure on the countries of Eastern Europe controlled by it, forced them to refuse to participate in this project, which was called the Marshall Plan. His goal was to maintain his influence and establish a communist regime in the controlled states.
Thus, Stalin and his political entourage deprived many Eastern European countries of the opportunity to quickly overcome the consequences of the war and went on to further aggravate the conflict. This principle of action became fundamental for the government of the USSR during the Cold War.
"Long telegram"
To a large extent, the aggravation of relations between the USSR and the USA was facilitated by an analysis of the possible prospects for their cooperation, given in 1946 by the American ambassador George F. Kennan in a telegram sent to the country's president. In his lengthy message, called the Long Telegram, the ambassador pointed out that, in his opinion, partnership in resolving international issues should not be expected from the leadership of the USSR, which recognizes only force.
In addition, he emphasized that Stalin and his political environment are full of expansive aspirations and do not believe in the possibility of peaceful coexistence with America. As necessary measures, he proposed a number of actions aimed at containing the USSR within the framework of its sphere of influence that existed at that time.
Transport blockade of West Berlin
Another important stage of the Cold War was the events of 1948 that unfolded around the capital of Germany. The fact is that the US government, in violation of earlier agreements, included West Berlin in the scope of the Marshall Plan. In response to this, the Soviet leadership began its transport blockade, blocking automobile and railways Western allies.
The result was a trumped-up accusation against the Soviet Consul General in New York, Yakov Lomakin, of alleged abuses of diplomatic powers and the declaration of persona non grata. As an adequate response, the Soviet government closes its consulates in San Francisco and New York.
Cold War arms race
The bipolarity of the world during the years of the Cold War became the reason for the ever-increasing arms race from year to year, since both opposing sides did not exclude the possibility of a final solution to the conflict by military means. On the initial stage The United States had an advantage in this regard, since already in the second half of the 1940s, nuclear weapons appeared in their arsenal.
Its first use in 1945, which resulted in the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, showed the world the monstrous power of this weapon. Then it became obvious that henceforth it was it that could give its owner superiority in resolving any international disputes. In this regard, the United States began to actively increase its reserves.
The USSR did not lag behind them, during the years of the Cold War it also relied on military force and conducted scientific research in this area. After the end of World War II, the intelligence officers of both powers were tasked with detecting and removing all documentation related to nuclear development from the territory of defeated Germany.
Soviet nuclear specialists had to be especially in a hurry, because, according to intelligence, in the post-war years, the American command developed a secret plan, code-named "Dropshot", which provided for a nuclear strike on the USSR. There is evidence that some of its options were submitted for consideration to President Truman.
A complete surprise for the US government was the successful test nuclear bomb, carried out in 1949 by Soviet specialists at the training ground in Semipalatinsk. Overseas could not believe that their main ideological opponents in such a short time could become the owners of atomic weapons and thereby establish a balance of power, depriving them of their former advantage.
However, the reality of the fait accompli was beyond doubt. Much later it became known that this success was achieved largely due to the actions of Soviet intelligence operating at the American secret training ground in Los Alamos (New Mexico).
Caribbean crisis
The Cold War, the years of which were not only a period of ideological confrontation, but also a time of armed confrontation in a number of areas globe reached highest point exacerbation in 1961. The conflict that broke out that year went down in history as the Caribbean Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of World War III.
Its premise was the deployment by the Americans of their nuclear missiles in Turkey. This gave them the opportunity, if necessary, to strike anywhere in the western part of the USSR, including Moscow. Since in those years the missiles launched from the territory of the Soviet Union could not yet reach the coast of America, the Soviet government responded by placing them in Cuba, which had overthrown the pro-American puppet regime of Batista shortly before. From this position, even Washington could be hit with a nuclear strike.
Thus, the balance of power was restored, but the American government, not wanting to put up with this, began to prepare an armed invasion of Cuba, where Soviet military facilities were located. As a result, a critical situation has developed, in which, if they implemented this plan, a retaliatory nuclear strike would inevitably follow and, as a result, the beginning of a global catastrophe, to which the bipolarity of the world steadily led during the years of the Cold War.
