Manuel du jeu vidéo Wordl in Conflict. INTRODUCTIONThe Cold WarThe end of World War II brought with it the hope for a new world order, where global confl ictsdissolved and the wartime alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States would usher ina lasting peace. But over time their divergences became critically evident, and it was obvious thatthe two could not exist side by side. The Cold War was on.The Cold War was a time of tense confl ict. With an Iron Curtain across Europe, the Berlin Wallseparating the Capitalist west from the Communist east, the two sides regarded each other withcaution and contempt. Concerned of attacks from one another, both the United States and theSoviet Union spent untold trillions on development of both conventional and nuclear defenses theysilently hoped would never need to be used. They poured every effort into strengthening their ownimage, always trying to outmatch and outsmart the other in every way possible, resulting in a varietyof endeavors in espionage and science, including a full-blown space race to the moon.The Soviet AttackAs the 1980s drew to a close, the Soviet Union found itself bankrupt, disorganized and unableto keep up with the United States in the Cold War arms race. Adding to this bubbling cauldron,President Reagan’s US Strategic Defense Initiative, or “Star Wars” project, was threatening tosignifi cantly upset the delicate balance of mutual deterrence. Funds required for upgrading theSoviet nuclear arsenal and conventional forces were rapidly becoming scarce within the communiststate. This led to increasing cuts in the civilian sector, which in turn caused widespread famines andsupply shortages. As a last resort, the Soviet Politburo devised to blackmail Western Europe. Theydemanded from Europe the aid they needed, or they would invade and take it for themselves.The Western Alliance initially viewed the Politburo’s threats as a bluff and attempted to orchestratean end to the crisis through diplomatic channels. However, despite the West’s fevered rhetoric, theSoviet Union had already decided on a path from which there was no turning back. As the crisis woreon, the Warsaw Pact steadily increased its readiness level, compelling NATO to mobilize a defensealong the borders of the Iron Curtain. Then in what seemed like an instant, World War III had begun.During the initial stages of the war, the Soviet Union made signifi cant progress. Though marshaled,NATO was ill-prepared, initially fi nding itself pushed back on several fronts as the Soviets attackedboth along the expected axis through West Germany and with an amphibious assault on southernFrance. But as the battles wore on, REFORGER convoys were eventually able to resupply the NATOtroops with fresh reinforcements and weaponry. Though the fi ghting was hard and at great cost to theNATO forces, the Soviet offensive in Europe was eventually halted.However, unknown to its enemies, the Soviets had lightened their European ambitions and turned theireyes to the American foe. With strategic planning on an unparalleled scale, the Red Army launched adevastating surprise attack on the west coast of the United States.
Voir