Cold War Essay, Research Paper

From the year 1968 to the present there were many events which either

traumatized the world or provided a stepping stone for the different areas of success. Technology vastly affected and promoted the competition of the two most

diverse systems in the world. Better known as the cold war, the competition between

democratic systems and communist systems was fueled by technology. Because of the way

technology had manipulated the world, both systems leaders knew that the power to control lies with the newest technology. Hence the consolidation of technology- based methods during the cold war era was the origin of every major dilemma our world has faced since; therefore I believe the cold war phase was the most important phase that has occurred in our century.

Roy Medvedev a Russian dissident acknowledged the power of technology by

stating The technology of repression has become more refined in recent years. Before,

repression always went much further than necessary. Stalin killed millions of people

when arresting 1,000 would have enabled him to control the people. Our leaders… found out eventually that you don t have to put people in prison or in a psychiatric hospital to silence them. There are other ways. (1062).

The fall of communist system was inevitable as it was clear that each new reform was as useless as the last. The iron curtain burned with a distinct fury of the people, and in

it s place rose democratic systems which enabled the people to alienate the communist

leaders (the elite) forever from their previous dictatorship -like positions within the party. The origin of these Russian revolutions could be traced back to the grief of the people

during the Stalinist era, where relentless violence was government policy.But it was the

reforms of Mickail Gorbachev (Glastnost and perestrioka) which served as a stepping

stone for the revolutions which followed. When Yeltsin took over an anarchy filled country, the United States saw their

window of opportunity to end the cold war by giving aid to a needy Yeltsin. Nuclear rage

between the two systems was the next to fall, as that type of technology became severely

limited.

1980 marked the consolidation of the Solidarity movement in Poland, as workers

created a strike which was only ended by the government s acceptance to the Gdansk

agreement. The leader of the Solidarity movement Lech Walesa, with the support of the Catholic church, helped unite the majority of the people in Poland.This was the third

most important event occurring since 1968.

By March 1981 it had a membership of 9.5 million people, of 12.5 who were

theoretically eligble. (1064). Also the organization of the Solidarity union helped them

gain nation wide support as they published their own news papers. Their organization also

gave Solidarity the ability to call a nation wide strike if needed ,which they used as if a much needed tool when negotiations were in process with the communist bosses.

The leaders of the Solidarity union only took what was needed i.e. they didn t

engage in a full fledged revolution because they wanted to ensure what was already accomplished by the original Solidarity movement. ..the Solidarity revolution remained

a self-limiting revolution aimed at defending the cultural and trade-union freedoms won

in the Gdansk Agreement without directly challenging the communist monopoly of political power (1064).

Other than the role communism has played in the formation of our present day

political scene, the formation of OPEC and Arabian control of the majority of oil prices,

greatly affected the world economy, and the political scene as well. During the fourth

Israeli-Arab war,where Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kipper ,destroying a majority of Israeli air force units. In response the United States threw it s support in the direction of Israel. In response OPEC placed embargoes on oil shipments to the United States and the Netherlands to punish them for their support of Israel. OPEC decreased oil production, thus increasing the prices. This reeked havoc on the world market scene, as the United States did nothing about the situation, because they were preoccupied with domestic problems (Water Gate). The control of oil prices proved to be powerful weapon, because it was an essential ingredient for the proper functioning of an industrial world.

The feminist movement was also a strong social force/political force which

influenced the world community. With the slow desegregation of a male majority work-

force, women became more involved in the workplace and also played a greater economic

role in terms of family pecuniary decisions after the postwar era. With the increased importance concerning women in the work force, this meant the

tapering off of the Baby-boom legacy of the 1940 s , 50 s and 60 s, as women no longer had the time to raise huge families. After marrying earlier, the typical women in Europe, the United States, and Canada had her children quickly…..having about 80 percent of their children before age thirty. Thus mother hood decreased in time consumption and increased in quality as less deaths related to childbirth occurred due to technology. As Industrial development led to higher incomes and better diets, more children survived to adulthood, and population grew rapidly in the nineteenth century, contraception within marriage was spreading. (1052).

The situations concerning Afghanistan was the sixth most important event occurring since 1968. In April 1978 a Soviet coup occurred, establishing a Marxist regime which was vastly unpopular with the people of Afghanistan. Inevitably, rebellions followed and Russian troops were sent in to occupy Kabul with 100,000 men to ensure the existence of the communist state. This Soviet occupation of Afghanistan worried U.S. officials because it was believed that Soviet invasion of the Persian Gulf s oil rich countries would follow.

President Carter decided it was time to call upon the Atlantic alliance for support

against the Soviets in this situation. But to Carter s dismay Britain was the only country

out of 35 who supported him completely. This low support for U.S, actions was in response to a constant antagonizing fear of the cold-war situation.

The seventh most influential event occurred with the run on American dollars in

1971. A new system was created, it operated through the world bank and the International

monetary fund. It was based on the American dollar because of it s respected worth. Countries could exchange dollars for gold at 35 dollars an ounce. The problem occurred

when foreigners freaked out and raced to exchange their dollars for gold. President

Nixon then decided to stop the sale of American gold. The price of gold soared on the

world markets, and the value of the dollar declined. (1045)

The eighth most important event lied with the election of polish Cardinal Karol Wajtyla as Pope John Paul II in 1979. This event helped to promote the solidarity

movement established in Poland which eventually help the Polish find relief from their

communist oppressors.

Since the year 1968, we ve seen technologies come, and technologies fall. We ve

also seen the rise and fall of various communist systems. The promotion of technology

has continued to increasingly affect every aspect of life as almost every problem from the

cold war phase and on, has somehow involved the use and or manipulation of technology.

Despite the demise of the communist regimes, and the supposed freedom that many

have attained, the powers that exist promote the use of technology to control the masses.

As long systems consolidate themselves based on the use of technology, the freedom of the people will continue to be latently controlled.