Was the world a better place during the Cold War?

[Gangerolf]

What if the Iron Courtain still existed?

A lot of people in the former communist countries seem to be longing back to the old days. After the fall of the IC their GDP dropped dramitically

Consequentially, the West wouldn't have to be bothered so much with (organised) crime from the East.


Maybe the two-super-powers-system was better? The Russians stared down the Americans and vice versa. There was a stalemate due to the balance of nuclear terror each country could unleash.

what are your thoughts?

[Nubclear]

What if the Iron Curtain still existed?! Are you mad?! For one, you would not have had to worry about at least the jelly doughnuts crying about the war as they would be shot any time they tried to speak at all unless it was sanctioned by the Soviet government. Millions would still be opressed by the Soviet regieme.
Remember, GDP is not everything. I would trade GDP for freedom anyday.

Barring that however I believe a two superpower system is important to maintain balance in the world (duh).

[Gangerolf]

Yeah I think balance is important. You could argue that peace is most likely when there is a balance of power. Of course, I'm not saying that America is going to take on the world now that it is the sole Superpower. But you never know

[JohnT]

[MrFun]

The Cold War was not a great era.

It was during this period that the United States forced anti-communist dictatorships upon other peoples in other countries.

[St Leo]

It is an extremely good thing the Cold War is over. With luck, the world will not have any new Nicaraguas now.

People who are missing the Soviet Union are deluded fools.

Of course, I'm not saying that America is going to take on the world now that it is the sole Superpower. But you never know

That will either end with Planet Cockroach or US conquered by the rest of the world. You are overestimating the Yankistani ubermenscht. Germans were technological leaders too, but inventing blitzkrieg and fielding superior armaments wasn't enough for world conquest.

[chequita guevara]

The Cold War had it's good points. For the most part it forced 1st World countries to treat their working classes better, and hell, without the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement and feminism would have gotten nowhere in the US.

The Cold War did not change our behavior in the 3rd World. Before the Cold War we were overthrowing banana republics to install favorable governments and invading other countries willy-nilly, and we've continued to do so after the wall has fallen. The only thing the Cold War did was to give our normal activity an ideological cover. Instead of messing around for naked self-interest, our self-interest was properly covered.

[Spiffor]

Had the cold war continued, there would have been other hellholes à la Nicaragua, Angola, Vietnam, or pretty much anwhere there are Jungles.

For the many people who suffered from the proxy wars, the cold war wasn't cold at all

[Serb]

Originally posted by St Leo
It is an extremely good thing the Cold War is over. With luck, the world will not have any new Nicaraguas now.

People who are missing the Soviet Union are deluded fools.

Of course, I'm not saying that America is going to take on the world now that it is the sole Superpower. But you never know

That will either end with Planet Cockroach or US conquered by the rest of the world. You are overestimating the Yankistani ubermenscht. Germans were technological leaders too, but inventing blitzkrieg and fielding superior armaments wasn't enough for world conquest.

Are you blind or something?
What did we have during just last 4 years? Yugoslavia, Aghanistan and Iraq. Sonn will be Iran and Saudi Arabia.
USA started 3 wars during just four years. During which period of Cold war USA was so agressive?

Btw? I'm one of those "deluded fools" who missing USSR. As AH said once- "those were the days".

[delmar]

Originally posted by Serb
I'm one of those "deluded fools"

Indeed... I hope you are joking.

The only thing you need to know about these communist regimes is that they tried to kill their citizens who attempted to leave the country. That says it all, IMHO.

Gangerolf, even though some people really seem to be longing for the old days, I can assure you that there are many who would trade GDP for freedom anyday, as Comrade Tassadar (is it ironic or what ) points out.

[Imran Siddiqui]

What did we have during just last 4 years? Yugoslavia, Aghanistan and Iraq.

The only problem? I bet the people of those three countries will have a freer life (Yugoslavia is now a more democratic society, Afghanistan's women can now actually function in society, and Iraq will probably have some democracy in the future), unlike in the Cold War, where dictatorships were favored.

[Dinner]

You can always count on Serb.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Serb
Btw? I'm one of those "deluded fools"

Why the " " marks?

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

What did we have during just last 4 years? Yugoslavia, Aghanistan and Iraq.

The only problem? I bet the people of those three countries will have a freer life (Yugoslavia is now a more democratic society, Afghanistan's women can now actually function in society, and Iraq will probably have some democracy in the future), unlike in the Cold War, where dictatorships were favored.

Yugoslavia was a free society before. Bonsia, today, is less free than before the war (though much better than during), and Kosovo is considerably less free. Afganistan is only marginally better in some ways. In other ways it's just as bad for women as it was before the Taleban. Today they must fear rape and other crimes, and outside Kabul, they only got the uncertainty and crime without getting the freedom. In Iraq, while they no longer have to fear the knock in the middle of the night, they now lack potable water and electricity and free medicine. As in Bosnia and Kosovo, most of the services they received for free will be privatised at the point of an American bayonet.

Serb, probably the only comparable period in modern times would be the early-1970s, when Kissinger was in charge. We were still involved in Vietnam and Laos and just invaded Cambodia. And that's just the hot wars.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yugoslavia was a free society before.

I'm not talking about Tito's era. Why don't you ask the Albanians, Bosnians, Croats whether they were free under Milosevic?

Afganistan is only marginally better in some ways. In other ways it's just as bad for women as it was before the Taleban. Today they must fear rape and other crimes, and outside Kabul, they only got the uncertainty and crime without getting the freedom.

Which is, of course, just as bad as being totally covered up and straying outdoors without a man leads to death .

In Iraq, while they no longer have to fear the knock in the middle of the night, they now lack potable water and electricity and free medicine.

Most of which will be restored when the infrastructure gets up and running.