POL114H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mikhail Gorbachev, Geopolitics, Warsaw Pact
21 Jun 2018
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Wednesday – May 16th, 2018
Week 2 – Lecture 4 – Chapter 3
The Cold War and the Global Balance of Power
Why Study the Cold War?
-The Cold War dominated global politics for over 40 years and during that time, citizens of every
state on earth were put at risk by the nuclear arms race.
-Distrust began to develop between the U.S, Great Britain, and USSR because each side was
suspicious of the other’s intentions.
-It involved tensions between two superpowers (U.S and USSR) and their respective allies.
-This tension had four dimensions: ideological, geopolitical, strategic, and international.
-Best recent example of bipolarity.
The Post-World War II World
-Estimated 60 million people dead, of which:
-26 million Soviets.
-15 million Chinese.
-6.5 million Germans.
-6 million Jews.
-4 million Polish.
-2 million Japanese.
-1 million Yugoslavs.
-600,000 French.
-400,000 British.
-405,000 Americans.
-45,000 Canadians.
-The USSR was the strongest military force in Europe.
-The U.S was on the verge of a global hegemony.
Ideological Rivalry
-A competition to determine which system (Capitalism vs. Communism) performs best and
could build a better society.
-Western countries viewed Marxism-Leninism as an ideology that stifled the political and
economic freedom of the individual.
-While the Soviet Union viewed the West as capitalist serving, who control the world economy
and is aiming to destroy the Marxist-Leninist revolutions.
-Hawks: believed that the Marxist-Leninist ideology was a guide for the Soviet Union’s
expansionist foreign policy, in addition to providing support for the Communist movements
abroad.
-Doves: argued that the Soviet Union foreign policy was defensive and that they would not
initiate any risky expansionist actions, but at the same time would take advantage of
opportunities to do so.
-Problem: both sides disregarded ideological leanings when it’s in the national interest.
-Orthodox historians: argued that the expansionist foreign policy of the Soviet Union caused
the Cold War.
-Revisionist historians: argued that neither side to blame and that the Soviet Union behaved
pragmatically.
Geopolitical Rivalry
-Geopolitics studies the effects of geography on politics where political action is seen largely
determined by geography.
-In the U.S, they saw the Soviet Union as a threat that will take over Europe, Asia, and Africa
therefore having control over the interior lines of transport.
-The U.S formed alliances with Western European countries who shared the same threat
perceptions resulting in the formation of NATO in 1949 and NORAD in 1958.
-The USSR formed alliances with Eastern European countries and formed the Warsaw Pact to
counter NATO.
Deterrence
Document Summary
Week 2 lecture 4 chapter 3. The cold war and the global balance of power. The cold war dominated global politics for over 40 years and during that time, citizens of every state on earth were put at risk by the nuclear arms race. Distrust began to develop between the u. s, great britain, and ussr because each side was suspicious of the other"s intentions. It involved tensions between two superpowers (u. s and ussr) and their respective allies. This tension had four dimensions: ideological, geopolitical, strategic, and international. The ussr was the strongest military force in europe. The u. s was on the verge of a global hegemony. A competition to determine which system (capitalism vs. Communism) performs best and could build a better society. Western countries viewed marxism-leninism as an ideology that stifled the political and economic freedom of the individual.
