American Childhood During The Cold War Summary

After World War II, only two world superpowers remained: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The contradictory political regimes of the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union were believed to be mutually exclusive which increased bitterness between them. Inevitably, the apparent tension between the two superpowers led to the Cold War which lasted about 45 years. It was war without bloodshed or battle, instead it was a metaphorical war where the U.S and the Soviet Union increased their weapons and fought for political influence, one always wanting to excel or maintain within the range of the other. The United States’ desperate need to contain the communist political ideology from spreading any further and meet the Soviet Union’s increased development of nuclear weapons led to the their involvement in the Cold War. The impact the Cold War had on life during the 1950’s and 1960’s can be measured through the creation of the House Un-American

The image of Stalin depicted in the poster 1.5.8 () , portrays Stalin as ‘God like,’ we see a figure, being looked upon by dancing children who are dressed in uniforms, looking up to Stalin as a strong ‘father like defender of the nation.’ (Pittaway, 2008p.142.) This ‘father’ title gave the impression that Stalin is trustworthy and caring. In addition, children presented a myth and used as propaganda to represent goodness, innocence, and the future. Stalin’s ideology was that if the children liked him, then he must be a good leader. Furthermore, the inscription shows

The Cold War changed American society by introducing both foreign and domestic fear into the lives of Americans. It brought neighbor against neighbor, and a trembling thoughts to all Americans. It gave an upper-hand to the men in the branches of Federal Government, and especially to the HUAC; moreover it

The Cold War was a pivotal time in American history. To a greater degree than most other wars, the Cold War affected American society in unfathomable and profound ways. More specifically, American culture transformed immensely during this time. From a constant state of anxiety, to changes in media and the arts, to McCarthyism; the Cold War fervently affected the quality of life, personal expression, and American politics. Predominantly, the Cold War inflicted fear and apprehension within the American people that was so overpowering that it affected every aspect of their lives and overall American culture.

However, to condemn those in positions of power for their actions is to misinterpret the volatile climate of the Cold War Era in which they operated. The polarized political thought and the turbulent domestic events that shadowed everyday life had a profound impact on American thought and culture and the lives of public figures who dominate the story. To truly understand the impact of these characters and the climate of the American Cold War theatre, the complexity of the dynamics within society must be understood from the point of view and the

Throughout history, there have been numerous battles that ended in death and destruction but none have been as potentially disastrous as the Cold War which even now, is a favored topic in all kinds of literature. Dr. Suess' The Butter Battle Book shares many similarities with events and people from the Cold War and should be read by children so they can understand and learn from a story that grabs their attention.

Propaganda used to induce terror included posters, political statements, and comics. One such comic was Is This Tomorrow?, a popular dramatization of the Soviets and of communism(Document 7). By depicting the Soviets in such a violent, authoritarian light, it spread anti-communist feeling among Americans, and attempted to prevent any Soviet sympathizers. In the Soviet Union, a secret speech made by Nikita Khrushchev to the closed session of the Twentieth Party of Congress denounces capitalism and fights against the anti-communist campaign(Document 6). The Secret Speech was a counter to recently made anti-communist organizations, and reinforced the Soviet Union’s own ideals, while countering the US’s arguments for capitalism. Through the use of past faults and militaristic policies, Khrushchev argues that the US’s attempts at peace were false, and only a front for their true intentions. This effectively promoted terror and anti-capitalist feeling among Soviet Congress. It gave strong reasoning to fight back against Americans, as it instilled fears of a capitalist overtake, and the need for preservation of the

Document A describes how the Cold War was embedded into daily life and how it affected the country and culture as a whole. The Soviet Union and communist expansion, as well as other powers they had on the US terrorized the entire nation, bringing it to a state of panic. As stated by John Buescher, “Science was seen as both a progressive tool for achieving a bright future and death-dealing weapon that might end human life. Fear of an atomic apocalypse (disclosure of knowledge) affected culture and politics. Cold War movies dealt with political espionage (spying).” The

The Cold War propelled the United States of America into a seat of previously unattained power in the world . American citizens spearheaded the push toward advancement in their search for the epitome of happiness: the “American Dream”. Post-war paranoia was driven by the supposed threat of the spread of communism, which Americans feared could interfere with the freedoms and liberties the founding fathers fought to achieve. This paranoia eventually controlled the thoughts and actions of citizens everywhere. The Second Red Scare spread across America like a virus, leaving a trail of dread and despair in its wake. The fear of the growing communist regime, a lack of trust between citizens and the government, and a zealous streak of American pride drove the U.S. toward internal conflict and potential devastation.

This contrasts to the world outside of the text, as children are often seen as innocent beings and are shielded from many things. However, in the text, the government places children in war zones and several dangerous situations. During the Cold War, when the text was written, children were also exposed to various unsafe situations. According to an article, "Schoolchildren practiced 'duck and cover exercises and air raid drills...Television programs were interrupted by tests of the Emergency Broadcast System, reminding viewers that in the event of an actual emergency they would be instructed where to go" (How the Fear of Communism Affected American Life). Similar to the text, children and families played a significant role during that time,

The threat of nuclear war in the 1950's was real and was one that was on the mind nearly every person in both the United States and the United Kingdom. After the end of the Second World War the world can be seen to be split into two sides, the East and the West, Communism and Democracy. After the Second World War the Soviet Union became paranoid with the West as well as the United States become paranoid of the Communist East, and after the Soviets had made their first nuclear bomb this created massive friction between the NATO alliance and the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc. Only after the soviet union had obtained the hydrogen bomb and began to stockpile nuclear warheads in the 1950's did the real fear of nuclear annihilation begin to

In Pixar’s feature film Toy Story 3, Lotso Bear represents pure evil. Although welcoming to Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear upon their arrival at Sunnyside Daycare, Lotso soon traps the unsuspecting new arrivals in the toddler section to secure his executive status in the pyramidal structure of the daycare. Originally enchanted with the idea of playing with children, Woody and Buzz are horrified to find themselves abused and crippled by energetic toddlers. In Lise Birk Pedersen’s documentary Putin’s Kiss, journalist Oleg Kashin describes Nashi — the controversial political youth organization most active in Russia from 2005 to 2012 — as another trap: “Nashi cripples young people’s morality. Many of those I know in these movements are already mentally crippled, and there is no way back for them” (Pedersen). Attributing his brutal beating in 2010 to Vasily Yakemenko, the founder of Nashi, Kashin views Nashi as an evil organization tasked with trapping Russian youth inside a malicious ideological framework with deceptive promises such as career opportunities and social mobility. However, in Youth Politics in Putin’s Russia: Producing Patriots and Entrepreneurs, Julie Hemment presents Nashi within a “broader political geography” and explores the nuance between how the state-run youth movement was intended and how it was received by participants

After world war one peace looked inevitable. Everyone was wrong about this because a few years later world war two erupted. This great war was supposed to be the war to end all wars. In this war it was crystal clear who was the good side and who was the bad side. Almost everyone figured that if the bad side was defeated then peace couldn’t possibly escape us again. We defeated the evil Axis powers, but of course another serpent would rear its ugly head from behind the curtains. This period of a “cold war” after world war two has become one of the most complex and studied eras since America’s birth. This state of paradoxes, paranoia, and public disorientation has only ended a few years ago, but its

“Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in

The orthodox view of the Cold War elucidates its inevitability due to the great ideological differences that existed between the Soviet Union and United States. On the other hand, the revisionists argued that it happened due to the actions that Soviets took and the consequential responses made by the United States as a result of their inflexible, single-sided interpretations of Soviet action. Yet, even with the backdrop of the early Bolshevik conflict in 1918 as well