Analyze the nature of the Cold War and explain why it did not turn into a Third World War?

Answer 1

I took a very interesting class called, "The Politics of the Cold War"

Many political scientist believe, and it is very reasonable to believe that the world was safer during the cold war. Understand that the world was polorized during the cold war. Everyone lined up on one side of the other, or were Soviet satellites. On the opposite side there was the west that depended on the US for protection.

These two giants never wanted to face off. The US and the Soviets both had a policy called MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). Which meant that if either country launched a nuclear attack, the other would counter. This would basically mean the end of the world.

So the world was probably safer during the cold war than it is today. There were actually cool heads on both sides that never wanted to push "the button" Unfotunately, Eastern Europe who had to live under Soviet domination had to suffer until the Soviet Union collapsed under its own wight and misguided economy under communist rule.

Of course Reagan, Thatcher, and Gorbchev came to the table to discuss changes and to try to decrease the nuclear arsenal. They deserve credit for that. But everyone was surprised, including Gorbie, when the Soviet Union collapsed and their was a coup there. So Reagan did not CAUSE the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was decaying for a long time, and we just didn't know about it.

But to the Soviets amazement, we reached out to help them, rather than invade them. The politics of fear is a very powerful thing. Sometime is can drive us to war, other times it wards off a preemptive, out of the fear of lethal retaliation.