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Scytho-Sarmatian
Earl
Joined: 09-Aug-2004
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Topic: Cold War Was A Lot of Hot Air. Posted: 02-Dec-2004 at 06:43 |
The following is a quote from an ex-CIA agent:
"I quit the agency at the end of the Cold War because I was tired of politicians making me describe the Soviet Union as a 20-foot giant -- when it was really only a dwarf."
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babyblue
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Posted: 02-Dec-2004 at 09:34 |
was it really a dwarf? was the might of the USSR grossly over-exaggerated? consider how easy it collapsed...perhaps..
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dark_one
Baron
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Location: Russian Federation
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Posted: 02-Dec-2004 at 16:38 |
No, but I do know the USSR never for a second seriously
considered using nukes, unless USA attacked first. NEVER. And the Cuban
missile crisis was fake, real rocket engines, wooden warheads.
Grandfather was one of the main guys in charge of the project.
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Genghis
Caliph
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Posted: 02-Dec-2004 at 20:36 |
Well, of course someone at the end of the Cold War would say that, but the Cold War when Stalin was in the Kremlin I'm sure was much scarier.
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dark_one
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Posted: 03-Dec-2004 at 17:11 |
Stalin even tried to keep the fragile WW2 alliance together by
not saying Hitler is dead in order to unite the Allies agaisnt Nazis.
And he ordered Zhukov(who was forcing American troops to retreat with
threats and assebling hisa rmy to attack them) to stop, so as not to
provoke atomic retaliation.
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Illuminati
General
Joined: 08-Dec-2004
Location: United States
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 02:41 |
American Cold War strategy AKA NSC 68 which was finally adopted by
Truman was a report about the USSR and its strength and influence.
The report made the USSR seem much bigger and much more powerful than
it really was. It called for the US to "Oppose and contain" the spread
of communism wherever it may be.
Teh doctrine was so hard line....that it was dangerous. but eventually, it did bring down the USSR.
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J.M.Finegold
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Joined: 11-Dec-2004
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Posted: 14-Dec-2004 at 23:44 |
Did you know that before the advent of Aegis on the American ships
American RADAR couldn't pick up the traces of the SS-N-19 shipwreck
missile, which skimmed at twenty feet above the surface of the
water. Also, it's said that the Yahkont sea-skimmer was also able
to get past American RADAR, although I doubt it could get past
Aegis. Additionally, the Russians were the only ones to test the
SuCav (Super Cavitating) torpedo, which had a velocity of 200knots
(with a distance of some ten kilometers).
It's been said that the US Pacific and Atlantic fleets could have been
destroyed in the first three days of war - however, I am skeptical of
this. In any case, the Soviet Union, as a military giant, was a
grave thread, and had we gone to war (assuming nuclear warheads were
not used) the United States would have had a tought time overthrowing
the bear, and the bear may have possibly defeated the high flying eagle.
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dark_one
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Posted: 20-Dec-2004 at 17:44 |
The only way war would ahve happenned is if USA would ahve
attacked first. Also with a population much bigger than ours we would
not be that much of a threat. Still no one would survive the nukes, so
it doesn't matter.
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Tobodai
Tsar
Retired AE Moderator
Joined: 03-Aug-2004
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Posted: 20-Dec-2004 at 18:19 |
nukes are the great equalizer in all things, which is why I beleive the only reasonabel way to bring about world peace is to proliferate the world with nukes and make sure every country has a stockpile capable of hitting every other country. There is a reason wars where so much more horrific before WW2, and that was that the fear of nukes did not keep people in line.
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"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
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Guests
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Posted: 20-Dec-2004 at 18:52 |
And then there was an error on the radar, the "attacked" country nukes back, and the cockroaches will rule the world.
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Guests
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 16:57 |
Hi everyone, I am a student in Dublin currently doing the international baccalaureate and i'am researching topics on the cold war for a essay, which counts for a fair part of my grade. I'am wondering if you guys could help me slightly with coming up with essay titles. You see i'am interested in the cuban missle crisis and i find most parts of the cold war interesting. so would you guys perhaps help me come up with some ideas for titles or you could just tell me to get lost.
Thanks, Erol
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Winterhaze13
Colonel
Joined: 11-Nov-2004
Location: Canada
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 17:19 |
I think the greatest Soviet threat to the United States was Communism, which challenged American and western political and economic structure. The Soviet Union was never really a strong economic power and they were never really in the arms race either. Therefore, their may be some truth to that.
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Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.
-- Voltaire
French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)
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dark_one
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 17:38 |
Did you find this by Googling Cold War?
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Guests
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 18:01 |
no i didn't find this by googling the cold war. Im just intersted in discussing and debating History and viewing other peoples opinions on history. what was the question for?
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dark_one
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 19:56 |
Nothing NM. My opinion is way too long to fully write here, but
here's the short version: both sides bad Soviet Union is lesser of two
evils.
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Posted: 22-Dec-2004 at 20:08 |
dark_one:
Could you elaborate a little? Most people (myself included) see the USSR as the "lesser of two evils", although I have never heard a Russians opinion on it.
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dark_one
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Posted: 23-Dec-2004 at 13:36 |
Well dont have much time now but heres a slightly longer version:
Both countries were empires that wanted to dominate the world with the
biggest differrence between them being that one tried to create the
biggest income disparity possible and cared little for it's people
unless they were rich, the other cared for most (Im saying that because
high ranking party members and generals obviously had their perks) by
instituting high welfare, free ducation and free pretty much
everything. The things that were not free were food and luxuries, Food
was easliy bought (untill the late 1986 and up to around 1993 when
people starved) and luzuries such as enterainment were harder to buy
but still affordable ( a person could afford to go to movies or
restaraunt once a week or so) and cars were given out by government
(not in theory but without government you couldn't get car). With what
capitalism has done to Russia in the recent years, how poor we are, how
the common man can no longer afford to keep himself healthy and
educated, and how for the majority any sort of entertainment is all but
unafordable. This in turn has caused gang activity and urban decay,
which is somethign AMerica has been living with for decades. Putin's
programs are having some positive effect, but it's still a long way to
go. Now compare it with the sucess that was socialism and you have my
opinion.
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Jagatai Khan
Chieftain
Jeune Turc
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 01:48 |
Although Stalin and Lenin are the men who I hate most(expect Hitler),Although the Soviet Union was the most imperialist state in the world(they saw USA is the most imperialist),I admire Soviet Union.For their successfull resistance against wild Capitalism and the USA.
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cattus
Arch Duke
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 02:10 |
successfull resistance.. with what, corruption?
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Tobodai
Tsar
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 02:36 |
yeah and remember, they lost in the end, not due to any historical event, but because of the unsustainablility of their system. If the Soviets had ended up being moderate socialists who cooperated in full scale international trade they could have been much more sucessful.
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"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
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