Cold War

Is the label or term "The Cold War" an adequate and accurate description of the course of international events from 1945 to 1990? Why, or why not, and if not, what label might be better? For ten points, write a page on why you think the Cold War was called the "Cold" War

Yes, “The Cold War” is an accurate term for the events that took place from 1945 to the early 1990s.

The Cold War: A state of political tension and military rivalry involving propaganda, subversion, threats, economic sanctions, and other measures short of open warfare between nations, especially that which existed between the United States and Soviet Union following World War II. (thefreedictionary.com).

The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility which gripped most of the world between the 1940s and the early 1990s. The primary countries involved in the Cold War were the United States and its allies, countered by the Soviet Union and countries aligned with that nation. Rather than engaging in a potentially devastating war, the countries involved in the Cold War rallied as being a super power in more subtle ways. Many major events occurred in global history including the rise of the Berlin Wall, the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis were related to the Cold War.

The first step to this rivalry began in Yalta, when Roosevelt and Churchill met Stalin for an important peace conference with the intentions to resolve any conflicts between the great powers. While the meeting appeared to be a success, the vague resolutions would ultimately lead to the increasing tension between the powers, with the main focus on the future of Poland. When Harry S. Truman took over office after the death of Roosevelt, who died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage, he was both unprepared and ill-informed for the problems that he would be involved with. Truman disliked Stalin and felt no desire to appease him. The negative feelings greatly contributed to the growing anxiety between the two superpowers....