Although the Cold War is often seen as a battle between the United States and the USSR, it was really an ideological battle between capitalism and communism; both of these countries were minimally affected in a practical sense.  However, there were many countries actually affected, including the Latin American countries Guatemala, Cuba, and Chile.  This article is not meant to diminish the tensions felt and actions taken by the US and USSR during these times.  I would just like to concentrate on the great effect this “war” had on the three aforementioned nations.

During the Cold War the United States had economic control of Guatemala through the United Fruit Co.  In 1954 Jacob Arbenz was elected president of Guatemala and sought to nationalize many companies there including UFC.  This would greatly affect American profits so the CIA allied with a local rebel army to overthrow Arbenz.  The US justified their actions by claiming that Arbenz’s attempt to nationalize companies was a communist practice.  This condemnation, of course, could be attributed to the tense beliefs about communism caused by the Cold War.

Also, the United State’s “if  you’re not with us, you’re against us” demeanor led us to have bad relations with Cuba and Chile.  After the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, the new leader Fidel Castro nationalized sugar, which angered the US.  This subsequently led the US to ignore Castro’s attempt to create a diplomatic trade solution.  Because of this Cuba turned to Russia and became communist.  This ultimately led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and American’s embargo against Cuba.

Similarly, Chile, under the leadership of Salvador Allende, underwent a peaceful, legal, Marxist-led revolution.    Although this revolution was peaceful, it goes against the basic principles of America.  The Cold War also led many Americans to fear the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere if his regime were to succeed.  The US CIA, under Nixon, saw Allende as a threat to the world and American business interest so they financed opposing political parties to ensure that he did not remain in power.  Many reports suggest the USSR and its KGB supported Allende and his forces.

There were definitely many consequences to the Cold War faced by both the USSR and the US, but we must not forget that other countries were greatly affected too!  To this day we still have bad relations with Cuba and other countries underwent revolutions as a cause of our “war.”  However, it is debatable whether or not all of these occurrences are necessarily bad.