Proxy Wars During The Vietnam War

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The Cold War was an indirect war between the US and the USSR, lasting from 1947 to 1991. It started after WW2 when both superpowers were looking to spread their ideals through the world. The ¨Cold” in Cold War comes from the fact that there was barely any direct conflict between the two countries, they fought each other through proxy wars and competitions with technological weapons.

There were many proxy wars during the Cold War but unarguably The Vietnam war was a major one with incredible impact. The Vietnam war took place from 1955 to 1975, it included the capitalist South Vietnam (supported by the United States government) and the communist North Vietnam (or Viet Cong) supported by other communist states like China and more importantly, …show more content…
Before the crisis, Fidel Castro had led a communist revolution in Cuba and eventually taken power. After taking power, Castro started relying on the Soviet Union both economically and militarily. Nikita Kruschev, the Soviet Leader at the time, convinced Castro to let him place nuclear missiles in Cuba. These missiles were aimed at the United States and due to their close proximity, could reach the US without a warning. In response, American president John F. Kennedy (JFK) made a blockade around Cuba and warned the Soviets about their actions on national television. It’s also important to mention that the United States had nuclear missiles in Turkey pointed at the USSR. After days of incredible tension, things died down as both sides agreed on a solution. The United States would cease the blockade and agree not to invade Cuba. JFK agreed to remove the missiles aimed at the USSR in secret in order to appear stronger to the American public.The Soviets in return removed the missiles from Cuba. According to the JFK library, this was the closest the world came to nuclear war. One of the reasons none of the superpowers made drastic decisions or made a military strike was due to Mutually Assured Destruction. Both sides understood if any of them started attacking, nuclear war would ensue, resulting in the destruction of both nations. The crisis could also be compared to the current …show more content…
As technology improved over time, space became a new battleground. The United States and the USSR both started funding their space programs and dueling over technological advancements. At first during the race it was apparent that Soviets were in the lead, they had the first satellite in space (the Sputnik), first human (Yuri Gagarin) in space, and the first woman in space. But as the USSR was leading the race and impressing the world, the United States abruptly took the lead and ended the race. With the help of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) the United States took the first people to the moon, asserting their scientific and technological dominance over the Soviet Union. During the competition, both superpowers invested many resources into their space programs. This eventually fired back on the Soviets while on the other hand the Americans economically benefited from the competition due to the involvement of many private companies in the space industry. The loss of the space race damaged the Soviet image and Soviet people as the government did not aid it’s people and focused mainly on the race. The United States was able to use their victory to show the superiority of capitalism over
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