Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

In: Historical Events

Submitted By Brad5109
Words 336
Pages 2
Cold War and Communism
Living under the threat of nuclear war could cause anxiety, panic, mayhem and distrust, depending on the person and their coping mechanisms. Nuclear weapons still exist, and worse still, more and more countries are developing them.
We have been living under the threat of nuclear war since the day more than one country has had nuclear weapons. The threat of nuclear war is no less now than back during the Cold War.
When comparing the Cold War to terrorism today, we must understand they are both becoming an equal risk. During the time frame with the Cold War with Russia, the U.S and Russia came very close at times to a nuclear war on many occasions. In the Cold War era, both the U.S.S.R. and the U.S each had the fire power to wipe all existence of the planet and split the earth in half; can you imagine any type of greater threat than that? Now in current time, we have rogue countries like North Korea helping and selling nuclear weaponry to extremist Islamic groups. North Korea is selling nuclear weapons to Syria and Iran, meaning the threat of nuclear war is very much real today.
The Russians developed their nuclear arsenal to serve as a counter threat to the U.S nuclear technology and they never intended to use the weapons unless they were attacked. Iran is indeed developing nuclear weapons with the same concept as Russia, but it would not be hard to imagine those using nuclear weapons against Israel.
In the 50’s Americans feared nuclear war, where now Americans fear internal attacks, such as children bringing guns to school or terrorists hijacking planes. The enemy is with us, at the airport and not just a faceless person in the Kremlin with his finger on a red button. The reality of this concept is the intimacy of terror, and it makes the terror more real since it is so personal and easy to

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

...Cold War and Communism 3 Cold War and Communism History 145 12/10/2012 Jasmine Coney Teacher: William Pope ​Watching the duck and cover video makes you wonder, would a person want to live during the time when there was a nuclear war. There could be a nuclear warning at any time and you would have to find an area to duck and cover away from any windows. If there was a flash you just need to duck and cover as soon as possible to protect yourself. Living under a nuclear war would be very stressful having to have an open ear and be on the watch out all the time. ​Nuclear war is a war when nuclear weapons are used by both sides. Terrorism is a hunt to harm or murder innocent people with no one person being a target. The similarities would be you do not really have time to prepare for either a nuclear war or a terrorist attack. When the terrorist attacked the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11/01 I was in middle school. Remembering back on that day many innocent people were killed and hurt by not knowing that this was going to happen. These people had no time to prepare for the event. The differences are that the nuclear wars are usually done by a country, and terrorist attacks are usually done by people of certain religious groups. ​In conclusion ask yourself which one of these would you want to live under? Most people would not want to live under neither. If you were to hear a warning are to see a flash of light you know to duck and...

Words: 424 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Cold War and Communism

...Cold War and Communism HIS/135 Suzanne Ogden Jordan Billings October 6, 2012   To be under that kind of stress had to wreak havoc on children’s subconscious. I can’t imagine believing that these techniques would protect me from a bomb of that magnitude. I am sure if I had grown up when the government restricted us from information about atomic bombs I would have believed anything. As citizens back then we were led to believe that things would be ok because the government made a video that taught us that duck and cover would somehow save us from harm. This is comparable to what we see on the media everyday about upgraded airport security making our airway travel safer since 9/11. Another very comparable idea now as there was during the cold war would be color coded terror threat level charts. This could be compared to the cold war eras Defcom charts in which the number or color during the terror threat times we have now changes according to the threat level against the United states and its citizens. The United States has always kept list of people they have viewed as a threat. During the cold war error they kept a list of communist or communist sympathizers which was monitored by the FBI. During the era we are in now our government keeps a similar list of people whom they view to be terrorist or possible terrorist sympathizers. One major similarity between the two lists is that you can be on the list just for voicing out your disagreements with how...

