preview

America During The Cold War

Decent Essays

In the later half of the 20th century, the two biggest world powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were locked in a state of high tension. An official war between the two could destroy the whole world due to the invention of nuclear arms. Instead, America and the Soviet Union fought through other fronts, such as proxy wars, technological races, and economic strength. The Cold War led to the creation of many policies, institutions, and ideals, which fundamentally transformed American foreign policy. However, the Cold War failed to fundamentally transform American life, although it did lead to new movements that changed American life.
During the Cold War, both sides negatively portrayed the other through propaganda. The Soviet Union …show more content…

The U.S then pushed their foreign policy further, by employing brinkmanship, which pushed both nations to the brink of war. Because of this, the federal government’s power, specifically the President, expanded. The CIA, which answers directly to the President, was created and nuclear bombs went under Presidential control, which increased executive power. With these new powers, the U.S could be better prepared for a possible war with the Soviets. However, the U.S needed to be more prepared, militarily and technologically. The Space race led to the creation of NASA, while the desire to build up militarily lead to the Military Industrial Complex, which is a partnership between the military and the weapons industry. This left the U.S at the top of economics, technology, and weaponry, which persists into the present. All this led to a fundamental change in American foreign policy because the U.S has the means to go to the brink of war and over for the sake of stopping communism and other conflicts, whereas prior to the Cold War, the U.S wasn’t as militarized and willing to go to

Get Access