As soon as the war ended, the United States and the Soviet Union started a massive arms buildup that would continue into the 1980s. Because it had not suffered destruction during the war, the United States could afford to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons. The Soviet Union could not, so its military expenditures deprived Soviet citizens of consumer goods. By the end of the twentieth century, the United States and Russia held vast arsenals of nuclear and other weapons and, along with France, led the way in selling arms that fueled war and genocide around the world.

Question to Consider

Describe the social, political, cultural, and economic value to each side in the cold war of this military buildup. Describe the social, political, cultural, and economic drawbacks to each side in this swelling of weaponry.