Since such a scenario did not suit either side, the governments of both powers were interested in a compromise solution. Fortunately, at a certain stage, common sense prevailed, and literally on the eve of the American invasion of Cuba, N. S. Khrushchev agreed to comply with Washington's demands, provided that they did not attack the Island of Freedom and remove nuclear weapons from Turkey. This was the end of the conflict, but during the Cold War the world was more than once placed on the brink of a new clash.
Ideological and information war
The years of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA were marked not only by their rivalry in the field of weapons, but also by a sharp information and ideological struggle. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall Radio Liberty, memorable to the older generation, created in America and broadcasting its programs to the countries of the socialist bloc. Its officially declared goal was the fight against communism and Bolshevism. It does not stop its work even today, despite the fact that the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The years of confrontation between the two world systems are characterized by the fact that any major event that took place in the world was inevitably given an ideological coloring. For example, Soviet propaganda presented the first space flight of Yuri Gagarin as evidence of the triumph of the Marxist-Leninist ideology and the victory of the society created on its basis.
Foreign policy of the USSR during the Cold War
As mentioned above, in the field of foreign policy, the actions of the Soviet leadership were aimed at creating states in Eastern Europe organized according to the principle of Stalinist socialism. In this regard, by supporting the people's democratic movements that were emerging everywhere, the government of the USSR made efforts to place pro-Soviet-oriented leaders at the head of these states and thereby keep them under its control.
Such a policy served to create a so-called security sphere near the western borders of the USSR, legally fixed by a number of bilateral agreements with Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Albania, Romania and Czechoslovakia. The result of these agreements was the creation in 1955 of a military bloc called the Warsaw Pact Organization (OVD).
Its establishment was a response to America's creation in 1949 of the North Atlantic Military Alliance (NATO), which included the United States, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Subsequently, several more military blocs were created by Western countries, the most famous of which are SEATO, CENTO and ANZUS.
Thus, a military confrontation was outlined, the cause of which was the foreign policy during the years of the Cold War, pursued by the most powerful and influential world powers - the USA and the USSR.
Afterword
After the fall of the communist regime in the USSR and its final collapse, the Cold War ended, the years of which are usually determined by the interval from 1946 to 1991. Despite the fact that tensions between East and West persist to this day, the world has ceased to be bipolar. Gone is the tendency to view any international event in terms of its ideological context. And although hotbeds of tension periodically arise in certain areas of the world, they do not put humanity as close to unleashing the Third World War as it was during the Caribbean crisis of 1961.
A term that arose after the Second World War, when the US imperialists, claiming world domination, together with other imperialist states, began to escalate tension in the international situation, create military bases around the USSR and other socialist countries, organize aggressive blocs directed against the socialist camp, threaten it nuclear weapons.
Great Definition
Incomplete definition ↓
COLD WAR
global ideological, economic and political confrontation between the USSR and the USA and their allies in the second half of the 20th century.
Although the superpowers have never entered into direct military clashes with each other, their rivalry has repeatedly led to outbreaks of local armed conflicts around the world. The Cold War was accompanied by an arms race, due to which the world more than once teetered on the brink of nuclear disaster(the most famous case is the so-called Caribbean crisis of 1962).
The foundation of the Cold War was laid during the Second World War, when the United States began developing plans to establish world domination after the defeat of the countries of the Nazi coalition.
The coming world Pax Americana was supposed to be based on the decisive preponderance of US power in the world, which meant, first of all, limiting the influence of the USSR as the main force in Eurasia. According to adviser F. Roosevelt, director of the Council of Foreign Relations I. Bowman, “the only and indisputable criterion for our victory will be the spread of our dominance in the world after victory ... The United States must establish control over key regions of the world that are strategically necessary for world domination.”
After the end of the Second World War, the US leadership moved to the implementation of the "containment" plan, which, according to the author of this concept, D. Kennan, consisted in establishing control over those regions where geopolitical, economic and military power could be formed and consolidated. Of the four such regions - Great Britain, Germany, Japan and the USSR - after the war, only the Soviet Union retained its real sovereignty and even expanded its sphere of influence, taking the countries of Eastern Europe under protection from American expansion. Thus, relations between the former allies on the issue of the further arrangement of the world, spheres of influence, and the political system of states sharply escalated.
