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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

History of the Cold War 1945-1991


Cold War History records a conflict, primarily between the United States and their allies in Western Europe and the Soviet Union and it's allies. The Cold War commenced after World War II and lasted for nearly fifty years. Instead of guns, the weapons used in this “war,” were technology and espionage; however, the threat of Nuclear War from these two super powers impacted life on a global scale, much more than the passive aggression conducted by intelligence services.

The Role of Intelligence Agencies


According to Cold War history, the CIA attempted to obtain control over several intermediary countries, such as Afghanistan, Chad, Grenada, Cuba and Angola, but the major world powers never began an armed conflict against each other. The military units of the two nations participated only rarely in the Cold War. This war was waged primarily by the KGB and the CIA.

Causes of the Cold War


There were many causes of the Cold War, including the following:
  • Political Ideology. The Soviet Union embraced the ideology of communism and wanted to spread this philosophy over the globe. This was a threat to the United States. The United States believed in democracy.
  • America had obtained atomic weapons and this was a threat to the Soviet Union. Both nations were in fear of an attack from the other.
  • The Soviet Union exercised control over Eastern Europe which constituted a threat to the United States.
  • The Russians were afraid America would attack the Soviet Union from Western Europe

Communism


Although history records many causes of the Cold War, one of the primary causes was an argument between the two countries about the political philosophy of communism. While the East embraced Communism, the United States was adamantly opposed to this philosophy of government.


Major Events

McCarthyism and the “Red Hunt”


In 1950, Joseph McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, accused over 200 federal workers of being members of the Communist Party. Although Senator McCarthy had no evidence upon which to base these allegations, President Truman initially backed the inquisitions, but eventually distanced himself from the investigations because he felt that they were becoming “witch-hunts.”

The Bay of Pigs Invasion



In 1961, a group of Cuban exiles, supported by the United States, attempted to overthrow the Cuban government headed by dictator, Fidel Castro. The failure of the mission was a huge embarrassment to the Kennedy administration. The Central Intelligence Agency began preparing anti-revolutionary Cuban exiles for a possible invasion of the island several years prior to the Bay of Pigs. The band of soldiers intended to march into Havana. However, within a few hours after the fighting began, it was obvious that the exiles could not win. When the battle ended on April 19, ninety exiles lost their lives and the remainder taken as prisoners.

The Sputnik Crisis



The history of the Cold War is also the history of the beginning of the Space Age.The Space race began in earnest after this, leading up to the Apollo program, and the moon landings in 1969. Sputnik Crises occurred when the Russians launched the Sputnik 1 Satellite. The U.S felt that it was necessary to win the race to space, and so did the Russians. There was serious competition in the race to space, especially between the United States, and the Soviet Union. Sputnik I, the world's first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, launched on October 4, 1957, and the Space Age emerged. This event gave the impression of a deficit in technological advancement and helped to provide the momentum in spending for technical and scientific projects and educational programs. The United States needed to recover a sense of international respect.

Cuban Missile Crisis


Image Credit

In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crises moved the United States and the Soviet Union close to war. U.S. intelligence services discovered Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba. During a tense week, President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba and announced that the U.S. would respond to an attack from Cuba as an attack by the Soviet Union. On October 28, Khrushchev backed down and announced to the world that he would dismantle the installations.

The End of the Cold War

The history of the Cold War shows that the conflict began to unravel in the late 1980s during the administration of Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. He disassembled the autocratic facets and factions of the Soviet system and tried to integrate the concept of democracy into the political system. The Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, and 15 newly independent nations emerged, each with a democratically elected, anticommunist leader. Cold War History shows that although no shots were fire, and no physical battles were waged between the two opposing countries, the effects of this conflict brought many changes on both sides.


Effects of the Cold War


  • Both countries created made weapons and missiles
  • NATO and The Warsaw Pact were created
  • The Soviet Union was demolished
  • The Warsaw Pact was eliminated
  • The Baltic States achieved independence
  • Communism was eliminated across the globe
The history of the Cold War ended late in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the causes of the Cold War are frozen in time. The end of the Cold War opened the door to friendly relations between Russia and the United States and America became a world superpower.

The psychic scars of this period are still felt today. Cold War history shows that during this time, the civilian population in America was encouraged to build personal bomb shelters. Sirens rang out urgently during air raid drills and teachers taught schoolchildren to hide under their desks.

