The Cold War was an intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between Russia and the United States that took place from the 1940s to the 1990s, as a result of political differences.From chess tournaments to hockey games, Russia and the United States found every possible way to compete against one another without physically fighting. The United States and the USSR originally feuded over Berlin. When the Allies decided that they wanted to make Berlin part of West Germany, and it would be a democracy, the USSR blockaded West Berlin, wanting to make the city the capital of East Germany. This led to the United States ferrying supplies to the now cut-off country. The United States wanted a democracy, and the USSR wanted communism, …show more content…
which led to the feud between two countries also funding other countries at war. Although there were many important events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, that occurred during the Cold War, the Nuclear Arms race was the most important because it showed all of the possibilities for new weaponry that could be used, it changed the overall character of war, and it helped the United States and the USSR show how powerful they could really be. The Nuclear Arms race during the cold war allowed people in both Russia and the United States to update their weaponry. The two countries used their competitiveness against one another in weaponry; Russia and the United States raced to beat one another technologically. The development of nuclear warfare helped pave the way for a new era of weaponry. In the United States, the original views of bombs were tentative. They did not work as hard to produce the atomic bombs, and since the bombs were so heavy, they didn’t have enough people to help. “In December 1945, the United States had three atomic bombs; in July 1946, it had nine; a year later it had thirteen; and a year after that it had fifty. All were Mark 3 "Fat Man" implosion devices, weighing five tons. None was assembled; putting one together would have taken a crew of thirty-nine men two days” (“Arms Race: 1960-1969”). After the bombing in Hiroshima, Russia began to make their own atomic bombs. In 1949, Russia successfully exploded their own atomic bomb, which in turn, started the nuclear arms race. “In January 1950, five months after the Soviet Union successfully exploded an atomic bomb, President Harry Truman authorized the development of a thermonuclear “superbomb”—a device 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima” (“The Price of Freedom”). After the United States successfully created the “superbomb,” and the USSR followed not too long after, they began to create missiles. The United States began to work on intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, but the USSR created it first, and they used it in order to launch the first satellite, Sputnik, into Earth’s orbit. Not only did the nuclear arms race show new possibilities in warfare, but it also changed the overall character of war. The Nuclear Arms race caused the views on warfare to change.
Now, with the new atomic power under their thumbs, the weaponry that would generally be used in wars changed. Guns, as well as handheld pistols, now suddenly seemed useless. New military strategies were being formed, incorporating the ideas of bomb usage in them. “Historians and defense analysts generally agree that the advent of the latter heralded a revolution in military affairs, or, as Soviet theorists put it, a military-technical revolution. In their view, the technology of nuclear weapons and associated delivery systems, combined with new operational concepts and organizations, changed significantly the character and conduct of warfare. The nuclear revolution created new ways of war and threatened to render existing ones obsolete” (Arms Race: 1960-1969). This quote shows that the creation of atomic bombs changed the general views on war. Not only did the Nuclear Arms race change the ways and views on war, but it showed both the USSR and the United States how powerful they could really …show more content…
be. The Nuclear Arms race showed both the USSR and the United States how powerful they can really be.
Unlike most other wars, the development of new technology did not start conflict between countries. Actually, the conflict between the countries is what caused the arms race to begin with. Ever since the dropping of the bomb in Hiroshima, people lived in fear, everyone afraid of being bombed just like Japan was. After the USSR began to produce atomic bombs with the US, those fears greatened. “Overall, nuclear weaponry played a paradoxical role in the Cold War. On the one hand the destructive potential of such weapons gave the conflict an especially dangerous dimension. A crisis in political relations between the superpowers, such as occurred over the question of Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962, carried the risk of escalation to the point of nuclear warfare” (“The Cold War 1945-1991, Overview of US-Soviet relations, and the Cold War”). The new atomic weaponry gave the United States and Russia a foothold above all of the other countries. The new fear in some of the other countries allowed the feuding countries to feel more powerful. The nuclear arms race led to the two feuding countries to see how powerful they really
are. The Nuclear Arms race was the most important event that occurred during the Cold War because it showed the possibilities for new weaponry, it changed the overall character of war, and it helped the feuding countries show how powerful they could really be. The Nuclear Arms race showed new opportunities for new weaponry; the atomic bombs led to missiles and tanks, all of which were used in war. Not only that, but the new developments in technology also caused the character of war to change. People were suddenly more fearful, and more strategies incorporated bombs in them. The feuding countries used the fear of others to feel more powerful, and the weaponry helped them do that.
A war does not necessarily require physical weapons to fight. From 1947 to 1991, military tension and ideological conflicts held place. Cold War is defined as a state of political hostility existing between countries, characterized by threats, violent propaganda, subversive activities, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular. The causes of the Cold War between United States and the Soviet Union were the mutual distrust that had taken place in World War II, intense rivalry between the two super powers, and conflicting ideologies. The two superpowers differed in views of political and economic principles and were eager to spread their ideologies to other countries. The United States were in favor of democracy and capitalism while the Soviet Union sought for the chances of influencing communism. Cold War did not involve the use of physical arms but was intensely fought. Propaganda, economic aids, Arms Race, and the creation of alliances were the main methods to fight the war. The use of propaganda played a crucial role in containment by criticizing the other power and raised the morale and spirit of their nation. The economic support for nations helped them recover from the desperate situation after World War II, which prevented the nations from falling under communism. Also, the Arms Race and forming alliances between the two main powers were important weapons for competition and rivalry in Cold War.
