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America clearly enjoyed the advantage in this struggle. World War II had revealed America’s awesome arms producing capacity. Matching it with the inefficient Soviet factory system was nearly impossible for Soviet military planners.
Intelligence Briefing
Revmir Ishakovich Yacov - aka "Comrade Jack"
Part II. The Cold War
From the onset of the Cold War in 1946, the United States and the Soviet Union raced to create new and deadlier weapons. The two powers never faced each other directly; the risk of nuclear Armageddon was too great.America clearly enjoyed the advantage in this struggle. World War II had revealed America’s awesome arms producing capacity. Matching it with the inefficient Soviet factory system was nearly impossible for Soviet military planners.
The traditional May Day parades of missile transports and tanks through Red Square made for great spectacle but hinted at an underlying inferiority complex.
Often denying its citizens basic necessities, the Soviet Union desperately pushed its inefficient factory system to produce war materiel to match the West.
As the 1970s drew to a close, the Soviet Union had, on paper at least, 42,000 tanks in 30 divisions deployed across the Warsaw Pact nations. Behind the Iron Curtain, however, there was doubt about the combat readiness of those forces.
Often denying its citizens basic necessities, the Soviet Union desperately pushed its inefficient factory system to produce war materiel to match the West.
As the 1970s drew to a close, the Soviet Union had, on paper at least, 42,000 tanks in 30 divisions deployed across the Warsaw Pact nations. Behind the Iron Curtain, however, there was doubt about the combat readiness of those forces.
Could a centrally planned economy, rife with inefficiency, corruption and labor dissatisfaction keep the Soviet Union’s vast conventional armament at full strength?
Tanks, especially Soviet tanks, needed a constant supply of new parts, functioning armament, fuel, and sober crews to man them.
Consider that the Red Army failed to put down Mujahideen insurgents in Afghanistan after nine years of fighting.
Tanks, especially Soviet tanks, needed a constant supply of new parts, functioning armament, fuel, and sober crews to man them.
Consider that the Red Army failed to put down Mujahideen insurgents in Afghanistan after nine years of fighting.
In the wake of 9-11 by comparison, American forces needed only weeks to take Kabul, oust the Taliban, put al-Qaeda on the run and subdue all of the country except a few caves.
Hiding its weaknesses from the West while struggling to provide barely enough "guns or butter" to keep the Evil Empire afloat, we might conclude that in the late stages of the Cold War, the Soviet Bear was really just a paper tiger.
Pentagon strategists knew better.
Whatever shortcomings existed in the Soviet Union’s conventional armament only forced it to rely more heavily on nuclear deterrence and the delicate balancing act of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction).
The Bear still had plenty of teeth.
Whatever shortcomings existed in the Soviet Union’s conventional armament only forced it to rely more heavily on nuclear deterrence and the delicate balancing act of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction).
The Bear still had plenty of teeth.
In fact, the Soviets began deploying in Europe a new class of “first strike” nuclear missile--the SS-20 Sabre--during Jimmy Carter's presidency. They read correctly that the spineless liberal Carter would do nothing but whine.
So, by 1980, the Soviet Union was pointing nearly 3500 nuclear missiles at New York, Washington, London and Paris. Soviet tanks may have been slowly rusting into scrap, but the Bear’s nuclear armament was
more than capable of raining down hellfire from the sky.
Enter Ronald Wilson Reagan. Mercifully elected President of the United States over the incompetent Carter in 1980, Reagan immediately set to poking the Bear with a big stick.
Despite howling from the western media and other liberals to "just talk" with the Soviets, or worse, unilaterally disarm, Reagan called for dramatic, across the board increases in U.S. military spending.
He responded to the Soviet nukes by deploying Pershing II missiles. When the Soviets continued SS-20 deployment, he raised the bid with Tomahawk Cruise nukes that could nip treetops for 2,000 miles before striking Soviet targets with absolutely zero warning.
Despite howling from the western media and other liberals to "just talk" with the Soviets, or worse, unilaterally disarm, Reagan called for dramatic, across the board increases in U.S. military spending.
