The most significant events in the decades following World War II Essay

The most significant events in the decades following World War II - Essay Example On one hand, the United States tried desperately hard not to let communism spread across the borders. On the other hand, the Soviet Union, having risen to the position military ascendancy, wanted to make sure it had a hold over other countries’ foreign, military and defense strategies. Additionally, the threat of a nuclear warfare became imminent with the respective centralizations of power in two regions that were geographically far apart. Europe became a focal point of contention for both the nations as neither of them was ready to forsake the advantages gained during the Great War. The Soviet Union assumed control of Eastern Europe courtesy of German’s defeat. The United States had political ambitions far greater than any other western countries in that it wanted to extend its military laterality to far and wide. Under these circumstances, developments on the political upfront following World War II were closely interlinked with one another. One event somehow heralde d and legitimized its succeeding chain of events. Moreover, each major event was conditioned by the situation leading up to it. This essay is going to elaborate on the major political events that took place in the next five decades following World War II. The events to be discussed are the rise of consumerism in the 1950s, the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Iranian revolution in the 1970s, the fall of Berlin Wall in the 1980s and global terrorism in the 1990s. Differences of opinion between the Soviet Union and the United States had existed for a long time, much before the Great War broke out in 1939. The great economic depression in the 1930s following the labor movements in Canada had already had a detrimental effect on American political idealism. An overwhelming sense of disillusionment and despair hovered upon the general psyche in the country. However, this difference of opinion did not surface much as both the nations formed allies to defeat the Axis forces. But once the War was