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One of the first steps to starting a Third World War is to become a major world power. After WWII, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as two of the biggest world superpowers because they each had a formidable economy, military, and strong leadership. Each of these countries had many allies and would be dangerous to go to war against. But whenever you are one of the most powerful countries in the world, though, you tend to have many “rivals”, and also a slight dislike of any other powerful country that seems to stand in your way, which leads me to my next step.

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After being allies in WWII, the Soviet Union and United States still had an odd distance between them. This was because the Soviet Union was a communist nation, and the United States was a democracy. The United States greatly valued their democracy, and feared the spread of communism into their country. The Soviet Union on the other hand, wanted to spread communism around the world. There was mutual distrust between the two powerful nations because of this difference in views.

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Because of the differences in views, the tension between the USSR and the United States started to build steadily. When tension between two powerful nations starts to build up, the question of a massive war starts to arise, just as it did during the Cold War, which could’ve potentially turned into World War 3. Tension was created between the two nations during these times because of the sheer power that each nation had. The United States’ fear of communism spreading also created tension as it created a national hatred of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also disliked the United States’ interventionist policies in international affairs. Hostile relationships between the nations built up by the day.

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One of the best ways to start a World War is an arms race with two of the most powerful countries that have some of the best technology. After the United States ended WWII with a powerful atomic weapon, they began research and creation of more weapons of the same caliber. Harry S. Truman recommended that the country use more military force to contain communist expansion, which caused an increase in defense spending. Therefore, more powerful atomic and nuclear weapons were created. The Soviets knew of the United States nuclear plans, and tested an atom bomb of their own in 1949. President Truman responded that the U.S. would build an even more destructive bomb of their own, “the hydrogen bomb”, and Stalin followed suit.

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The fastest way to start a war would be to use a nuclear weapon against the other country. However, there are many ways to kick start a world war, and it could be something as simple as one small assassination of an important leader, such as a president or a dictator. This happened at the start of WWI, when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. However, with two countries this powerful, you must be ready for an all out retaliation. The tension already built up is strong, and one big action could send the world spiraling into a Third World War.