About the End of the Cold War

The end of the Cold War was a culmination of a battle between two different philosophies. During the previous decades, the fate of the world hung in the balance. The big question remained: will the world embrace communism, or will it shift to free market capitalism and democracy? The Soviet Union's fall suggested that democracy and free markets would be the global philosophy.

History

The beginning of the end of the Cold War began when the Soviet Union released its grip on its eastern European satellite countries. One by one, in 1989 countries declared democracies. The Berlin Wall fell. The disintegration continued until Moscow dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991. The Commonwealth of Independent States replaced the Soviet Union. The end of the Cold War came on December 26, 1991.

Significance

The end of the Cold War left a world in which the United States was the last remaining super power. No other nation challenged the United States militarily, economically or politically. The last time something like this existed was during the times of the Roman Empire. That is when Roman civilization defeated its enemies to become the unchallenged power of its day.

Geography

The geography affected was the area formerly covered by the Eastern Block Countries. The countries covered included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the USSR. The USSR included Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

Misconceptions

A common misconception about the end of the Cold War was that it resulted from Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms. His election was a symptom of the inefficiencies of a communist country with a government controlled economy. Communism as an economic policy isn't efficient. Even China, another communist country, is increasingly embracing a free market economy to keep its economy going. Mikhail Gorbachev was the Soviet Union's hope of fixing an economic system that couldn't be fixed.

Effects

With the United States as the sole superpower, other countries aimed to tip the balance. The Europeans went full steam with their integration plans, hoping to create the European counterpart to the United States. China started building its military and even coupled with the Russian military in joint exercises. Both countries hope to become a military counterbalance to the U.S. military.

Benefits

Cold War tensions between two nuclear powers are gone. More countries have turned to democracy. China, the only remaining major communist power, is progressing towards a free market economy. Vietnam has recently moved in the direction of a free market economy as well. Together with the rest of Asia, these countries are working to integrate the Asian economies. The Chinese have talked about creating an Asian version of the European Union. This is another move to try to counter balance the only superpower.

Resources

• The end of the Cold War
• CIA on the end of the Cold War.