Lessons of the Cold War
The Cold War, as defined by the Collins English Dictionary, is “a state of political hostility and military tension between two countries or power blocs, involving propaganda, subversion, threats, economic sanctions, and other measures short of open warfare, esp[ecially] that between the American and Soviet blocs after World War II.” This war, or lack there of, was the result of the United States and the USSR’s distrust of each others values, particularly communism versus democracy. “In diplomatic terms there are three types of war.” (Trueman) A hot war, a warm war, and a cold war. A hot war, is a war in which there is actual fighting. A warm war, is where there is actual talk of fighting. And a cold war, which is …show more content…
His number one lesson is “Conflict prevention effort does make a difference.” This is a huge lesson learned. By preventing actual conflict during the war, what could have been millions of lives lost, were saved. The United States seems to struggle with this idea now days, but this idea could really be ingrained in American foreign policy. After all, “Conflict prevention is a frustrating business to be in, but those of us engaged in it - as policymakers, as researchers or as activists – are not wasting our time.” …show more content…
One of these lessons is “Friends and allies matter.” (Edwards) Unlike the Soviet Union, the United States had many allies and were able to call on them in this time of need. The Soviet Union did not have this advantage because they were “not a true nation but a conglomeration of captive peoples and nationalities “united” by the Red Army.” (Edwards) Another lesson is “Leadership matters.” (Edwards) The Unites States had very forward-thinking and strong individuals, such as Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan, to lead them during the Cold War. Again, this was an advantage to the United States that the Soviet Union could not enjoy. With leaders such as Stalin and Gorbachev, they were weak and not as determined. For example, “Gorbachev helped end the Cold War by reluctantly abandoning the Brezhnev Doctrine that had propped up the communist regimes of Eastern Europe for decades.”(Edwards) The Cold War provided many things for the United States. Some bad, but more good. It allowed the United States to see what worked, and how they can modify what didn’t, to aid them toward victory in future conflict. The Cold War also taught the US how they can change foreign policies according to lessons learned during that time. Overall, the biggest lesson that the United States learned from the Cold War is that it is important to stand up for your beliefs, but that they “should
The Cold War, as defined by the Collins English Dictionary, is “a state of political hostility and military tension between two countries or power blocs, involving propaganda, subversion, threats, economic sanctions, and other measures short of open warfare, esp[ecially] that between the American and Soviet blocs after World War II.” This war, or lack there of, was the result of the United States and the USSR’s distrust of each others values, particularly communism versus democracy. “In diplomatic terms there are three types of war.” (Trueman) A hot war, a warm war, and a cold war. A hot war, is a war in which there is actual fighting. A warm war, is where there is actual talk of fighting. And a cold war, which is …show more content…
His number one lesson is “Conflict prevention effort does make a difference.” This is a huge lesson learned. By preventing actual conflict during the war, what could have been millions of lives lost, were saved. The United States seems to struggle with this idea now days, but this idea could really be ingrained in American foreign policy. After all, “Conflict prevention is a frustrating business to be in, but those of us engaged in it - as policymakers, as researchers or as activists – are not wasting our time.” …show more content…
One of these lessons is “Friends and allies matter.” (Edwards) Unlike the Soviet Union, the United States had many allies and were able to call on them in this time of need. The Soviet Union did not have this advantage because they were “not a true nation but a conglomeration of captive peoples and nationalities “united” by the Red Army.” (Edwards) Another lesson is “Leadership matters.” (Edwards) The Unites States had very forward-thinking and strong individuals, such as Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan, to lead them during the Cold War. Again, this was an advantage to the United States that the Soviet Union could not enjoy. With leaders such as Stalin and Gorbachev, they were weak and not as determined. For example, “Gorbachev helped end the Cold War by reluctantly abandoning the Brezhnev Doctrine that had propped up the communist regimes of Eastern Europe for decades.”(Edwards) The Cold War provided many things for the United States. Some bad, but more good. It allowed the United States to see what worked, and how they can modify what didn’t, to aid them toward victory in future conflict. The Cold War also taught the US how they can change foreign policies according to lessons learned during that time. Overall, the biggest lesson that the United States learned from the Cold War is that it is important to stand up for your beliefs, but that they “should