About the term 'Cold War'

• Before 1945 was used to describe situations characterised by extreme international tension between states but which avoided tipping over into ’hot wars’ (those in which direct fighting took place)
• After 1945 (esp. after 1947) the term was quickly applied to the deteriorating relationship between the USSR and the USA/the west. (The term was popularised especially by US journalist Walter Lippman.)
• In the context relating to the events of the second half of the 20th century, the term 'cold war' has dual meaning:
• (a) 'cold' in the sense that relations between the main protagonists were paralysed or frozen, and so not friendly or 'warm'.
• (b) 'cold' in the sense that although relations were bad, they were not so bad as to have led to full-blown 'hot' war in Europe. However, at different times this 'cold' war also involved very bloody 'hot' wars between the main players' allies in regions beyond Europe.

Nature of the Cold War

• Both sides appeared to accept for most of the period that, ultimately, coexistence with the other political and social system was impossible, and so were determined to weaken each other by any means short of all-out war - including establishment, training and arming of terrorist groups
• As a result of what was increasingly a bi-polar conflict - at least until the 1950's, when the emergence of communist China made it a multi-polar one - there was an intense of arms race between the USA and the USSR and its allies, involving both conventional and nuclear weapons.
• As part of this 'cold' conflict, both sides suppressed or sought to control their internal dissidents (the 'enemy within') and were often prepared to ally themselves with regimes and movemensts that conflicted strongly with their stated political ideology and beliefs.

Source: Todd, A., The Cold War. Cambridge University Press 2011.