OH+Questions

When the Cold War I was Living in France and we felt that the proximity to the USSR was scary, very scary. Most Soviet missiles would be able to reach the U.S. allies within a short period of time. We always were under the constant freight that the tension between the two sides might grow too sour and that missiles would be launched. In 1985, I moved to America. In 1985 I moved to the U.S. and got to see some of the Cold War from an American perspective. I witnessed the talks between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. The talks were "bitter sweet" at moments they were promising, mentioning resolution but at the same time nerve racking. There was a lot of bluffing and gambling on the behalf of the USA, but towards the end Reagan's tactics worked. Both Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan took a very hard line. I Remember Reagan calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire". During that period of time at certain moments I wasn't sure if I could believe what the president was saying was true. I remember reading all different types of newspapers and articles that exemplified different political views just to get and overall view of the situation, allowing me to make a safer assumption of what seemed actually true. There was one thing for sure that I knew was true, and that was that the threat of nuclear escalation was real and frightening. Yes me and my parents stayed very close especially when these events occurred. Often we would sit down around the table or in the living room as a family and discuss these events that were occurring. At school my friends and I would express our views about the topics and often try and predict what was to come.
 * 1) How did you and your family feel knowing that there was a possibility of nuclear war between the U.S and the Soviet Union?**
 * 2) Did discuss your events with anyone to help understand what was going on?**


 * 3) What were the three most memorable events of the Cold war for you?**

Were:

 * ======The deployment of Cruise Missiles in Europe. Primarily located in West Germany. The missiles were ten minutes from Moscow======
 * ======When a Korean Air lines Boeing 747 was shot down in 1983, which had 269 innocent people aboard. It was shot down because it violated soviet Union Airspace. This event lead to the NATO Nuclear Simulations. A moment as dangerous and as the Cuban Missile Crisis frightening.======
 * ======The taking down of the Berlin Wall. This moment was an unbelievable one especially when watching it on TV seeing those people breaking down and dancing upon that ominous "Iron Curtain" as if it were nothing anymore. It had such an influence on me and my community that my friends in France invited me join them on a journey to get and bring back a piece of the wall as memorabilia.======


 * 4) What were some of your reactions to those events?**

=
For the two first events that I listed, I would describe my reaction as a need to know more, as I mentioned earlier I read multiple newspapers, magazines, listened to the radio just to find out what was going on. I had to take a large amount of measures to obtain sources since the internet didn't exist then. Once finding out the full story and not just the gossip that had been going around, I was able to generate my true reactions. my reactions varied from curiosity at first to fear and then later hope. By hope I mean that the free world would prevail. For the last event that I listed I would characterize my feelings as pure joy, for my family, the rest of free world, and for those poor people in Eastern Germany had been oppressed and separated from family (which I prize so highly) in West Germany.======

Pope John Paul II provided a moral focus for anti-communism in Poland and for much of Europe. He had a special significance for France since there many polish immigrants living in France. This got the whole international attention and brought to light the conflict. All of France was behind it. **
 * 5) Were there any main figures that provided motivation or inspiration? for example Russia's would be Joseph Stalin.


 * 6) What did you and your family think of Communism?**

=
My family and I were always a strong supporters of democracy and were against all forms of totaliatarism, communism, or fascism. We did not want to imagine having to live a life were acts of freedom would be immediately silenced by the government. My father in addition a business man was in the city council of our town and was always promoted freedom of choice and expression. My family's opinions about Communism went along with the majority of France's opinion. During the Mid 80's the communist party represented around 8% of the voting during elections. There was a lot of hope that communism would receed in the Eastern Block countries. Pope John Paul II provided a moral focus for antti-communism======


 * 7) What was your reaction to the end of the Cold War?**

=
Knowing that the Cold War was over, and that we finally reached the end of all tension, lie, suspicion, and worry was a great feeling to have. It really changed the world. It especially changed those countries restrained behind the "Iron Curtain". It brought democracy to most of them and even some changes slowly made there way into USSR, which was officially dissolved on Christmas of 1991. It also was significant because it showed that only one superpower prevailed, which was the U.S. leaving America as "top dog". The "glasnost" movement in Poland reinstituted all of the freedoms that had been taken away by the communists. Countries like Romania toppled their communist regimes, violently. I clearly remember when the Caucescu family was arrested and the husband and wife were killed publicly.======