5 sentences with “superpower”

Looking at this, not all Cold War conflicts were so unbalanced in terms of superpower involvement.

For the most part, the easiest way for an independence movement to avoid superpower involvement was to avoid communist rhetoric or nationalised industries.

It is worth considering the fact that Europe had been, just a few years earlier, the most powerful region on Earth, ruling most of the surface of the globe. Now, after the Second World War, it was either under the heel of one superpower or dominated by the other, unable to make large-scale international political decisions without involvement in the wider conflict.

The UN was hamstrung by the fact that the two superpowers were among those with permanent seats on the UN Security Council, the body charged with authorising the use of force when necessary. Also, the two Cold War "sides" generally remained loyal to their respective superpower leaders, ensuring that there could be no unified decision-making when it came to Cold War conflicts.

Despite the limited practical consequences of some aspects of the space race, it was symbolically important for both sides - it was a highly visible demonstration of scientific superiority, and the first superpower to achieve a particular breakthrough in the space race had thus "won" an important symbolic victory in the eyes of the world. Moreover, since the space race was based on the mastery of rocket technology, the military implications were obvious.