The United States no longer concealed its hostile attitude towards the USSR. The barbaric bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which instantly claimed the lives of half a million civilians, was intended to demonstrate to the Soviet leadership the possibilities of nuclear weapons. On December 14, 1945, the Joint Military Planning Committee of England and the United States adopted Directive No. 432D, where the first 20 nuclear bombing targets on the territory of the Soviet Union were designated - Largest cities and industrial centers.
The myth of the communist threat was planted in Western public opinion. The former Prime Minister of England, W. Churchill (1874–1965), became its herald. On March 12, 1947, the Truman Doctrine was proclaimed, which set the task of containing communism. The same tasks were pursued by the "Program for the Reconstruction of Europe", or the "Marshall Plan", which, according to its author, Secretary of State J. Marshall, "military actions carried out with the help of the economy, the purpose of which, on the one hand, is to make Western Europe completely dependent on America, on the other hand, to undermine the influence of the USSR in Eastern Europe and pave the way for the establishment of American hegemony in this region ”(from a speech on June 5, 1947 at Harvard University).
On April 4, 1949, an aggressive NATO military bloc was created to ensure American military advantage in Eurasia. On December 19, 1949, the Dropshot military plan was developed in the United States, which envisaged a massive bombardment of 100 Soviet cities using 300 atomic bombs and 29,000 conventional bombs and the subsequent occupation of the USSR by 164 NATO divisions.
After the USSR conducted its first nuclear tests in 1949 and acquired nuclear sovereignty, the question of a preventive war against the Soviet Union was dropped due to its military impossibility. American experts stated that in addition to the “nuclear shield”, the USSR has other important advantages - a powerful defensive potential, a large territory, geographical proximity to the industrial centers of Western Europe, the ideological stability of the population, and huge international influence (“the CPSU is the most effective replacement for sea power in history”, - stated in the article "How strong is Russia?", published in the magazine "Time" of November 27, 1950).
Since that time, the main form of warfare has been ideological, diplomatic and political influence. Its nature has been determined in particular by Council Directives Homeland Security US NSC 20/1 (August 18, 1948) and NSC 68 (April 14, 1950).
These documents set before the United States the primary tasks regarding the Soviet Union: the transition of Eastern Europe into the sphere of American influence, the dismemberment of the USSR (primarily the separation of the Baltic republics and Ukraine) and undermining the Soviet system from within by demonstrating the moral and material advantages of the American way of life.
In solving these problems, NSC 20/1 emphasized, the United States is not bound by any time limits, the main thing in it is not to directly affect the prestige of the Soviet government, which "would automatically make war inevitable." The means of implementing these plans were the anti-communist campaign in the West, the encouragement of separatist sentiments in the national republics of the USSR, support for emigre organizations, waging an open psychological war through the press, Radio Liberty, Voice of America, etc., subversive activities of various NGOs and NGOs .
For a long time, these actions had almost no effect. In the 1940s-50s. the world authority of the USSR as the winner of fascism was very high, no one believed that the "country of widows and disabled people" with a half-destroyed economy posed a real threat to the world. However, thanks to the erroneous policy of N. Khrushchev, who was extremely unrestrained in foreign policy statements and actually provoked the Caribbean crisis (the installation of our missiles in Cuba almost led to an exchange of nuclear strikes between the USA and the USSR), the world community believed in the danger of the USSR.
The US Congress significantly increased appropriations for subversive measures and authorized an arms race that was exhausting for the Soviet economy. Significant support of anti-Soviet circles in the West was enjoyed by dissidents (from the English dissident - a schismatic), whose "human rights" activities were aimed at undermining the moral authority of the USSR.
A slanderous book by A. Solzhenitsyn "The Gulag Archipelago" (1st ed. - 1973, YMCA-Press) was published in Western countries in huge editions, where the data on repressions during the reign of Stalin were overestimated hundreds of times, and the USSR was presented as a concentration camp country, indistinguishable from Nazi Germany. The expulsion of Solzhenitsyn from the USSR, the awarding of the Nobel Prize to him, his world success brought to life a new wave of dissident movement. It turned out that being a dissident is not dangerous, but extremely profitable.
A provocative step on the part of the West was the presentation in 1975 of the Nobel Peace Prize to one of the leaders of the “human rights” movement, nuclear physicist A. Sakharov, author of the brochure “On Peaceful Coexistence, Progress and Intellectual Freedom” (1968).
