British decolonization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

British decolonization - Essay ExampleThe cartoon is striking in that it reduces the geopolitical tenseness of the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the United States and Soviet Union reached the brink of thermonuclear war over the stationing of Russian missiles in Cuba, to a bar game or crude, male ego-driven sport. From the Soviet perspective, the Americans had previously stationed nuclear missiles positioned at Russia from similar strategic locations in Europe and Asia. The two countries, in less than 20 years, had construct nuclear arsenals hundreds of thousands of times greater than the weapons used to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By many scientific estimates, the two countries possessed capable nuclear weapon power to destroy the stallion earth many times over. Few were altogether certain of the effects of nuclear war on a mass scale, notwithstanding both sides had built the largest, most powerful war machines the world had ever seen, and Khrushchev and Kennedy pursued a polic y of brinksmanship to bring the entire global civilization to the threat of destruction through their two nuclear arsenals. That the two political leadership are reduced to the caricature of a bar-room arm wrestling match represents the anxiety felt by the general populace who were restrained from truly participating in the decision making of the match, but were sooner forced into the role of spectators to watch how events unfolded in mass-media and television. The public could only wonder if two homosexual beings, with human emotions and weaknesses, could be trusted to manage the behavior of nations and armies with such a great destructive firepower. The policy of in return Assured Destruction (MAD) was based in the brinksmanship of the political rulers in the cartoon, highlighting the tension of the day in a manner that also illuminates the risk of the human emotions in a primevalized leadership need structure. This activity was also depicted in Stanley Kubricks classic movie Dr. Strangelove. The brinksmanship ended with the Soviets withdrawing the nuclear missiles from Cuba in the end to a standoff that had captivated the world as the first and possibly most beneficial escalation of conflict between superpowers in the Cold War. This cartoon is useful to understand the public opinion of the times, but could be further verified through relations to other news media such as editorials and journalism of the events. Historians Craft Assignment Question 2 Source 2 of 2 An Excerpt from a governmental Diary Sunday, November 26, 1967 So this is the end of the second devaluation week and were still completely without any central control or decision-taking in this Labour Government. And the guesss of getting this as a result of the devaluation are very(prenominal) small indeed. .... the lower the Government plummets the stronger my position grows in my own little corner. Suppose the impossible happened and as a result of the crisis Jim Callaghan replaced Haro ld Wilson. Thats not inconceivable when you remember Macmillan replacing Eden after Suez. but its something I wouldnt tolerate because I know the qualities of Mr Callaghan. Hes not an gallant bold forward-looking Macmillan who could rejuvenate the Party. Right inside hes a coward with a wonderful outside image and a very likeable personality. ... however, I dont see the remotest chance of Harold going. It