How will history judge the Cold War?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Picture yourself 500 years in the future- how does the Cold War look with the passage of time?

Was it a triumph that ultimately proved that democracy, diplomacy and the will of the public will ultimately prevail?

Or an absurd near-brush with megadeath for utterly pointless reasons?

[Dauphin]

It will be seen as silly and infantile, but with a glimmer of reason in war for once. That is, it will be seen as a war that was never going to turn hot given the way both sides viewed the consequences and the way both sides militaries were conventionally equipped.

[lord of the mark]

Re: How will history judge the Cold War?

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
Picture yourself 500 years in the future- how does the Cold War look with the passage of time?

Was it a triumph that ultimately proved that democracy, diplomacy and the will of the public will ultimately prevail?

Or an absurd near-brush with megadeath for utterly pointless reasons?

I think you need to clarify.

In some sense EVERY war logically must be pointless - somebody wins, somebody loses. A result that could have been achieved bloodlessly if the loser had realized they were going to lose. So with certain exceptions (maybe the Yom Kippur war, where Egypt lost, but thought it won, and so redeemed its honor) its hard to come up with a non-pointless war.

But for any given side, a war may well not be pointless, since giving up the point at issue may be very bad, and fighting, may lead to victory.

Russia/USSR lost control of eastern europe. Risking nuclear war to keep something they ended up losing, sure looks pointless.

The real question, I think, is was the Wests participation in the Cold War pointless?

[OzzyKP]

I think we need more time.

Has Democracy really won? Or will we back slide in a generation? Will totalitarian communism rise up again? Will the war with radical Islam lead to major changes in the world and will the Cold War be remembered as the conflict that sparked the hundred year war vs. Islam. Or will Russia turn fascist and the Cold War will return?

Less than 20 years isn't enough time imho.