The world has changed drastically since 1945, so much so that there are entire classes dedicated to the change brought about by the end of World War II. Between 1945 and 2018, the world has seen the rise and fall of communism governments, has witnessed countries formed and others torn apart. The world has seen empires fall and superpowers rise to take their place, only to become locked in the ideological Cold War that left all in fear of nuclear war. No country remained unaffected by the conflict of the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Consequently, Cold War politics continue to affect modern the actions and reputations of countries globally even long after its end in 1989. The Cold War refers to the …show more content…
With the official dissolving of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States remained the sole superpower in the world. However, due to its interventionist policy during the Cold War, the United States moved into the unipolar world carrying a reputation of being an empire. In Was There Ever An American Empire?, Professor Antony Hopkins evaluates American history from its origins as a British colony to its current status as a world power. In its most basic form, Professor Hopkins’s argument is the United States was never an empire in the classical sense of empires such as the British, French, and Dutch, but due to acquisition and intervention during the Cold War to counter the spread of communism, the United States gained a reputation for being an empire. Essentially, the United States’ involvement across the world did not originate from an expansionist mindset, but the desire to establish temporary, strategic holdings in the geopolitical Cold War. However, the latter half of the 20th century witnessed massive decolonization on the global scale. The world observed America’s interference with new and developing countries and linked such practices to attempting to fill the void colonial powers left. Such accusations continue into the present as the US intervenes in various areas of the world where it holds economic or political interest, such as the Middle …show more content…
Professor Nicolai Petro’s colloquium, Russia on the World State: Are We Reading Russia Right?, the first engaged activity I attended, addressed mostly European and American views of Russia government and politics, partially focusing on the western idea of Russia being incompatible with the west. Professor Petro expertly introduced common western perception about Russia politics in the post-Cold War world and countered them by offering counter evidence. Of the stereotypes Professor Petro mentioned, the majority of them involved corrupt politics, Russia’s current President Vladimir Putin, and the censorship of the media. While Professor Petro emphasized the European sentiment of Russia’s incompatibility with the west originates long before the Cold War, I argue the strict division between the west and the east created during the Cold War intensified such feelings. Additionally, resentment from Eastern European countries by the interventions and, often violent, repressions by the Soviet Union alienates Russia from its closest geographic neighbors. As a result, both allies and enemies of the Soviet Union remain warry to the inheritor of its legacy: