Economic effects of the cold war. The Cold War and the social and economic history of the twentieth century (Chapter 24) 2022-10-16

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The Cold War, which lasted from the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, had a significant impact on the global economy. While the conflict never escalated into direct military confrontation, it had far-reaching economic consequences for both the Western and Eastern blocs, as well as for developing countries around the world.

One of the most significant economic effects of the Cold War was the emergence of two rival economic systems: capitalism in the West and socialism in the East. The competition between these two systems fueled an arms race and a space race, as both sides sought to outdo each other in military and technological superiority. The cost of these efforts was staggering, with both the United States and the Soviet Union spending billions of dollars on defense and research and development.

The Cold War also had a major impact on international trade and investment. The Western powers, led by the United States, used their economic and financial leverage to support friendly governments and discourage socialist or communist revolutions. This often resulted in the imposition of economic sanctions and other measures to block trade with countries that were seen as adversaries. At the same time, the Soviet Union and its allies sought to create a self-sufficient economic bloc through the establishment of Comecon, a regional organization that facilitated trade and economic cooperation among socialist countries.

The Cold War also had significant consequences for developing countries, which often found themselves caught in the middle of the conflict between the two superpowers. Many of these countries received financial and military aid from the United States and other Western powers as part of their efforts to contain the spread of communism. However, this aid often came with strings attached, such as the requirement that recipient countries adopt pro-Western economic policies and open their markets to Western investment.

In conclusion, the economic effects of the Cold War were significant and far-reaching. The competition between capitalism and socialism had major implications for international trade and investment, as well as for the economies of both the Western and Eastern blocs. Developing countries were also caught up in the conflict, and their economies were often influenced by the larger geopolitical struggle.

The Cold War: Sociocultural Effects in the United States

economic effects of the cold war

At the same time, since East-West confrontation has provided the rationale for much of America's international engagement throughout the postwar period, ending the Cold War may suggest to some Americans that the country should largely withdraw from such engagement, including in the economic domain. He adopted a conciliatory attitude towards the Americans and many arms reduction pacts were signed. The United States and the European Union are now planning sanctions, asset freezes and visa bans, as they attempt to punish President Vladimir Putin for expanding his territory. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions. Page and Shapiro The Rational Public, p. Plainly, leaders of the defense elite had interests of their own—personal, political, institutional, material, and ideological—interests that they could serve through strategic retention, dissemination, or misrepresentation of the information to which they alone had access. Empirical macroeconomists appear to be oblivious to this issue.

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The World Economy After the Cold War

economic effects of the cold war

The spending deviations were associated with the extraordinary costs of engagement in two major shooting wars in Asia. In fact, that need not necessarily be catastrophic for growth. A rivalry between the US and the USSR was created through their race to spread their ideas and influence to other countries across the globe with the US being the Capitalist superpower and the USSR being the contending communist power. There are a number of stunning recent examples of this abiding phenomenon. The CIA, at the time of the Cold War, tried to calculate the actual income growth percentage as they knew that the Soviet Union put out false numbers.


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The Effects of the Cold War on the Russian Economy

economic effects of the cold war

In Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has ushered in an era of economic growth and a large increase in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state failure. Next, I examine opportunity costs, identifying how changes in the military share of national product were related to changes in the private share or the government nonmilitary share, both from year to year and over the course of distinct periods of military buildup and cutback. Marx criticized capitalism for leading to the exploitation of workers and argued that the government should control the factors of production — land, labor, and capital factories — to protect the common people. The welfare state in Europe meant that the European economy and well being relied on the government programs. The economic crisis became critical when the Soviet economy could no longer produce the technological innovations, particularly computer technology, that were the basis of economic expansion in other advanced industrial countries.

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Economic aspects of the Cold War, 1962

economic effects of the cold war

Higgs, Robert, Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. As displayed on the graph to the left, there are three primary sources of statistics for income growth in the Soviet Union: the TsSU, CIA, and revised estimates by Grigorii Khanin. Import-substitution and export-led growth strategies were ingredients of the economic recovery plans of WWII-scarred Japan and Germany. It means dropping Japan's perception of itself as a vulnerable island nation that must "export or die" and protect its own market and firms against "powerful outsiders. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match.

