The Cold War and Missile Defense

Abstract

The Cold War (1945–1991) was a nontraditional conflict between two conflicting ideologies—communism and democracy. The Soviet bloc countries (USSR) were pitted against the US-led Western powers. Rather than manifesting as a traditional conflict waged through extensive use of weapons, the Cold War was conducted using propaganda, political hostility, and threats. America’s free-market capitalism was used as a powerful positive force against communism, a form of socialism. Most importantly, the two superpowers leading the charge both possessed weapons of mass destruction. Many major crises occurred during the Cold War decades, a few bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.

“But it is inconceivable to me that we can go on thinking down the future, not only for ourselves and our lifetime but for other generations, that the great nations of the world will sit here, like people facing themselves across a table, each with a cocked gun, and no one knowing whether someone might tighten their finger on the trigger.”

–President Reagan, 1983