When would you say the Cold War started and ended? (WW2, bomb)

[belmont22]

I would take the POV that it lasted a long time. I would say it started as soon as the Bolsheviks took power and killed the Russian royals, faded from the front page during WW2 and to a lesser degree during the mid-late 1970s, and ended completely in 1994 when the last Russian troops were removed from Eastern Europe.

[silibran]

The Cold War was a sustained state of political and military tension between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States with NATO and others), and powers in the Eastern Bloc, (the Soviet Union (USSR) and its allies in Warsaw Pact). Historians have not fully agreed on the dates, but 1947 - 1989 is common.

Cold War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You know you have a computer. You can look things up! No need to wonder.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Who said it ended? Have you heard Putin lately?

[Futurist110]

It begin shortly after WWII as post-war U.S.-Soviet tensions escalated.

It ended between 1989 and 1991, when Communist rule collapsed in a large part of the world.

[Futurist110]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

Who said it ended? Have you heard Putin lately?

Putin might talk tough, but you can't entirely compare him to the Soviet Union's leadership in the past.

[The Postman]

Yeah I agree it started post WWII. I don't think the West saw Communism as a global threat - but a threat to be sure - until after the Soviets rose to prominence, and shortly after Communists claimed China, leading to a string of communists victories in Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, the Congo.etc.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by The Postman

Yeah I agree it started post WWII. I don't think the West saw Communism as a global threat - but a threat to be sure - until after the Soviets rose to prominence, and shortly after Communists claimed China, leading to a string of communists victories in Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, the Congo.etc.

Good point, the Communists won China in 1949 though I think paranoid about socialism actually goes back to the 1910s. I'd say in the very broadest sense the Cold War could be thought of as spanning from 1917 to 1994 but I'd say 1949-1991 is when the real conflict raged. Going from the Maoist takover of China on to the August Coup when communism died in its heartland. The Berlin Wall falling was a big deal but I'd say the August Coup was the true death blow. In 1990 there was still the possibility, even if remote of Russia re-claiming eastern Europe and reversing glasnost and perestroika. After all Russian troops didn't leave the Baltics until 1994.

In China the communist system died off more gradually, taking in some changes as early as the 70s but I'd say by the time they allowed stock trading and let KFC and McDonalds into the country it was clearly moving towards a state capitalist system, so about the 1987-1993 timeframe is really when things started to change.

[Bronxguyanese]

Its really hard to say. The Cold War between Soviets and the Western powers have been brewing up well before the end of world war 2. Capitalist Britain and USA despised the Soviet Union. Even before hostilities ended between the Axis and the Allies, Churchill drew up plans to invade the Soviet Union upon the defeat of Nazi Germany The Cold War between America and the western powers can be seen in Japan when the USA nuked the Hiroshima and Nagasaki preventing further Soviet incursion into Japanese home islands but as well as sending a message to Chairman Stalin. I think the Soviets would have taken Japan much more quickly and easily since they are more geographically closer to Japan than Americans stationed at Okinawa. Even the Soviets knew America was building a bomb thanks to spies and informants. But for me my timeline of the cold war starts during the final days of WW2 in 1945-1991.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

Who said it ended? Have you heard Putin lately?

Have you heard the US lately? Many people/organizations stand to gain lots of money off a cold war style foreign policy, mainly defense contractors who profit from absurd military build ups, and politicians who have a boogey man to deflect from domestic problems.

[boxus]

Originally Posted by The Postman

Yeah I agree it started post WWII. I don't think the West saw Communism as a global threat - but a threat to be sure - until after the Soviets rose to prominence, and shortly after Communists claimed China, leading to a string of communists victories in Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, the Congo.etc.

Oh, the West saw communism as a global threat from the early days; Europe would have shut it down if not for Europe's general attitude towards Russia, which traces its roots back to monarch disputes and religion.

There is nothing the West fears more than a bunch of poor people rising up and seizing power and the assets of the rich. I accredit the rise in communism to the labor laws we have now; better appease labor or else basically. Labor working in conditions like "The Jungle" are a spark for communist revolutions.