Internal Challenges to the Cold War

The Cold War order faced continuous challenges from both societal movements and government-led oppositions between 1947 and 1990, with key events such as the anti-Vietnam protests, the 1956 Hungarian uprising, and nuclear tests like the 1954 hydrogen bomb testing on Bikini Atoll serving as pivotal moments of resistance. Analyzing five core periods—including the Korean War and the Cuban missile crisis—the study reveals that opposition to the Cold War paradigm was a persistent feature rather than an exception. This work highlights how domestic foreign policies and societal dissent collectively shaped global tensions during this era, offering a nuanced perspective on the fragility of Cold War structures.

Gassert, P. (2013). Internal Challenges to the Cold War. The Oxford Handbook of the Cold War, 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199236961.013.0025