Cold War
1. Overview
- Definition: Ideological, geopolitical & economic struggle (1947-91) between US-led Capitalist Bloc & USSR-led Communist Bloc without direct large-scale shooting war.
- Coined by: Bernard Baruch (1947) in a speech; popularised by Walter Lippmann.
- Nature: “War of words”, proxy wars, arms race, space race, espionage, sports rivalry.
2. Causes at a Glance
| Immediate Causes | Long-term Causes |
|---|---|
| Disagreement over post-WW-II Europe & Germany | Clash of ideologies (Capitalism vs Communism) |
| Soviet refusal to vacate Eastern Europe | Mutual distrust since 1917 Bolshevik Revolution |
| Truman Doctrine (1947) & Marshall Plan (1948) | US desire for open markets vs USSR’s buffer states |
| Atomic monopoly (US 1945) vs USSR bomb (1949) | Power vacuum after fall of Germany & Japan |
3. Timeline of Key Events
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Yalta & Potsdam Conferences | Seeds of discord over Poland & Germany |
| 1946 | Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech | First public attack on Soviet expansion |
| 1947 | Truman Doctrine | US pledges to help nations resist communism |
| 1948-49 | Berlin Blockade & Airlift | First major crisis; 2.3 million tons supplies flown |
| 1949 | NATO formed (12 nations) | Military alliance against USSR |
| 1950-53 | Korean War | First ‘hot’ proxy war; 54,000 US, 2 lakh Koreans dead |
| 1955 | Warsaw Pact | USSR’s counter-military alliance |
| 1956 | Hungarian uprising | 2,500 killed; USSR re-asserts control |
| 1961 | Berlin Wall erected | Physical symbol of division; 155 km concrete barrier |
| 1962 | Cuban Missile Crisis | 13-day standoff; closest to nuclear war |
| 1968 | Prague Spring crushed | “Brezhnev Doctrine” proclaimed |
| 1972 | SALT-I signed | First arms-limitation treaty |
| 1975 | Helsinki Accords | 35 nations recognise post-war borders |
| 1979-89 | Soviet-Afghan War | USSR’s Vietnam; 15,000 Soviet, 1 million Afghan deaths |
| 1983 | Reagan’s SDI (“Star Wars”) | Space-based missile shield plan |
| 1985 | Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader | Introduces Glasnost & Perestroika |
| 1989 | Fall of Berlin Wall | Symbolic end; 9 Nov 1989 |
| 1990 | Germany reunified | 3 Oct 1990 |
| 1991 | Dissolution of USSR | 26 Dec 1991; 15 independent republics |
4. Military & Space Milestones
| Item | USA | USSR |
|---|---|---|
| First A-bomb test | Trinity (16 Jul 1945) | RDS-1 (29 Aug 1949) |
| First H-bomb test | Ivy Mike (1 Nov 1952) | Tsar Bomba (30 Oct 1961, 50 MT) |
| First ICBM | Atlas (1959) | R-7 Semyorka (1957) |
| First Satellite | Explorer-1 (1958) | Sputnik-1 (4 Oct 1957) |
| First Man in space | Alan Shepard (1961) | Yuri Gagarin (12 Apr 1961) |
| Nuclear warheads peak | 31,255 (1967) | 40,159 (1986) |
5. Agencies & Operations
| Organisation | Country | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CIA (1947) | USA | Covert ops, coups (Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954) |
| KGB (1954) | USSR | Intelligence, suppression of dissent |
| NATO (1949) | 30 members today | Collective security (Art. 5: attack on one = attack on all) |
| SEATO (1954) | Anti-communist Asia alliance | Dissolved 1977 |
| CENTO (1955) | Middle-East counterpart | Dissolved 1979 |
6. Proxy Wars (Selection)
| Conflict | Years | Major Players | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korean War | 1950-53 | US/UN vs China/N.Korea | Stalemate at 38th parallel |
| Vietnam War | 1955-75 | USA vs North Vietnam | Communist victory 1975 |
| Arab-Israel wars | 1948-73 | US aid Israel; USSR aid Arabs | Mixed; Camp David 1978 |
| Angolan Civil War | 1975-91 | USSR/Cuba vs US/S.Africa | MPLA wins |
| Afghan War | 1979-89 | USSR vs US-backed Mujahideen | Soviet withdrawal 1989 |
7. End of Cold War – Factors
- Economic stagnation in USSR (GDP growth <2 % 1980s)
- Costly Afghan war ($8 billion/yr)
- Chernobyl disaster (1986) – exposed systemic flaws
- Reagan’s arms race pressure (defence budget ↑ 40 %)
- Rise of nationalism in Baltic & Caucasus
- Sinatra Doctrine (Gorbachev lets satellites decide) replaces Brezhnev Doctrine
- Revolutions of 1989 – peaceful except Romania (2,000 killed)
8. Quick Reference Table – Nicknames & Doctrines
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Iron Curtain | Churchill’s phrase for Soviet border secrecy |
| Truman Doctrine | Containment of communism everywhere |
| Domino Theory | If one nation falls to communism, neighbours follow |
| Brezhnev Doctrine | USSR right to intervene in socialist states |
| Sinatra Doctrine | “Do it your way” – Gorbachev’s non-interference |
| Glasnost | Openness in governance |
| Perestroika | Economic restructuring |
| SDI/Star Wars | Strategic Defense Initiative – space shield |
9. One-liner Facts (Memory Bytes)
- Yalta Conference (Feb 1945) decided to divide Germany into 4 zones.
