Jonathan Young Mr.

Fan 425-02 3 September 2009 Cold War Essay The Cold War was a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after the end of World War II, and only these two countries returned stronger than they were previously. This led to them being referred to as superpowers. Some major leaders involved in the Cold War were John F. Kennedy, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, and Nikolai Khrushchev. There were also other countries besides the superpowers that were somewhat less important yet were also involved, such as Cuba, Great Britain, and smaller peripheral countries like Vietnam. Cuba was important because of two major Cold War conflicts there, the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Other competitions for prestige and power included the Space Race and the nuclear arms race. The main source of tension and conflict in the Cold War was basically a worldwide competition to see who was more powerful and influential. Each superpower wanted to not just be better, but to prove to all other countries of the world that they were better. This competition was physically manifested in the form of a nuclear arms race, with these weapons being used as ways of intimidating and gaining reputation and power. The mass stockpiling of these very dangerous weapons led to some confrontations during the Cold War. The most famous would be the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, which occurred when the Soviets put a large amount of nuclear bombs in Cuba in response to the Americans putting nukes in Turkey. The only reason Cuba let the Soviets place nuclear weapons there in the first place was because of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Some say this conflict was just of test of JFKs ability to handle crises, but in reality it was much more than that. Tensions ran high for a few days, but it was resolved without any nukes

being fired and only one casualty. This may have even been the defining moment of the entire Cold War. Another way these two superpowers battled against each other was the Space Race, which was a very new idea because space was a region that had never been explored previously. The Space Race was comprised of a different type of periphery with scientists and astronauts taking the position of importance as an alternative to politicians and weapons. This allowed the two superpowers to strike somewhat of a balance between each other, fueled by their desire to beat the other into space and to the Moon. Therefore, since the focus was no longer on weapons, nuclear war was almost forgotten, and the two countries could afford to be rivals instead of enemies. It also was a way for the two countries to compete in relatively peaceful way. However, as much as the Space Race was a competition to see who could get to the Moon first, it also resulted in the formation of much new technology, a great deal of which we either use today or was used to make very important discoveries. Outside factors, such as peripheral countries, had a huge role in the Cold War. Peripheral countries were the object of the superpowers attention because each superpower wanted to influence them onto their side and into their way of thinking. Both superpowers had the fear that if either could take over the weak and rebuilding countries, they would have a great advantage. Each minor country added a certain amount of influence to a superpower by providing as much money and weapons as they could. Once the peripheral countries realized their own importance, leaders such as Diem and Ho used their considerable leverage to even drive the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in directions harmful to their interests. They did this by engaging in regional wars and forcing the superpowers into situations that they would have rather avoided. This means that the superpowers

did not even have full control over their expansive strategies during some key points in the Cold War. The World the Superpowers Made is an article by Jeremi Suri of the University of Wisconsin. It focuses on the main strategies, tactics, and important actions of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War, and what consequences those strategies and actions had on the world at that time. Also, it focuses on how the superpowers responded to the actions of the other superpower and the actions of smaller peripheral countries. Suri does not seem to have any bias either towards the Soviets or the Americans in this article. This is simply because the majority of the article is facts, and there is very little room for bias when you are stating facts. The author is credible for this article because of the fact that there is no bias. The general audience that Suri seems to be writing for is anyone interested in the Cold War. However, it seems at some points that the author was writing this article for a more educated group of people because of the need for at least some previous knowledge of the Cold War and the use of political and war-based terms such as thermonuclear weapons. The Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. was almost entirely based on action and reaction. Whether they were competing in a nuclear arms race, the Space Race, or military alliances such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact, they were always basing their decisions on the prior actions of the other superpower. If one country obtained more nuclear bombs, so did the other country. If one launched a satellite, the other would work twice as hard to launch a better satellite. If one joined or started a new military coalition, so did the other. Another example is how the U.S.S.R. joined the Warsaw Pact after the US joined NATO. These two examples can show just how important action and reaction was in the Cold War.

I believe that the Cold War ended as soon as the U.S.S.R. broke apart. Russia lost much authority and credibility for a while after that, and they are still trying to recuperate. There may still be some stress and tension between Russia, the U.S., and some other countries that were involved in the Cold War, but now governments seem to be focused on the possibility of a second Cold War involving other countries such as North Korea, Iran, and China. The Cold War had a huge impact on the world. It allowed many countries to rise that would have floundered without the support of the U.S. or the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Also, it led to many very significant innovations and discoveries about space, our universe, and technology. The Cold War also was the influence for many important space programs throughout the world, such as NASA in the U.S. It also led to a better understanding about the consequences of nuclear missiles. Overall, the Cold War was a very important time in history that has determined much of where our world is today.

Works Cited
Suri, Jeremi. The World the Superpowers Made. 3 September 2009. <http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/cold/articles/suri.html>.