The United States and the Soviet Union faced an unavoidable conflict of their ideologies: democracy and capitalism versus communism. Both countries sought to expand their ideologies while containing their opponents’. However, even with constant struggle, the two countries avoided direct military confrontation because both countries were aware that a violent outbreak could lead to mutually assured destruction by nuclear weapons. Therefore, the two global superpowers waged proxy wars in Third World Countries and produced opposing propaganda throughout this undeclared war. The Cold War began around 1947, post World War 2, and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Often called the “‘war of words,’” the majority of ‘attacks’ launched during this period were done through propaganda. Due to the indirect manner of the Cold War, obtaining victory required the dismantling of the opponent’s ideology through manipulating public opinions. Consequently, the two countries produced a plethora of diverse propaganda during this period. Propaganda during the Cold War — used extensively by the U.S. and the Soviet Union — sought to demonstrate their superiority and villainize their opponent; although its direct impacts are not quantifiable, its influence is seen during, at the end of, and beyond the war.
Propaganda, alternatively “psychological warfare,” is regularly employed in and out of wars to manipulate public opinion, and its significance was amplified during the Cold War. In a broad definition, propaganda is information, ideas, or arguments that are deliberately presented to influence public opinion. By nature, propaganda can be misleading, false, or half-true. Certain information could be omitted or distorted to effectively manipulate the audience. Both countries had utilized propaganda often before the Cold War, but its usage proved to be more important as the Cold War started. The Soviet Union had begun propagandistic attacks on the U.S. before the U.S. began theirs, almost immediately after the end of WW2. American international propaganda officially began after the Smith-Mundt Act in 1948, which allowed the U.S. to carry out propaganda overseas during peacetime. Retaliation upon retaliation eventually led to a full-fledged battle of international and domestic propaganda in the U.S. and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, both American and Soviet propaganda mostly sought similar things: to demonstrate their nation’s superiority, characterize or villainize the opponent, and ultimately dismantle the opposing ideology. Both countries utilized a variety of mediums including posters, animated films, movies, and radio broadcasts to carry out their propaganda. With the help of developing communication technology, the U.S. was able to effectively distribute propaganda all over the world. The Soviet Union, under the dictatorship government, was able to manipulate mass media effectively and attempted to block out Western influences entirely. Apart from the individual propaganda attacks, there were a few key global events that provided opportunities for the USSR and the U.S. to demonstrate their superiority.
To the U.S. and the Soviet Union entangled in the Cold War, the Olympics became merely a tool for demonstrating their superiority. The Olympics had always been political, and the threat of the Olympics boycotting was used well before the Cold War too. The Olympics were especially crucial during the Cold War because each victory, loss, and medal represented the superiority of the respective country. Between the Soviet Union and the U.S., their teams were engaged in a “symbolic struggle between two ideological systems.” The 1980 Olympics Boycott was prompted by the request for Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. There were also American hostages in Tehran that required immediate action. The countries dependent on the U.S. boycotted the Olympics as well, resulting in sixty-two countries boycotting and eighty-one countries participating. This demonstrated the power the U.S. held in foreign relations. In an implied response to the boycott of 1980, the Soviet Union boycotted the next Olympics held in Los Angeles in 1984. However, the contrast was evident. The Soviet Union only had sixteen countries boycotting— despite the boycott, the U.S. reported a profit of two hundred million dollars, which was then boasted in American propaganda. The Olympics were the source of patriotism and boycotting it was a political movement that demonstrated further superiority of the U.S.