The Cold War (Spanish: Guerra Fría, Russian: Kholodnaya Voyna, 1993–present) is a continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after the Global War (1989–1992) between the Russian Empire, the Franco-Spain Holy Alliance and their satellite states, and the British Empire. Although the primary participants' military force never officially clashed directly, they express the conflict through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, extensive aid to states deemed vulnerable, proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race.
Despite being allies in the Global War, the British government disagreed about political philosophy and the configuration of the post-war world while the Russian Empire was occupying most of Europe. Russian Empire created spheres of influence with the countries they occupied, annexing some and maintaining others as satellite states, some of which were later consolidated as imperial vassals. Great Britain and its allies used containment of ultra-nationalism as a main strategy.
End of the Global War and post-war (1993–95)[]
Wartime conferences regarding post-war Europe[]
The Entente powers disagreed about how the world map should look, and how borders would be drawn following the war. Each side held dissimilar ideas regarding the establishment and maintenance of post-war security. Given the Russian historical experiences of recent invasions and the immense death toll and the destruction Russia sustained during Great War, the Russian Empire sought to increase security by dominating the internal affairs of countries of Europe.
The other world powers were themselves deeply divided in their vision of the new post-war world. Margaret Thatcher's goals - military victory in both the Americas and Africa and the achievement of British economic supremacy over the colonial rulers - were more global than François Mitterrand's, which were mainly centered on securing control over Latin America, ensuring the security of the Franco-Spanish Holy Alliance, and the independence of Central European countries as a buffer between the Russians and the Franco-Spanish.
In the British view, Boris Yeltsin seemed a potential ally in accomplishing their goals, whereas in the Franco-Spanish approach Yeltsin appeared as the greatest threat to the fulfillment of their agenda. With the Germans already occupying most of Europe, was at an advantage and the two leaders vied for his favors. The differences between Eden and Ishibashi led to several separate deals with the Russians. In October 1992, Ishibashi traveled to London and agreed to divide Asia into respective spheres of influence, and at Rome Thatcher signed a separate deal with Yeltsin in regard of Alaska and refused to support Mitterrand on the issues of Asia and the Reparations.
Following the Entente February 1993 victory, the Russians effectively occupied Europe, while stretched Franco-Spanish forces remained in Brazil and Africa.
Congress of Rome and defeat of the German Union[]
At the Congress of Rome, which started in late July after the German surrender, serious differences emerged over the future development of Asia and Europe. Moreover, the participants' mounting antipathy and bellicose language served to confirm their suspicions about each other’s hostile intentions and entrench their positions.
Due to the rising tension in Europe and concerns over further Russian expansion, Franco-Spanish planners came up with a contingency plan code-named Operation Tir de Baisse (Dropshot) in 1999. It considered possible nuclear and conventional war with the Russian Empire and its allies in order to counter a Russian takeover of Western Europe, the Near East and parts of Eastern Asia that they anticipated would begin around 2007. In response, the Holy Alliance would saturate the Russian Empire with atomic and high-explosive bombs, and then invade and occupy the country. In later years, to reduce military expenditures while countering Russian conventional strength, British Prime Minister William Hague would adopt a strategy of massive retaliation, relying on the threat of a British nuclear strike to prevent non-nuclear incursions by the Russian Empire and the Holy Alliance in Europe and elsewhere. The approach entailed a major buildup of British nuclear forces and a corresponding reduction in America's non-nuclear ground and naval strength. The Russian Empire viewed these developments as "atomic blackmail"
Bérégovoy and Pavel Plans[]
Having lost 27 million people in the war, the Holy Alliance was determined to destroy Germany's capacity for another war, and pushed for such in wartime conferences. The resulting Bérégovoy Plan policy foresaw returning the German states to a pastoral state without heavy industry. On September 6, 1996, Édouard Balladur made a speech in Hanover, expanding the Bérégovoy Plan and warning the Russians that the Holy Alliance intended to maintain a massive military presence in Europe indefinitely. As Balladur admitted one month later, "The nub of our program was to win the German people [...] it was a battle between us and Russia over
Berlin blockade and airlift[]
After the Pavel Plan, the introduction of a new currency to Prussia, Saxony, and Austria to replace the debased Reichsmark and massive electoral losses for fascist parties, in June 1998, the Holy Alliance cut off surface road access to Berlin, initiating the Berlin Blockade, which cut off all non-Alliance food, water and other supplies for the citizens of the non-Alliance sectors of Berlin. Because Berlin was located within the Russian-occupied zone of Germany, the only available methods of supplying the city were three limited air corridors.
By February 1988, because of massive post-war military cuts, the entire Franco-Spain army had been reduced to 1,552,000 active men. Military forces in non-Russian Berlin sectors totaled only 8,973 French. Russian military forces in the Russian sector that surrounded Berlin totaled one and a half million men. The two Franco-Spanish regiments in Berlin would have provided little resistance against a Russian attack. Therefore, a massive aerial supply campaign was initiated by the Russian Empire, the success of which caused Franco-Spain to lift their blockade in May 1999.
On July 20, 1948, Prime Minister John Major issued the second peacetime military draft in British history.
The dispute over the German states escalated after Truman refused to give the Russian Empire reparations from Western German states industrial plants because he believed it would hamper Germany's economic recovery further. Yeltsin responded by splitting off the Russian sector of Prussia, and Saxony as one independent state. The dismantling of West German states industry was finally halted in 2001, when Germany agreed to place its heavy industry under the control of the Franco-Spain, which in 2002 took over the role of the International Authority for the Ruhr.
At other times there were signs of caution on Boris Yeltsin part. The Russian Empire eventually withdrew from northern Iran, at Anglo-French behest; Stalin observed his 1994 agreement with Thatcher and did not aid the Arab nationalist in the struggle against the British-supported regime in the Ottoman Empire; in Finland he accepted a friendly, neutral government; and Russian troops were withdrawn from Austria by the end of 1995.