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World History

World History II
Sometimes single events alter the course of history; other times, a chain reaction of apparently lesser occurrences changes the path of nations. The intense rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that emerged directly after World War II followed the second pattern. Known as the Cold War, the competition grew out of mutual disbelieve between two starkly different societies: communist Soviet Union and the democratic West, which was led by the U.S. and included Western Europe. Communism is a political and economic organization in which the Communist Party controls all aspects of citizens' lives and private ownership of property is prohibited. It is not compatible with America's democratic way of life. Democracy is a political system consisting of several political parties whose members are elected to a mixture of government offices by vote of the people. The rapidly growing rivalry between the two emerging post–World War II superpowers in 1945 would dominate world politics until 1991. Throughout much of the time, the Cold War was more a war of ideas than one of battlefield combat. Yet for years, the Cold War affected almost every aspect of American life and those who lived in several other countries around the world.
The global rivalry was characterized by many things. Perhaps the most striking was the cost in lives and public funds. Millions of military personnel and civilians were killed in conflicts often set in Third World countries. This toll includes tens of thousands of American soldiers in the Korean War and Vietnam War and thousands of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. National budgets were expanded to support the nuclear arms races, military buildups, localized wars, and aid to friendly nations. On the international front, the United States often supported harsh but strongly anti-communist military dictatorships. On the other hand, the Soviets frequently supported revolutionary movements seeking to overthrow recognized governments....