The Perspectives We Carry About The Cold War

The conflict known as the Cold War affected countries around the globe in a vast number of ways. Many of the effects from the Cold War can still be felt today. The Cold War was brought about by the rivalry between the two superpowers. The United States and the Soviet Union. Although the conflict wasn’t a “hot” war, there were multiple proxy wars that were fought between United States backed forces and Soviet Union backed forces within other countries. These proxy wars have had a lasting impact on world.

The Reality of War

This is an interview of the author of The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien. The interview was uploaded by the youtube channel Big Think on the 23rd of April, 2012. I chose this piece because it shows the harsh reality of war being explained by a man who experienced it firsthand, Tim O’Brien. He explains how war is not some glorious quest for good, but rather true and utter horror.

During the Cold War, many proxy wars were fought. Although the US claimed fighting these wars was justified because they were fighting for democracy and stopping the spread of communism, things were not so black and white. These proxy wars caused a great amount of death and despair around the globe. The US unleashed the horrors of war onto places they didn’t have to.

The Growth of Gangs

The foreign policy of the United States during the 1980s paved the path for refugees trying to find refuge within the US. These refugees were seen as potential recruits by street gangs. Many young refugees would join these gangs. The punishment for joining a gang and violating the law was deportation. This led to a large increase in gangs in other countries where the gang members were deported to.

This growth of gangs has occurred because of the United States’ involvement in other nation’s affairs. It is important to understand the negative effects that have come from our foreign policy. The consequences can affect a vast number of people for a long time.

The Brink of Nuclear War

The Cuban Missile Crisis is as close to complete and total nuclear war that the world has ever gotten to. It all started when the Soviet Union sent nuclear weapons into Cuba. The United States was not happy about this and high stakes negotiations started between the US and Russia. The Cuban Missile Crisis finally ended in October of 1962 after a 13 day long standoff.

This is another example of the negative effects that can come from messing with other countries. The world almost faced the most dangerous war humanity was capable of conducting. Had either side provoked the other just a bit more, nuclear war may have ensued and caused countless negative effects on the world.

Invasion Gone Wrong

The invasion known as the Bay of Pigs was an invasion of Cuba by 1,400 Cuban exiles. These exiles were trained and funded by the CIA. The invasion took place on the 17th of april and quickly turned into a disaster. Cuban forces outgunned the ill-equipped exiles and the invasion concluded with a victory for Cuba. A little less than 1,200 of the 1,400 Cuban exiles surrendered and over 100 died in the invasion. The failed invasion also had a big impact on the Kennedy administration, being recognized as one of it’s biggest failures.

The Bay of Pigs invasion shows what can happen when you try to meddle with other countries’ affairs. Things don’t always go as planned and mistakes can be very costly. This invasion holds a lesson that we can still learn from today.

Down With The Wall

The Berlin wall was created to separate East Berlin and West Berlin. The wall was built around West Berlin after many workers from East Berlin moved to West Berlin. East Berlin decided to build the wall because they didn’t want to lose more Soviet workers to the Allied controlled West Berlin. From 1961 to 1989, the wall stood as a symbolic and physical barrier between the two sides. During this time 5,000 people were captured while trying to cross the wall and 191 people had been killed. The Berlin wall finally fell on November 9th of 1989 and eventually led to a reunited Berlin.

East Berlin was controlled by the communist Soviet Union. West Berlin was controlled by the democratic Allies. The Berlin Wall is an example of how the conflict of ideologies seen during the Cold War negatively affected people’s lives.

“We choose to go to the Moon” — JFK

In the midst of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union began competing for whoever could create the best space technology. This competition became known as The Space Race. Important events from The Space Race included the launch of the artificial satellite Sputnik 1, Yuri Gagarin the first human being ever in space, and the flight of Apollo 11 which sent the first human beings to the Moon.

The Space Race occurred during the Cold War. It is a competition that was born because of the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Space Race is an example of how the Cold War wasn’t all bad. The intense competition between the two superpowers led them to create spacefaring technology and accomplish feats in space that had never been done before. This also laid the groundwork for the advances in space technology that we see today like the advanced rockets of SpaceX for example.

North vs. South

The Korean War was fought in the early years of the Cold War. The conflict lasted from 1950–1953 with over 2 million casualties having been sustained from both sides. The war was fought between North and South Korea. The North had aid from communist China and the Soviet Union. The South had help from the UN and the democratic United States. The Korean War ended with Korea being split into 2 independent governments. North Korea and South Korea. A Korean Demilitarized Zone was also agreed upon which acts as a barrier in the middle of the entire Korean peninsula.

North Korea and South Korea are still separated today. They’ve been separate for 68 years. This is a great example of how the Cold War has had very long term effects on our world.

Imposters Among Us

The Red Scare refers to time periods where there was an above average amount of anti-communism in the United States. The Cold War was filled with anti-communism within the US. The United States was afraid of the threat communist spies could pose to the nation’s security. In an effort to get rid of communism, the US government launched many investigations and raids. While they were successful in finding some real Soviet spies, they also ruined the careers and lives of many people that could have been innocent.

The Red Scar is an example of how the Cold War led the US to do bad things. The United States government was scared of communism. This fear lead them to make some questionable decisions that had a negative impact on many people’s lives.

The Cold War had tremendous effects all over the world. Many of these effects continue to affect the world today. One example of a lasting effect from the Cold War is the separation of the Korean peninsula. The independent nations of North Korea and South Korea still exist today because of the Cold War. The relationship between these countries is still covered a lot by various news channels to this day.