The Cold War, from the Prespectives of Realism, Pluralism and Structuralism
Why did none of the three main approaches to world politics (Realism, Pluralism and Structuralism) predict the end of the Cold War? Should they have done so?
This essay will address why the three main approaches to world politics did not predict the end of the Cold War. Firstly it will briefly give a background insight into what the Cold War was. Then it will go on to explain what characterises the three main approaches to world politics which are Realism, Pluralism and Structuralism, it then will briefly look at the distinctive theory behind them. Lastly the essay will analyse whether or not the three main approaches could have predicted and anticipated the end of the Cold War.
The Cold War was the standoff conflict of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union “The Cold War was a multi dimensional conflict in the Third world as elsewhere. It involved, most evidently, a strategic and military competition, which took the form of the nuclear and conventional arms races” R.Saull (2001: Foreword).
Firstly to answer this question we have to understand what the Cold War was about, its origins, key events and how all this was at the forefront of world politics for almost half a century. Without a doubt the Cold War is a period of major significance to both world politics and international relations but what was the origin of it? P.Edwards (2010:64) states that the cold war was a “period of tension that prevailed between the Soviet Union and the United States following World War II.” The most common and identifiable difference between these two superpowers was the ideology. The United States praised free enterprise and the capitalist system whereas the Soviet Union denounced this ideology and advocated a Marxist ideology led by an authoritarian communist regime. However despite the differences ideologically this alone was not the cause of the Cold War, as we know too well they were in fact allies during WWII against fascism. The two superpowers
This essay will address why the three main approaches to world politics did not predict the end of the Cold War. Firstly it will briefly give a background insight into what the Cold War was. Then it will go on to explain what characterises the three main approaches to world politics which are Realism, Pluralism and Structuralism, it then will briefly look at the distinctive theory behind them. Lastly the essay will analyse whether or not the three main approaches could have predicted and anticipated the end of the Cold War.
The Cold War was the standoff conflict of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union “The Cold War was a multi dimensional conflict in the Third world as elsewhere. It involved, most evidently, a strategic and military competition, which took the form of the nuclear and conventional arms races” R.Saull (2001: Foreword).
Firstly to answer this question we have to understand what the Cold War was about, its origins, key events and how all this was at the forefront of world politics for almost half a century. Without a doubt the Cold War is a period of major significance to both world politics and international relations but what was the origin of it? P.Edwards (2010:64) states that the cold war was a “period of tension that prevailed between the Soviet Union and the United States following World War II.” The most common and identifiable difference between these two superpowers was the ideology. The United States praised free enterprise and the capitalist system whereas the Soviet Union denounced this ideology and advocated a Marxist ideology led by an authoritarian communist regime. However despite the differences ideologically this alone was not the cause of the Cold War, as we know too well they were in fact allies during WWII against fascism. The two superpowers
References: Paul M. Edwards (2010) The Korean War: A Historical Dictionary 2nd Edition The Great Transition: American-Soviet Relations and the end of the Cold War (1994) USA, Published by the Bookings Institution Richard Suall Rethinking Theory and History in the Cold War: The State, Military Power and the Social Revolution (2001) East, West, North, South: Major Developments in international relations since 1945 (2005) California, USA Published by SAGE Publications inc Car;.C.Hodge, Cathal.J.Nolan US Presidents and Foreign Policy: From 1789 to the Present (2007) The Politics of the Global Oil Industry: An Introduction (2005) USA, Published by Praeger Publishers Jeffery Haynes, Peter Hough, Shahin Malik, Lloyd Pettiford World Politics (2011)