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Aug 19, 2006 20:10:10 GMT -5
Post by Jarlaxle on Aug 19, 2006 20:10:10 GMT -5
I never use to have a good idea of what the Cold War was all about, but just one look at some info cleared all that up. I always use to think it was just every country for themselves keeping peace through superior weapons. I was only partly right. There were only 2 sides: Those with democracy and capitalism, and those with communism. I'll tell you more later but add whatever you will.
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Aug 19, 2006 20:46:34 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 19, 2006 20:46:34 GMT -5
Well you know the reason why the US or Russia never used nukes on each other? Its because they knew that if they fired one, the other side would ifre one back, and so on and so on.
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Aug 20, 2006 1:23:16 GMT -5
Post by Jarlaxle on Aug 20, 2006 1:23:16 GMT -5
True, it didn't matter if one country was destroyed because each side had so many allies with them. So in a way it was peace through superior weapons. It was the Yalta Conference that supposedly started it all. After WW2 and Germany's defeat, the Soviet Union, the US England and France gathered to agree to separate Germany to and add those parts equally to all 4 countries. Germany was also forced to pay for the Soviet lossess. It was also agreed that the defeated European countries would become part of the new UN and become a democracy. Polland was also liberated and became democratic in this conference, and in exchange for new territory, the Soviet Union agreed to go to war with Japan. Now, from what I read the start of the Cold War was basically started because both accused eachother of trying to overthrough their nation. Troops particularily on the Soviet side, were amassing strategic areas in Polland, seemed to support their accusations.
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Aug 20, 2006 6:15:28 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 20, 2006 6:15:28 GMT -5
And then the Soviets divided Germany, preventing supplies from getting in, but the U.S. and other countries air dropped supplies into that half.
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Aug 20, 2006 22:53:41 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 20, 2006 22:53:41 GMT -5
Come on drizzt i know you will be here soon........
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Aug 21, 2006 11:41:54 GMT -5
Post by The Fox on Aug 21, 2006 11:41:54 GMT -5
You can talk about allies and forces all day, but there really was one major factor that kept both sides from firing on each other:
MADD (Mutually Assured Destruction Defense)
This term was a theory that prevented each side from firing on each other. Can you figure out why?
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Aug 21, 2006 12:08:47 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 21, 2006 12:08:47 GMT -5
Well you know the reason why the US or Russia never used nukes on each other? Its because they knew that if they fired one, the other side would ifre one back, and so on and so on. I've never quoted myself but.....
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Aug 21, 2006 12:43:26 GMT -5
Post by The Fox on Aug 21, 2006 12:43:26 GMT -5
That's what I'm talking about (I overlooked your post). Basically, that's what kept everything in check. And for the most part, it was true. Both sides had enough power to probably blast the whole planet five or six times.
In the end, it was basically a lack of resources that kept one side from going any further. The Soviets were out of money and resources due to the failure of communism. They couldn't keep up with the U.S., and that started the end (notice I said "started).
It took quite a bit to fully bring the war to a halt, but the initial thing was resources.
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Aug 21, 2006 22:56:32 GMT -5
Post by Raistlin Majere on Aug 21, 2006 22:56:32 GMT -5
This is somewhat deviating from the central topic, but has anyone here played the game Metal Gear Solid 3? It is closely tied to the Cold War, it takes place during the same time. It is fictional, but it is amazingly accurate, especially considering that the game comes from Japan. The game is riddled with unheard-of conspiracies, the creation of an incredibly deadly weapon on the Russians' part, and the government conflicts of the Soviet Union. This description does not begin to scratch the surface of the intricate detail, accuracy and complexity of the game, but you do learn a thing or two along the way.
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Aug 22, 2006 15:24:29 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 22, 2006 15:24:29 GMT -5
I have heard of it but never played it, but do not let this go to off-topic ness. History, that above post is fine, but don't talk about the rest of the game.
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Aug 22, 2006 23:57:15 GMT -5
Post by Jarlaxle on Aug 22, 2006 23:57:15 GMT -5
Come on drizzt i know you will be here soon........ You are correct. It was called the Berlin Blockade. The US was trying to help them recover from WW2 and make then part of their alliance, but the Soviets wanted that part of Germany, so they prevented any UN or US supplies enter. The Blockade was a failure because the Soviets were unable to prevent the US and the UN from air lifting the supplies to Germany. The Soviets gave up the blockade in less then a year I think. I had read somewhere that the US offered to join with the Soviet Union in a Nuclear power program. They would combine their efforts and in doing so lessen the tension between the 2. However, Stalin (The Soviet leader) thought it was a way of keeping them in check: The US already had a head start in developing nuclear weapons, so joining with the US would ensure that both would develope at an equal pace, thus giving the US the upper hand. He rejected the offer and made his own nuclear program. If they had joined, then perhaps the Chernobyl incident would not have happened, but more likely it would have happend anyway, just a little bit differently. Sorry for the long post, but I have also learned that the Korean War, something else I have not looked into was in fact the only part of the Cold War that involved any fighting. The Communist aided North Korea and Democrats (UN, US) aided South Korea.
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Aug 23, 2006 15:32:35 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 23, 2006 15:32:35 GMT -5
Vietnam, don't forgot Vietnam. And Afghanistan, but that was the Soviet's War, it was the opposite of Vietnam, there russians supplied Vietcong soldiers against the US, but in Afghanistan US soldiers supplied Afghanis against Soviets, the reason everyone was so worried about going back into war with them, cause they had decent weapons.
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Aug 23, 2006 21:57:39 GMT -5
Post by Jarlaxle on Aug 23, 2006 21:57:39 GMT -5
I haven't forgotten about the Vietnam war, but it is something I should look into further. I recall Korea being the first area of accualo fighting though.
I just learned that the Cold War lasted during my existance! The Soviets began to lose their allies despite their agreement in the Warsaw treaty, and that happened in 1989 I think!
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Aug 24, 2006 15:13:31 GMT -5
Post by buttonpresser4815 on Aug 24, 2006 15:13:31 GMT -5
Yes that that is true, it officially ended in like 1991 though i think.
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Aug 24, 2006 20:41:12 GMT -5
Post by Jarlaxle on Aug 24, 2006 20:41:12 GMT -5
Did it? I didn't know when or how it ended so I entertained the thought at one point that it still might be silently active.
It seems that Stalin, the Soviet leader was a key player in maintaining the war. It was after his death that the Soviets began a program with the US to lower their army numbers everwhere. It was done, and the Soviets also lost some of their outlaying countries in the prossess as part of the agreement, like Poland for example, it later became a neutral and free communist nation. Hungary on the other hand was one place the Soviets were still unwilling to let go of. Sever rebeled against the Soviets and were quelled in only 2 weeks. I think it was 1956 when the Soviets proposed that they would end the war and simply call it "a competative coexistance". I'll learn more of what happened to that later.
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