Question

How did the U.S. and the USSR compete on the international stage? What were some of the psychological effects of living through the Cold War?

Answer 1

Answer: The United States under President Truman pursued a reactionary policy of containing communism simply called containment. This was the idea that the United States could use a series of foreign policy tools to prevent communism from emerging in places it hadn't been before, especially in the decolonizing world. Truman reasoned that poor, hungry, and desperate people were more likely to accept a totalitarian government that promised to meet their needs. Comfortable, well-fed, happy people would be less likely to comply. This came to be called the Truman Doctrine.

Space Race: Sputnik, gagarin, apollo program

Arms race: With the possibility that a cold war could turn into a hot war at any time, both sides built up huge stockpiles of conventional and unconventional weapons. Each side hoped to become so mighty militarily that the other side would never dare strike. The effect, however, was that the weapons each side developed became more and more destructive.