cold war 'By the beginning of the twentieth century, weapons of war were themselves contributing to the outbreak of wars ... It comes as something of a surprise, then, to realize that the most striking innovation in the history of military technology has turned out to be a cause of peace and not war," (Gaddis 85). In fact, the most striking military innovation until that point, the creation of nuclear weapons, did turn out to be a cause of war, albeit the Cold War. In his book We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, author John Lewis Gaddis examines the development of nuclear arms, their impact on the Cold War, and the impact of the Cold War on the development of nuclear arms. In fact, early nuclear armament closely mirrored Cold War ideology, especially the way nuclear weapons were used as a sort of political collateral. The Manhattan Project also represented the first time the United States was at the helm of new weapons development. As the author notes, the Manhattan Project was unusual in its being an American-led and British and Canadian-backed military endeavor. In Chapter Four, "Nuclear Weapons and the Early Cold War," Gaddis describes nuclear weapons as the ironic harbinger of a new type of world peace. The author argues that the most destructive weapons theretofore created were just so frightening as to deter those who had them from ever using them. In Chapter Eight, "Nuclear War and the Escalation of the Cold War," Gaddis takes his argument one step further to suggest that nuclear weapons "had a remarkably theatrical effect upon the course of the high Cold War," (258). The Cold War impacted the proliferation of nuclear arms because the weapons offered the semblance of absolute power and threat, while nuclear arms influenced political conduct during the Cold War with their frightening presence. The Cold...
The Soviet Union under Stalin would later respond to the American monopoly in turn, with its own aggressive armament policies. During World War Two, the United States had believed Nazi Germany to be the biggest threat in terms of weapons of mass destruction. However, the Nazis never developed nuclear capabilities to the extent the Soviet Union would after the end of World War Two. The beginning of the Cold War and the dropping of the Iron Curtain marked the military, political, and economic stare-down between the U.S. And USSR. The U.S.S.R. based some of their strategic moves on materials acquired in espionage. Such information helped the soviet achieve an early edge and play into the Cold War game strategies. Gaddis states, "The American nuclear arsenal would soon be expanded exponentially; but this happened only after -- and partly because -- the American nuclear monopoly no longer existed," (99). Once the Soviets developed nuclear arms of their own, the world became truly polarized under the rubric of the Cold War and its greatest weapons: nuclear arms. Intriguingly, both the United States and the Soviet Union proudly possessed their weapons as more show pieces than as a genuine desire to use them. The result was a "double paradox: as nuclear weapons become more numerous and more powerful, they also became less usable; but as nuclear weapons became less usable, one needed more of them to deter others," (101). This was the essence of the Cold War ideology that would last for several decades.
Cold War Truman 1945-1953 and expansion of communism As the 21 century approaches, there was every indication on the firmness of Present Harry S. Truman's reputation on the subject of his stewardship of foreign policy even though, as luck would have it, he took over Oval Office in the year 1945 inexperienced in affairs of the world. As he was approaching the end of his reign in the White House, there were
As counties in Europe began to align themselves behind the Soviet sphere of influence or the U.S. - Western influence each side looked to fortify their positions. For the U.S. this meant the development of the policy of containment of the Soviet advance. Containment developed along a number of varying lines including political diplomacy, military expansion, and economic aid. President Truman articulated an economic aid package, the Truman Doctrine which
S.S.R., which would ostensibly eliminate the threat posed by the U.S.S.R.'s capabilities. The report takes on a tone almost encouraging that to happen. It was very much the public mood of the time that would have supported that initiative. That the world came so close to the use of nuclear confrontation during the Cuban Missile Crisis is indicative of this, and it was only the ability of JFK to resist
Cold war refers to the post world war 2 period till 1991 when there was a geopolitical game being played by two nations that emerged as super powers from the shambles of the world wars. This period was noted for the polarization of power and Russia and America were intensely battling out a strategic war game between them. It was a global conflict in every sense and even the continents
Cold War and Globalization The Cold War, and the U.S. And Asia and Globalization What was meant by the Cold War? Before defining the cold war, authors Bentley and Ziegler go into great depth to lay the foundation for the origins of the Cold War. More than sixty million people perished during WWII (965), including twenty million Soviets, fifteen million Chinese, six million Poles, four million Germans, two million Japanese, three hundred
Cold War on the Periphery When hearing the words "Cold War," what normally comes to mind are the events between the U.S.S.R. And the United States following World War II including the arms race. Competition for the Third World was included in this period, but receives little exposure in comparison. In the book Cold War and the Periphery, Robert McMahon explores in detail how the United States' alliance with Pakistan increased
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