WW3 VI.

This is coolbert:

  World War Three, Part VI.

Beginning with end of the Second World War [WW2], the United States was obviously the world's foremost power, and was so by a long shot. So it seemed in the minds of folks at the time. Not only the greatest power on the planet, but without competition. All seemed to be good at that time, and for the foreseeable future too!!

This all changed of course, with the Soviet Union exploding an atomic bomb, the advent of the "Iron Curtain", the communization of China, and the Korean War.

It was realized that not only did America have a challenger for world domination, but a very serious challenger. A challenger whose appearance could not be denied. This was serious stuff!!

This war was fought on many fronts simultaneously, with guns and bullets, with words, and with constant comparisons and evaluations of both societies, both by the combatants and outside observers, involved and otherwise.

And all throughout the "Cold War", the American public seemed to have a pessimistic view of the long term end result of this conflict. A conflict that for a long time seemed to go against American interests. Even knowledgeable observers seemed to have a very poor view of American possibilities in this conflict. The "tide" seemed to be very anti-American and pro-Soviet.

As I have said, this manifested itself on a number of fronts all at once.

It would have been agreed by all observers that, yes, the U.S. populace did have a higher standard of living, and unparalleled freedom vis-a-vis Soviet citizens, but this was not without qualification.

Yes, the American populace did enjoy an enviable standard of living, but the Soviets were NOT that FAR behind the U.S. And when behind, rapidly catching up, and even in some categories, exceeding the U.S.

The Soviets were said to have a better education and health care system. A universal health care system with "free education".

The Soviets were producing more scientists, physicists, and engineers. And all trained to a more competent level than their American counterparts.

These physicists and scientists were also said to be studying science at a more "pure" and "basic" level of research. This was said to hold the promise of paying great dividends in the future for the Soviets. More discoveries of a more portentous nature would come out of the Soviet Union than the U.S.

[portentous discoveries mostly of a military nature of course!!]

Soviet children were said to be just more adjusted and all around better students and young citizens than American youth. Studying more subjects in school more diligently and with greater success than their American counter-parts. It was said that Soviet youth were learning calculus in the FOURTH GRADE!!

[this was later to be qualified to say that the students in the Soviet Union were EXPOSED to calculus in the fourth grade. A big difference!!]

Soviet youth was OF COURSE more physically fit than their American counter-parts. This has been blogged about in previous entries.

All this of course boded very poorly for American military might. The American military would NOT have the advanced equipment needed to win future wars, and not have the abundance of physically fit young men to man that advanced equipment.

The Soviets also were said to be ahead in key manufacturing and research sectors. It was always maintained by "experts" that say, "in fourteen of fifteen key research areas the Soviets were ahead of U.S. researchers!!"

The Soviets of course were also said to have an abundance of raw materials that the U.S. was lacking in. Again, it was said by the "experts", "the Soviets have fourteen of the fifteen key minerals [including oil] needed by industrial high-tech WITHIN their own borders!!' The U.S. was said to be importers of these fourteen of fifteen key minerals!!

A constant score card was kept by the news media as to the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side in this "world conflict".

When ever Soviet and American athletes competed against one another, great attention would be paid as to whose athletes were better and who one more gold medals at the Olympics, etc. And the Soviet athlete, beginning with the Olympics of 1956, demonstrated that in most athletic endeavors, their "sportsmen and women" excelled and dominated where once American athletes had ruled the roost.

[this sort of sports one-up-man-ship was carried to ridiculous extremes. I recall there used to be a yearly track and field meet pitting American track athletes, men and women, against their Soviet counter-parts. This was supposed to build up "good will" between the nations. Was a competition where the American side counted the winner one way, the Soviet counting the winner the other way. The American side counted men and women teams separately, the Soviets combining men and women teams to determine who WON more events!!]

The "space race" was another item said to demonstrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side in the "conflict".

"Experts" were constantly evaluating the Soviet and American space programs. With regard to size of missiles, payloads, programs and progress. Who had the first satellite in orbit, who had a man in space first, who had a woman in space first, who had multiple cosmonauts in space first, whose satellite was first to the moon, etc!! America also seemed to trail in all important factors with regard to space exploration and exploitation. Exploitation that was seen as having a vital military significance.

[this was all seen as being a result of an inferior educational system in the U.S. Especially with regard as to educating American youth in the fundamentals of math and science!!!]

One-up-man-ship was also carried to absurdity in the field of weapons development too. First the U.S. had the tank with the biggest gun. Then the Soviets had the tank with the biggest gun. Then the U.S. had the fastest fighter plane. Then the Soviets had the fastest fighter plane. Then the U.S. exploded the biggest hydrogen bomb. Then the Soviets exploded the biggest hydrogen bomb. You see where this goes.

The Soviets of course were said to, "have a plan, while the U.S. lacks a plan!!" The Soviets were seen as being on the offensive. Even if the U.S. stopped the Soviet in one place, a new crisis would inevitably pop up in another world hot-spot. A crisis always detrimental to U.S. interests.

It was also said that the Soviets studied the U.S. much better than the U.S. studied the Soviets. 500,000 Soviet students were said to be studying English, but only 50,000 American students studying Russian!! The Soviets were said to understand the Americans better than the Americans understand themselves. This too was said to be an indication of the overall failure of the U.S. educational system!!

This clash of ideologies and nuclear powers was also not ignored by other nations around the world. NOT in the least. Rather the opposite.

Many of the emerging or "Third World" nations around the world looked at this conflict with interest.

It was said that the two models [Soviet and American] were compared by world leaders and the Americans were found to be lacking.

Leaders of what were called the "non-aligned nations" seemed to take a perverse and delightful enjoyment from verbally abusing the U.S. when ever possible. Leaders such as Nehru, Sukarno, and Nasser constantly criticized the U.S. and seemed to be drawn in a big way to the Soviet model, a planned, controlled society and economy that JUST SEEMED TO WORK SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE U.S. AND WHAT WERE SEEN AS GLARING AMERICAN WEAKNESSES WERE OFTEN HIGHLIGHTED AND UNDERSCORED OVER AND OVER!!

[I once heard a lecture by Colonel Choronios. This man was the military advisor to the diplomats that negotiated the treaty by which the Panama Canal was turned over to the Panamanian government. Choronios said that these leaders all throughout the "Third World" felt compelled to insult the U.S. where ever possible. These leaders foresaw that there was a good possibility of a nuclear exchange between the Soviets and the U.S., this exchange of atomic weaponry resulting to the detriment of the U.S. "Third World" leaders did not want to end up on the wrong side at the end of such a conflict!! It was as simple as that!!]

Given the situation as it presented itself to the general American public at the time, it was hard to see HOW the U.S. could EVER triumph over the Soviets in the long run. It SEEMED to many that Soviet domination of the world, with Red Chinese complicity, was almost inevitable!! A natural progression of history as enunciated by Marx was happening right before our eyes!!

And yet, WE NOW KNOW THE FINAL RESULT OF THE CONFLICT!! NOT A RESULT THAT ANYONE COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED HAPPENING AS IT DID!!

coolbert.