The Cold War began between the United States and Russia as World War II winded down. Though the two countries fought side-by-side in the war, tension still built between the powerful countries. Americans were wary of Stalin, and his questionable intentions. The power-hungry leader was set on expanding his dominion, and holding abusive power over his people. The Soviets felt uneasy that the United States entered so late in the war. The absence of the United States on Russia’s lands when they were threatened with attack caused the loss of thousands of Russian lives. President Harry Truman decided that America’s best bet would be simply to contain Russia’s communist expansion. He claimed that America’s goals were to support those people who are not living free under oppressive powers.
The Cold War became a racing arena between the two countries. The first major technological race began during World War II. Major powers of the world were trying to harness nuclear energy to create weapons that could cause catastrophic damage: nuclear bombs. Even though this project was highly classified, Stalin’s spies were keeping him updated. This allowed similar research to be conducted in Russia. The United States took its seat as the most powerful country in the world with the detonation of the first atomic bomb. This caused more tension in the world’s atmosphere.
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"The Cold War: Then and Now".
Another race that was waged between the two powers was the space race. Both countries wanted to perform their superiority over the other. The space initiative was to send satellites into space that could survey and protect. The race began in 1955, when both United States and Russia were experimenting with rockets intended to send objects into space. The Russians successfully sent the first satellites into space, and took a temporary lead with the launch of Sputnik in October 1957. America launched their first successful satellite in January 1958. A few years later, Russia launched the first person to orbit the earth in 1961. Though Americans were a bit behind in the space race, they eventually took the lead with the first human landing on the moon.
People living in the nuclear age from either country had constant fears of invasion, or nuclear attack. Civilians built bomb shelters, and students were taught how to duck under their desk to protect them from nuclear invasion. The government created interstates, for easy transportation of soldier and supplies between major cities. Fear of attack was also magnified by the media and entertainment of the time. Between the years of 1950 and 1967 there was a significant increase in horror movies depicting post-war nuclear wastelands, and mutants. These films often solidified American stereotypes about Russian government, cultivating even more fear of attack in their real lives. The war propaganda also contained a theme of secrecy. The cold war put a lot of our attention on the security of our information. The term “Loose lips sink ships,” is one of these terms. The government feared infiltration of Russian spies, and captured many throughout the duration of the war.
The fear of war is still prevalent today. We as a country look back at the tragic events of September Eleventh and know the feeling of having our land ravaged. For years after the event we feared more things like it to happen. We questioned our security, and the ability of our leaders to keep our lands safe from outside attack.
