A period of political and military tension between the United States and the USSR plagued the world with the possibility of a third World War from 1947 to 1991. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, and Harry Truman, President of the United States, both fought to become the world power when aiding in reconstruction following the events of WWII. Although no armed conflict occurred, this period of time is known as war, being named the Cold War. In 1984, in the midst of the tensions between the USSR and the USA, The Butter Battle Book, written by Dr. Seuss, tells the story of a fictional war between the Yooks and the Zooks over their differing opinions on how to butter their bread. Despite it being a lighthearted tale, “The Butter Battle Book”, by Dr. Seuss, shares similarities to the cold war because of the parallels in propaganda usage, the arms race, and ideological …show more content…
With tensions continuously rising in the West and East between the USSR and the US, both nations sought out means to protect themselves in the event that warfare broke out between the two. Although neither nation initiated armed warfare, precautions were made by both leaders with the production of weapons of mass destruction. According to the United Nations, 62,000 nuclear weapons were developed between the Soviet Union and the United States alone by the late 1980s during the Cold War. Dr. Seuss developed a conflict for his story revolving around the same aspects. In The Butter Battle Book, the Yooks and Zooks develop unique weapons to use against each other in the event that one attacks the other. The Yooks and Zooks never actually harm one another, but instead, use the weapons as leverage and power over the other society very similar to the United States and the Soviet Union. The source of Dr. Seuss’s inspiration is clear when comparing the two events