The Cold War was a conflict between the democratic, capitalist United States and the Communist Soviet Union that started after World War II until 1989. During WWII, the German invasion caused the deaths of twenty million Russians. As a result, Stalin wanted to create a buffer zone of friendly states around Russia so that Russia would never be invaded again. As the Russian Army drove the Nazis back, the countries that Russia had “liberated,” succumbed to Communism. By 1949, all the governments of Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia were under Russian control. Churchill, referring to the buffer zone, declared that an “Iron Curtain” had fallen across Europe.
Post-war Soviet expansion caused many Americans to fear the possibility of a Russian plan to take over the world. They decided that the best defense against Communism was containment. The Soviets resented the Americans’ refusal to recognize the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community.
In 1949, the Soviets tested an atomic bomb of their own. President Harry Truman announced that the U.S. would build an even more powerful hydrogen bomb, causing Stalin to follow suit.
In 1950, the U.S. National Security Council Report called for a sharp increase in defense spending, which encouraged the development of nuclear weapons. This started the deadly “arms race,” which would continue into space.
The Cold War affected the everyday domestic lives of Americans. People built bomb shelters, practiced attack drills, and many popular films included scenes of nuclear devastation and radioactive-affected mutant creatures.
In 1949, the Soviets tested an atomic bomb of their own. President Harry Truman announced that the U.S. would build an even more powerful hydrogen bomb, causing Stalin to follow suit.
In 1950, the U.S. National Security Council Report called for a sharp increase in defense spending, which encouraged the development of nuclear weapons. This started the deadly “arms race,” which would continue into space.
The Cold War affected the everyday domestic lives of Americans. People built bomb shelters, practiced attack drills, and many popular films included scenes of nuclear devastation and radioactive-affected mutant creatures.