The United States and its allies supported activists of nationalist (Chechen, Crimean Tatar, Western Ukrainian, etc.) movements.
During the Brezhnev leadership, many steps were taken towards disarmament and "détente of international tension." Treaties on the limitation of strategic arms were signed, and a joint Soviet-American space flight Soyuz-Apollo took place (July 17–21, 1975). The culmination of the détente was the so-called. The Helsinki Accords (August 1, 1975), which consolidated the principle of the inviolability of the borders established after the Second World War (thus Western countries recognized the communist regimes in Eastern Europe) and imposed on the countries of both blocs a number of obligations to build confidence in military area and on human rights issues.
The softening of the position of the USSR in relation to dissidents led to the intensification of their activities. The next aggravation in relations between the superpowers occurred in 1979, when the Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan, giving the Americans a reason to disrupt the process of ratification of the SALT-2 Treaty and freeze other bilateral agreements reached in the 1970s.
The Cold War also unfolded on the fields of sports battles: the United States and its allies boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and the USSR boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The Reagan administration, which came to power in 1980, proclaimed a policy of ensuring a decisive preponderance of US power in the world and establishing a "new world order", which required the removal of the Soviet Union from the world arena. Released in 1982–83 Directives of the US National Security Council NSC 66 and NSC 75 determined the methods for solving this problem: economic warfare, massive underground operations, destabilization of the situation and generous financial support for the “fifth column” in the USSR and the Warsaw Pact countries.
Already in June 1982, the CIA funds, the structures of George Soros and the Vatican began to allocate huge funds to support the Polish Solidarity trade union, which was destined to play in the late 1980s. decisive role in organizing the first "velvet revolution" in the socialist camp.
On March 8, 1983, speaking to the National Association of Evangelicals, Reagan called the USSR an "evil empire" and declared the fight against it his main task.
In the autumn of 1983, a South Korean civilian airliner was shot down by Soviet air defense forces over the territory of the USSR. This "asymmetric" response to the obvious provocation from the West became the reason for the deployment of American nuclear missiles in Western Europe and the start of the development of the Space Anti-Missile Defense (SDI, or "Star Wars") program.
Subsequently, the American leadership's bluff with this technically dubious program forced M. Gorbachev to make serious military and geopolitical concessions. According to former CIA officer P. Schweitzer, author of the famous book “Victory. The role of the secret strategy of the US administration in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist camp”, there were 4 main directions of attacks on the USSR:
1. Poland (provocations, support for the dissident movement Solidarity.
2. Afghanistan (provocation of conflicts, support of militants with modern weapons).
3. Technological blockade of the Soviet economy (including sabotage and distracting technological information).
4. Decline in oil prices (negotiations with OPEC to increase oil production, as a result of which its price on the market fell to $10 per barrel).
The cumulative result of these actions was the actual recognition by the Soviet Union of its defeat in the Cold War, which was expressed in the renunciation of independence and sovereignty in foreign policy decisions, the recognition of its history, economic and political course as erroneous and requiring correction with the help of Western advisers.
With a shift in 1989–90. Communist governments in a number of countries of the socialist bloc implemented the initial setting of Directive NSC 20/1 - the transition of Eastern Europe into the sphere of American influence, which was reinforced by the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact on July 1, 1991 and the beginning of NATO expansion to the East.
The next step was the collapse of the Soviet Union, "legalized" in December 1991, the so-called. "Belovezhsky agreements". At the same time, a more ambitious goal was set - the dismemberment of Russia itself.
In 1995, in a speech to members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US President B. Clinton stated: “Using the mistakes of Soviet diplomacy, the excessive arrogance of Gorbachev and his entourage, including those who openly took a pro-American position, we have achieved that was going to make President Truman through the atomic bomb. True, with a significant difference - we received a raw material appendage that was not destroyed by the atom ... However, this does not mean that we have nothing to think about ... It is necessary to solve several problems at the same time ... dismemberment of Russia into small states through interreligious wars, similar to those organized by us in Yugoslavia , the final collapse of the military-industrial complex and the army of Russia, the establishment of the regime we need in the republics that have broken away from Russia. Yes, we allowed Russia to be a power, but now only one country will be an empire - the United States.
