Decolonisation & Cold war. The world after WW2

1. UNIT 8: THE WORLD AFTER WW2
DECOLONISATION
& THE COLD WAR
(NEW GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS; 1945 – 1991)
IES Camilo José Cela
Teacher: Rocío Bautista

2. INTRODUCTION
After WW2 (1939 - 45), the world witnessed 2 processes of
great historical significance:
 DECOLONISATION
 DIVISION OF THE WORLD INTO 2 ANTAGONISTIC BLOCS,
WHO CONFRONTED IN THE SO-CALLED “COLD WAR”
 Capitalist bloc  led by the USA
 Communist bloc  led by the USSR

3. DECOLONISATION
DECOLONISATION =
process through which the
former European colonies
gained independence.

4. INTRODUCTION
Second half of the 20th
Century  European
colonial empires were
dismantled as their
former colonies became
independent.

6. CAUSES CAUSES OF
DECOLONISATION
Support of the two
new superpowers
(USA & USSR) who
lacked colonial
empires & were
interested in
weakening the old
European powers.
A growing international
opinion against colonial
empires. E.g.: right to
self-determination
established by the UN
(1960).
Emergence of charismatic
leaders who, after studying
in Europe, formed political
parties & led the
independence processes.
Rise of nationalistic
movements in the
colonies due to the
spread of nationalistic
ideas that defended the
right of the people to
govern themselves.
The colonies had
become aware of
their importance &
power, since their
collaboration in
WW2 (soldiers &
resources) was
essential.

7. MAHATMA GANDHI• Leader of the Indian independence
movement.
• The honorific name “Mahatma” comes from
the words “maha” & “atma”, meaning
Great Soul.
• He encouraged non-violent actions. E.g.:
he undertook several hunger strikes to
protest the oppression of India’s poorest
classes.
• After gaining independence from UK
(1947), he continued to work toward
peace between Hindus & Muslims. He
was shot to death in Delhi by a Hindu
fundamentalist (1948).
• He inspired movements for civil rights,
freedom & peace across the world.

8. http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/declaration.shtml
Charter
of the
U.N.
(1945)
UN’s
“Declaration on the Granting
of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples”
(1960)

9. ACTIVITY 1
Indicate in which stage of the decolonisation process each of the following
countries gained its independence:
MOROCCO / UKRAINE / PHILIPPINES / NAMIBIA / NIGERIA / INDIA /
MICRONESIA / CONGO / LIBYA / UZBEKISTAN / ISRAEL / PAKISTAN /
INDONESIA / KENYA / VIETNAM / ESTONIA
1st stage
1945 - 55
2nd stage
1956 - 1975
3rd stage
1975 onwards

10. Asia &
Middle East
(1945 – 55)
North Africa &
Sub-Saharan
Africa
(1956 – 75)
Other remaining
colonies
(southern Africa,
Oceania, Eastern
Europe…)
After 1975
STAGES
In some cases
colonies gained
their
independence
peacefully (by
agreements), but
other times
involved wars.

12. ACTIVITY 2
Analyse the map and indicate to which colonial empire did these territories
belonged to before WW2:
 KOREA
 PHILIPPINES
 INDIA
 PAKISTAN
 THAILAND
 INDONESIA
 LAOS
 VIETNAM
 CAMBODIA
 MALAYSIA

13. 1ST STAGE (1945 – 55)
DECOLONISATION OF ASIA & THE MIDDLE EAST
 The British Indian Empire was partitioned in two independent states: India &
Pakistan (from which Bangladesh emerged later).
 Philippines gained independence from the US.
 Indonesia gained independence from the Netherlands.
 Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia gained independence from France.

14. 1ST STAGE (1945 – 55)
DECOLONISATION OF ASIA & THE MIDDLE EAST
 In the Middle East (controlled by UK & France after WW1):
 Several countries gained their independence (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan…)
 In 1947 the UN decided to divide Palestine to create the State of Israel.  originated
several Arab-Israeli Wars and a conflict that continues nowadays.
After WW1, the former Ottoman Empire (who fought on the side of the Central Powers) was partitioned,
and some of its territories remained under British & French control.

