@ncscswitch:
The United States was 100% dependent on the use of tactical nuclear weapons as a defense against the Warsaw Pact in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
IF we could have used those tactical nukes, we may have been able to hold the line somewhere in Europe.
However, the political climate would NOT have allowed for the use of nukes in Europe… thus the Soviet advantage in men and tanks would have eventually ground out a win in Europe.
speaking of Europe
in the early after war years( 1948-1949) The Soviets were having plans of attacking Western Europe(France) & supporting the communists there
Stalin made a calculation. It would be 3 days for the Soviet tanks to overrun France.
At that time Soviet Union and their satelites were :evil: :?
later with time passing the USSR&Warsaw Pact was inferior to NATO. Economy produces military and the USSR economy was poor and with the time passing the people were simply loosing motivation to work. As you previously explained to me in the Ronald Reagan years USSR was on its knees.
Well then Gorbachev showed up and realized that USSR is fallen. It cannot go further.
And if i may link upon now USA-Russian rivalry. Well definitely in the 90-s the USA was way ahead, but Russia still had military might( Yeltsin) but was economically weak.
Then Putin rose up. Now Medvedev too.
And in the long run i simply doubt that USA(and her proxies) will ever again (significantly) match Russia(and her proxies) in military might.