19.1: Introduction

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The Cold War became the overarching framework of conflict around the world. At its worst, the Cold War led to “proxy wars” between United States-led or supplied anti-communists and communist insurgents inspired by, or supported by, the Soviet Union or communist (as of 1949) China. Thus, a complex matrix of conflict around the world combined independence struggles within colonies on the one hand and proxy conflicts and wars on the other. Sometimes, independence movements like those of India and Ghana managed to avoid being ensnared in the Cold War. Other times, however, countries like Vietnam became battlegrounds on which the conflict between capitalism and communism erupted in enormous bloodshed.

The newly-founded United Nations generally failed to prevent the outbreak of war despite its goal of arbitrating (settling) peaceful solutions for international problems. The two superpowers, among other countries, had permanent seats on the UN Security Council, the body that was charged with authorizing the use of force when necessary. Likewise, the two “camps” of the Cold War generally remained loyal to their respective superpower leaders. Thus, making it difficult to have any unified decision-making when it came to Cold War conflicts.

In addition, some independence movements avoided becoming embroiled in the Cold War, others did not. In many cases, European imperial powers reacted violently to their colonial subjects’ demands for independent governance, leading to both bloodshed and violations of human rights. Here, again, the United Nations was generally unable to prevent violence, although it did at times at least provide an ethical framework by which the actions of the imperialist powers might be judged historically.