Words: 319 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

...Cold War and Communism Cold War and Communism My grandfather used to tell me about the Cold War and how the constant threat of nuclear war was extremely stressful. In modern times, we live under the threat of terrorist acts, mainly from extremist Islamic groups in the Middle East. There are many similarities. The fact that both generations have lived under the threat of attack is the ultimate similarity. It is also possible that both generations’ fears weren’t quite as real as they might have imagined. 9/11 was an unbelievably cruel act, but since then we have not experienced any major domestic acts of terrorism from Islamic groups. The Cold War was predicated on propaganda and fear. Certain acts heightened these fears, like the Cuban Missile crisis, but the overwhelming fear of nuclear annihilation proved to be partly overblown. One major difference between the two threats is that the threat from terrorist groups has actually proven to be a viable threat to our national security. The attacks on 9/11 have forever embedded themselves into the national perspective on world views and their safety on domestic soil. Even without ever experiencing an attack on foreign soil throughout the Cold War, the fear was probably even more ripe during that period of time because the threat of nuclear war devastating the entire world was such a pandemic problem. At the root of that comparison is that you fear lots of small scale attacks from independent terrorist groups today, but during...

Words: 339 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Cold War Communism

...COLD WAR AND COMMUNISM Kendra Blouin HIS/135 JANUARY 10,2016 JENNIFER LANDERS COLD WAR AND COMMUNISM While watching the video "Duck and Cover" I was left with an emotion of discomfort yet, understanding. I felt an uneasy feeling that the world has to result into violence to "solve" problems. As an adult I do understand the importance on teaching our children how important is to be safe. I can visualize that if I were a child thru this time, I would have sensed the urgency and done my best to prepare myself for any unusably activities. As a child I remember being taught to be cautious, and safe in case of a tornado, earthquake, or even a fire. I was really focused on knowing the importance of following directions, in case of possible danger. While watching "Duck and Cover” and also thinking about an atomic bomb. Ducking, and Covering probably would of not been as much as affective danger measures as we would have today. I am not sure that this protecting measure, would have been much effective. Today American children, and adults face another type of danger which is terrorism. Unlike an Atomic bomb terrorism is one of the most dangerous attack. Why, because terrorism can come from your own people. People you have put so much trust in. Now days our schools are not even safe, I feel terrorism is a difficult attack (like the atomic bomb) to protect our children and adults from, without fashioning a level of terror and possible refinement. As with the threat of an...

Words: 435 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

...Cold War and Communism Helen Estep HIS/135 09/13/2012 Jim Faurie Cold War and Communism The film “Duck and Cover” must have been helpful back during the war, it made it easier for people to understand how to duck and cover. I imagine it would be a difficult time to live under the threat of a nuclear war. I don’t think knowing how to duck and cover would protect from an atomic bomb. I imagine living under these conditions would bring constant worry to a person. A person would have to find ways to protect themselves, if an atomic bomb was dropped. I believe you would have to have a air tight, fire safe place to go to for protection. I believe if you were out in the open within range of the bomb, you would not survive. The impact of a nuclear bomb is tremendous; it can take down buildings and catch them on fire. Even at a distance a person is not safe, a bomb can give you skin burns up to 20 miles away. These conditions would be difficult to face, but even more is the radiation exposure this can cause a high number of deaths. I hope we never have to face the dropping of an atomic bomb. Living under the threat of terrorism is a worry in our present day. A terrorist can be anyone from anywhere. As we go through our day to day life we do not know if the stranger we passed could be a terrorist. We do not know who can be trusted, in our surroundings. There is a constant fear in our minds and since the 9-11 attack people have become more worried and less trusting...

Words: 427 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

...Cold War and Communism Erick Cordon HIS/145 Prof. Jeff Wilson April 28, 2014 The idea of nuclear war or living under constant threat of nuclear war is something we all are too familiar with. Granted now a days the real threat of a nuclear attack on the United States is possible and likely, but as American’s it’s something not really thought about on a constant basis. During the Cold War it was apparent that the possibility of an Atomic bomb being dropped could happen at any time. That fear was as real as stubbing your toe as you are getting out of bed to start your day. It was very apparent, but it seems it came to the point where people knew the possibilities of a bomb strike and took precautions, but could never truly prepare for the attack. As we know now, more then back then, we know the true damage a nuclear attack can cause. The preparation back then of Duck and Cover would really not be as safe as they made it out to be, in reality it probably gave people a sense of relief to think they had a plan of safe action not realizing it would of probably did nothing to actually help them survive. Just like in today’s day and age no one really knows when the U.S. or any other country under attack will be actually attacked in any manner. Just like a nuclear bomb it is hard to determine when the enemy will decide to attack, yes we have counter measures and are learning more and more, but the reality is that sometimes the world will not know till after the attack has been made...

