Cold War vs. War on Terror

The Cold War vs. The War on Terrorism In this class we have discussed and studied many historical events that have molded America into a very unique nation. We have followed history through World War I, World War II, The Cold War, and now a War on Terrorism. In this paper I will describe The Cold War and The War on Terrorism in detail and how they differ. The Cole War was a long period of time, 1945-1991, where tensions were running high between The Western World and Eastern Europe. The United States led the Western Worlds, and the Soviet Union led Eastern Europe. These two countries became known as superpowers. They never officially declared war on one another, but fought indirectly in proxy wars, the arms race, and the space race. The United States and Soviet Union fought their battles in what is called proxy wars. These wars were fought between other countries, but were receiving support from a superpower. The superpowers also fought by showing their power and advanced technology. For example, each side tried to have the best and most weapons and nuclear bombs. This was also known as The Arms Race. Another example of superpowers indirectly fighting was The Space Race. Each country tried to show dominance by showing off that they had the better scientists and technology by completing space missions first. In the end The Cold War came to an end when The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The War on Terror was a response by the United States government to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The United States retaliated by declaring war against al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda, and Saddam Hussein leader in Iraq. President Bush claimed that the people who attacked U.S. soil were in possession of WMD, weapons of mass destruction. This is still going on even though Bin Laden and Hussein both have been captured and killed. There are many differences in The Cold War and The War on Terror. First, and probably the most obvious, is the fact of who the