15. 1947: the UN decided to divide
the region of Palestine (controlled
by UK & where most of the
population were Muslims) & create
the State of Israel for the Jews.
This decision originated several Arab-Israeli Wars and a
conflict that continues nowadays.

16. 1955: BANDUNG CONFERENCE
THE PUSH TO DECOLONISATION
In 1955 recently decolonised countries met in
Bandung (Indonesia) where they…
 Condemned colonialism, affirming the right
of every nation to govern themselves, and
rejecting foreign intervention in the internal
affairs of other countries.
 Encouraged peaceful coexistence.
 Promoted Afro-Asian cooperation (to reduce
their dependence on their former metropolis)
 Committed to remain neutral in response to
the great powers, setting the foundations of
the future “Non-Aligned Movement”.

17. 2ND STAGE (1956 – 75)
DECOLONISATION OF AFRICA
 1st  colonies in Northern Africa
gained their independence
(Libya, Tunisia, Morocco,
Algeria…).
 2nd  later on, most Sub-Saharan
Africa was decolonised (Nigeria,
Congo, Cameroon, Kenya…)
 3rd  finally, Southern Africa was
decolonised (Angola,
Mozambique, Namibia…)

18. In the 19th Century, the
“Scramble for Africa”
(Berlin Conference, 1884)
had drawn artificial
borders in Africa, without
consideration for those
actually living there
(religion, language, ethnic
groups, …)
After the decolonization,
the new rulers in Africa
kept the artificial borders
drawn by former
colonizers, decision that
has caused many conflicts
in the African continent
(rebellions, civil wars,…)

19. CONSEQUENCES
OF
DECOLONISATION
POLITICAL PROBLEMS: the arbitrary demarcation
of borders caused frequent wars & conflicts, which
many times led to the establishment of violent &
corrupt military dictatorships
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS: despite their political
independence, many countries maintained economic
dependence with their former metropolis (neo-
colonialism).
SOCIAL PROBLEMS: low standards of living
(poverty, hunger, malnutrition, medical deficiencies,
illiteracy…)
CONSEQUENCES
The new countries that resulted from colonisation were called “THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES”
because of their resemblance to the Third State which existed before the French Revolution.
They had to face many problems:

20. DEFINITIONS OF “NEO-COLONIALISM”
• The policy or practice of a wealthy or powerful nation in extending its
influence into a less developed one, especially in exploiting that nation's
resources.
• Political control by an outside power of a country that is in theory sovereign
and independent, especially through the domination of its economy.
• Control by a powerful country of its former colonies (or other less developed
countries) by economic pressures.
• The policy by which a nation exerts political and economic control over a less
powerful independent nation.
• Domination of a small or weak country by a large or strong one without the
assumption of direct government.

21. ACTIVITY 3
• What do you understand for “neo-colonialism”
• P. 175  exercise 2
• P. 176  exercises 1 / 2 / 3

22. 1945 – 1991:
NEW GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS
THE COLD WAR

23. COLD WAR
 1945 - 1991
 Situation of permanent military, ideological & diplomatic tension.
COMMUNIST
BLOC
Led by USSR
VS
CAPITALIST
BLOC
Led by USA

24. WHY WAS IT CALLED “COLD” WAR?
 It is said that it was a “cold” war because there was no direct
confrontation. Instead, they confronted indirectly in “proxy wars”:
regional wars around the world in which both, USSR & US,
supported one side or the other. E.g.: Korean & Vietnam

25. WHAT MADE THE COLD WAR DIFFERENT
FROM ALL WARS BEFORE IT?
 Direct confrontation was avoided because it could lead to the destruction
of the world  MAD DOCTRINE (Mutual Assured Destruction)
Due to the nuclear arms race between
the 2 superpowers, both countries had
enough nuclear weapons to wipe out
each other & destroy humanity.

26. MAD  MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION
Situation in which any use of nuclear weapons by either of two
opposing sides would result in the destruction of both, the attacker
& the defender. It dissuades both sides to initiate any attack.

