Cold War in 1980s

The Cold War was the name given to the political economic, military and ideological contention that occurred between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and their allies after World War II. The two forces never directly engaged in military activity in light of the fact that both had atomic weapons that if utilized, might have had crushing outcomes for both sides. Instead, proxy wars were battled. A proxy war results when contradicting forces utilize outsiders as substitutes for battling each one other and is ordinarily launched by a power that does not itself partake. The Korean and Vietnam wars are two examples of proxy wars on the grounds that the U.S. and the Soviet Union did not directly engage one another however, Soviet endeavors to spread and bring together both Korea and Vietnam under communist rule provoked mediation either by the United States and/or by their allies. These two occasions were simply a few of the impacts of the Cold War in Asia. This paper will examine each war individually and in more detail and endeavor to persuade that the Korean and Vietnam Wars were the immediate aftereffects of Soviet endeavors to expand communist influence in Asia and the United States and their allies' approach of forestalling and holding such endeavors.

1. During the 1970s Conservatives and Liberals clashed over a variety of domestic issues in the U.S. Some of these included abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, welfare, drug use, gun control, and New Deal liberalism just to name a few. Conservatives pushed for several agendas which included reducing taxes, improving morale, and reducing action towards affirmative action. Proposition 13 was one of these agendas established in California, 1978. Prop. 13 sharply cut property taxes in the beliefs that it would promote economic growth. This belief was later the basis of another tax cut towards the federal government that was issued by two members of the Republican party. A reduction in affirmative action was taken when

Harry S. Truman was President of the United States from 1945-1953. President Truman presidency was marked throughout by important foreign policy initiatives. Central to almost everything Truman undertook in his foreign policy was the desire to prevent the expansion of influence of the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II it was immediately apparent that Russia was trying to draw as many countries as it could into its influence, if not total control. The United States became extremely alarmed as country after country did indeed fall under Russia’s

The Cold War was a competition. The US and the Soviet Union raced to become the world’s number one superpower, building up their militaries, improving their arsenals, and developing more advanced weapons. However, weapons in the war were not limited to only nuclear warheads. The weapons used in the Cold War were nuclear warheads, and hope and terror caused by propaganda.

Ronald Reagan created a Strategic Defense Initiative that was intended to defend the United States from any nuclear weapon missile threat from other countries. This was proposed mainly to protect the U.S. from its extent threat, which was the Soviet Union at the time. Reagan wrote down in his diary addressing his Evil Empire Speech, “I did the bulk of the speech on why our arms build up was necessary and then finished with a call to the Science community to join me in research starting now to develop a defensive weapon that

A dance-rock protest song from West Germany, during the Cold War partition of Germany. The song describes a nuclear war starting because of misinterpreted signals from a bunch of balloons.

To deal with the situation, Mr. Reagan’s task for the U.S was to make a massive U.S army with many troops and weapon. Strategic Defense Initiative was announced in 1983. It’s a plan for a development on space-based weapons to protect America from nuclear missiles by the Soviet Union. In October 1983, a little more than one year from when Mr. Reagan sent 800 U.S. Marines to Lebanon on June 1982, they were attacked by suicide bombers, at Beirut Barracks, killing 241 American Marines. During the same month of October, Mr. Reagan ordered the invention of the Caribbean island. On Mr. Reagan’s second term, America and the Soviet Union signed a agreement to eliminate nuclear missile use in 1987. A little later in that same year, Mr. Reagan spoke at the Berlin wall, challenged Soviet Premier Gorbachev to tear down the walls. Two years later, Gorbachev allowed the people to dismantle the remaining walls and that ends the cold

Ronald Reagan served from January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 as President of the United States he is remembered as one of the best Presidents that the United States has ever had, He is vastly recognized because he served as president at the end of the Cold War, he was known as the president that “ended it”(the cold war). Though, the question remains in how? How was Reagan able to accomplish the ending of something that had lasted so long (the Cold war)? Thus was a task only accomplished by him because; he had a strong perseverance, intellectuality and held a strong desire for the destruction of all nuclear weapons. All of these elements combined took him to the decision and policy’s implemented during his terms as president. Reagan Started by taking a “Defense Policy” and his creation of SDI (The Strategic Defense Initiative) was all a part of a plan to disregard the MDA (Mutual Assured Destruction). Reagan came to these plans in despair to prevent any future nuclear wars with the SU (Soviet Union), “According to Weinberger, the idea that one was safe from nuclear attack only if vulnerable to it ‘repelled’ Reagan. Meese told the author that Reagan felt that MAD was politically and diplomatically, militarily, and morally flawed.’ ”( Steinberg, 39). Whit that being said Weinberger lets us know how Reagan felt about MAD.

