The Cold War was a competition. The US and the Soviet Union raced to become the world’s number one superpower, building up their militaries, improving their arsenals, and developing more advanced weapons. However, weapons in the war were not limited to only nuclear warheads. The weapons used in the Cold War were nuclear warheads, and hope and terror caused by propaganda.
The physical weapons used in the Cold War were nuclear weapons. Though the Cold War never resulted in these weapons being used, the US and the Soviet Union both strived to develop better, more destructive bombs before the other. In one graph, it is shown that, from 1960 to 1977, the amount of nuclear warheads on ICBMs increases exponentially for both countries(Document 5). The graph also shows the
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Propaganda used to induce terror included posters, political statements, and comics. One such comic was Is This Tomorrow?, a popular dramatization of the Soviets and of communism(Document 7). By depicting the Soviets in such a violent, authoritarian light, it spread anti-communist feeling among Americans, and attempted to prevent any Soviet sympathizers. In the Soviet Union, a secret speech made by Nikita Khrushchev to the closed session of the Twentieth Party of Congress denounces capitalism and fights against the anti-communist campaign(Document 6). The Secret Speech was a counter to recently made anti-communist organizations, and reinforced the Soviet Union’s own ideals, while countering the US’s arguments for capitalism. Through the use of past faults and militaristic policies, Khrushchev argues that the US’s attempts at peace were false, and only a front for their true intentions. This effectively promoted terror and anti-capitalist feeling among Soviet Congress. It gave strong reasoning to fight back against Americans, as it instilled fears of a capitalist overtake, and the need for preservation of the
In the wake of an arms race that threatened the world existence, two conflicting ideology clashed on in a high stakes standoff between two global superpowers. This political divide was known as the Cold War, which included decades persistent tension between communist and capitalist nations. As an impact of the arms race between the US and USSR, both nations possessed weapons of mass destruction, and were both reluctant to use them against each other, because of the mutually assured destruction they bring. In the words of Rodney P. Carlile, “...each had sufficient nuclear armaments to impose such destruction on the other in the event of nuclear attack that neither would initiate a first attack” (Carlisle). Both nations were kept in check, and as a result, the Cold War actually shed very little blood, instead being a war primarily based on fear.
After World War II there was still a main conflict between the two major world superpowers; the US and allied countries that supported democracy and on the other hand the Soviet Union (USSR) who supported communism and wanted to spread it. The conflict was that the Soviet Union tried spreading communism in other countries, but the United States was not going to allow that. This conflict influenced the Cold War to be fought by the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union) and Western Bloc (the United States and allies). When the Eastern Europe was taken over by the USSR and turned into communism the US helped the Western Europe to not be taken over by communism. As an adviser to the President of the United States the policy that he should follow is to rapidly build up the political,
In the popular TV show, “The Americans,” Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings, two KGB agents, steal secrets from military and scientific areas of the United States in order to help the Soviet Union compete with the United States in the Cold War. While most of the show’s drama is fictional, the concept of the Cold War and negative relations between the Soviet Union and the United States were based on reality. After the end of World War II, the Soviet government attempted to control most of Europe by placing puppet governments in freed countries such as Poland, East Germany, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Furthermore, the Soviets infiltrated countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, inspiring people to fight against unfair regimes. As Russians
Warfare has been used by rulers throughout the world since the beginning of time. From making knives out of rocks to using gunpowder as an explosive, the world of weapons has greatly evolved. Nuclear weapons, more commonly known as nukes, are the most destructive instruments known to mankind. With one bomb, millions can die. With one bomb, the natural environment is greatly jeopardized. With one bomb, future generations will suffer. And yet, the world may have become a different place without them. The Cold War was a series of indirect conflicts between the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Rising to become the world power after Europe was crushed politically and economically, the two nations
The time period in which the Cold War occurred—roughly 1950-1990—was a tense one. Two major world superpowers were set to face off with one another on a major scale. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had built up well-documented nuclear capabilities. As tensions rose and time went on, the world was on edge. This edginess, I argue, continues to this day. In this essay, I will discuss the issues of the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War, as well as the downward pressure towards sub-strategic conflict and its effect on the post-Cold War world.
