Saturday, April 1, 2017
Communication between Russia and the United States during the Cold War
As we know, much of the Cold War consisted of America and the Soviet Union trying to prove that they were superior to each other. This took place through a series of "races" such as the Space Race and the Arms Race and eventually it escalated into a strong possibility of nuclear war. Neither side wanted to fight a nuclear war, but they didn't know that about each other because communication between the two sides was abysmal during this time. In order to avoid further communication issues, the Hotline, a telephone line that went directly from the White House to the Kremlin, was created. My question is, how much of the Cold War could have been avoided if the Hotline or another communication method similar to the Hotline that directly linked the two nations had been present from the end of World War Two?
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While a hotline since the end of WW2 could have improved Cold War relations, I don't think it would have made that much of a difference. The Soviet Union and the United States were hostile because of differences that communication could not solve. They both felt their economic system was superior and were very stubborn about it. This is the main issue that drove the Cold War, so I don't think that communication could have made too much of an impact.
ReplyDeleteIf the hotline had been present earlier, there is definitely a possibility that Cold War relations might not have been so "cold". However, like what Natalie said, the difference that the hotline would have made would not have been significant enough to solve the conflicts between the United States and Soviet Union. If anything, both sides would have been more inclined to compete with each other because they would each know what the other was up to. If the United States happened to tell the Soviet Union that they planned to improve their nuclear arsenal, the Soviet Union would immediately begin producing more nuclear weapons in the hope that they would outcompete the US sooner. Furthermore, establishing a hotline would not solve for the rifts between capitalism and communism.
ReplyDeleteI believe a hotline was one of the vital reasons an agreement become of. It allowed a solid communication between the two enemies. Without having to go through multiple lower government officials to relay information between each other they were able to easily communicate. In the other past wars or other past battlegrounds I believe if a hotline was available it could've been used to ease tensions and/or create agreements.
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