- Potsdam (Jul 1945) issued ultimatum to Japan; first coldness Truman vs Stalin.
- Berlin Airlift lasted 321 days; 277,000 flights.
- NATO’s HQ first in London, now Brussels.
- Warsaw Pact had 8 members; dissolved July 1991.
- U-2 spy plane shot down on 1 May 1960; pilot Francis Gary Powers captured.
- Hotline between Washington & Moscow established 1963 after Cuban crisis.
- SALT-II never ratified by US Senate after USSR invaded Afghanistan.
- Olympic boycotts: Moscow 1980 (65 nations) & LA 1984 (14 socialist nations).
- Chernobyl reactor No.4 exploded 26 Apr 1986; 116,000 people evacuated.
- Baltic Way 1989 – 2 million people formed 600 km human chain for independence.
- 1991 August coup – hardliners detained Gorbachev for 3 days; Boris Yeltsin emerged hero.
10. 15+ MCQs for Railway Exams
Q1. The term ‘Cold War’ was first used by
A. George Kennan
B. Bernard Baruch
C. Winston Churchill
D. Joseph Stalin
Ans: B
Q2. The Iron Curtain speech was delivered at
A. Harvard University
B. Westminster College, Fulton
C. Stanford University
D. Yale University
Ans: B
Q3. Which was the first military alliance formed during the Cold War?
A. SEATO
B. CENTO
C. NATO
D. Warsaw Pact
Ans: C
Q4. The Berlin Blockade crisis occurred in
A. 1945-46
B. 1947-48
C. 1948-49
D. 1950-51
Ans: C
Q5. Who was the Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A. Khrushchev
B. Brezhnev
C. Stalin
D. Andropov
Ans: A
Q6. The Warsaw Pact was signed in
A. 1949
B. 1955
C. 1961
D. 1968
Ans: B
Q7. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was proposed by
A. Jimmy Carter
B. Ronald Reagan
C. George H. W. Bush
D. Bill Clinton
Ans: B
Q8. The fall of the Berlin Wall took place on
A. 3 Oct 1989
B. 9 Nov 1989
C. 26 Dec 1991
D. 1 Aug 1990
Ans: B
Q9. The policy of Glasnost is associated with
A. Stalin
B. Brezhnev
C. Gorbachev
D. Yeltsin
Ans: C
Q10. USSR disintegrated on
A. 26 December 1991
B. 25 December 1990
C. 1 January 1992
D. 15 August 1991
Ans: A
Q11. The first satellite launched by USSR was
A. Explorer-1
B. Luna-1
C. Sputnik-1
D. Vostok-1
Ans: C
Q12. Which of the following was NOT a proxy war of Cold War?
A. Korean War
B. Vietnam War
C. Gulf War 1991
D. Soviet-Afghan War
Ans: C
Q13. The Truman Doctrine was announced in
A. 1945
B. 1946
C. 1947
D. 1948
Ans: C
Q14. The summit that led to the first arms limitation treaty (SALT-I) was held at
A. Geneva
B. Helsinki
C. Vienna
D. Moscow
Ans: D (May 1972)
Q15. Which republic was the last to leave the Soviet Union?
A. Ukraine
B. Kazakhstan
C. Russia
D. Kyrgyzstan
Ans: B (16 Dec 1991, Alma-Ata Protocol)
Q16. The human chain demanding Baltic independence in 1989 was called
A. Freedom Chain
B. Baltic Way
C. Singing Revolution
D. Velvet Revolution
Ans: B
Q17. Who emerged as the first President of the Russian Federation after the dissolution of USSR?
A. Mikhail Gorbachev
B. Boris Yeltsin
C. Vladimir Putin
D. Nikita Khrushchev
Ans: B
Q18. The Chernobyl disaster reactor was located in present-day
A. Russia
B. Belarus
C. Ukraine
D. Poland
Ans: C
Q19. The ‘Brezhnev Doctrine’ justified
A. Glasnost
B. Intervention in socialist countries
C. Detente
D. Perestroika
Ans: B
Q20. Match the following:
- SEATO – a. 1954
- CENTO – b. 1955
- NATO – c. 1949
- Warsaw Pact – d. 1955
Correct code:
A. 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d
B. 1-a, 2-b, 3-d, 4-c
C. 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-d
D. 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d
Ans: A
BETA
