The Impact of the Cold War Can you imagine a war that lasted nearly 50 years and was the cause for many developments in military and technology, but contained no fighting or battles? That war is the Cold War. The Cold War was a conflict between the world’s two superpowers at the time that was a power struggle between them and resulted in many technological advancements and a major arms race, though it never reached a point of actual armed combat. It began after the end of World War II, in 1945, as a result of tension created during the war, and lasted a bit over 45 years, ending in 1991. The two main contenders in the war were the United States and the Soviet Union, though some other countries, such as Cuba and Turkey, were also involved.
For example, the tensions created by the war resulted in many new alliances being formed around the world. In 1949, the United States joined eleven other countries in an alliance that would protect the members from a military attack by an outside force, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. NATO consisted of the United States, Great Britain, Belgium, Canada, France, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.(source number one) In addition to NATO, the Warsaw Pact was also created. The Warsaw Pact was an alliance made by the Soviet Union and some of its surrounding countries that was made in 1955 as a response to the new American alliances. Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact were agreements made that stated that the countries involved would assist in the event of an outside attack and provide protection and aid if needed.(book for source) Many technological advancements were also made during the Cold War. For instance, the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in many improvements on the quality and power of nuclear weapons. (pick a source for this) Another example is the space race. The United States and the Soviet Union were both working to make as much progress as possible in the area of space exploration and were fighting to make progress faster than their competition could. The first man-made object to be sent into orbit of Earth was
For example, NATO still exists today. Their numbers have grown, however, from the original 12 countries that formed the alliance in 1949 to 29 today, and they work to “guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means”, according to their website. Also, many of the advancements in technology that were made during the Cold War can still be seen in society today; people use many different methods to keep themselves safe on the internet in fear of their security being compromised. (the conversation article) Many of the powerful military forces that some countries hold would not exist were it not for the Cold War, and nuclear weapons may not have been as far developed as they are. Society today has greatly been influenced by the Cold