Correct option is A
The correct answer is (a).
· The Assertion (A) is true because, after the Cold War ended in 1991, the global power structure shifted from a bipolar system (dominated by the USA and USSR) to a unipolar system, with the USA emerging as the sole superpower.
· The Reason (R) is also true. The collapse of Soviet power in Eastern and Central Europe, followed by the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, marked the end of the bipolar world order. This shift allowed the USA to dominate the global stage politically, economically, and militarily, thus leading to a unipolar system. Furthermore, (R) correctly explains (A) because the fall of the Soviet Union was the primary cause of this transition.
Information Booster:
1. The Cold War (1947-1991) was a period of intense rivalry between the USA and the USSR, forming a bipolar system of global power.
2. The bipolar system is characterized by two dominant powers competing for influence, typically across political, military, and economic dimensions.
3. The unipolar system emerged post-1991, with the USA as the predominant global power.
4. The collapse of the USSR in December 1991 ended the ideological, political, and military rivalry of the Cold War.
5. Key factors in the USSR's collapse include economic stagnation, nationalist movements in Soviet republics, and reforms like Glasnost and Perestroika initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev.
6. The USA's global dominance post-1991 was reinforced by its military interventions, economic influence, and cultural soft power.