• In the early 1950s, NATO relied on the United States for the threat of massive nuclear bombs to counter the Warsaw Pact’s much larger ground forces. Beginning in 1957, American nuclear weapons were put in western European bases as a defense strategy. This portrays that instead of relying on threats of nuclear bombs like NATO , Warsaw Pact relied on its own ground troops to defend NATO.

• Fear of communism made some societies restrict freedoms and focus on military spending.

• Science boomed as countries raced to develop new weapons and technology.

• Many countries got caught in wars fueled by the US vs. USSR fight.

• Social justice movements gained momentum as people fought against both communism and inequality.

2.Council on Foreign Relations. “Eight “Hot Wars” during the Cold War.” World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations, 25 May 2023, world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/conflict/eight-hot-wars-during-cold-war.

3.1950s Soviet atom bomb test at Semipalatinsk. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, Nov 02 2020. quest.eb.com/images/132_3122260. Accessed 18 Mar 2024.

• Military Buildup: Both sides stockpiled weapons fearing war.

• Proxy Wars: The US and USSR fought indirectly in other countries like Korea and Vietnam.

• Economic Rivalry: The US promoted free trade, while the USSR had its own economic system.

• The alliances in the Cold War prevented invasions, and ensured that the smaller countries like Hungary,South Korea and Poland etc ,who were allied with the Soviet Union had military support. They were also used by the Soviet Union to stop any protests or rebellions in the Eastern Europe countries that were under its control.

• Europe was divided into a U.S.led Western bloc and a Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. Due to the consequences of the war , the Allies established the United Nations (UN) which was a new global organization for international cooperation and diplomacy. The members included in the United Nations agreed to not start wars in order to avoid a third world war.

• The rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist mistrust and international incidents that seemed at one point that the two superpowers would start a nuclear war.

• In world war 1 , the alliances system turned a smaller conflict into a big one that involved many countries. The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, The Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria) in World War One promised to support one another against the threats of the Allied Powers.

• The Cold war led to wars in Korea and Vietnam, which were devastating to military forces on both sides. These conflicts also imbalanced power in different regions of the world, the ramifications of which continues to still affect the countries how they make handle their military forces and maintain security.

• This is a link to the website that tell us a summary about the cold war and summarizes, the whole padlet by using flashcards.

• We think that the collapse of Soviet Union involved many external pressures from US and its allies and internal economic weaknesses. Both the things had significant roles in the collapse of USSR . Thus , its difficult to decided which factors out of the two led to the collapse.

• Internal: It talks about the the crackdown in Czechoslovakia that made people in the Eastern Europe angry because they felt being controlled by the USSR. This showed the cruel nature of Soviet Union and led to protests against communists government in the eastern part , which gradually led to decline of USSR.

• External:The policies of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher wanted to change things through a way known as neo-liberalism and these leader believed more in individual freedom than government. They initiated people focus on themselves rather than relying on government. As this was different from communist ideas, it made the USSR weak.

• External: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 signified the end of the conflict between Eastern and Western Europe. It also represented the collapse of the communist control and the reuniting of Germany as a one big country, which meant that Soviet Union also got weakened . This event was also a crucial turning point in the history.

• Internal: As the communism failed , it led to the formation of new independent states , who were different ethnic groups and caused problems as they had different ideas for governing themselves and often had conflicts on things like border , who should be the leader etc. This contributed to the collapse of USSR.
  

Conceptual: How has the Cold war affected the society?

Factual : In what ways did the Warsaw Pact differ from NATO in terms of their organisation structures, objectives, and member countries.

Conceptual:How has times and places affected the Cold War?

Conceptual:How have systems of power influence the Cold War?

Conceptual : How did the alliances and rivalries reshape global relations and individual interactions during the Cold War?

Conceptual:How has the Cold War Impacted the Society?

Debatable: Did the Soviet Union's collapse primarily result from internal economic weaknesses or external pressures from the United States and its allies?(Tushita)