Cold War Conflicts and Global Decolonization

The Vietnam War and Cold War Tensions

In 1964, an American destroyer was attacked by North Vietnam, escalating the conflict into a full-scale war between the two countries. The USA was ultimately defeated in a deal with the Vietnamese guerrillas. Vietnam was then united into one country under communist rule.

Of all these conflicts, the one that raised the most international tension was the Cuban Missile Crisis, as it represented a direct confrontation between the two superpowers, rather than between their satellite countries.

Capitalism vs. Communism: Ideological Divide

The fundamental difference between capitalism and communism lies in their economic systems:

• Capitalism is an economic system where the means of production are primarily privately owned. Capital is invested in the production, distribution, and trade of goods and services for profit within a competitive free market.
• In contrast, Communism is based on the social ownership of the means of production and the abolition of private ownership of the initiative itself. In this case, control is exercised by the state.

Decolonization: Shaping the Post-War World

Understanding Decolonization

Decolonization is one of the most significant phenomena of the second half of the 20th century. It involved the independence of colonies established in Asia and Africa by European nations a century earlier, leading to the emergence of many new states on the world stage.

Decolonization affected more than half of the Earth's surface and profoundly impacted international relations. Chronologically, this process can be divided into two main stages:

• 1946-1954: Decolonization of Asia
• 1956-1966: Decolonization of Africa

The Bandung Conference and the Third World

Between these two stages was the Conference of Bandung (Indonesia), held in 1955. This conference led to the creation of the so-called Third World and marked the end of the transition from colonialism to independence for Asia, while signaling the beginning of the independence process for Africa.

Factors Accelerating Decolonization

Several key elements accelerated the decolonization process:

• The consequences of two World Wars.
• The evolution and growing self-awareness of colonized peoples.
• Imperialism was weakening due to the anti-imperialist movement, supported by the Church and political currents like Western Marxism. Teams were formed by left-leaning intellectuals and politicians who insisted on the injustice of imperialism.
• International institutions facilitated independence processes. The League of Nations regulated the situation of German and Ottoman colonial territories, and later the UN, through the Atlantic Charter, acted in favor of independence processes.
• The growth of colonies and urbanization.