The Cold War And International Relations

International relations is an extremely important study that focuses on relationships between countries, along with the roles of all organizations whether governmental or not. International relations has been around for thousands of years beginning as early as 3500 BC. The most significant and influential time period that has impacted international relations the most is the Cold war, which was more of a conflict between the United States of America with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Soviet Union and its allies of the Warsaw Pact than a war. It was given the name “cold” simply because there was no direct fighting between the two sides. Many people thought that America and the Soviet Union were allies during WW2, however the only thing that kept them “friendly” was that they both had a common hatred for a common enemy, Nazi Germany. Even during the war there was tension and a common distrust between the United States and the USSR. So although the United States and Soviet Union were uneasy allies, having an alliance only because they shared the common fear that the Nazis would gain total control over all of Europe, they were separated by they difference in a common ideology. Now although many historians believe that the negativity of the Cold War was solely fueled on having different ideas and beliefs, but also the way each country ran their government factored into the equation. There were major events of the Cold War that contributed to the outcome of international relations. Conflicts such as Korea and Vietnam were also emerging issues that were provoked during the Cold War. These conflicts exposed American soldiers to different styles of warfare, such as Guerilla warfare, underground warfare that also made it ...

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...arsaw Pact. On the other hand, the United States was really defensive of the Latin American countries because they feared that communism spread to such areas would become instantly threatening. Another part of the Cold War that affected international relations was the fact that millions of people died in third world countries due to civil wars and other conflicts. According to Painter, “ most deaths occurred in third world countries, so there was an obvious effect on those parts of the world.” (Painter 2001) The Cold War helped provide a perfect example of how countries can unite in order to achieve common goals and aspirations. The United States looked out for their interests by providing support to countries that were capable of falling to communism. In the end, the Soviet Union’s economy tanked leaving the United States and the overall most powerful super power.