Chapter 4. International history 1945-1990

Len Scott

• Introduction

• End of empire

• The cold war

• The bomb

• Conclusion

READER'S GUIDE

This chapter examines some of the principal developments in international politics from 1945 to 1990. Fundamental changes in politics, technology and ideology took place in this period, with enormous consequences for world affairs. The onset of the cold war, the creation of nuclear weapons, and the end of European imperialism are the principal devel­opments explored in the chapter. Since 1945 world politics has been greatly influenced by the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, each of which emerged as 'superpowers'. The ideological, political, and military interests of these two states and their allies, extended around the globe. How far, and in what ways, conflict in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere was promoted or prevented by the cold war are central questions. Similarly, how the process of decolonization became intermingled with cold war conflicts is a central Issue in understanding many wars and conflicts in the Third World'. Finally, how dangerous was the nuclear confrontation between East and West? Did nuclear weapons keep the peace between the superpowers or did they provoke conflict and risk global catastrophe? The chapter raises these questions, and explores the relationship between nuclear weapons development and phases in East-West relations, first with detente, and then with the deterioration of Soviet-American relations in the 1980s.

Introduction

The Second World War was global in scope and total in nature. It helped bring about fundamental changes in world politics after 1945. Before 1939 Europe had been the arbiter of world affairs, and both the Soviet Union and the United States remained, for different reasons, preoccupied with internal development at the expense of any signifi­cant global role. The war brought the Soviets and the Americans militarily and politically deep into Europe, and helped transform their relations with each other. This transformation was soon reflected in their relations outside Europe where various con­frontations developed. Like the Second World War, the cold war had its origins in Europe, but quickly spread, with enormous consequences for countries and peoples around the world.

After 1945 European power was increasingly in eclipse, although this was not always apparent to those who held power or to their supporters. The economic plight of the wartime belligerents, includ­ing those Western European countries who had emerged as victors, was nevertheless increasingly and transparently obvious, as was the growing real­ization of the military and economic potential of the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries emerged as 'superpowers', combining global polit­ical objectives with military capabilities that included weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them over intercontinental dis­tances. In Europe, the military involvement of the superpowers soon took the form of enduring polit­ical commitments, notwithstanding early American intentions to withdraw and demobilize their troops after 1945. European political, economic, and mili­tary weakness contrasted with the appearance of Soviet strength and the growing Western perception of malign Soviet intent. The onset of the cold war in Europe marked the collapse of the wartime alliance between the UK, the USSR, and the USA. How far this alliance had been a marriage of convenience, and how far its breakdown was inevitable after 1945 remain crucial and contentious issues. What is beyond doubt is that the legacies of the Second World War provided a heavy burden for succeeding generations. Arguably the most notable, and cer­tainly the most dramatic, legacy was the atomic bomb, built at enormous cost and driven by fear that Nazi Germany might win this first nuclear arms race, with terrifying consequences. After 1945 nuclear weapons presented unprecedented challenges to world politics and to the leaders responsible for con­ducting post-war diplomacy. The cold war provided context and pretext for the growth of nuclear arsenals which threatened the very existence of humankind, and which have continued (and con­tinued to spread) beyond the end of the cold war and the East-West confrontation.

Since 1945 world politics has been transformed in a variety of ways. These changes reflected political, technological, and ideological developments, of which three are examined in this chapter: (1) The End of Empire: the withdrawal of European coun­tries from their empires in Africa and Asia; (2) The cold war: the political and military confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union; (3) The Bomb: the development of the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb, and the means of their delivery. There have of course been other important changes, and indeed equally important continuities, some of which are explored in other chapters. The transformation of the international political econ­omy and the creation of the United Nations are among several key developments. Nevertheless, the three principal changes outlined above provide a framework for exploring events and trends which have shaped the post-war world.