Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote the Butter Battle Book in 1984. At that time, the United States was in the midst of an escalating Cold War . Since the Nixon and Ford administrations of the early 1970s, US-Soviet relations had enjoyed a period of détente. However, soon after his election in 1981, President Reagan took a tough stance against the communist Soviet Union. Reagan began deploying missiles, such as the Pershing missiles in West Germany and launched the famous Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), commonly known as Star Wars, in 1983. These developments may have prompted Geisel to present an allegory of US-Soviet relations in 1983's Butter Battle Book. Zooks and Yooks represent the Soviets and Americans at the height of the Cold War. Using the Butter Battle as a representation of U.S.-Soviet relations, Geisel highlights the flawed leadership of both superpowers. The wall separating the Yooks and the Zooks represents the divide between the Russians and the Americans. At the beginning of the book, the grandfather says, "The wall wasn't that high and I could look any Zook in the eye." » As the book progressed, the wall got bigger and bigger, until the Yooks could no longer see the Zooks. The growing wall serves as a metaphor for the growing ideological divide between the Soviets and Americans. During détente, Soviet and American officials sought to negotiate peaceful solutions, as evidenced by the signing of treaties such as SALT I and the Helsinki Accords. With the escalation of the Cold War under Reagan, the separation between American and Soviet officials widened, like the wall. After the peaceful years of détente, Soviet-American relations had once again become hostile, as demonstrated by the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and...... middle of paper...... es U.S. and Soviet officials for their lack of tolerance toward each other and for how this led to unnecessary military tensions. Additionally, he uses history to criticize the military-industrial complex that led to the nuclear arms race. However, this story does not only apply to the Cold War. The wall between the Yooks and the Zooks reflects the racial division that dominated the United States. Although a seemingly depressing book for children, Geisel ends the book on a hopeful note. With the Yooks and Zooks on the verge of destroying each other, the book ends with a blank page to follow. This blank page represents the unwritten future: the problems of ignorance and unnecessary militarization could be solved. As a novel intended for future generations, Geisel's cliffhanger offers children the opportunity to create their own ending, both for the Butter Battle and in real life..