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The Cold War Economy: Independent Institute

economic effects of the cold war

Resulting in difficulty of successful transparency between international relations. No system worthy of the name has existed since that time, with enormous costs for the world economy. And Egypt, with the Suez Canal. How big would the US economy have been without the Cold War? Post-World War II American military affairs—preparation for as well as actual involvement in war—gave rise to characteristic political processes. The soundness of this accounting practice can be, and often has been, questioned. Russian Crime organizations have grown to a high number since the end of the Cold War. The Big Three should thus push for the implementation of four sweeping new reforms by 2000: 1 elimination of all tariffs on all industrial trade; 2 a complete ban on all quantitative trade barriers including "voluntary export restraint agreements"; 3 a sharp expansion in the independence and mandate given the GATT to police the system; and 4 creation of an instrument similar to the GATT for investment issues to provide a stable framework for international corporate activities and help resist protectionist pressures in this area, notably in the United States.

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How did the Cold War effect the economy?

economic effects of the cold war

Figure 6 is based on opinion survey data underlying Higgs and Kilduff, 66. On the resistance of public opinion to official manipulation, see Page and Shapiro, The Rational Public, pp. Moreover, resources devoted to war are treated as final goods or services instead of as costs of production. A Brief Overview of the Causes and Effects of the Cold War The Soviet-American combat, known as the "Cold War" hung heavy over global affairs for more than forty long years; structuring the world with extensive military buildups, an unceasing nuclear arms rivalry, intensive surveillance, and relentless technological emulations. Recall that these figures are expressed in 1982 dollars. Now is the time to create a global framework to avoid such tensions in the future. A data set that includes a judgment as to the magnitude of a war has been developed by the Center for Systemic Peace From the same source, a data set on coups and other forms of political instability is available.

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The Economic Effects of the Cold War: Conservatism Plus Deficit Spending

economic effects of the cold war

Stalin's five year plan for the years between 1945 and 1950 stated that the heavy industry , in sectors such coal, iron and steel would improve it's outputs by more than 300 %. Page and Shapiro, The Rational Public, p. Japan has already begun to change impressively. The Arms Race caused the distributing of resources to shift primarily towards the military,specifically nuclear testing. With respect to Europe, fears are widespread that a truly united continent will see itself as so self-sufficient, and be so preoccupied by regional developments, that it will have little interest in promoting global economic cooperation. You can get Our essay writers are graduates with diplomas, bachelor, masters, Ph. Europeans and Japanese may come to feel that the United States will reform its domestic policies only if they join together to provide external pressure to do so.

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Effects of Cold War in Economic Development

economic effects of the cold war

But nothing in the workings of U. There were significant economic effects on the United States due to this four-decade period of heightened military tension and international jockeying for allies and influence. Racial overtones would be widely perceived even if unintended. As in the United States, a small minority recognizes the basic change in the country's international position and seeks new policies. A major concern is Japan's concentrated pursuit of superiority in a wide range of strategic high-technology industries, including many in which the United States retains a substantial competitive advantage. Mueller, War, Presidents, and Public Opinion, p.

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Economic Impacts Of The Cold War

economic effects of the cold war

The industries provided job opportunities to the Europeans and this increased the investment rate, formation of political parties and a general economic growth due to implementation of right to welfare, health insurance systems and general social relation. The Cold War was to last almost to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the death of the Soviet Union. It looks only at the impact of war on GDP per capita as measured. Americans went through a phase of paranoia related to McCarthyism and his blacklist. A large portion of government money, instead of going into investing in technology and computers for the future, went to nuclear research which haddetrimental effects on the economy. All economies would suffer, and there would be a genuine risk of trade warfare.

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The Cold War and the social and economic history of the twentieth century (Chapter 24)

economic effects of the cold war

If the peace dividend and other expenditure cuts do not finance the needs of the coming years, revenue increases will be essential. In the United States after 1948 three mobilizations occurred, during 1950-53, 1965-68, and 1978-87, each followed by a demobilization. In June 1987, U. Cuban missile crisis in 1962 was the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war; when an American U2 spy plane took photographs of Soviet intermediate ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads, sending a total of 42 medium range missiles and 24 intermediate range missiles to Cuba. Absent such internal developments, each area will lack the internal self-confidence or the international respect needed to play its part in global leadership. Hence America's greatest contribution to recovery in Eastern Europe or the Third World would be correction of its own fiscal position.

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