Words: 415 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism

...After viewing the film “Duck and Cover”, it reminds me a lot of my childhood and being the class for a tornado drill. I imagine that being a child and living under the threat of a nuclear war would be something really scary to go through, especially not knowing when and where and even if the atomic bomb would ever explode. This is just another drill that children back then had to learn and understand and most importantly learn to cope with it. I would probably been the one child who was frustrated be simply because of fear. I think that it is truly heart breaking that these children had to live their lives in fear because of the threat of the atomic bomb. I would have felt prepared and protected even though I would have been afraid. Living under threat of terrorism today compared to living under the threat of a nuclear war is the fact that we never know or knew when something so tragic would happen. The difference between the two is that during the nuclear war, back then they were probably more prepared. I say that because back then they had drills to follow to keep themselves from harm as much as possible, for example “Duck and Cover”. When 9/11 happened, no one was prepared for that. It took America by surprise and because we were not prepared for that attack, lives were lost. Not only did we lose lives, we still do not practice drills such as duck and cover to possibly be able to save lives just in case something like this ever happens again. I think that it is very important...

Words: 310 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Cold War and Communism Paper

...Cold War and Communism Paper University of Phoenix Living under a threat of a nuclear war would be terrifying. After watching the Duck and Cover film I could not imagine living in a threat of an atomic bomb dropping anytime every day. It is like you are constantly on lookout for the flash, listening for the siren, or both. Being a child when this is going on would scare the life out of me. I would not be able to sleep or do anything. On television, they had TV programs to distract the kids and make them feel like nothing was going on like the show Leave it to Beaver. However, there was a big war going on outside and it was only a distraction. Disneyland was created during this time to give families a place to go to get their minds off of the war. It was probably horrible to go thinking you might go home to your house that would not be there. Living as a kid during this time would probably be the toughest part. Hearing the sirens or seeing the flash at anytime would scare me. The threat of terrorism is about the same as under a nuclear war. They both threaten the life of you and your family. They can happen anytime and anywhere with or without warning. There might be no signals or sounds going off to let you know that they are heading your way. There are some different between them the two though. One, is the nuclear war really does not involve a whole army it takes just a push of a button to start it. It only takes one man to mention the sound of having a war...

Words: 332 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Birth Of Communism During The Cold War

...The Birth of Communism In 1917 when the world was at war Russia formed a government that would change the world. The Russian Revolution was an uprising of the people of Russia to overthrow the imperialistic rule of Tsar Nicholas II. This uprising was lead by the communist Vladimir Lenin. These communist were called the Bolsheviks. This Revolution led to the USSR or Soviet Union that was a communist country. Communism is a philosophy that seeks to establish a classless, stateless, society based on common ownership. The idea of communism was “invented” by Karl Marx in the 1840-70. After the creation of the USSR the US was extremely scared and concerned about this new idea of communism. During WW2 the US and the USSR were on the same...

Words: 715 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Cold War Communism Dbq Analysis

...Communism DBQ World War II was nearly over with, but now the Cold War had started. The United States’ and Soviet Union’s greatest difference was communism, a belief that private property should be replaced by community ownership. The United States and the Soviet Union fought over communism and capitalism.  Capitalism is a system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by a private owner for profits, rather than by the state. Containment was the idea of stopping the Soviet Union and communism from spreading. How did the U.S contain communism? The U.S contained communism by Berlin airlifts, supporting the non-communists Korean war, and the U.S quarantine of Cuba. The U.S had contained communism by Berlin airlifts. “West Berlin is completely surrounded by communism and  may have had to surrender if not for the U.S and its allies” (Document B). America and its allies had decided to help support the West Berliners by flying in supplies for more than 2 million people for nearly a year....

Words: 505 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Communism In Latin America During The Cold War

...The Cold War which lasted from 1947-1991 was waged around the policy of containment, the democratic idea to limit communism to the areas already under Soviet control. President Truman of the United States passed the Truman Doctrine whose foundation was in containment. America’s fear of communism was so great they implemented their policy across the globe. Throughout the Cold War, the United States never had physical confrontation with the Soviets, but America fought to end the spread of communism in China, Germany, Cuba, Guatemala, Korea, and Vietnam. The communist ideals of Karl Marx inspired revolutionaries in Russia, such as Vladimir Lenin, and his socialist reforms began to spread across Eastern Europe and Asia in the 1920s. Chinese...

