A world in the throes of war

Marred by the wounds that were, tore

Cast into the darkness of “night”

By the hands that were filled with power and might

A world in “night” battles a world in light

In an ever increasing war that was not but was, frozen

Battled until the darkness of “night” covered the earth with its menacing light

Until one day the hand that held power and might,

That brought the scourge of the “night”

Buckled in on itself and its “night” receded from the earth

Pulling the world back into the light.

 ~ Zachary McKibben

"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living."

~Omar N. Bradley

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The Cold War was a war that was fought differently that most wars. It was a war fought psycologically, politically, physically throuogh weapons races, space race, and world influence. It was a war for total for the title, world's best superpower and total domination of influence of world affairs and in a way that would not start a world desvastating nuclear war. However, did not lead to physical warfare between the United States or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, except in the case of the Korean War where the Soviet's played a small yet important role. That being said, Communism and Democracy have clashed in physical warfare as a result of Cold War influences and ideologies.

The Korean War:

The Korean peninsula was a Japanese occupied territory until the end of World War II. Before Japan's surrender, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and in invaded Manchuria and Korea. The United States did not want the Soviet's to have possession of the Korean peninsula for fear it would be used as a tactical advantage against them should the Soviet's decide to attempt a war with the United States and take Japan. So, the United States made agreements with the Soviet Union, that being: The Soviets would occupy the northern half of the Korean peninsula to the 38th parallel and the United States would control the southern portion, from the 38 parallel down. Along with this agreement the Soviet Union and the United States both desired to remove their troops from Korea while simulanteously unifing it under one government. However, neither side wanted Korea to fall into their opponents possession nor to the other's government style. So, to solve the problem, Korea remained divided. The Soviet half institued a Communist government, the People's Democractic Republic of Korea, while the American half instituted a Democractic government, the Republic of Korea. The Cold War tensions carried on to the Korean peninsula through the Soviet Union and the United States, lead to war between the two new countries. With the United Nations and United States on the South Korean side, and the Communist Chinese, Communist North Koreans and the Soviet Union playing a small role.

The map below shows the progress of the war from 1950 to 1953. The red is for Communist forces and the blue are for the United Nations forces.

For more information look here at the "Korean War".

The Vietnam War was also a conflict fought due to Cold War tensions. For more information, look here: on the "Vietnam War".

Also on this page: Potraits of Kim II Sung and Syngman Rhee. 

Kim II Sung: First leader of North Korean Communist                                   Syngman Rhee: First leader of the Republic of Korea

party and People's Democractic Republic of Korea                                        http://rokdrop.com/2008/03/21/koreans-who-mattered-syngman-rhee/

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolger/IMAGES/002.JPG 

 Return to Post World War II home page or continue on and read about The Rise of NATO, UN, and the Warsaw Pact