Why was the world a dangerous place in the 1960s and 1970s? A big reason was the Cold War. This war lasted from 1947 to 1991. This war was influenced by World War II. It was the US and their allies against the Soviet Union and their allies. One more thing was the assassination of  J. F. Kennedy. This caused a great uproar in the people. The vice president took over and started the Welfare State. This was very stressful, but not really dangerous.