AP World History: Modern College Board

Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization

I. Causes and Effects of the Cold War

• Competition between the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, led to the Cold War.
• The ideological differences between communism and capitalism played a central role in the onset and duration of the Cold War.
• The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine heightened tensions, leading to the escalation of the Cold War.
• The Cold War resulted in the arms and space races, contributing to technological and scientific advancements.
• The Cold War led to conflicts and proxy wars around the world, such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghan War.
• The Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain symbolised the divide between the East and the West during the Cold War.
• The nuclear arms race and the policy of mutually assured destruction increased global tension and fear of potential nuclear war.
• The formation of military alliances, such as NATO and the *Warsaw Pact, escalated the Cold War tensions.
• The policy of containment exerted by the West impacted many developing nations and their relationship with the superpowers.

II. Causes and Consequences of Decolonization

• The economic and political weakness of European powers after WWII catalysed the process of decolonization.
• Nationalistic movements and leaders, like Mohandas Gandhi in India and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, drove processes of decolonization.
• The Bandung Conference in 1955 was an expression of solidarity amongst decolonizing nations, fostering a sense of pan-African and pan-Asian identity.
• Decolonization resulted in the formation of new independent nations, often leading to political instability and conflict, such as the Rwandan genocide or the Biafran Civil War in Nigeria.
• The non-aligned movement was a consequence of decolonization, with states trying to maintain neutrality between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
• Post-colonial societies often experienced tension as traditional, colonial, and modern forms of life clashed.
• Decolonization led to migration patterns from former colonies to former imperial countries.

III. Interrelations Between the Cold War and Decolonization

• The ideological battle of the Cold War often intensified conflicts in decolonizing nations, as newly independent states became battlegrounds for proxy wars.
• The superpowers often sympathised with or aided decolonization movements as part of their ideological struggle.
• The desire for neutrality amongst decolonizing nations complicated Cold War dynamics, as expressed in the non-aligned movement.
• Post-colonial nations often adopted socialist or mixed economies, reflecting the influence of Cold War ideologies.
• The Cold War often hindered efforts at national reconciliation or political stability in newly independent states due to superpower involvement.