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Francis Fukuyama And The Cold War Essay

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During the period of Cold War, the world was divided into two camps and battled for ideology – capitalism vs. communism. There was also a competition for nuclear and space race, a competition for industrial and scientific advancements and a competition for spheres of influence between the two world superpowers namely, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Cold War Period started at the end of the Second World War in 1947 and ended on the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991. As the Soviet-bloc had collapsed, it ended the four decades of the Cold War Period. Two dominant perspectives emerged after the Cold War and these are from political scientists, Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Huntington. Both of them are considered classics in International Relations as both describe contradictory perspectives that try to explain and hypothesize what would happen after the end of the Cold War Period. Francis Fukuyama with his article “The End of History?” – which then became a book entitled …show more content…

He hypothesized that “the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural.” Meaning the class of civilizations will be the main focus of conflict in the international system. He believes that there is no universal civilization. Instead, he divides the world into eight major civilizations, each with its own distinct set of values and beliefs. These major civilizations are Sinic, Japanese, Hindu, Islamic, Orthodox, Western, Latin American and Africa. And according to Huntington, the West clashing with another civilization is “the greatest threat to world peace, and an international

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