Some Effects of The Cold War

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Recommended: Political and ideological origins of the Cold War

Nearly 70 years ago, when the Soviet Union reigned in Europe along with the US, they were still in relative peace with the other world power. In fact, the “Big Three,” American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had frequent meetings to discuss strategy and happenings in Europe at the time. Allies they had been, but then something changed though, and growing tensions forced the powers to drift apart. Eventually, it led to the US and the Soviet Union becoming enemies, trapped in a global struggle between political, military, economic, and ideological structures. What caused this opposition, and how is it still going on today? The effect the Cold War had on the world is astounding. Good things came out of the Cold War, as well as bad things. Economic breakdowns, amazing technological advances (Such as during the Arms Race), political rewiring, proxy wars, millions of lives lost, and a higher interest in security than ever are just a few of the ways countries have been affected. The legacies of the Cold War continue to shape and influence our lives today, and it’s important to not only understand the significance of this war-that wasn’t really a war, hence “Cold War”- but to learn about what caused it, so that we can try our best not to repeat it again in the future. There isn’t a simple cause, or just one reason, because so many events piled up onto one another to cause the clash. Let’s take a step back, and look at the background events going on that ultimately led to a period that changed the world. The beginning of the Cold War poses some controversy among historians, because tensions between the US and Russia date back into the 19th century. Most... ... middle of paper ... ...ogram. He even pushed millions of dollars to the construction of the first interstates under the new Federal Highway Act. A conservative as always though, Eisenhower disapproved of the civil rights movement and signed the Landrum-Griffin Act in light of the recent scandals involving labor unions. Works Cited SparkNotes, History. "THE COLD WAR (1945–1963)." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "Summary, The Cold War." Eduplace.com. Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "A Chronology of US Historical Documents." The University of Oklahoma College of Law:. The University of Oklahoma College of Law, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "Nuremberg Trials." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Causes of the Cold War Summary & Analysis." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

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