27. COLD WAR (1945 – 1991)
An ideological struggle
URSS,
Eastern Europe
& China
USA
Western Europe
& Japan
of Capitalism worldwide
& spread
Support in Proxy wars

29. THE IRON CURTAIN
(“El Telón de Acero”)
• A term coined by Winston Churchill
• Imaginary line that divided Europe from the end of WWII
(1945) until the end of the Cold War (1991)
• Symbolizes the Soviet Union’s efforts to isolate itself and its
satellite states from contact with Western and non-Soviet-
controlled areas

30. The threat of a war led to the creation of two military alliances:
- Capitalist bloc  NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
- Communist bloc  WARSAW PACT

31. CAPITALIST BLOC
USA
Western Europe
Japan

32. CAPITALIST BLOC:
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
Parliamentary democracies
 Free elections to chose political
representatives
 Separation of powers
Capitalist economy
 Minimum intervention of the state in
the economy. Economy is regulated
by the law of supply & demand.
 Free competition & private
property.

33. N.A.T.O.
(O.T.A.N.)
NORTH ATLANTIC
TREATY ORGANIZATION
1949
Military alliance between
several North American &
Western European states

35. USA HEGEMONIC POWER
• After WW2 the US had major growth in economic power and civil rights.

36. USA HEGEMONIC POWER
CONSUMER SOCIETY
1945 – 73  Golden Age of Capitalism. Mass-
consumption became widespread. New inventions
manufactured at cheap prices were available for
the middle class, improving their lives (especially
women's!).

37. USA HEGEMONIC POWER:
GAINING ALLIES
The US gave billions of
dollars to Europe & to Japan
in the form of investments,
grants and loans.

38. MARSHALL PLAN (1947)
USA’s program of economic aid for
the RECONSTRUCTION OF EUROPE
after the devastation of WW2.
 Over 25.000 million dollars in
grants & loans.
 Aim: to avoid social unrest & stop
the advance of Communism in
Western Europe.
 Thanks to it, European economy
experienced a rapid recovery.

39. MARSHALL
PLAN
(1947)

40. 1ST STEPS TOWARDS
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
European integration was desired to create political & economic
cooperation among the countries
TREATY OF ROME (1957)  created the European Economic
Community (EEC), which established a single market: free
movement of people, goods, services & capital among member
countries.
 Founders: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands & West Germany.
 First step towards European integration and modern-day E.U.

41. JAPAN
 1945-1951  occupied by USA
 1947: new constitution established a parliamentary monarchy
& emperor’s power is simply symbolic
 Economy grows:
 Disciplined workforce that worked long hours for low wages
 Help from the USA
 High-tech products

42.  Why was the Cold War different from every other
war in history?
 How did the US secure alliances in Europe & Japan?
 What was the Marshall Plan?
 What was the Treaty of Rome?
QUICK REVIEW…

43.  The “Red Scare”: fear of communists infiltrating or destabilizing
the US government. It led to fierce anti-communist feelings,
political campaigns & propaganda.
USA DURING THE COLD WAR

45. THE COLD WAR IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Fallout Shelters!
Bomb Drills!

46. CAPITALISM VS COMMUNISM
Capitalism vs Communism –
Released in the 1940s, this
short cartoon would have
been shown in theaters before
the featured movie.
1) Why do you think this film
was made?
2) How is it connected to the
ideas we discussed in class?

47. ACTIVITY 4
• Define:
• MAD Doctrine
• NATO
• Marshall Plan
• Treaty of Rome
• Why do the say that the conflict between USA &
the USSR was a “Cold” War?

