Why do they call it the "Cold" War? What was so "cold" about it?

Answer 1

It was not a "hot war" or "shooting war." It's true that the U.S., U.S.S.R., and China waged war through proxies in Korea, Vietnam, Angola, etc., but they never engaged one another directly. (Chinese invasion of Korea after the Inchon landing quietly papered over.) The Cold War was certainly hostile. There were continuous threats that some one would use the bomb, nut no one did. U.S. leaders refered to the others as "competitors," "adversaries."

Answer 2

They call it the Cold War because there were disagreements between US and USSR.What is so cold about it is because no fights and violence broke out in a battlefield but it broke out like a debate does with documents and stuff,which means "HOT" equals to the action(Violence) and "COLD" to no action at all(No Violence),Don't get it yet? What I mean is the war was more of a boring debate than a more interesting battle.

Answer 3

The Cold War began immediatley after WWII when tensions and disagreements started between the U.S. and the USSR. It is called the "Cold War" because there was no one-on-one combat bewtween them and the war was never declared. It lasted from 1947-1989/1990.

Answer 4

It was called "cold" to distinguish it from 'the heat of battle", a "hot" engagement or shooting war where armies did what armed bodies of men and equipment have always done--fight.

The "Cold War" was a war of spies, stolen scientific data, secret agents recruiting more spies, speeches and votes at the UN, political dirty tricks, etc.

I suggest it was a contest as much about perception--how the US and its allies were looked at by others and Russia and its puppet-government satellites were looked at by others--as it ever was about the two countries' real ideas, real achievements and many failures.

No battle was ever fought that counts as a "hot" engagement in the entire "war"; but it was a war.
And both sides lost the war.
Russia lost much of its empire, failed as a proselytizing totalitarian power.
And the US lost its Constitution to pseudo-religious statists pro-imperial government extremists, and ceased to be "American"--to have a constitutional rights-based, reason-based responsible government of protectors of citizens and realistic planners for emergencies.

Answer 5

They call it the cold war because there was never any out and out war between the USA and USSR. It was arms buildups, technology development, spying, et cetera but no outright fighting. There were proxy wars such as US support of Afghanistan during the attempted Soviet invasion and Soviet support of North Viet Nam during the Viet Nam war as well as many others.

Answer 6

It was not a war in the usual sense of the word. It was mostly posturing and politicking. If true war had been declared between the Communist countries and the west it would have been hot not cold.

Answer 7

The United States and the Soviet Union were not lined up in trenches shooting at each other. Nor were they conducting bombing raids or lobbing missles at each other. Sure, they had some proxy battles in Korea and Vietnam, but other than that the war was fought by means other than traditional warfae.

Answer 8

It was a war without actual combat - therefore, it was a cold war.

Answer 9

It was called the "cold" war because no one was shooting at anybody.... They just spent years rattling sabres and threatening nuclear destruction at each other.

The U.S. and the USSR had enough atomic ICBM missiles pointing at each other that if anyone pushed "the button", the world would have been annihilated in about 3 hours.

Foolishness - just plain foolishness. Nobody wins in a nuclear war - don't you agree.

Answer 10

it's called that because there wasn't a single shot fired anything like that-hot = "exciting",cold = "boring"
thus you have the cold war. i think? but am pretty sure that's why. :)