He responded to the Soviet nukes by deploying Pershing II missiles. When the Soviets continued SS-20 deployment, he raised the bid with Tomahawk Cruise nukes that could nip treetops for 2,000 miles before striking Soviet targets with absolutely zero warning.
The Soviets cursed this new American president and called him a “cowboy.” Reagan was unlike any they had faced before.
While this kind of tit-for-tat build-up was nothing new in the Cold War arms race, Soviet military planners groaned at having to match or surpass this latest challenge from the West. Their task was about to become even more difficult.
The "Cowboy" set out to push the Soviet military industrial complex until it collapsed of its own bloated, inefficient, centrally planned weight. The Bear did not like to be poked, but it could do nothing.
While this kind of tit-for-tat build-up was nothing new in the Cold War arms race, Soviet military planners groaned at having to match or surpass this latest challenge from the West. Their task was about to become even more difficult.
The "Cowboy" set out to push the Soviet military industrial complex until it collapsed of its own bloated, inefficient, centrally planned weight. The Bear did not like to be poked, but it could do nothing.
History often turns on a single pivot point. On March 23, 1983, Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). SDI was to be a ground and space based missile defense system capable of destroying Soviet nuclear missiles harmlessly in the upper atmosphere.
SDI meant America would be unscathed in the event of a Soviet "first strike," but they remained helpless against our swift and inevitable response. Was it a bluff, or could America design, build and deploy such an audacious defense program?
Quickly dubbed “Star Wars” by liberal Democrat opponents and the media (but we repeat ourselves), SDI was actually a breathtaking proposal that threatened the concept of mutually assured destruction.
SDI meant America would be unscathed in the event of a Soviet "first strike," but they remained helpless against our swift and inevitable response. Was it a bluff, or could America design, build and deploy such an audacious defense program?
Quickly dubbed “Star Wars” by liberal Democrat opponents and the media (but we repeat ourselves), SDI was actually a breathtaking proposal that threatened the concept of mutually assured destruction.
“Useful idiots” in the West of course pooh pooh-ed “Star Wars,” but it created genuine panic among soviet military planners who were already losing sleep over their inability to keep pace with the West.
"Ronaldus Maximus" would spend the Soviets into oblivion without firing a shot, and he used every bit of his two term presidency to do it. Though the final collapse came after he left office, it was a gift from heaven that Ronald Reagan lived to see the death of the Evil Empire.
One other important event occured during the Reagan Administration—the elimination of the grossly misnaned "Fairness Doctrine."
Reagan appointees on the Federal Communications Commission voted to abolish the terrible regulation that had effectively prevented public debate on the nation's radio airwaves for over 40 years.
The end of the "Fairness Doctrine" paved the way for conservative talk radio and the most listened to program in the history of radio——The Rush Limbaugh Program.
Fortunately, Americans elected George H.W. Bush to succeed Reagan in 1988.
Bush the First was no Reagan conservative, but he knew enough not to give back the gains his great predecessor had achieved.
Reagan appointees on the Federal Communications Commission voted to abolish the terrible regulation that had effectively prevented public debate on the nation's radio airwaves for over 40 years.
The end of the "Fairness Doctrine" paved the way for conservative talk radio and the most listened to program in the history of radio——The Rush Limbaugh Program.
Fortunately, Americans elected George H.W. Bush to succeed Reagan in 1988.
Bush the First was no Reagan conservative, but he knew enough not to give back the gains his great predecessor had achieved.
Bush's opponent, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, was a classic northeast liberal.
Dukakis gave weekend “Get Out of Jail” passes to convicted murderers and rapists who preyed on unsuspecting citizens. No, we're not making that up.
He also liked to “play army.”
We believe Dukakis was endorsed by the Kremlin.
Dukakis gave weekend “Get Out of Jail” passes to convicted murderers and rapists who preyed on unsuspecting citizens. No, we're not making that up.
He also liked to “play army.”
We believe Dukakis was endorsed by the Kremlin.
As the 1980s came to a close, Reagan’s vision had nearly come to pass.
The Soviet Union was spending too much on arms programs to match the West and far too little to prevent its citizens from becoming extremely discontent with life in the “Workers’ Paradise.”
Could the end be far away?
Continue to Part III. Yeltsin & The Republic
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