Thoughts and Reflections on The 2,000 year war

Katie Taylor, World History Period 6                                                           February 13, 2014                                                       
Thoughts and Reflections On: "The Two Thousand Years' War"

By Walter Karp 

In 1945 the relationship between two of the world main powers the United States and the Soviet Union became developed into what we call today the Cold War. The Cold War was a war which involved no actual fighting thus making it a "cold" war rather than a "hot" war with battles and military involvement. Little did many people know in 1945 but history was repeating it self and their current conflict bore a strong resemblance to a similar conflict 2,300 years before called the Peloponnesian war.

The Peloponnesian War much like the Cold War was between the two major power houses of the time period, in this case Athens and Sparta, and started because of huge disagreements in government style and the growing power of one side. Many people would compare ancient Athens to the U.S. during the Cold War because both countries were democracies, both showed extreme patriotism and both had strong navy. Where as Sparta unlike Athens could be compared to 1940's Soviet Union, with both having a traditional governing style (Sparta oligarchy and the Soviet Union communism) and both were agricultural based countries rather than trade based like Athens and the U.S.

If the U.S. and the Soviet Union had read the history of the Peloponnesian war and put the lessons learn into use they would have probably seen the downsides of creating war over power and simple disagreements when peace is an option. It's important for countries and people to learn from history to keep from making the same mistakes their predecessors have already had to learn the hard way. Studying history is a way not to forget the lessons and learn from the experience of those who have gone before us to become wiser in the ways of self preservation.