The Cold War was an integral point in our nations military, social, and economic history. It affected every faucet of life in America. Had a few events transpired in a different manner, Russia might be the predominant superpower that America functions as today. What would life look like then? As I have stated before, people tend to complain about America’s role as a superpower. Would the world be better off today if communist Russia had risen victorious in the cold war? There are few minds in this day and age of free choice and individuality that would venture to suggest that communism would be more beneficial than democracy.
The most significant aspect of the cold war was the duration of time that it spanned across. America, Russia, and their perspective allies engaged in the Cold War from the 1940s until the early 1990s. Immediately following the end of WWII, Russia and America were left with a multitude of weapons and resources.
The most fearful aspect of the Cold War was the nuclear arms race that both countries engaged in. Each country had enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on this planet several times over. Why would they keep building weapons then? The answer is twofold. They built new weapons so that they could develop new technologies and modifications for existing nuclear weaponry that would allow more functionality. This would yield more options for each government. The other reason both sides continued building nuclear weapons was to ensure that they had weapons stationed all across their territories so that they could strike from any area needed.
Thankfully, nuclear war never erupted as a result of the cold war. However it does offer some interesting food for thought. As the leading superpower today, should America continue to develop nuclear weapons? I am interested to hear your opinion on such an important issue as this. People have criticized our nation for storing up nuclear weapons while not allowing other nations to do the same. But in reality, could other nations be trusted with nuclear arms?
