The Cold War Brought Peace And Prosperity?
Although the Cold War had many negative influences on global society, it also helped to create a stable political world, as evidenced by the fact that during the Cold War era, there were almost no civil wars, nationalistic uprisings, and ethnic cleansings. As well, the world economic situation was greatly improved by the military build-up during the Cold War. The implementation of the American "Marshall Plan" and the Communist "Molotov Plan", the nuclear arms race, and the global military build-up all served to create global political stability and economic prosperity. Both plans were designed to increase each country's "spheres of influence". They called for the creation of alliances, treaties, and pacts with as many other countries as possible in order to weaken the enemy's political strength. United States and the Soviet Union provided large amounts of financial aid and weapons, and signed trade agreements with other countries that they wanted to be "friend" with.
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U.S. reconnaissance photograph of soviet missile s...
Hyde Park Protesters October 1962 during the Cuban...They also supported the revolutionaries or rebellions in other countries that were not in their sphere of influence. As a result of the two Superpowers' efforts to expand their spheres of influence, the world became largely polarized. This polarization led to unprecedented stability and peace in the world.
The nuclear arms race and the development of ICBM significantly influenced American and Soviet Union's policies of non-confrontation. Both superpowers rightly believed that a nuclear war would lead to global annihilation. Thus they attempted to stay out of direct confrontation with each other, preferring to indirectly support other governments that were aligned with their own political beliefs. An excellent example is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 , which showed how much both superpowers wanted to prevent nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis was caused primarily by the failed "Bay...