how many major conflicts took place during the cold war

carlowplayer

Am curious as to how many conflicts were occuring during the cold war ie those that were a result of tensions between the United States and Russia ie Vietnam

corktina

Wasn't Vietnam a US/China thing?

carlowplayer

not sure.kinda why im asking the question.want to know which conflicts that the us took part in were a result of their conflicts with the USSR post WW2 up to 1989 ie those that involved the US figthing against communist forces?(even those wherein the opposing communist force who were not just russian.ie how many conflicts that occurred during this period could be classed with the Cold War)

srsly78

corktina wrote: »

Wasn't Vietnam a US/China thing?

No. China did not get on with the USSR or with Vietnam during this period. China and Vietnam even fought a war not long after the Americans left.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Soviet_split

jonniebgood1

corktina wrote: »

Wasn't Vietnam a US/China thing?

If you wished to equate the conflict to a superpower battle it would be more USSR vs. US although the number of Soviet directly involved soldiers was minimal compared with America.

Manach

There were a number of colonial/post-colonial conflicts where various groups were funded by various ideological opposed forces - a fair number of these in Africa and South East Asia. Offhand the historian Michael Burleigh's new book deals with such.

long range shooter

The Cold War was so named because the two major powers—each possessing nuclear weapons and thereby threatened with mutual assured destruction—never met in direct military combat. Instead, in their struggle for global influence they engaged in ongoing psychological warfare and in regular indirect confrontations through proxy wars. Cycles of relative calm would be followed by high tension, which could have led to world war. The tensest times were during the Berlin Blockade (1948–1949), the Korean War (1950–1953), the Suez Crisis (1956), the Berlin Crisis of 1961, the Cuban missile crisis (1962), the Vietnam War (1959–1975), the Yom Kippur War (1973), the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–1989), the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (1983), and the "Able Archer" NATO military exercises (1983). The conflict was expressed through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, extensive aid to client states, espionage, massive propaganda campaigns, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events (in particular the Olympics), and technological competitions such as the Space Race. The US and USSR became involved in political and military conflicts in the Third World countries of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. To alleviate the risk of a potential nuclear war, both sides sought relief of political tensions through détente in the 1970s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War

corktina

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

If you wished to equate the conflict to a superpower battle it would be more USSR vs. US although the number of Soviet directly involved soldiers was minimal compared with America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War


doesn't mention Russian involvement

srsly78

corktina wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War


doesn't mention Russian involvement

Russia was hugely involved supplying weapons and training. I seem to recall russian pilots even flew some combat missions (as "military advisors" naturally).

Some evidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wprT66Yjxs (apologies for linking Russia Today as "evidence" haha)

Jawgap

There was heavy Soviet involvement in the was in Viet Nam.

One of the reasons the US initially reticent to attack Hai Phong and Hanoi was fear of killing Soviet citizens who might be present as 'technical advisors.'

Uppsala University maintain an excellent database of conflicts since 1946 if you're looking for more information on potential proxy wars between the US and USSR.

donaghs

corktina wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
doesn't mention Russian involvement

Yes it does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War#Soviet_Union

China supported North Vietnam too, but as mentioned earlier, this gradually tailed-off due to the worsening Sino-Soviet split. And as an ally of the Soviet Union, Vietnam eventually went to war with China in 1979.