7 Comments:

Emma Springfield said...

I remember "duck and cover" drills in school. I have heard of people my age being traumatized by them but they were just like fire drills.

Cruiselife & Co said...

@Emma

It's so interesting that you said that. So many of the children I remember in school that had to do this drill, I was one of them, always thought there really was some disaster happening. Kids would cry to the teachers. I can't even imagine what happens when they hear a tornado siren or even a firetruck today.

wissy said...

The cold war was a conflict between The Soviet Union and western europe with the USA. Please remember that.

Cruiselife & Co said...

@wissy

It does mention that in the article briefly. "The Russians were afraid America would attack the Soviet Union from Western Europe." The war involved the United States (primarily) and their allies and Russia.

It's a simple piece meant to give readers a platform for understanding the Cold War. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I'll make the necessary changes.

Jeshurun said...

Actually, The Cold War was a pre-planned hoax perpetrated by: The United States, England and Russia - in order to generate the intense panic and fear necessary to facilitate certain political policies which could result in: "A One World Government." At Yalta, they accomplished far more than just carving up Europe between The Allies.

After The Collapse Of Communism In Russia, many internal documents have been exposed - which clearly show how The Bankrupt Soviet Union was able to: Keep from starving, and Compete with the west. The West was providing them: Food, Capital, Technology, Military Secrets, and Raw Materials - in order to make The Cold War credible to a terrified world public.

Of course, many of us always wondered how such a backwards system as 'Communism' could compete with The West... and now, many of us know.

Tell me, do you actually benefit somehow by perpetuating this establishment propaganda... or, have you just failed to do the necessary research into it?

Cruiselife & Co said...

Jeshurun,

On Vicodin and just after a wisdom teeth extraction, you just gave me a great laugh, so thanks for that!

I just figured out your view stems from pseudo historical references. It appears you've been watching too many prophecy shows.

And who actually benefits be perpetuating these facts? Well, the mother's who read this website with their children, students looking for the truth and a platform to begin writing a paper.

If I was writing about propaganda and prophecy, like you are on you blog, perhaps it would be more fitting to write about conspiracies.

My question to you is, where are these secret documents you're talking about it. It's easy enough to write your opinion about them, but can you furnish the textual evidence and the authenticity stamps by licensed history experts?

You have a very small section about the rumored Cold War on you site and it doesn't really show or prove to readers that it was a falsified war or hoax.

I'm all for a good story, but perhaps you need to spend a bit more time in the archives finding proof.

Jeshurun said...

If you took my comments wrong, then I must apologize. I wasn't saying that you personally were responsible for creating this common historical mythology found in every High School textbook. However, your historical blog site - entitled: "Ancient Digger" - does seem to imply that you yourself have done some sort of research into these matters; rather than just rewriting the same old half-truths that we've already learned in school.

While you seemingly disdain my own writings at 'America In Prophecy', my own site doesn't focus upon: "Archaeology", or "History" - like yours does. Nor, have I written any specific articles upon The Cold War. Since there are already many online and/or independent resources, which do so.

My focus is upon The Biblical Prophecies of The Old and New Testament - with a specific deference to The United States of America. A Highly-Unique Nation, to be sure.

The commentary which I made to your own posting was that of a private individual - based upon my own accumulated knowledge over the course of a lifetime. Nor, does a person even need hard evidence to disprove an obviously flawed and propagandist historical argument.

In this instance, for example, the very same historical texts that declared Communism to be a Failed and Dysfunctional Economic System - declared that their governments were fully capable of competing with The Western Nations on a toe to toe footing: Economically, Financially, Politically, and Militarily... and never once, did they offer a viable and logical argument - as to how this could be conceivably done. Why is that?

Because, it couldn't be - without necessary external assistance! But, where did this external assistance come from? They won't tell you that either. Why?

Because our own: Banks, Financial Institutions, Corporations, and Governments - were the ones funneling the necessary: Money, Resources, and [yes] even Technology... and The Western Media is quietly controlled by its own governments.

Amazingly, however, much of this Financial and Economic Assistance was actually provided quite openly - over the course of The Cold War! Communist Engineers visiting American: Farms, Businesses, and Factories with open notebooks in hand... and American Presidents sending them grain shipments to feed their starving masses. All of this is openly documented and verifiable.

This is very strange treatment for your own true enemies, don't you think? Well, I most certainly do....

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