If the USA had started WWIII - what would life be like now?
Discussion
In the Cuban missile crisis the americans denied the USSR to place missiles in Cuba (even though the americans had placed missiles on the front door of the USSR in europe).
Totally hypothetical question....but what if the americans decided to launch their weapons and start WWIII if the ships that were carrying the USSR's missiles went through the blockade on their way to Cuba? (It nearly happened in reality by all accounts).
What would life be like today?
I'm guessing that there would be no human settlements in north America, Europe or Russia.
I would also guess that Africa, Australia and China (with Argentina and Brazil not far behind) would now be the main super-powers given that they would probably not have had many nukes fall within their territories and also given that they have natural resources.
But without the huge consumer lead economies of Europe and the USA, I would also guess that life would be not so far 'advanced' as it is now.
What are your thoughts?
Totally hypothetical question....but what if the americans decided to launch their weapons and start WWIII if the ships that were carrying the USSR's missiles went through the blockade on their way to Cuba? (It nearly happened in reality by all accounts).
What would life be like today?
I'm guessing that there would be no human settlements in north America, Europe or Russia.
I would also guess that Africa, Australia and China (with Argentina and Brazil not far behind) would now be the main super-powers given that they would probably not have had many nukes fall within their territories and also given that they have natural resources.
But without the huge consumer lead economies of Europe and the USA, I would also guess that life would be not so far 'advanced' as it is now.
What are your thoughts?
Timmy40 said:
Hull would probably not be much different than it is now.
I would guess at non-existent and looking similar to Chernobyl (SP). Would either side have given up before there was so much fall-out that there wouldn't be anywhere inhabitable left behind? Russians are mental and wouldn't have quit and probably would have been executed if they did try to stop and the 'mercins are so f
king stupid and believe themselves to be a superior being that they wouldn't have quit.Imagine this
for every large city in the Northern Hemisphere.
Most of Europe, Russia and North America would probably be uninhabitable.
Not sure of the effects of fallout around the rest of the world but a Nuclear winter could easily cause a massive drop in human numbers elsewhere on the planet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
for every large city in the Northern Hemisphere.
Most of Europe, Russia and North America would probably be uninhabitable.
Not sure of the effects of fallout around the rest of the world but a Nuclear winter could easily cause a massive drop in human numbers elsewhere on the planet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
It could have been the end of life on Earth, large scale full nuclear War between the US and Russia would have most likely spread to the whole of the USSR and Nato within hours - even those in the Countries directly targeted who survived the initial attack would be left sick and dying from radiation poisoning and 'Nuclear Winter' which could cool the earth by 20c-35c and block out direct sunlight for years in the UK that would mean only a few days a year when temperatures would rise above freezing - those combined effects of loss of infrastructure, sickness and environmental challenges wouldn't mean most, if not all people in the UK would be dead within a few years if they couldn't make there way to somewhere else.
For the rest of the world not directly effected by the war it's no walk in the park either - massive clouds of radiation would swarm around the globe, causing sickness, death and harming reproduction - plus after Nuclear Winter there's an equal chance of Nuclear Summer - it's estimated even a 'small scale' nuclear war, for example if India and Pakistan declared all-out nuclear war it would be enough to completely destroy our ozone layer - rising the temperature of the earth an making it almost impossible to grow crops or raise cattle.
It's not inconceivable that now, 53 years after the hypothetical nuclear war that Humans may be extinct and the earth is habituated by nothing other than Cockroaches and 80's Toyotas.
For the rest of the world not directly effected by the war it's no walk in the park either - massive clouds of radiation would swarm around the globe, causing sickness, death and harming reproduction - plus after Nuclear Winter there's an equal chance of Nuclear Summer - it's estimated even a 'small scale' nuclear war, for example if India and Pakistan declared all-out nuclear war it would be enough to completely destroy our ozone layer - rising the temperature of the earth an making it almost impossible to grow crops or raise cattle.
It's not inconceivable that now, 53 years after the hypothetical nuclear war that Humans may be extinct and the earth is habituated by nothing other than Cockroaches and 80's Toyotas.
55palfers said:
There would have been a lot of the great and the good sheltering in nuclear bunkers.
Not sure what they could have achieved when they eventually emerged though.
As an interesting aside, this is very good read:Not sure what they could have achieved when they eventually emerged though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_7_(novel)
'Level 7' by Mordecai Roshwald.
Anyone else scare the s
t out of themselves as an 80s child by reading 'Children of the Dust'?USA invades Cuba.
USSR moves on Berlin.
NATO moves on Warsaw Pact.
France surrenders.
China moves on S.Korea, Taiwan and possibly Japan.
India and Pakistan duke it out.
France surrenders again to be on the safe side.
Syria, Egypt,and a few others decides Israel should no longer exist.
Tubes go on strike.
USSR moves on Berlin.
NATO moves on Warsaw Pact.
France surrenders.
China moves on S.Korea, Taiwan and possibly Japan.
India and Pakistan duke it out.
France surrenders again to be on the safe side.
Syria, Egypt,and a few others decides Israel should no longer exist.
Tubes go on strike.
valiant said:
USA invades Cuba.
USSR moves on Berlin.
NATO moves on Warsaw Pact.
France surrenders.
China moves on S.Korea, Taiwan and possibly Japan.
India and Pakistan duke it out.
France surrenders again to be on the safe side.
Syria, Egypt,and a few others decides Israel should no longer exist.
Tubes go on strike.
I think somewhere in that lot the Italians would change sides at least 3 times. USSR moves on Berlin.
NATO moves on Warsaw Pact.
France surrenders.
China moves on S.Korea, Taiwan and possibly Japan.
India and Pakistan duke it out.
France surrenders again to be on the safe side.
Syria, Egypt,and a few others decides Israel should no longer exist.
Tubes go on strike.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff