Europe History

The historical period which is called “Cold War” marks the time between the 1940s till the 1990s and represents the relationships between the United States of America and the former Soviet Union. These relationships were filled with tension and anxiety of both countries. This period is also marked by various conflicts and ongoing competition between these two superpowers, the USA and USSR. Confrontation between the two could be seen in almost every sphere of human life: industry, military, ideology and politics, technology, exploration of space, espionage, and many others. John Merriman the Author of the book titled A History of Modern Europe: From the French Revolution to the Present objectively presents one of the most complex historical periods of international confrontation, the Cold War. Unlike any other wars seen in the history of humanity, the Cold War was not a traditional one, because it involved neither military action nor employment of the traditional weaponry. At the same time, however, the fact that the countries were developing and constructing nuclear weapons and experimenting with weapons of mass destruction was the most alarming characteristic of this particular war. If the Cold War was to change into traditional war at any point of European history, it might have been the last war of humanity, because the coerciveness in the international relations between countries as well as military readiness of the countries to lead the World War III was on their pick of power. The relations created during the Cold War period have influenced the further events of the unfolding history of European countries. Even though the Soviet Union broke up, the shadow of the previous relations can still be felt between the former USSR countries and the USA. Today, the relations are described as being restricted by the long lasting bipolar conflict. The further development of the world international relations have been altered after the end of the Cold War and the changes which took place at the beginning of the 1990s. One of the worst conditions of the post-war period was the fact that the Third World countries were found to be leading war actions on their territories. When the USSR collapsed and it seemed like the great leaders of the big superpower did not care about the world division and politics, many countries of the Third World found themselves amidst war actions over the matters which were no longer so urgent. Many of these countries were struggling to become independent while their major problem was poverty as well as economical and political instability. The countries of the Third World have always been greatly dependent on the developed countries and their economic growth. However, they often engage themselves in rivalries over various matters like it can be seen in the countries of the Middle East. Even though the USSR collapsed and the domination of the USA has loosened its reins, the actual domination of these superpowers over the European countries has not yet disappeared. Decolonized countries have not become free and independent …