48.  Hippie & Peace Movements
 Women’s Liberation Movement
 Civil Rights Movement
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS OF THE 60S & 70S

50. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON,
1963 (ABOVE)
MARCH ON SELMA, 1965
(LEFT)

51. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

52. Focus on English
The term African American
doesn’t just refer to African
immigrants. It also refers to
the descendants of slaves
who were taken to the US
from Africa hundreds of
years ago.
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

53. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

54. HIPPIE, PEACE & FEMINIST MOVEMENTS

55. How did the Civil Rights,
Hippie, Feminist, and
Peace movements relate
to the Cold War?
1960’s Peace Marches:
https://ia800304.us.archive.org/2/items/1967-04-18_Peace_March/1967-04-
18_Peace_March_512kb.mp4
QUICK REVIEW…

56. Liberal democracies replaced military dictatorships in Southern Europe
• Portugal: Oliveira Salazar was overthrown in 1974 (“Carnation Revolution”)
• Spain: after Franco’s death in 1975, Spain became a democracy.
• Greece: Papadopoulos was overthrown in 1974
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
SPREAD OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY

57. ▶ Communist parties in Western countries embraced Eurocommunism →
modified version of Marxism that said power should be accessed through
parliamentary processes
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
SPREAD OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY

58. ENERGY CRISIS
Arab member countries of OPEC* increased
oil prices by over 70% in efforts to gain
support from Western countries in their
conflict with Israel. .
*Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
CAUSE: conflict between
Arab states & Israel
(Yom Kippur War)
INDUSTRIAL CRISIS
Most industrial sectors were deeply affected
by the increase of oil prices because most of
them used technologies & production
processes that depended greatly on oil.
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
1973 ECONOMIC RECESSION

59.  High inflation
 Decrease in demand
 Many large companies closed
 Huge unemployment
 Social unrest in several Latin American countries →
military dictatorships established: (e.g.: Chile,
Argentina)
Consequences of this crisis
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
1973 ECONOMIC RECESSION

60. a) Neoliberal economic policies were
established (e.g: Ronald Reagan in US /
Margaret Thatcher in UK)
 Cut public & social spending
 Privatized state enterprises
 Wages lowered & labor market
deregulated to create “flexible” workforce
So what did they do?
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
1973 ECONOMIC RECESSION

61. b) Traditional industrial sectors were restructured…
New technology (robots!) replaced
workers to lower production costs
Alternative energy sources
(instead of oil) were developed
to reduce oil dependence
Jobs relocated to cheaper
locations
THE CAPITALIST BLOC AFTER 1973.
1973 ECONOMIC RECESSION
So what did they do?

62. Copy and fill in the chart using p.184 of your book.
The 1973 Recession
Causes Consequences Measures Taken
ACTIVITY 5

63. COMMUNIST BLOC
USSR
Eastern Europe
China
Cuba

64. COMMUNIST BLOC
 Led by the USSR
 Eastern European countries
where after WW2 the USSR
had imposed its dominion &
Communist governments known
as “peoples’ democracies” were
established.
 It was reinforced with the
Communist revolutions in China
(1949) & Cuba (1959).

65. PACT OF WARSAW
(PACTO DE VARSOVIA)
1955
Military alliance between the USSR
& other communist states in Eastern
Europe during the Cold War (it
reached its end in 1991).

66. LEADERS OF THE USSR DURING THE COLD WAR:
 First leaders:
 Joseph Stalin (until 1953)
 Nikita Kruschev (1953 – 64)
 Leonid Brezhnev (1964 – 82)
 1980’s leaders:
 Yuri Andropov (1982 – 84)
 Konstantin Chernenko (1984 – 85)
 Mikhail Gorbachev (1985 – 91)
COMMUNIST BLOC

67. COMMUNIST BLOC:
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
 “Peoples’ democracies” (democracias populares)
 Communist dictatorships. No real political
pluralism.
 No freedoms or individual rights. They were
subordinated to the interests of the state.
 They were controlled by the USSR. Any
attempt at independence was crushed.
 Planned economy
 Huge intervention of the state in the economy.
The government regulates production,
distribution, prices, etc.
 Property is public. No free competition.

