Why Did the Cold War End?
Why the Cold War ended is a highly debated topic among International Relations (IR) scholars and historians, mainly due to it being a major shock. Many different theories in IR, point to various factors causing the end of the Cold War.
Realists for instance, who believe states would never willingly give up power, were most shocked, as the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev did exactly that. While neo-conservatives hailed the United States (US)President Ronald Reagan and his policies as the decisive factors which ‘won it’. However, constructivists contest that it is Gorbachev who should be seen as the critical factor needed to end the Cold War, as the Soviet leader adopted a set of new ideas, changing the narrative referred to as new thinking, which was characterized by one notion:
A “nuclear war cannot be a means of achieving political, economic, ideological, or any other goals.”
However, many other scholars and historians disagree with the notion of one factor proving decisive but rather a combination of factors, which were out of Gorbachev and Reagan’s control. These include ideas of the inherent weaknesses in the Soviet system, the destructive effects of the Afghan…
