Tensions During The Cold War

The Cold War was a period filled with many emotions such as anger and fear. While the war did not involve many military actions, it still cause some of the largest tensions between Eastern and Western ideology. As the Cold War involved many factors, the tension causing factors were primarily the so-called “Arms Race” and United States Policies. These tensions caused each government to voice their opinions about what was going on. Many people of power, such as Presidents and Prime Ministers, spoke on these issues to their country. The many issues allowed fact-based and proven thoughts, shown throughout this paper. The Cold War is a period that many people have trouble defining. As John le Carre, a British novelist, stated “. . .The Cold War

Winston Churchill, one of the most prominent British Prime Ministers of the 20th Century, once said, “If you go on with this nuclear arms race, all you are going to do is make the rubble bounce.” While this quote represents his thought on the matter, it also shows how present the Nuclear Arms Race was present in the minds of citizens in all areas. While the two superpowers during the Cold War were the United States and The Soviet Union, many citizens in neighboring countries were caught in the crossfire. The Arms Race was primarily between the Soviet Union and the United States. The most popularly produced weapon was, as seen in the quote, nuclear weapons. These were the most common due to their new technology, the amount of destruction, and fear factor. (The Soviet Union And The United States) However, the Arms Race was not the only fueling factor of the war. The other top contributor of the Cold War was the Governmental Policies of the United

One of the Soviet Leaders during the Cold War, Konstantin Chernenko, once stated that “Washington’s adventuristic policy, whipping up international tension to the utmost, is pushing mankind towards nuclear catastrophe.” This quote illustrates how the Soviet Government felt about the Washington policies and how the tensions were caused by them. Along with voicing their opinions on the policies, they also showed, by action, how they felt about them. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a time when the Soviet Union decided to place missiles on the island of Cuba, aimed towards the United States. (The Soviet Union And The United States) The Soviets became allies with Cuba and offered protection to the Cuban’s with the missiles. While the United States Government was spying on the Cubans, they discovered these missiles and demanded that the Soviets remove them. The Soviets agreed to remove the missiles on the condition that the United States would not invade the island. The United States agreed, and the missiles were removed. As a result of this event, a hotline from Washington to Moscow was set up to help ensure that an accident would not start a war.. This event essentially was a turning point for the Cold War, due to its many