Balance of Power in the Cold War
Balance of Power in the Nuclear Age
The Cold War standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped the global balance of power after World War II. Although an actual war between these two superpowers never occurred, the balance of power process instead took the form of a massive arms race, in which each superpower responded by adding to their military buildup. The possession of large arsenals of nuclear weapons by both the United States and the Soviet Union ensured that any potential war would prove disastrous for both. Because of the threat to human survival posed by nuclear weapons, military strategists often referred to the balance of power as a “balance of terror.”
During the Cold War, the U.S. policy of containment encircled the Soviet Union with military and political alliances in Western Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The major U.S. and Soviet military interventions of the Cold War-in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan-took place in politically contested regions of the world where both superpowers jockeyed for influence. Small states sometimes benefited from the superpower competition. In the 1960s, for example, relations soured between Cuba and the United States. At that time, Cuba allied itself with the Soviet Union and received large economic and military subsidies. (1)
In this Section: Balance of Power, Balance of Power Significance, Balance of Power History, Balance of Power in the Cold War and Balance of Power in the XXI Century.
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