Immediately once World War II ended, The Soviet Union distance4d itself from the West. In particular, a deep political and diplomatic gap developed between it and the USA. That divide is the Cold War, a period of tense detente that lasted five decades. Political intrigue, diplomatic drama, international espionage and military posturing tensions marked the period, delivering rich literary material for writers of history and fiction alike. A Cold War author concentrates on the political and ideological maneuverings of those years.
The Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany as an ally of the British-French-USA military axis during World War 2, In spite of that alliance, the relationship between the Soviet and western countries was very fragile and brittle. This is perhaps not surprising given the huge difference in the political ideology that divided the two sides at that time. After all, communism and capitalism are far from easy bedfellows.
Within the context of the Second World War, the Soviet Union did maintain a reasonably constant dialogue with its western allies in order to defeat Nazism. But once the war ended, the Soviet Union withdrew within itself. It almost totally cut-off dialogue with, and diplomatically distanced itself from the West.
Winston Churchill lamented this detente in a speech he gave at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 1946. Churchill said Soviet isolationism had caused a large Iron Curtain to descend upon the European continent. This status divided its west from its east.
Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, as well as Romania were all subject to Soviet influence or control. In effect, they were nation satellites of the Soviet. The communist parties in these countries were significantly funded and otherwise bolstered by the Soviets. Churchill noted that the power and preeminence of these parties were raised well beyond their underlying support base and that police governments seeking totalitarian control. This Soviet sphere of influence was seen as expansionist and served to destabilize peace in Europe and the West more generally.
The Soviets repeatedly rejected economic and diplomatic ties with the USA and other western nations. It remained deliberately distant and difficult to access politically, economically and culturally. Its economy was essentially closed to the much of the outside world. Its reluctance to engage in dialogue with the West created an information vacuum. Lacking data, the West filled that vacuum with uncertainty, doubt and suspicion regarding Soviet military ambitions.
Churchill titled that speech Sinews of Peace. It is now commonly referred to as the Iron Curtain speech. Many political analysts consider it to be one of the opening shots marking the start of the Cold War. The Churchillian term "Iron curtain" quickly entered into the official vocabulary.
Throughout that five decades of Soviet detente, limited data about its economy and military were available to other nations. Western analysts grossly over-estimated Soviet economic wealth and military might. That misunderstanding greatly contributed to the arms race. Eventually, burdened by a crippling budget deficit, the Soviet Union moved to limit its military spending. Its President Gorbachev introduced Perestroika, a set of policies to strengthen the efficiency of the economy. He abolished bureaucratic constraints on individuals and businesses, introduced the market system to many sectors and opened it to global competition. Gorbachev also ended diplomatic detente with the West. As a result, a rich source of literary ideas, that any Cold War author had enjoyed for decades, dried up.
The Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany as an ally of the British-French-USA military axis during World War 2, In spite of that alliance, the relationship between the Soviet and western countries was very fragile and brittle. This is perhaps not surprising given the huge difference in the political ideology that divided the two sides at that time. After all, communism and capitalism are far from easy bedfellows.
Within the context of the Second World War, the Soviet Union did maintain a reasonably constant dialogue with its western allies in order to defeat Nazism. But once the war ended, the Soviet Union withdrew within itself. It almost totally cut-off dialogue with, and diplomatically distanced itself from the West.
Winston Churchill lamented this detente in a speech he gave at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 1946. Churchill said Soviet isolationism had caused a large Iron Curtain to descend upon the European continent. This status divided its west from its east.
Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, as well as Romania were all subject to Soviet influence or control. In effect, they were nation satellites of the Soviet. The communist parties in these countries were significantly funded and otherwise bolstered by the Soviets. Churchill noted that the power and preeminence of these parties were raised well beyond their underlying support base and that police governments seeking totalitarian control. This Soviet sphere of influence was seen as expansionist and served to destabilize peace in Europe and the West more generally.
The Soviets repeatedly rejected economic and diplomatic ties with the USA and other western nations. It remained deliberately distant and difficult to access politically, economically and culturally. Its economy was essentially closed to the much of the outside world. Its reluctance to engage in dialogue with the West created an information vacuum. Lacking data, the West filled that vacuum with uncertainty, doubt and suspicion regarding Soviet military ambitions.
Churchill titled that speech Sinews of Peace. It is now commonly referred to as the Iron Curtain speech. Many political analysts consider it to be one of the opening shots marking the start of the Cold War. The Churchillian term "Iron curtain" quickly entered into the official vocabulary.
Throughout that five decades of Soviet detente, limited data about its economy and military were available to other nations. Western analysts grossly over-estimated Soviet economic wealth and military might. That misunderstanding greatly contributed to the arms race. Eventually, burdened by a crippling budget deficit, the Soviet Union moved to limit its military spending. Its President Gorbachev introduced Perestroika, a set of policies to strengthen the efficiency of the economy. He abolished bureaucratic constraints on individuals and businesses, introduced the market system to many sectors and opened it to global competition. Gorbachev also ended diplomatic detente with the West. As a result, a rich source of literary ideas, that any Cold War author had enjoyed for decades, dried up.
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