The Cold War

The termination of the Second World War signalled the conclusion of great power war in Europe, but it did not mark the end of great power competition. Rather, this time the competition that ensued was not between the powers of Europe, but between the ‘West’ and the Soviet Union.

The ‘Cold War’, as this competition became to be known, was one of the defining features of the twentieth century and its impact on the future direction of European Integration and US-European relations should not be underestimated.

Read this web page on the Cold War and think about the following questions

• Why was the Cold War called the Cold War?
• When and how did the Cold War end?
• Who was on each side during the Cold War?
• When were the main ‘hot points’ of the Cold War?

The cartoon above represents post-war Europe; for a full explanation on the cartoon visit this link. Cartoonist: Woop, Date 27th September 1947