Words: 860 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cold War

...The Cold War The Cold War by Jeremy Isaac and Taylor Downing is a book about the history of the U.S. In this book the author talks about how communism has been a part of U.S. history since the eighteenth century. Soviet Union leaders, such as Marx, Lenin, and Stalin continued to spread communism to other nations. The Cold War was not a war of weapons but a war to stop the spread of communism. The book goes into details about how the United States used every media outlet to convince the public of the horrors of communism. America was never really threatened by the Cold War. It was nothing more than two super powers battling for control. This book informs us that the start of the Cold War was caused by U.S. fear of the spread of communism and other events. The authors Sir Jeremy Isaacs is a British television producer and executive, winner of many BAFTA awards and international Emmy Awards. The other author Taylor Downing is an award winning TV producer, head of independent production company Flashback Television for 25 years and writer of best sellers. The two put together a very informative book covering the 50 yearhistory of America. I. The Iron Curtain: America knew they could not trust the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin leadership. During the invasion of Germany the concerns about the Soviet was put aside. During World War II the U.S. and Soviet became allies. Stalin used aggressive tactics to gain control of countries near the Soviet...

Words: 1168 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Comparison: The Cold War And Korean War

...The Cold War and Korean War The outcome of a war is not decided by the number of men one’s army has, but the powers driving the plan to success. The Cold War and Korean War are a perfect example of a war that is not decided by either. Sometimes, it is not the intentions that matter, but the execution of the plan. This war exemplified the term ‘stalemate’ as neither side won. This war resulted in millions of casualties, but none of them helped the cause of either side. Although one’s intentions may be civil, the outcome of a war does not necessarily go according to plan as proven by the consequences faced by the events of the Cold War and its subsequent Korean War. The Cold war was a running problem between the Soviet Union and the USA, which...

Words: 1190 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Dbq Cold War Analysis

...Famine, war, and ultimate destruction is the theme for the 1950’s and 60’s. The us after world war 2 became aware of the soviet agenda to spread communism. This lead to a policy of containment. Which was the main reason for the cold war. The cold war unlike any other war was not fought with bullets but with word of mouth and how that can change the ideologies of country. The cold war lasted from 1945 till 1991 making it the longest conflict in us history. During the cold war the us tried to contain communism by providing aid , going to war, and political games of chicken. The us combated communism using airdrops full of critical supplies. In document B it describes how the us supported the democratic east berlin by sending supplies. This was done because of the soviet blockade of supplies to east berlin on June 27,1948, because it was completely surrounded by communist neighbors  Airdrops were used to bring supplies such as food and coal this gave east berlin the supplies it needed to fight back communism. This combated communism by making it seem less attractive than a capitalist society....

Words: 663 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Was Korea a Turning Point in the Civil War?

...Was the Korean War a turning point in the Civil War? The Korean War was thus a turning point in the development of the Cold War in that it marked a shift in the focal point in the development of tensions, from Europe to East Asia, with many indirect conflicts being largely confined to Europe. The Korean War was the first time that communism and capitalism were to fight against each other. It was hence a turning point in the development of the Cold War — instead of tensions developing between the two countries directly, the conflicts are now manifested through a proxy, which is Korea. This not only altered the field of rivalry between the two superpowers from Europe to Asia, but also changed the method through which the two powers conflicted. While the Cold War in Europe was "fought" mainly through all means short of direct armed confrontation, the Korean War saw the escalation of the conflict to a "hot war”. The idea of puppet states emphasized that the Korean War conflict was merely the Cold War fought on another front, with USSR and USA in control. It is also evident that the two superpowers were control in Korea. The US manipulated the United Nations (which was a first real test) so as to send a mostly American force into the region to address its strategic goals of preventing a possible domino effect and executing NSC-68. Stalin’s limited aid and lack of restraint against Kim also led to the prolonging of the war, but could also be seen as Stalin being hesitant to become...

Words: 707 - Pages: 3