The Cold War

The Cold War was a decades-long struggle for global supremacy that put the capitalist United States against the communist Soviet Union. There are a lot of disagreements as to when the Cold War began; it is generally agreed that mid- to late-1945 marks the time when relations between Moscow and Washington began going downhill, which ignited the early Cold War and set the stage for a big struggle that often assumed mythological overtones of good versus evil. The main Cold War enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold war got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly.

For the first few years of the early Cold War the conflict was more political than military. Both sides squabbled with each other as the UN, tried to get closer relations with nations that were not committed to either side, and talked of their different visions of a postwar world. By 1950, certain factors had made the Cold War an increasingly militarized struggle. The communist takeover in China, the Truman Doctrine, the advent of a Soviet nuclear weapon, tensions over occupied Germany, the start of the Korean War, and the Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as rival alliances had all enhanced the Cold War's military dimension. U.S. foreign policy reflected this move when it adopted a position that looked to "contain" the Soviet Union from further expansion. Through a variety of incarnations, the containment policy would be the strategic vision of U.S. foreign policy from 1952 until the ultimate death of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The fallout shelter is one element that was needed, along with a bountiful stock of food because the food supply would be contaminated. Water is needed, as well. At the same time, a supply of guns and ammunition for protection against the bands of people who are in dire condition will be needed.

There might have to be a discussion with children as to what life in a nuclear fallout setting would be like....