January 22, 2013
The Cold War For this essay I decided to interview my three friends since we were all hanging out last week. Not sure it was the best group of people to interview since they are all around my age, but I work with what I’m given. Not knowing much about the Cold War myself, it was interesting to see some of the responses they gave me. Not knowing if they were correct or not, I had a fair share of research that had to be done.
To start off my interviews I had the pleasure of interviewing my good friend Dani Bobby. She was born in 1992 and didn’t have a single clue about what the Cold War was. The first question I asked her was if I could interview her about the Cold War. She said “All I know is that people shot other people”. This was about how knowledgeable I was. I figured that maybe it was a war that took place during the winter months and many troops suffered from the cold weather. I also interviewed my other two friends Cory Loving and JimTomas. Jim is the same age as Dani, but Cory is a little older being born in 1984. He was a little more knowledgeable then the other two, but still didn’t know that much about it. I asked him what he knew about the Cold War and his response is as follows, “I know it was after World War II and it was a war of words, not any gun fights.” This was the best answer I got from all three of my interviews. It pretty much summed up the Cold war in a simple sentence.
The Cold War was a war of words between the United States and communist nations. This was not like an ordinary war that involved warfare. There was no actually battle that took place, just threats between the nations. Of course these were real threats and no joke for many people living during this time. Schools practiced bomb drills and many civilians built personal bunkers at their homes. Many lived in fear for years waiting for the sirens to sound warning that the nation was under attack. Not until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin wall did the nation get to step back and take a breath. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live in a time like this. I would have been so scared I’m not sure I would have ever been able to sleep. Just imagine where we would be today if this hadn’t happened when it did. It is very interesting to think about.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc and powers in the Eastern Bloc. The cold was started in 1947 and lasted until its official ending in 1991. It was referred to as the “Cold War” because instead of using actual weapons the two sides used verbal weapons in the form of information and threats.…
- 1080 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
The Cold War was a state of political, military, and economic tensions and hostilities between the Communist World, primarily the Soviet Union, and the Capitalist Western World, the United States and its allies. The Cold War lasted over 40 years because the beginning and ending of it leaves room for some debate. Some sources say it started in the mid to late 40’ after the Second World War while other historians date it back to 1917 with The Bolshevik Revolution and ending in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. In that case the Cold War then lasted for over 70 years. The periods when tensions were at the most high were from the late 40s to the 70’s. The international incidences of particular note that brought things to the boiling point were the Berlin Blockade (‘48-‘49), the Korean War (‘50-‘53), Berlin Crisis (‘61), the Vietnam War (’59-’75), and the Cuban Missile Crisis (’62). There were points, like the Cuban Missile Crisis, were the United States were very close to engaging in a nuclear war with the Soviet Union and its allies. The Cold War spread at home too during a heightened state of fear and panic called the Second Red Scare. This lasted approximately 10 years from 1947-1957 during a time when the country was worried about national and foreign communists taking over society and the federal government. Anyone, from actors to politicians, and just the ordinary working class person accused of any communist ties, could lose their job, property, and face imprisonment even with lack of proof or evidence to support the claims.…
- 724 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Cold War was an almost 45 year long period of global tension between communist bloc countries and the democracies of western Europe and the United States. It was characterized by the threat of nuclear war and regional wars between the client states of the super powers. I have interviewed two people, Raedah and Baratul. Raedah graduated last year from high school and now in college. Baratul is in his last year of college. They both had different answers and opinions.…
- 679 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
After conducting my interviews I have a much more extensive knowledge of what the Cold War meant to families in that era. I surpassed what is constantly discussed in scholarly circles, and became indoctrinated it what was discussed at the dinner table. I interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Russ Philpot, Russ was born in 1943, and Mary was born in 1946. They both stated the Cold War was synonymous with fear. My third interview was Mr. Luis Rodda he was born in 1962; he provided good insight in to the Bay of Pigs. All three interviewees advised most their knowledge came from media, very little was covered in the schools, however all stated they performed emergency drills at schools. After combining all the notes from my interviews this is what I have been immersed in.…
- 572 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
I interviewed three people using the sample questions provided regarding the Cold War. My first interviewee stated that the terms “World War 3 and nuclear holocaust” came to mind when they thought about the term Cold War. The interviewee did study the Cold war in school and remembered discussing the “Nuclear arms race”. The U.S and Russia were the parties involved and the Cuban Missile Crisis was named as a key event associated with the Cold War.…