70. HUNGARIAN
REVOLUTION
(1956)
PRAGUE
SPRING
(1968)

71.  1948: BERLIN BLOKADE
 First major crisis of the Cold War
 When US, UK & France decided to unify Western
Germany, the USSR closed all road & rail routes
to West Berlin. In response, the Western Allies
organized the Berlin airlift to carry supplies to
the people of West Berlin.
BERLIN BLOKADE (1948) & BERLIN WALL
(1961)

72. This first major crisis of the Cold War finished with the creation of 2 German
states (1949):
 Federal Republic of Germany
 German Democratic Republic

73.  1961: BERLIN WALL
 Due to the economic recovery of
Western Germany (FRG), during the
1950’s over 4 million people
abandoned East Germany.
 In response, the communist
government of East Germany (GDR)
ordered the construction of the
BERLIN WALL to prevent the citizens
of East Germany from fleeing to West
Berlin.
BERLIN BLOKADE (1948) & BERLIN WALL
(1961)

74. BERLIN WALL
(1961 – 1989)

75. “CHECKPOINT
CHARLIE” IN BERLIN,
GERMANY

76. COMMUNIST REVOLUTION IN CHINA
• 1945 – 49  CIVIL WAR IN CHINA
CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY
Led by Mao Zedong
CHINESE NATIONAL
PARTY (Kuomintang)
Led by Chiang Kai-shek
VS

77. COMMUNIST REVOLUTION IN CHINA
• The Civil War ended in
1949 with the victory of the
Communists, and the
division of China into 2
states:
 PEOPLES’ REPUBLIC OF
CHINA (on the continent) 
communist
 REPUBLIC OF CHINA (on
Taiwan/Formosa island, where
the nationalists had fled) 
capitalist

78. MAO ZEDONG’S REGIME (1949 – 76) was a Communist
dictatorship where all opposition was supressed.
Estimated deaths: 30 – 70 millions

79. It seems impossible to
know the exact amount of
people that were killed
during the dictatorships of
Stalin, Hitler & Mao…
What it’s clear is that they
all committed brutal
genocides.

80. ACTIVITY 6
• Define:
Warsaw pact
Peoples’ democracies
Berlin blockade
Berlin wall
• Who led the Communist bloc? Name 5 countries in Eastern
Europe that fell under Soviet influence after WW2.
• What economic & political differences were there between
the Capitalist & the Communist blocs?
• Explain the Chinese Communist Revolution.

81. CUBAN REVOLUTION
CUBA BEFORE THE REVOLUTION:
• Until 1898: Spanish colony. Gained independence with the help of the USA.
• 1898 – 1959: Cuba was an independent republic characterized by:
 Political instability  democratic governments alternated with dictatorships
 Despite it was technically independent, in reality it was largely controlled by
the USA.
 U.S. military base in Guantanamo was established
 Cuban economy was dominated by the US
 American tourism crowded the island
 American products & culture everywhere (cars,
fashion, sports, music, movies…)

82. In the 1950’s Cuba had become the playground of
the US. Its tropical beauty, night-life and cheap prices
attracted many celebrities (Ava Gardner, Frank
Sinatra and Ernest Hemingway) and tourists.
Tourism was an excellent source of revenue… but it
also brought many problems:
• Corruption, gambling, drugs, prostitution,…
• Increasing prices made land & properties
affordable only for foreign investors
"Havana was then what
Las Vegas has become today“

83. CUBAN REVOLUTION
• Prior to the revolution, Cuba was ruled by a
dictator: BATISTA (coup d’etat in 1952).
• After a first failed coup
d’état (1953), FIDEL CASTRO
led a revolution to overthrow
Batista. After a 25-months
guerrilla campaign, the
revolution triumphed in
1959.

85. CUBAN REVOLUTION
• Once in power, FIDEL
CASTRO established a
Communist dictatorship:
 One single party
 Planned economy
 Social control

86. During the revolution, Fidel Castro
repeatedly promised that he would
organize free elections after their
victory, thus becoming very popular.
Once the revolution had triumphed, the
promised elections were never
summoned. He established a
Communist dictatorship.
In 2008 he gave power to his brother
(Raul Castro), and he died in 2016.

