Brittanica Encyclopedia Dictionary defines a “cold war” as: A. a conflict over ideological differences carried on by methods short of sustained overt military action and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations and B. a condition of rivalry, mistrust, and often open hostility short of violence between power groups. This term was given to identify the relationship between the United States and Russia from approximately 1945 to 1991, during which time the two countries were in a technology race. It is because of the absence of violence that the Cold War era is often characterized as “the long peace.” However, many people disagree with the description. In order to make a rational decision as to whether or not “the long peace” accurately describes the period, one
must first determine if the period is defined as peacetime or wartime.
However, it is when one applies the meaning of war to the situation that skepticisms arise. Brittanica Encyclopedia Dictionary defines “war” as: a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism during which there is often a struggle or competition between opposing forces for a common end. It was well known that there were hostile feelings between the United States and Russia during the Cold War era. Furthermore, both countries were constantly antagonizing the other. In fact, it was during this time period that the United States added the words “under God” to its Pledge of Allegiance in order to portray the United States as a religious country and Russia as an atheist one. It is also well known that both
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