1947 to 1991
For those unfamiliar, there are probably a million and one better sources than me for learning the nitty gritties of the Cold War. For those who are unfamiliar and lazy, it was essentially an epic chess game between two nervous giants who absolutely hated each other1. During the game, both giants had a nuke dangling above their heads and a remote to detonate the one that hung over their opponent. Whenever one giant captured one of the other’s pieces, a bunch of blood sprayed all over the place2. The game lasted over four decades until one of the giants succumbed to exhaustion and died3.
In those four and change decades every aspect of life – culture, counter-culture, foreign policy, education, tech development, childhood, media, mental health, law enforcement, cigars, fitness – all were touched, tinged, or traumatized by the great atomic chess game. It was a simpler time. Men were men and women were thin.
Once it settled in as the New Normal, grand-scale tension pressurized the nation until it spit out crazy diamonds. The most beloved stars of Tinsel Town were defrocked and forced to explain their bullshit opinions to unsmiling fat men who glared down on them from high desks. America swung and missed what was likely its last chance to grab Cuba like a compulsive shoplifter. Important, iconic people were shot dead left and right by random schizoids, and everyone blamed the government every time. Rich kids yearning for enchantment fled the suburbs to grow their hair long and shake their boobies to some of the sloppiest music ever made, while acid burned up and down their spines. A drunk president was caught and publicly shamed for spying on his political opponents. While the price of gas doubled, some of the greatest movies in the history of film were made.
It was crazy all the way to the end. Its final decade was the era of winners, those sharp angled cocaine days of the Reagan Revolution. Shoulders were padded, hairdos were huge, and you could reach out and touch the world with your fax machine. When the Red King came and wept tears of joy at the sight of so many, many popsicles, everyone knew it was over and America had won.
And it’s all been bitchiness and anti-depressants ever since.
- During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union engaged in a global competition for influence, often prioritizing controlling territory over economic or strategic gain, even though these conflicts resulted in significant loss of life and resources with little tangible return. This intense rivalry created a feedback loop where the perceived threat from ideological adversaries necessitated big military spending, which in turn created a powerful group with vested interests in the continuation of this big military investment, so it went on and on and on. ↩︎
- This tug-o-war didn’t typically involve very resource rich or strategically located places. Indonesia had some cash crops, and Greece had some valuable shipping lane access.
– Greece (1943-49): 160,000 dead. Communist rebels versus Greece’s Western-oriented government.
– South Korea (1948-49): 60,000 dead. Leftist rebels versus a Western-oriented government.
– Korea (1950-53): 3,000,000 dead. Direct Western involvement on behalf of South Korea, and direct Chinese involvement on behalf of North Korea.
– Vietnam (1959-75): 3,500,000 dead in Vietnam. Direct American involvement on behalf of the Vietnamese government against Communist rebels.
– Guatemala (1960-96): 200,000 dead. Leftist rebels versus a U.S.-oriented government.
– Indonesia (1965-66): 400,000 dead. A Western-oriented government massacred the leftist opposition.
– Cambodia (1970-75): 600,000 dead. Direct American involvement on behalf of the Cambodian government against the Communist rebels.
– Nicaragua (1972-79): 30,000 dead. Communist rebels versus U.S.-oriented government.
– Philippines (from 1972): 43,000 dead. Communist rebels versus Western-oriented government.
– Laos (to 1973): 62,000 dead. American assistance on behalf of the Laotian government against Communist rebels.
– Mozambique (1975-92): 800,000 dead. Western-oriented rebels versus a Communist government.
– Angola (1975-94): 500,000 dead. Direct Cuban involvement on behalf of the government against Western-oriented rebels.
– Argentina (1976-83): 30,000 dead. A U.S.-oriented government oppressing the leftist opposition.
– El Salvador (1979-92): 75,000 dead. Leftist rebels versus U.S.-oriented government.
– Afghanistan: 1,500,000 dead. Direct Soviet involvement on behalf of the government against mujahideen rebels.
– Nicaragua (1982-90): 30,000 dead. U.S.-oriented rebels versus a Communist government. ↩︎ - Even this is putting it too simply. The rise of China as a distinct power and the emergence of non-aligned nations (the “Third World”) contradicted the idea of a purely two-sided conflict. The world was not neatly split into two camps, there were nations pursuing their own interests and even disagreements arising within the communist bloc, as seen in the falling out between China and the Soviets, though the Soviet Union still demonstrated its willingness to use force to maintain control within its sphere of influence. ↩︎
The Normal Times 