- 470 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The Cold War (1945-1991) conquered international relations within a structure of political, economic, and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War facilitated global leadership by the United States, and provided Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and his successors with an enemy to validate their suppressive regime. The Cold War helped legitimize an unrepresentative government and uphold the Communist Party in the Soviet Union (Kennedy, 1989; Kissinger, 1994).…
- 1432 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
The Cold War is often seen as fighting in foreign countries and technological advancements driving Russia and America further into belligerent turmoil. The idea is that soldiers and scientists are the only people putting their lives on the line for their country to claim superiority against the other. The truth is that the Cold War was not all fought by rockets and missiles, or by soldiers and scientists. Men and women on the inside who infiltrated, tainted, and interfered with foreign trade, politics, and intelligence had a huge impact on the result of the war and without them, the notorious and everlasting cold war would not be the same as how we know it to be today. Spies collected data on things ranging from plans and strategies to rocket designs for bombs capable of decimating cities.…
- 480 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Cold War took off after the end of the Second World War when the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two global dominant superpowers each grasping ideologies that were dichotomous from each other. This adverse relationship continued for half a century and the clash of two distinct and differing political ideologies of communism and capitalism saw no clear conclusion or victory for either side. The tense atmosphere resonated not only in the United States and the Soviet Union, but also around the world and into space. For most of the fifty years of the cold war, the ideological struggle and the many indirect physical conflicts between the West and the Soviet Union were in a deadlock with no visible success of either side. However,…
- 392 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Cold War was a war not fought directly but indirectly between the US and the USSR. The United States economy had boosted up during World War II and it was continuing to grow after and would continue for many years. There were enough jobs for almost all Americans and they were all living almost comfortably. When the Second World War was over the United States rose as the most “powerful country in the world” [1]. They were also the only ones to have the atomic bomb. After a few years of being the only country with this power the Soviet Union created and tested an atomic bomb. After that moment it became a race of which country could create the most for protection and intimidation. As an American citizen this is when the Cold War started, with the successful test of the atomic bomb in USSR and uneasiness at its highest.…
- 917 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
The Cold War was a shocking and controversial event, which is still being discussed today. It is necessary to search the many reasons why it started and how. While the ’why’ or ‘what happened’ is still being argued out over time the ’what’ is very clear. One of the main reasons of the Cold War was that there were huge differences in the way that the East and West were led and as many know disagreements usually lead to conflict.…
- 926 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Cold War was by chance the most stressful part of the World’s history than anything else because it stretched across the entire globe and affected every country in one way or another. There are several reasons that the Cold War began and several different points that can be described as the beginning of the Cold War. By far the most influential part of the Cold War was the distrust that Joseph Stalin had between Winston Churchill and Harry Truman. The hostile relationship between the countries began when the Soviet Union would not open invade the Eastern part of Europe pushing Germany back and helping out the rest of the allies (Crash Course #39). The Cold War was a time that no one wanted to blink because they were afraid they might miss something important.…
- 799 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The period of the Cold war began in 1945 following World War II after the defeat of Hitler, Germany and Japan. The Cold War wasn’t a one time event, rather it was a long period of fighting between the leadership of the Western World and Eastern Europe. The two countries known as superpowers led the charge with the Western side led by the USA and Eastern Europe led by the Soviet Union. Although once allies during World War II, mistrust with the leadership of Joseph Stalin and his leadership caused the USA to take a stand against the communist country. Although a war was never formally declared, the two super powers fought indirectly through proxy wars, space race, and arms race.…
- 275 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
It is evident that the Cold War had a huge impact on the world, including the world as we have come to know it today. I interviewed three different people regarding their perception of the Cold War. One being a military veteran – my grandfather -, one being a history major from UCLA – my sister – and one who doesn’t know much in regards to history at all – my fiancé. This is the information I received:…
- 769 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
1. What do you remember hearing about the Cold War? What did people say about it?…
- 890 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
“Cold War.” UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 2. Detroit: UXI., 2009. 344-349. Student Resources in Context. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.…
- 918 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays