Dr. Katherine Hubler
HST 106H
May 28, 2015
WWII vs. the Cold War WWII and the Cold War were both very influential wars politically, socially, and economically worldwide. However, WWII had a larger and more profound global impact on society between 1937 and 1962 in comparison to the Cold War because it greatly impacted civilians across the globe, was fought worldwide, and led to drastic social and economic changes in the United States and South America. Very early on in WWII it became clear that the involvement of civilians was much greater than it had ever been in previous wars. During this time countries realized that booming economies win wars instead of actual man-to-man combat. This concept led to more military-related spending. As a result of this, workers became just as crucial to the war effort as the soldiers themselves. Often countries would plan attacks on industrial areas …show more content…
In a speech about the horror of communism, John F. Kennedy says of Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union, “It is not the first time that communist tanks have rolled over gallant men and women fighting to redeem the independence of their homeland” (Kennedy pg. 281 SCC). Kennedy references combat in his speech, when in fact much of the deaths as a result of the Cold War had to do with modernization in China, tension in the Soviet Union, or proxy wars that took place in Korea, Vietnam, Greece, and Cuba, but not official combat. Because of this, the death toll and global impact of the Cold War was much smaller than WWII leading to a still still significant, but less profound global impact. In addition, during this era political riots and protests in South America left South America politically destroyed rendering it virtually useless to either the Soviet Union or the United States significantly lessening the impact that the Cold War had