By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Explain why the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc collapsed
- Discuss the effects of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
- Describe the changes made by Deng Xiaoping in China in the 1970s and 1980s
At the beginning of the Cold War, ideological differences between the Soviet Union and the United States seemed insurmountable. The enmity between the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc resulted in conflicts around the globe that cost the lives of millions of people. Millions also died in China’s pursuit of the ideal communist society. Nuclear weapons that threatened the very existence of the human species were stockpiled in preparation for a war that neither side wanted. A world that was not so deeply divided seemed unimaginable to many. However, the Cold War lasted less than fifty years.
The content of this course has been taken from the free World History, Volume 2: from 1400 textbook by Openstax