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America from 1981 to 1989, promising a new morning in America when he came to power (Richards). The 80s was the tail end of the Cold War.Which was a clash of two titans the Capitalist U.S and the Communist U.S.S.R.The Cold war era saw a rise in popular culture, Especially in Film, The two sought ideological and strategic influence throughout the world. Rocky 4 directed by Sylvester Stallone is one such film that highlights the difficulties of an exhausting Cold War and the possibility of peace between the two archrivals.

After the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers and subsequently a period of tension and hostility arose, known as the Cold War. During this time, a new possibility of complete nuclear destruction that would claim the lives of many emerged, therefore “the easing or relaxing of tensions” on both sides was needed, this period would be known as detente. Both countries had been guaranteed mutually assured destruction as they had both managed to stay ahead in the development of nuclear arsenals. By the late 1960s the Soviets had surpassed the United States in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) by 1,300 to 1,054. Although the U.S was still

Reagan announced his idea on March 23rd, 1983, which was popularly dubbed “Star Wars.” Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), was a system to make the US untouchable to nuclear missile attacks from the Soviet Union. This invention would vaporize missiles before they could even touch US soil. This was a key element that impacted the next phase since it made the Soviet Union realize that its economic and social system can not sustain against the United States, forcing the Soviet leadership to accept defeat. All in all, the SDI is often credited with helping end the Cold

Despite its name, the Cold War did not actually involve military fighting between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, the Cold War is still an excellent example as to why war can be a result of bargaining failures and explains reasons as to why war occurs. A single person’s rationality can tip the scale between war and peace. The Cold War was essentially a deadlock between the two super powers of that time, the United States and the Soviet Union. Both states expressed desire to maintain and widen their respective spheres of influence around the world. Both states also wanted to prove that their political system is superior; whereas the United States was pro-democracy, the Soviet Union was pro-communism. Although the Cold War was a result of many factor, war can definitely occur due to information problems between two states. Nonetheless, I do believe there is always a range of agreements that is possible between states, as is evidenced by the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis.

It also engaged in proxy wars in Vietnam, Angola and the Middle East. However despite the tension both sides agreed on a policy of détente. “The policy of détente had primarily meant détente in Europe. Détente also contributed to regulating the arms race through certain limitation agreements” G.Lundestad (2005:87).

Throughout history, war has been the most common resort for nations to solve problems or show off their strength. However it wasn’t until recently where mankind had just live and experience a war that not only did it have the potential destroy nations, but also had the potential to destroy the whole world and humanity itself. This was known as the Cold War where after WWII, citizens of the world witnessed the potential of the atomic bomb and feared the possibility of nuclear fallout or total annihilation of the Earth. The only two superpowers remaining at the time were the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. These two nation competed against each other in a nuclear arms race. They fought to spread the ideals of either a free democratic, capitalistic society or a controlled socialist, communist society. After a 45 year struggle from 1945-1991, the Cold War came to an end due to the fall of the Soviet Union. It was inevitable due to the fact during the last few years of the war, the USSR face internal domestic problems such as their financial/economic situation, failed political reforms, and revolution throughout the Union itself. The causes to the collapse of the Union not only affected them but affected the world to present day.

The Cold War is over and some people believe that we do not need nuclear deterrence anymore. The U.S.S.R has fallen and Russia poses little threat to launch a nuclear attack on the United States. Because of this, Russia and the United States have begun disarming their nuclear weapons. The United States has reduced its nuclear stockpile of warheads from 31,265 in 1965 to about 10,455 in 2002, enough to use for deterrence ("Table of . . . "). This disarming agreement is only between these two countries and they will continue to keep a minimum number of these nuclear warheads to deter other countries. They realize that they are not a threat to each other,