Cuban Missile Crisis and Cold War Assignment Essay

During the 1960’s, one of the most thing that the American government and the American people had to face was the Cold War. People who grew up during the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s would have talked about the war like it was an everyday thing. But, as the years and decades have gone by people have might have a different option and some might not even know or remember what it was. Interviewing 3 people will show what the average citizen knows or remembers about the Cold War. During the interviews, I asked 3 questions that would help me find this answer. They included, what words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War? Did you ever study the Cold War in school? If so, what are some aspects of the Cold War that you remember? Who were the parties involved in the Cold War? Can you name any key events that we mainly associate with the Cold War? The first person that was interviewed said the first word that came to mind when asked about the Cold War was the Cuban missile crisis. This person did study the Cold War in school and remembered that the United States was trying to keep most of the things discrete when it came to the political side of the war. The parties involved according to this person were the United States and the Soviet Union. Some of the key events that were associated were of course the Cuban Missile Crisis, the dealership of arms at the time, and the nuclear weapons involved. This person remembered a key point in the Cold War but, did not remember in detail what was taught in school. The second person that was interviewed stated the key things that came to mind about the Cold War, was the Soviet Union. They also mentioned that the Soviet Union had fallen after the Cold War. This person has also studied the Cold War in school and remembered that it lasted a long time and was after WWII. This person said the parties that were involved were the Soviet Union and the United States. The key elements that most people would relate to the Cold War were the length of the war and that it cost the United States so much money. They stated that the war was over a 4 decade period and said it cost upward to 8 trillion dollars and countless numbers of lives lost. This person knew about the cold war but only remembers a little of what was taught from school. The final person that was interviewed, stated that the first thing that came to mind when asked about the Cold War was the war was based the state of military rivalry and political tensions. The war consisted of the United States government and the government of the Soviet Union. The United States lost many lives in the hundreds throughout the long drawn out war. The person stated that they did study the Cold War in school and can remember how controversial it was for the American people and also with the government. The individual stated that the two parties they can think have been the United States and the Soviet Union. Finally, a key element of the war that was known across the United States was that the war had the complications of nuclear weapons and the countries trying to become a leader in arms dealing. Basically, see who had the most weapons and the more military firepower and power overall. This person had more knowledge as far as the understanding and remembrance of the Cold War. After conducting the interviews about the Cold War, there are some similarities to what the people who were interviewed had said. The definition of the Cold War was similar to the one given at the beginning of the assignment. All of the definitions of what the cold war was about and what were the key elements have to do with the political issues and the issues of the American people. This shows that people were divided in deciding if the Cold War was the right way to go. There was a lot of tension and cautiousness about the topic of the Cold War.