The West is diligently trying to implement these plans through the support of the separatists of Chechnya and other republics of the Caucasus, through the whipping up of nationalism and religious intolerance in Russia through Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Yakut, Tuva, Buryat and other nationalist organizations, through a series of "velvet revolutions" in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, attempts to destabilize the situation in Transnistria, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
The George Bush administration essentially reaffirmed its adherence to the ideas of the Cold War. Thus, at the NATO summit in Vilnius in May 2006, US Vice President R. Cheney delivered a speech that was very reminiscent of the content and general mood of the notorious Fulton speech. In it, he accused Russia of authoritarianism and energy blackmail of neighboring countries and voiced the idea of creating the Baltic-Black Sea Union, which would include all the western republics of the former Soviet Union that cut Russia off from Europe.
The West continues to use the methods of the Cold War in the fight against Russia, which is again gaining political and economic weight. Among them are support for NGOs/NGOs, ideological sabotage, attempts to interfere in political processes in the sovereign Russian territory. All this indicates that the US and its allies do not consider the Cold War to be over. At the same time, talk about the loss of the USSR (in fact, Russia) in the Cold War is a symptom of defeatism. The battle is lost, but not the war.
Today, the former methods (and most importantly, the US ideology) are no longer successful and are not able to produce an effect, as at the end of the 20th century, and the US has no other strategy.
The moral authority of one of the victorious countries, the “country of freedom”, which was the main weapon of the United States, was seriously shaken in the world after operations in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and so on. The United States appears before the world as a "new evil empire", pursuing its own interests and not carrying new values.
Great Definition
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- 1962 - 1979- The period was marked by an arms race that undermined the economies of rival countries. The development and production of new types of weapons required incredible resources. Despite the presence of tension in relations between the USSR and the USA, agreements on the limitation of strategic weapons are signed. A joint space program Soyuz-Apollo. However, by the beginning of the 80s, the USSR began to lose in the arms race.
- 1979 - 1987. - Relations between the USSR and the USA are again aggravated after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. In 1983 the United States deploys ballistic missiles at bases in Italy, Denmark, England, the FRG, and Belgium. An anti-space defense system is being developed. The USSR reacts to the actions of the West by withdrawing from the Geneva talks. During this period, the missile attack warning system is in constant combat readiness.
- 1987 - 1991- The advent of Gorbachev to power in the USSR in 1985, entailed not only global changes within the country, but also radical changes in foreign policy called "new political thinking". Ill-conceived reforms finally undermined the economy of the Soviet Union, which led to the country's virtual defeat in the Cold War.
The end of the Cold War was caused by the weakness of the Soviet economy, its inability to support the arms race any longer, and also by the pro-Soviet communist regimes. Anti-war speeches in various parts of the world also played a certain role. The results of the Cold War were depressing for the USSR. A symbol of the victory of the West. was the reunification in 1990 of Germany.
As a result, after the USSR was defeated in the Cold War, a unipolar model of the world was formed with the US as the dominant superpower. However, there are other consequences of the Cold War. This is the rapid development of science and technology, primarily military. So, the Internet was originally created as a communication system for the American army.
Today, many documentaries and feature films about the Cold War period have been shot. One of them, which tells in detail about the events of those years, "Heroes and Victims of the Cold War."
War in Korea (participation of the USSR).
Participation of the USSR, USA and China in the Korean War. The role of the UN. Tens of thousands of American soldiers died in the Korean War
It cannot be said that the participation of the above countries in the Korean War was of great importance. In fact, the war was not fought between North and South Korea, but between two powers that sought to prove their priority by any means available. In this case, the United States became the attacking party, and the “Truman Doctrine” proclaimed at that time is a vivid example of this. In line with its "new line of policy" towards the USSR, the Truman administration did not consider it necessary to "make further compromises." She actually refused to comply with the Moscow Agreement, disrupted the work of the Joint Commission on Korea, and then transferred the Korean question to the UN General Assembly.
