Figure 1.-- |
|
The Cold war was notable in that it was a rare conflict between two major world powers in which there was no direct military confrontations. between the two principal powers--the United States and the Soviet Union. There were several military engagements. The United States fought the Korean War which became a direct conflict between the United States and China and subsequently the Vietnam War. The Soviet Union had to use its military forces to maintain order in its Eastern European empire. And it fought a war in Afghanistan. While a Cold war, military power was important and in many ways set the parameters wihin which the Cold War evolved. Thus to understand the Cold War it is necessary to assess the military balance, a balance which shifted over time. The military balance at the beginning of the Cold War was largely determined by two developments. First was the success of D-Day which meant that the NAZIs were defeated by both the Soviets and Western Allies, creating a military balance. Second was the American development of an atomic bomb. The Soviet Union had at the end of the War a massive army. The exclusive American possession of the atomic bomb mean that the Sovierts were not able their massive superority in land forces to chllenge the West, even over Berlin deep in the Soviet occupation zone.
The Cold war was notable in that it was a rare conflict between two major world powers in which there was no direct military confrontations. between the two principal powers--the United States and the Soviet Union. There were several military engagements. The United States fought the Korean War which became a direct conflict between the United States and China and subsequently the Vietnam War. The Soviet Union had to use its military forces to maintain order in its Eastern European empire. And it fought a war in Afghanistan.
While a Cold war, military power was important and in many ways set the parameters wihin which the Cold War evolved. Here there was a substantial difference in the various military services. The Soviert Union was primarily a land power which maintained a huge army and massive tank force. It was the Red Army that had defeated the Wehrmacht and after the demobilization of the American Army following World war II, the Red Army was the primary military force on the continent of Europe. The Revolution in China brought into being what was at first seen as an ally on the Eurasian land mass, but eventuallially evolved as a competitive force. World War II bought about a massive shift in world nabal power. The British Royl Navy which had been the world's preminent naval power since Trafalgur (1805) gave way to the United States Navy. The destruction of the Imperial Japanese Navy left the United States as the unchallenged world naval power. The Soviet Union began toi build a substatial naval force, especially a submarine force designed to interedict American forces in event of awar in Europe. The Soviets gave increased attention to the Red Navy after the Cunan Missle Crisis (1962). The American Air Force was the preminent world air power throughout the Cold War. The Soviet aviation industry produced some excellent air frames, but for various reasons was unable to compete with American counterparts in Korea, Vietnam, or the proxy wars fought in the Middle East. The overwealming military competition of the Cold War was in atmomic weapons. merican begn with exclusive possession, but the Soviets through espionage and their their oen and German technology developed their own weapons as wel as delvery systems. Their weakness in computer technology and fear of an American developent of an effective anti-missle defense led to an accomodation with the United States on the reduction in nuclear weapons.
Thus to understand the Cold War it is necessary to assess the military balance, a balance which shifted over time. The military balance at the beginning of the Cold War was largely determined by two developments. First was the success of D-Day which meant that the NAZIs were defeated by both the Soviets and Western Allies, creating a military balance. Second was the American development of an atomic bomb. The Soviet Union had at the end of the War a massive army. The exclusive American possession of the atomic bomb mean that the Sovierts were not able their massive superority in land forces to chllenge the West, even over Berlin deep in the Soviet occupation zone.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to Main Cold War page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Satellite sites]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]