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Nuclear confrontation between the two superpowers was profoundly frightening, not just for those who would have borne the full brunt of any nuclear exchange... But for the international community as a whole. Quite literally, the prospect of nuclear war constituted a threat of truly global dimensions. (O'Neil A. 2004)
There are many other important aspects that mark the beginning of the Cold War Era. One was the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO in 1949. NATO as a joint military group was created to "... defend against Soviet forces in Europe." (Cold War) The first members of NATO were Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States. (Cold War) A similar organization was formed by the Soviet Union and its east European allies known as the Warsaw Pact. This also serves to emphasize the entrenchment of the Cold War into an organizational and institutional ethos.
The Cold war only truly ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The casualties of the Cold War include the following known statistics. "During the Cold War 325 Americans died as a result of hostile action; More than 200 airmen were killed by Communist air defenses, and more than 40 American intelligence aircraft were shot down, killing 64 Cryptologists and 40 crew members. Countless other Americans had their lives disrupted through military service in support of the Cold War. "(McGowan M. 2005) Of course, these statistics do not begin to provide the full extent of the effects of the Cold War. The Cold War resulted in numerous conflicts throughout the world and the way that it shaped and often negatively impacted on many...
It can also be seen as an inevitable historical event, in the light of two world powers with diametrically opposed ideologies and ambitions facing each other in the wake of the Second World War.
References
Cold War. Retrieved June 3, 2006, at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/cold_war.htm
Harry S, Truman and the War Scare of 1948. Retrieved June 3, 2006, at http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAtrumanD.htm
McGowan M. (2005) American society is in dire need of a wake-up call: Award Would Honor Veterans Who Fought for Freedom against Iron Curtain. Retrieved June 3, 2006, at http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2005/050713-veteran-award.htm
O'Neil A. (2004) Keeping the contemporary threat environment in perspective. Retrieved June 4, 2006, at http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2004/05/oneil.html
Onset of the Cold War. Retrieved June 4, 2006, at http://www.russiansabroad.com/russian_history_71.html http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=26243570
Whitcomb, R.S. (1998). The Cold War in Retrospect: The Formative Years. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Retrieved June 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=26243570
Who was to blame for the start of the Cold War? Retrieved June 5, 2006, at http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_97_Notes.htm
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