This US step cut off the last thread of cooperation with the USSR: Washington openly violated its allied obligations, according to which the Korean issue, as a problem of post-war settlement, was to be resolved by the allied powers. The transfer of the Korean question to the UN was required by the United States in order to establish the South Korean regime that they are creating as the only legitimate government in Korea in the international political plan. Thus, as a result of the US imperialist policy and contrary to the desire of the Korean people to create a united, independent, democratic Korea, the country was divided into two territories: the Republic of Korea dependent on the USA and the same dependence, only on the USSR, the DPRK, in fact, the border between which became the 38th parallel.
It is no coincidence that this happened precisely with the transition of the United States to the policy of the Cold War. The split of the world into two class-opposed camps - capitalism and socialism, the resulting polarization of all political forces on the world stage and the struggle between them led to the emergence of knots of contradictions in the system of international relations, in which the political interests of states of opposing systems collide and are resolved. Korea, due to historical circumstances, has become such a knot. It turned out to be the arena of the struggle of capitalism represented by the United States against the positions of communism. The outcome of the struggle was determined by the balance of power between them.
Both during the Second World War and after it, the USSR consistently strove for a compromise solution of the Korean question, for the creation of a single democratic Korean state through the trusteeship system. Another thing is the United States, there was practically no room for compromise solutions on Korea. The United States deliberately contributed to the growth of tension in Korea, and if they did not take a direct part, then by their policy they actually pushed Seoul to organize an armed conflict on the 38th parallel. But in my opinion, the miscalculation on the part of the United States was that they extended their aggression to China without realizing its capabilities. Senior also says this. Researcher IV RAS Candidate of Historical Sciences A.V. Vorontsov: “One of the decisive events during the war in Korea was the entry of the PRC into it on October 19, 1950, which practically saved the DPRK, which was in a critical situation at that time, from military defeat (this action cost more than two million lives of “Chinese volunteers”)” .
The intervention of American troops in Korea saved Syngman Rhee from military defeat, but the main objective- the elimination of socialism in North Korea - was never achieved. As for the direct participation of the United States in the war, it should be noted that the American air force and navy were active from the first day of the war, but were used to evacuate American and South Korean citizens from the frontline areas. However, after the fall of Seoul, US ground forces landed on the Korean Peninsula. The US Air Force and Navy also deployed active fighting against the troops of the DPRK. In the Korean War, US aviation was the main strike force"UN armed forces" that helped South Korea. She acted both at the front and on objects of the deep rear. Therefore, repelling air strikes by the US Air Force and its allies has become one of the most important tasks of the North Korean troops and the "Chinese volunteers" throughout the war years.
The help of the Soviet Union to the DPRK during the war years had its own peculiarity - it was intended primarily to repel US aggression and therefore went mainly along the military line. The military assistance of the USSR to the fighting Korean people was carried out through gratuitous deliveries of weapons, military equipment, ammunition and other means; the organization of rebuffing American aviation by formations of Soviet fighter aviation stationed in the border regions of China adjacent to the DPRK and reliably covering various economic and other objects from the air. Also, the USSR was engaged in the training of command, staff and engineering personnel for the troops and institutions of the Korean People's Army on the spot. Throughout the war, combat aircraft, tanks and self-propelled guns, artillery and small arms and ammunition for it, as well as many other types of special equipment and military equipment were supplied from the Soviet Union in the required number. The Soviet side strove to deliver everything in a timely manner and without delay, so that the KPA troops were sufficiently provided with everything necessary to fight the enemy. The KPA army was equipped with the most modern weapons and military equipment for that time.
After opening key documents government archives of the countries involved in the Korean conflict, more and more historical documents emerge. We know that the Soviet side assumed at that time the enormous burden of direct air and military-technical support to the DPRK. About 70 thousand participated in the Korean War personnel Soviet Air Force. At the same time, the losses of our air connections amounted to 335 aircraft and 120 pilots. As for ground operations to support the North Koreans, Stalin sought to completely shift them to China. Also in the history of this war there is one interesting fact- 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (JAC). The basis of this corps was three fighter aviation divisions: the 28th Iac, the 50th Iac, the 151st Iac.
