How did the Cold War affect China and Japan?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
Both nations took advantage of the struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. In doing so, they placed themselves in a position to become major forces in the post-Cold War world. Japan expanded economically, in part because of the very small military budget imposed on it by the Allies after World War II. Protected by the United States as an important Asian ally, Japan poured its resources into economic recovery and expansion during the Cold War years. China, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Cold War, particularly in relation to the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Although both China and the Soviet Union were communist nations, they remained separate politically, and tensions between them often ran high. The Great Leap Forward in 1958 and the Cultural Revolution in 1966 attempted to drive Chinese industry and society forward but instead created deep conflicts and hardship. While the repression of the Cultural Revolution lasted until Mao Zedong's death in 1976, China was slowly becoming a more modern world power. The gulf between the USSR and China became so wide that China was welcomed in world affairs, joining the United Nations in 1971. Although repression continues in China, the Cold War was responsible for modernization and the recreation of China as a world power.