87. CUBAN REVOLUTION
To try to halt the revolution the US:
 Ordered an embargo of the island.
 Prohibited commercial, investment & other
business activities with Cuba.
 In this context of international isolation,
Cuba aligned with the USSR.
 Tried to invade Cuba in the
Bay of Pigs (“Bahía de
Cochinos”), but failed.
 1960’s: EMBARGO & INVASION OF
BAY OF PIGS

89. CUBAN REVOLUTION
 1962: CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
13-days crisis, considered the closest point the world
has ever come to nuclear war.
 US discovered that the USSR had placed nuclear
missiles on Cuba.
 In response, the US ordered a naval blockade
around Cuba, to make it clear that the US was
prepared to use military force if necessary.
 Finally, Kennedy & Kruschev agreed:
 USSR  remove missiles from Cuba
 US  promised not to invade Cuba &
remove missiles from Turkey.

90. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geGWPL1mEkk

91. USSR’S INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN
• A Communist revolution took place in Afghanistan (1978), and a Communist
government was established. It was very unstable because of:
 Internal disputes among the members of the communist party that was in power.
 Opposition of traditional Islamic population (that were against anti-religious
reforms undertaken by the communists)  created guerrilla groups to fight the
communists.
• 1979: the USSR decided to intervene and invaded Afghanistan to support of
the Communists. In response, the US decided to support the Islamist guerrilla
groups by providing them with weapons and economic support.
Communist government
(Democratic Republic of
Afghanistan)
 supported by USSR
VS
Islamist guerrilla groups
 supported by USA

93. USSR’S INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN
• After a long & exhausting war, a
demoralized USSR abandoned the war
in 1989 (now under reformist leader
Gorbachev).
• However, the Civil war in Afghanistan
continued, leading to a very complex
and unfinished conflict:
 1996: the Talibans (one of the groups
of the Islamists) established a
fundamentalist Islamic regime (imposed
the Sharia law).
 2001: as a reaction to S-11, the US
invaded Afghanistan to overthrew the
Taliban government.

94. Map of the situation in Afghanistan before US invasion in 2001
CONTROLLED BY THE TALIBANS
CONTROLLED BY THE NORTH ALLIANCE (RIVALS OF TALIBANS)
GUERRILLA ACTIVITY AGAINST TALIBANS

95. SEPT. 11TH 2001
ATTACKS
Coordinated terrorist attacks by the
Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda (led
by Osama Bin Laden)
Killed nearly 3,000 people

96. THE END OF THE COLD WAR 1985 - 1991

97. CRISIS & DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR
By the mid-1980’s the USSR was facing a deep crisis:
 ECONOMIC CRISIS  due to the inefficiency & low productivity of the
Communist economic system.
 POLITICAL CRISIS  due to an increasing discontent of the population given
the lack of freedom & the corruption inside the Communist Party.

98. THE GDP of the USSR was gradually decreasing,
and the GDP per capita was much lower than in the US

99. CRISIS & DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR
1985: new leader of the USSR  Mikhail Gorbachev.
He initiated a set of…
 economic reforms to liberalize the Russian economy 
the “perestroika”
permitted private ownership of businesses
state companies should determine their production & prices
according to the demand.
 political reforms to democratize the Russian politics 
the “glasnost”
political parties were permitted
censorship was abolished

100. CRISIS & DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev also granted autonomy to the Eastern European countries (the
USSR wouldn’t intervene in their internal issues). In 1989, the Eastern “Peoples’
democracies” gained independence from the USSR, communist regimes were
overthrown & democracy was established.

101. Peacefully (except in
Romania), people overthrew
the Communist governments
in the Eastern European
countries.
After the fall of the Berlin
wall, Germany was
reunified in 1990
Czechoslovakia was divided
peacefully in 2 countries:
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia

102. FALL OF THE BERLIN
WALL (1989)

103. CRISIS & DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR
1990: first free elections in the Republic of
Russia. Boris Yeltsin was elected president.
This democratization led to an attempt of
coup d'état by some members of the
Communist Party that didn’t want to loose
their power & privileges.

104. CRISIS & DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR
1991: the rest of Republics that formed the USSR declared
their independence. The USSR was dissolved, which was
then divided in 15 independent states.
The dissolution of
the USSR meant the
end of the Cold
War too. The US
remained as the
only superpower.