The post-war world left the Soviets and the United States in an ideological power struggle. The origin of the cold war is hard to pinpoint. There were several issues and disagreements that led to it. The political differences between the 2 nations were absolute opposites. America was a democracy, a system that allows its citizens to choose the political party in which runs the government. The Communists were led by one of the most vicious dictators in human history, Joseph Stalin.
The creation of the hydrogen bomb, moreover the summoning of an arms race, spawned worldwide desire for nuclear arms, and worldwide fear for those who had them; The effects of such can be seen in the economic and diplomatic benefits exhibited by those with enough stamina and vigilance to endure its costs, and in the extreme measures taken by countries, nominally the United States, to respond to the security threat posed when other countries owned the bomb. Furthermore: For those whose economy could afford it, nominally the U.S., USSR and India, economic and diplomatic benefits followed its creation; For the U.S., following the creation of the bomb by enemies were extreme defense tactics; For all the benefits and costs compelled a worldwide
The Cold War was a post-World War II struggle between the United States. and its allies and the group of nations led by the Soviet Union. Direct military conflict did not occur between the two superpowers, but intense economic and diplomatic struggles erupted in the country. Different interests led to mutual suspicion and hostility in a rising philosophy. The United States played a major role in the ending of the Cold War.
In 1945, America terrified the world by using the Atom Bomb in Hiroshima and later in Nagasaki. This fear of the most powerful weapon ever created started a cold war between America and Russia. These two great nations had started the race for the super bomb, which would have each country trying to out do the other for decades to come.
Within a few years the world had suddenly polarized into two distinct groups. When the USSR detonated it's first nuclear weapon in 1949, the confrontation between East and West reached new heights. It suddenly became a matter of survival for the entire world. What had been thought of as a war that would center over the divided state of Germany suddenly fractured into many smaller conflicts all over the world, each just as important as the next.
The USA built and tested a new type of weapon called the Hydrogen Bomb. The Soviet Union became concerned as to whether the USA would actually use such a weapon. Because of this, the Soviet Union began designing a similar weapon. The war became an argument about who had the biggest weapon. However, neither country fired a single missile thus making this a cold war instead of a hot war (200 Years).
When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.
The Cold War was a rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union which lasted for decades between 1945 and 1991, leading to anti-communist suspicions and international
The dropping of the first atomic bomb marked a turning point in the way nations fight one another. The destructive nature of the atomic bomb changed the course of warfare forever. “The effectiveness of nuclear deterrence is best explained by the fact that it was based on fear unlike other peace-keeping strategies of the twentieth century.” This gradual shift to a “fear based” strategy was in response to the failures of previous peace keeping strategies earlier in the century during World War I and II, including the Wilsonian ideals, the treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I, and the concept of appeasement prior to the start of World War II.
The origins of the Cold War date back all the way to 1917 where the United States refused to recognize the Union Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR) as a legitimate government. This continued up into the 1930’s in which the relations between the U.S and USSR intensified. In 1939 Stalin agrees to a non-aggression pact with Germany even besides the fact that the nazis and soviets despised each other. Soon Germany ran by nazie leader Hitler would break that non-aggression pact with Germany and gets dragged into the war they wanted no part of. The U.S. declared war on Japan following the events of pearl harbor corresponding with Germany to declaring war on the U.S.. Even with the strong dislike for one another, a common enemy would become
The Cold War is a war that was a period of political and military tension between both the United States and The USSR. The United States had its NATO allies, while the Soviet Union had its Easter Bloc. This tension lasted for about 40 years until the fall of the communist Soviet Union. The United States and the Soviet Union were the only superpowers in the world with many economic and political differences. The Soviet Union was communist which meant that everything belonged to the Soviet Union. The United States is a democracy which meant governed by the people. This differences created a lot of tension between them.
The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that lead to another conflict. The Cold War was a political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States that again created a new worldwide nuclear threat. The destructive potential of nuclear weapons had created a global sweep of fear as to what might happen if these terrible forces where unleashed again. The technology involved in building the first atomic bombs has grown into the creation of nuclear weapons that are potentially 40 times more powerful than the original bombs used. However, a military change in strategy has came to promote nuclear disarmament and prevent the usage of nuclear weapons. The technology of building the atomic bomb has spurred some useful innovations that can be applied through the use of nuclear power. The fear of a potential nuclear attack had been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions.
The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.
When one country begins to build nuclear bombs this automatically puts the other country at a disadvantage. So the other country then in turns has the desire to figure out this technology and begins to build its own nuclear bombs. By doing this dangers lurk and the potential of arm races begin to arise. Each country wants to outdo the other and have a bigger and dangerous way of gaining ultimate control. Nuclear power puts fate into man’s hands. At any given moment one country could wipe out another country by dropping a bomb. Although not all of the other countries have the ability to build a massive bomb because of the lack of money.