The divisions consisted of 844 officers, 1153 sergeants and 1274 soldiers. They were armed with Soviet-made aircraft: IL-10, Yak-7, Yak-11, La-9, La-11, as well as jet MiG-15. The office was located in the city of Mukden. This fact is interesting because these aircraft were piloted Soviet pilots. Considerable difficulties arose because of this. It was necessary to maintain secrecy, since the Soviet command took all measures to hide the participation of the Soviet Air Force in the Korean War, and not to give the United States evidence that Soviet-made MiG-15 fighters, which was not a secret, were piloted by Soviet pilots. To this end, the MiG-15 aircraft had the identification marks of the Chinese Air Force. It was forbidden to operate over the Yellow Sea and pursue enemy aircraft south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, that is, up to 39 degrees north latitude.
In this armed clash, a separate role was assigned to the United Nations, which intervened in this conflict after the US government handed over to it the solution of the Korean problem. Despite the protest of the Soviet Union, which insisted that the Korean question was an integral part of the problem of the post-war settlement as a whole and the procedure for its discussion had already been determined by the Moscow Conference, the United States put it in the fall of 1947 for discussion by the 2nd session of the UN General Assembly. These actions were another step towards consolidating the split, towards moving away from the Moscow decisions on Korea and towards the implementation of American plans.
At the November session of the UN General Assembly in 1947, the American delegation and representatives of other pro-American states managed to reject Soviet proposals for the withdrawal of all foreign troops and push through their resolution, create a temporary UN commission on Korea, which was entrusted with supervising the elections. This Commission was elected from representatives of Australia, India, Canada, El Salvador, Syria, Ukraine (its representatives did not participate in the work of the commission), the Philippines, France and Chiang Kai-shek China. It was to carry out the transformation of the UN into a "center for harmonizing actions on the Korean question", to provide the Soviet and American administrations and Korean organizations with "consultations and advice on every step related to the establishment of an independent Korean government and the withdrawal of troops", and to ensure, under its supervision, the conduct of Korea elections based on secret ballot of the entire adult population.
However, the UN Commission in Korea failed to create an all-Korean government, as it continued its course towards the formation of a reactionary authority pleasing to the United States. The protests of the masses and public democratic organizations in the South and North of the country against its activities led to the fact that it could not fulfill its functions and turned to the so-called Intersessional Committee of the UN General Assembly for assistance. The Committee recommended to the Interim Commission, thereby canceling the decision of the UN General Assembly of November 14, 1947, to hold elections to the highest legislative body - the National Assembly in South Korea alone, and submitted the corresponding draft resolution to the session of the UN General Assembly. Many states, including Australia and Canada - members of the Interim Commission on Korea - did not support the United States and argued that such an action would result in the permanent division of the country and the presence of two hostile governments in Korea. Nevertheless, with the help of an obedient majority, the United States passed the decision they needed on February 26, 1948, in the absence of a Soviet representative.
The adoption of the American resolution had disastrous consequences for Korea. By encouraging the establishment of a "national government" in South Korea, which inevitably entailed the creation of a national government in the North, it also pushed for the dismemberment of Korea, instead of contributing to the formation of a single independent democratic state. Those who advocated separate elections in the South, such as Syngman Lee and his supporters, actively supported the decisions of the UN General Assembly, arguing that a strong government was necessary to protect against a North Korean "offensive." The leftists were against separate elections and the activities of the UN Commission, they proposed a meeting of the political leaders of North and South Korea in order to resolve internal affairs themselves after the withdrawal of foreign troops.
It is not difficult to conclude that the UN Commission stood on the side of the United States and worked in its favor. A clear example is the resolution that turned American troops in Korea into " armed forces UN". Formations, units and subunits of 16 countries operated under the UN flag in Korea: England and Turkey sent several divisions, Great Britain equipped 1 aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, 8 destroyers, marines and support units, Canada sent one infantry brigade, Australia, France, Greece, Belgium and Ethiopia each one infantry battalion. Additionally, field hospitals and their personnel arrived from Denmark, India, Norway, Italy and Sweden. About two-thirds of the UN troops were American. The Korean War cost the UN 118,155 killed and 264,591 wounded, 92,987 were taken prisoner (most died of starvation and torture).
