The Cold War, Berlin Wall, And The Arms Race

The Cold War was the post-World War II conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War, spanning from the late 1940s to the early 1990s, was a defining era in global history characterized by intense political, economic, and ideological rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a period of high tension and hostility, but interestingly, it did not result in direct military confrontation between the two superpowers. Instead, the Cold War played out through indirect means, such as proxy wars, ideological competition, and arms races. There were a few events that happened during the Cold War and this essay will be highlighting three of them. These events include the Vietnam War, the Berlin Wall, and the

The atomic bomb was made by the U.S. first and they had three of them. They felt insanely powerful being the only ones to obtain the most deadliest weapon in the world. But a couple years later the Soviet Union made the atomic bomb as well making our one step ahead not matter anymore. The U.S had no worries because they made another bomb that is even more powerful than the atomic bomb called the Hydrogen bomb! They thought that nothing could get in their way now, but only a year later, the Soviet Union obtained the same bomb as well (Gorman, “Cold War - A World Divided”). There was always this sort of race to have the most powerful weapons between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries engaged in a military and geopolitical struggle that avoided full-scale war (Weisner-Hanks,

It involved North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and South Vietnam. Following the division of Vietnam after the end of French colonial rule in 1954, North Vietnam, under communist leadership, sought to reunify the country under its rule. South Vietnam, supported by the United States, aimed to prevent the spread of communism and maintain its independence (Gorman, “Cold War - Global Front”). The war witnessed intense fighting, including guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the communist forces, known as the Viet Cong. There was also the goal to stop Hanoi support. The U.S sent their airforce and used air strikes in North Vietnam along with bombs. This plan was known as Operation Rolling Thunder. They also sent group troops to South Vietnam which required a lot of men. There was a drafting process which means the nation is going to have young citizens fight for the country and win the fight. By 1969 five hundred and fifty thousand men had been drafted to fight (Gorman, “Cold War - Global Front). Even though a lot of property was destroyed, this operation was a failure because Vietnam was always bouncing back and resisting. The Viet Cong eventually fire back with around eighty thousand men striking Saigon. The war had a significant influence on the United States, causing social divisions and a decline in trust in the government. It had an impact on later military operations and