Bipolar World the Bipolar Concept

Bipolar World

The Bipolar Concept and the Soviet Bloc vs. The West

The bipolar world that developed after World War II represented the basic perceived structure of world politics during the Cold War. The bipolar idea depicts the world as essentially divided into two camps, both militarily and ideologically, with the West representing democratic ideals, and with the Soviet bloc representing Communism in opposition to democracy. Much of the world divided between the two camps, with the two sides creating mutual defense pacts among member nations, and with much of the rhetoric of the age based on the clash of ideologies as well as images of a military threat from the other side. In truth, the bipolar world was never as simple as the term makes it sound, for large areas of the world were unaffiliated. In addition, the bipolar world did not last that long in its pure form because divisions developed between the Soviet Union and Red China, leaving China as an uncertain entity on the world stage much of the time. The very idea of a bipolar world order disintegrated along with the Soviet Union in 1989, creating a less certain picture of friend and foe.

In the face of uncertainty regarding Germany after World War II, the West also had to face uncertainties about the Soviet Union. Much of American foreign policy after World War II was shaped around anti-Communism. In the 1950s, anti-Communism was bound with ideas of tradition, family values, and the protection of the American way of life. Yet, two images of the world seemed at odds in this era -- on the one hand, a world torn by strife and threatened by Communism, and on the other, the American world of affluent families living in freedom and equality (May 10).

The nuclear threat was a key element of the Cold War, as seen in the continuing arms race and the stockpiling of nuclear weapons by both sides. For all the concern nuclear capability had raised as to the potential for world disaster, it can also be seen as true that nuclear weapons affected the behavior of nations and actually inhibited the onset of large-scale war (Newhouse 12). In the earliest period of the nuclear age, the United States was the only nuclear power and believed that the situation would continue, but once the Soviets tested a device in 1949, that belief evaporated. The Cold War was under way with two nuclear powers, and over time there would be more. Throughout the nuclear era, the threat of nuclear war seemed to be enough to prevent it, though there were times when tensions rose to such a pitch that even that was not certain.

The division of the world into two major camps lasted until the Soviet Union dissolved. Over that period of time, the two sides engaged in an escalating arms race, in efforts to curb that race, in periods of agreement, and in periods where other countries and wars between smaller countries served as proxies for the two camps. The Korean War and the War in Vietnam were such wars, though both were waged more against China than the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis was one in which th Soviets used Cuba as a test case and lost. Such a race for superiority and dominance was expensive, and the West was better able to absorb these costs because of a stronger economic base than was the Soviet bloc, which was not as developed and not as economically strong. The economic and social situation when Gorbachev assumed power in the 1980s was already in deterioration, and the economy in particular was falling further and further behind the West. In 1985 he inherited a country with a stagnating economy, an ambitious but self-defeating foreign policy, and a corrupt and inept elite short of energy and ideas. The crisis facing Soviet society as the union disintegrated came from several sources, but the economic problems, the growing crime rate, the inter-ethnic violence, and the political struggles all derived from the deep crisis rising questions about the legitimacy of Soviet political institutions and the identity of the Soviet people. Gorbachev brought about many changes in Soviet politics and society. The development of this national policy came as the Soviet Union spent more and more on defense and security while people had to wait in long lines for staples. The political regime began trying to reform the economic structure in the 1980s in the era of perestroika. Ronald Grigor Suny notes that official policies in the mid-1980s began to shift priorities in response to a perceived need, and at the time, socio-cultural demands by the people were being answered and were increasing the size of sections of the budget for the Soviet Union. At the time, it was projected that budgetary spending on the national economy would be decreased by 6%, while spending on socio-cultural issues would rise by 10.7%. This was seen as a major shift in priorities for industry and as a major shift in national spending. Gorbachev encouraged even more change as he called for a shift in priorities for military planning. He began to determine the consequences of spending so much on national security and found ways for his changes in doctrine to lead to economies that could benefit the budget. He then pressed for a different defense posture, less aggressive and more defense oriented. In '988, he announced unilateral reductions in Soviet forces by a considerable amount and pressed for negotiations with the West to reduce nuclear weapons (Suny 237).