The death of Stalin, internal party struggle, exposure of the cult of personality
March 5, 1953. died I.V. Stalin, who for many years stood at the head of the party and state. With his death, an entire era ended. Stalin's comrades-in-arms had to not only resolve the issue of the continuity of the socio-economic course, but also divide party and state posts among themselves. Considering that society as a whole was not yet ready for radical changes, it could be more about softening the political regime than about abandoning the Stalinist course. But the possibility of its continuation was quite real. Already March, 6 Stalin's associates proceeded to the first section of leadership positions. The first place in the new hierarchy was taken by G.M. Malenkov, who received the post Chairman of the Council of Ministers and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
In the Council of Ministers, he had four deputies: L.P. Beria, a close associate of Malenkov, who headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs; V.M. Molotov, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Two other posts of deputy chairmen of the Council of Ministers were held by N.A. Bulganin and L.M. Kaganovich. K.E. Voroshilov was appointed chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. N.S. Khrushchev was appointed to the secretariat of the Central Committee of the party. From the very first days, the new leadership took steps against the abuses of the past. Stalin's personal secretariat was dissolved. On March 27, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announced an amnesty for all prisoners whose term did not exceed five years. In mid-July 1953, at one of the meetings in the Kremlin, which was chaired by G.M. Malenkov, who in those years was the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR N.S. Khrushchev made accusations against L.P. Beria. N.S. Khrushchev was supported by N.A. Bulgarin, V.M. Molotov and others. As soon as they started voting, Malenkov pressed the hidden bell button.
Several high-ranking officers arrested Beria. The military side of this action was led by G.K. Zhukov. By his order, Kantemirovskaya and Tamanskaya were introduced to Moscow. tank divisions occupied key positions in the city center. This action was carried out by force. However, there was no alternative then. AT September 1953. N.S. Khrushchev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. By this time, having been in party work since 1924, he had passed all the steps of the apparatus ladder (in the 1930s he was the first secretary of the Moscow organization of the CPSU (b), in 1938 he headed the party leadership of Ukraine, in 1949 he was appointed Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee). After the elimination of L.P. Beria between G.M. Malenkov and N.S. Khrushchev began conflicts that concerned two main aspects: economy and the role of society in the ongoing changes. As for the economy, the strategy for the development of light industry, advocated by Malenkov, and the "union" Agriculture and heavy industry proposed by Khrushchev.
Khrushchev spoke of the need to raise purchase prices for the products of collective farms that were on the verge of ruin; on the expansion of sown areas and the development of virgin lands. Khrushchev achieved significant results for the collective farms. increase in public procurement prices(5.5 times for meat, twice for milk and butter, 50% for cereals). The increase in purchase prices was accompanied by the write-off of debts of collective farms, the reduction of taxes on household plots and on sales on the free market. Expansion of cultivated areas, development of virgin lands Northern Kazakhstan, Siberia, Altai and Southern Urals constituted the second point of Khrushchev's program, the adoption of which he sought at February (1954) plenum of the Central Committee. Over the next three years, 37 million hectares, which was three times more than planned in February 1954 and accounted for approximately 30% of all cultivated land in the USSR at that time, were developed. In 1954, the share of virgin bread in the grain harvest was 50%.
On the Plenum of the Central Committee 1955 (January) N.S. Khrushchev came up with a project corn cultivation to solve the food problem (in practice, this manifested itself in an unprecedented action to introduce this crop, often in regions that are not at all adapted for this). At the same Plenum of the Central Committee, G.M. Malenkov for the so-called “right-wing deviationism” (G.M. Malenkov, unlike N.S. Khrushchev, considered the development of light industry rather than agriculture as a priority). The leadership of the government passed to N.A. Bulganin. Position N.S. Khrushchev in the political leadership of the country has become even stronger. 1953-1956. - this period entered the consciousness of people as " thaw” (based on the title of the novel by I.G. Ehrenburg, published in 1954).
A distinctive feature of this time was not only the holding of economic events that largely ensured the lives of Soviet people, but also softening of the political regime. The “thaw” is characterized by the collegial nature of management. In June 1953, the Pravda newspaper spoke of such management as an obligation to the people. New expressions appear - "the cult of personality", laudatory speeches disappear. In the press during this period, there was not so much a reassessment of Stalin's rule as a decrease in exaltation in relation to the personality of Stalin, frequent quoting of Lenin. The 4,000 political prisoners released in 1953 are the first breach in the repressive system. These are changes, but still unstable, like a “thaw” in early spring. N.S. Khrushchev is gradually gathering allies around him to expose Stalin's personality cult.
