WOTW 2022/Cold War

The Cold War, also known as the Sino-Soviet Cold War, is an ongoing period of geopolitical tension and struggle for global influence between the Soviet Union and China and their respective allies, the Soviet Bloc and the Chinese Bloc. It is widely agreed to have begun in the mid-1950s, often 1956, emerging from the Sino-Soviet Split. It follows the Soviet-American Cold War, a shorter period of tension between the former United States and the Soviet Union which began after World War II.

Soviet Bloc
The Soviet Bloc is a grouping of countries which is led by and supports the Soviet Union against China. A key organsation in the Soviet Bloc is the International Communist League.

Chinese Bloc
The Soviet Bloc is a grouping of countries which is led by and supports the Soviet Union against China. A key organisation in the Chinese Bloc is the Revolutionary Communist International.

Non-Aligned Bloc
The Non-Aligned Bloc is a grouping of various communist and socialist countries which are neutral towards the Soviet Union and China and which tend to oppose their attempts to establish hegemony over international socialism.

Reactionary Bloc
The Reactionary Bloc is a grouping of reactionary countries which, more than just opposing the Soviet Union and China, actively oppose socialism as a whole. Key countries in the bloc include Brazil, Spain and South Africa.

Arab Bloc
The Arab Bloc is a grouping of countries which geopolitically align with the Federation of Arab Republics. The term is rare due to the countries of the Arab Bloc often aligning with either the Soviet, Chinese or Non-Aligned Blocs such as Libya with China and Egypt with the Soviet Union.