The Cold War created new fears and threats that shaped American society in positive, as well as negative ways, and made it both powerful, and more vulnerable. Suri argues that thermonuclear weapons gave countries great destructive capabilities, but that these weapons couldn’t be used for “policy by other means” (Suri 7). Leaders like Eisenhower recognized that these weapons shouldn’t be used in war, and this sentiment was echoed by scientists like Russell and Einstein, but public concern for the missile gap encouraged continued excessive production. Eisenhower also used nuclear weapons to deter international conflict, and to limit the need for a standing military, which encouraged economic growth. Kennedy invested in science as a response to