The Cold War was the relationship developed between the Unites States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviets Socialist Republics (USSR) after the end of World War II. The globe buckled under the two superpowers’ stress, creating a bipolar world fractured between the communism and capitalism ideology. Several times, this relationship came close to resulting in an open confrontation. However, the USA and the Soviets both possessed the nuclear bomb by 1949 onwards and war would have only resulted in mutual destruction.
After World War II, tensions between two major military forces in the world, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, had not diminished. This period of strong political posturing and open disagreement is known in history as the Cold War. The term “cold” is used to denote that there were no direct and large-scale battles between the two forces, despite being heavily armed with nuclear weaponry and prepared for the worst. However, a few regional wars, aided by both sides, were actually fought. The Cold War era began in the year 1947and was over by 1991. As one may expect, the Cold War had a great impact on modern history and left an important legacy, despite its negative connotations and actual crises that occurred during that time. A considerable part of that legacy involved science and scientific inventions that flourished in the second part of the 20th century.
The cold war was the start of the major changes in human history. Two important events that occurred in it was the arms race and space race. “An arms race denotes a rapid increase in the quantity or quality of instruments of military power by rival states in peacetime. A close examination of the historical evidence reveals a different picture. Political purposes almost always drive and govern arms races. It is common for a major race to be initiated by a state interested in changing the political status quo” (Arms Race). The arms race was a major rearmament between the USSR and the United States. Each country was producing new weapons at an alarming rate to be better than the other. The newly created nuclear weapons were a major playing force for the
The Cold War was the most dangerous boasting battle in the history of the world, and it created many problems that even today have yet to be solved. It was a 44-year war between two of the world’s superpowers: the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. At one point during the war, nuclear weapons were mass-produced by both sides, mainly for the bragging rights of having more weapons than their opponents (this was called the “Nuclear Arms Race”). (Trueman) Americans were outraged when the Soviet Union beat them into space with the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite (part of another Cold War race, the “Space Race”). (History.com Staff) Put simply, the Cold
Cold War defined as an intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations, short of military. This term is usually used to describe the state of tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union after the end of World War II. The term was coined by George Orwell in his article “You and the Atomic Bomb” where he also defined it as “peace that is no peace”. Winston Churchill’s speech in Fulton on 5 March 1946 marked the beginning of the Cold War. Many causes gave a rise to the outbreak of the Cold War. This essay examines three causes which include the differing ideologies, the acquisition of atomiс weapon, and the fear of the attack from both sides.
The United States and the Soviet Union emerged as global superpowers following the end of the Second World War. Although the United States and the Soviet Union defeated the Axis Powers through an alliance, both nations were drastically different and that difference soon created a layer of hostility that would be known simply as the Cold War. The Cold War which began around 1947 lasted almost half a century until the collapse of the Soviet Union and America’s victory in 1991. What makes the Cold War so noteworthy and unique from other conflicts was that there was no physical combat during the Cold War. Instead, the Cold War was an obscure conflict that incorporated a series of separate conflicts and wars such as the Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam
After the surrender of Germany and World War II came to an end, The United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) emerged as the two global superpowers in the world. The two countries put their differences aside during World War II to work together and defeat the axis countries. Directly after World War II ended tensions between the US and USSR immediately escalated. The battle between the two was a fight of ideals, the democratic United States and the Communist USSR. Although no actual military campaigns were launched during the Cold War, billions of dollars were spent to bulk militaries incase of a nuclear war. This paper will examine the causes and the effects of the Cold War.
The cold war is a state of political and military tension that developed primarily between powers in the Western Bloc, the United States and Eastern Bloc, and USSR after the World War Two. The rivalry between the USA and the Soviet Union brought in mutual suspicions, increased tension, and a couple of international incidents that resulted in a brink of disaster among the world’s superpowers. The Cold War and its consequences left an unfading legacy of popular culture, especially in media featuring themes of nuclear espionage and fear of nuclear warfare. Nuclear weapons have both advantages and disadvantages; however, many people in the society fear a possible warfare.
Abstract: The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc(the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc(the Soviet Union) .It is a result of multiple factors. It is a form of ideology and social system rivalry between capitalism and socialism. It is a reflection of national interest conflict. It is also a consequence of the driving effects from Britain.
The cold war is a tense and somewhat mangled period in history, that requires careful unraveling to gain accurate perspectives on how it started, why it started and the participation of the USA and the USSR in the conflict.