superpower

(noun)

A sovereign state with dominant status on the globe and a very advanced military, especially the Soviet Union or United States.

Related Terms

Examples of superpower in the following topics:

  • Superpower Rivalry

    • After WWII, the U.S. and the USSR became the two sole superpowers, opposing each other ideologically, politically, and economically.
    • The United States and Soviet Union eventually emerged as the two major superpowers after World War II.
    • Despite attempts to create multinational coalitions or legislative bodies (such as the United Nations), it became increasingly clear that the superpowers had very different visions about what the post-war world ought to look like.
    • Additionally, much of the conflict between the superpowers was fought in "proxy wars," which more often than not involved issues more complex than the standard Cold War oppositions.
    • Evaluate the theory of a bipolar post-war world dominated by two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union

  • The Cold War's Costs and Consequences

    • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Cold War world became widely considered unipolar instead of bipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower.
    • Because the two superpowers carried much of the confrontational burden, both Russia and the United States ended up with substantial economic liabilities.
    • In addition to the loss of life by uniformed soldiers, millions died in the superpowers' proxy wars around the globe, most notably in Southeast Asia.
    • Because there was no formalized treaty ending the Cold War, the former superpowers have continued to various degrees—depending on their respective economies—to maintain and even improve or modify existing nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
    • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Cold War world is widely considered unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower.

  • Détente and Human Rights

    • /Soviet relations in which tension between the two superpowers was eased.
    • The West agreed and talks began towards actual limits to the nuclear capabilities of the two superpowers.
    • The two superpowers agreed to install a direct hotline between Washington DC and Moscow, the so-called "red telephone," enabling both countries to quickly interact with each other in a time of urgency.

  • The Effects of the Cold War

    • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Cold War world is widely considered unipolar, with the United States as the sole remaining superpower.
    • Because there was no formalized treaty ending the Cold War, the former superpowers have continued to various degrees—depending on their respective economies—to maintain and even improve or modify existing nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
    • Since the superpowers carried much of the confrontational burden, both Russia and the United States ended up with substantial economic liabilities.
    • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post–Cold War world is widely considered unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower.

  • The Cold War Begins

    • The United States and Soviet Union eventually emerged as the two major superpowers after World War II.
    • The 1956 Suez Crisis suggested that Britain, financially weakened by two world wars, could no longer pursue its foreign policy objectives on an equal footing with the new superpowers without sacrificing convertibility of its reserve currency as a central goal of policy.
    • Despite attempts to create multinational coalitions or legislative bodies (such as the United Nations), it became increasingly clear that the US and Soviet superpowers had very different visions about what the post-war world ought to look like.

  • The "New World Order"

    • Commentators expected the replacement of containment with superpower cooperation.
    • Pursuant to superpower cooperation, a new role for NATO was forecast, with the organization perhaps changing into a forum for negotiation and treaty verification, or even a wholesale dissolution of NATO and the Warsaw Pact following the resurrection of the four-power framework from WWII (i.e. the U.S., United Kingdom, France, and Russia).
    • The Washington Post declared that this superpower cooperation demonstrates that the Soviet Union has joined the international community, and that in the new world order Saddam faces not just the U.S. but the international community itself.

  • Yalta's Legacy

    • Yalta's legacy was one of broken promises and increased suspicion between the two emerging superpowers.

  • Argentina Before the Great Depression

    • In light of the United States’ emergence from WWI as a political and financial superpower, this would prove particularly harmful to Argentina.

  • Nixon in China

    • Out of the summit came agreements for increased trade and two landmark arms control treaties: SALT I, the first comprehensive limitation pact signed by the two superpowers, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned the development of systems designed to intercept incoming missiles.

  • Foreign Policy After the Cold War

    • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post–Cold War world was widely considered as unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining superpower.