Following the conclusion of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were thrown into a world-threatening rivalry known as the Cold War, as a result of both sides attempting to propagate their political doctrines. During this time of tension, both sides employed brinkmanship, or the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the limits of safety, with the intent of forcing the other side to concede. This strategy pushed the war’s two remaining superpowers to engage in an intense political standoff, with the potential for nuclear Armageddon at just the push of a button.
An infamous example of this nuclear brinkmanship was the Cuban Missile Crisis. After U.S. President John F. Kennedy discovered the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union were propelled into an intense …show more content…
During World War II, the alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States had been essential to defeating Nazi Germany. After the war, however, the former allies’ partnership deteriorated into a state of hostility, or the Cold War, which included limited use of weapons. The mutual hostility was mainly yielded as a result of disagreements about political systems, war strategies, and postwar peace. Americans were widely hostile towards the idea of communism and feared the possibility of a Russian attack, as the USSR aimed to spread communism worldwide. Comparably, the Soviet Union disliked American capitalism and wanted to prevent its expansion. Additionally, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had been furious at the United States for waiting to open a front in France during the war, which caused millions of Russian casualties. This postwar tension also spawned an arms race between the two superpowers, resulting in a buildup of a nuclear arsenal on both sides. By the time of the crisis, the threat of nuclear war already hung in the
An infamous example of this nuclear brinkmanship was the Cuban Missile Crisis. After U.S. President John F. Kennedy discovered the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union were propelled into an intense …show more content…
During World War II, the alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States had been essential to defeating Nazi Germany. After the war, however, the former allies’ partnership deteriorated into a state of hostility, or the Cold War, which included limited use of weapons. The mutual hostility was mainly yielded as a result of disagreements about political systems, war strategies, and postwar peace. Americans were widely hostile towards the idea of communism and feared the possibility of a Russian attack, as the USSR aimed to spread communism worldwide. Comparably, the Soviet Union disliked American capitalism and wanted to prevent its expansion. Additionally, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had been furious at the United States for waiting to open a front in France during the war, which caused millions of Russian casualties. This postwar tension also spawned an arms race between the two superpowers, resulting in a buildup of a nuclear arsenal on both sides. By the time of the crisis, the threat of nuclear war already hung in the