Cold War DBQ

During the cold war, the United States engaged in many aggressive policies both at home and abroad, in which to fight communism and the spread of communist ideas. Faced with a new challenge and new global responsibilities the U.S. needed to retain what it had fought so strongly for in World War II. It needed to contain the communist ideas pouring from the Soviet Union while preventing communist influence at home, without triggering World War III. With the policies of containment, McCarthyism, and brinkmanship, the United States hoped to effectively stop the spread of communism and their newest threat, the Soviet Union.

Communism was covering Asia and Europe, striking fear in individuals as country after country fell into communism. As American politicians strengthened the idea of containment, and cabinet members such as John Foster Dulles spread the idea that "if world communism...will increase the danger to the entire free world," Americans were greatly fearing communism. Citizens began believing others when they announced that communism was "endangering the peace of America" (Document B) and when they addressed the problem they had created by making statements such as "we fear the men in the Kremlin." American citizens highly feared this horrific government of communism, and the Eisenhower Administration did nothing to little to prevent these fears. Even though they acknowledged these fears, they used this fear as support for spending on military defense. The Americans fear during this time period was also displayed

The United States developed into a world super power following World War II. Many of the Allies were deeply affected by the war financially and were struggling, thus leaving a vacuum that needed to be filled. The United States was thrust into the position of “policing” and assisting nations around the world. The Cold War was in many ways a psychological illusion however there were many factors that led to this illusion which were well founded. The Cold War stemmed from a multitude of factors, the difficult war against Nazi’s and Japan, Stalin behaviors were not trustworthy, Berlin blockade, Poland puppet government, the fall of China, the build up of arms and the birth nuclear weapons all fed fear-based anti-communist policies. In

The Cold War took a lot of affect on the United States Domestic Policy and American society. Domestic Policies were changed due to the world affairs, and the American society had a dramatic change from the war. The United States Government became extra secure and protected. Many new political cartoons were created from the fear of Communists and other big events and things that were happening during this time period. War was the leading problem in the US during this time period. Many citizens became upset and protested. Also, many American citizens were scared because they heard many people talking about the war,and what was happening and took as many measures on safety as they possibly knew and could. Later, through science, we have learned that many of their tactics when it came to protecting themselves would not even have worked.The United States spend a lot of extra money during this time period to keep up with the war. (DBQ questions)

The 46 year struggle known as the Cold War all started over a disagreement at Potsdam. Stalin refused to allow what the Allies wanted. They wanted to give free election to countries in easter Europe like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. All these countries became satellite rates controlled by the Soviet Union. This made Truman believe that Stalin was planning to conquer the world and that the former alliance was falling apart. This turned into a battle between Communism and Democracy. Throughout almost all of the Cold War the United States adopted a foreign policy called “containment”.The United States contained Communism in Berlin, Korea, and Cuba by not allowing the Soviet Union to gain anymore land or power.

During the Cold War, the United States did their best to stop the spread of Communism. Several incidents such as the Korean War, the birth of McCarthyism, led the United States to the brink of war with the Soviet Union over Communism. One of the most pivotal moments of the Cold War was the Vietnam War. The United States joined the war to stop Communism from spreading to South Vietnam. This war had many Americans split down the middle as to whether or not they should be participating in the war. The Vietnam War is the biggest failure in American history.

After World War II came the development of another tension that involved the United States and the Soviet Union and their associated allies. The Cold War produced many dilemmas amongst the American people in terms of how they should comport themselves as a nation. Before World War II the United States had no interest in keeping a strong military system, nor did they send out troops outside of their borders. Also, they kept to themselves as a nation not minding the actions of other countries. Until after that war is when the country started to contradict their original goals and the tables completely turned. Eventually thousands of American soldiers were being shipped off worldwide and the country was prepared with nuclear weapons to protect themselves from their enemies. The Cold War intensified the internal issues for the United States no matter how successful the country was with distracting its people with new technologies, there were still underlying problems. The Americans wanted to show the rest of the world that they were indeed united and should be looked at as a model of democracy and individual rights. This is where the issues began, because the citizens of the United States knew that they themselves were not carrying out the equality they expected the rest of the world to follow. They had a newfound dilemma; prosperity of their country was intertwined with

The Cold War, spanning almost half a century, was a conflict that accelerated the production of nuclear weapons and forced the United States and the other belligerent, the Soviet Union, to make scientific advances at a rate unseen in any other time in human history. The Cold War Comes to Main Street: America in 1950, written by Lisle A. Rose, thoroughly examines the year 1950 in the United States and the effect that the Cold War had on the American populous. Rose examines communism and the military threat that it posed on the nation and how this impacted American society and the generation that endured World War II.

The Cold War, for the most part, was a political Standoff in the nation. It was between the Capitalist, United States, and the Communist. The Cold War caused an increasing in the feelings of nationalism and anti-communist fervor. To Americans,

The Soviet Union then tried to keep with the Americans to grow their military but ended going broke because of it which then ended the Cold War because the Soviet Union pretty much disintegrated. Another important factor the the development of the U.S. economy was when President Ronald Reagan cut taxes and deregulation or to remove taxes. I think the effect the war had on economic areas was one of the main areas that got affected the most. Another area that was greatly affected by the Cold War was the political area. Unlike the other areas I believe that this area mostly have good things happen to it. The Cold War really brought our country together which showed how much we were together. This was very good for the U.S. because it allowed us to make better decision together and also improve the economy. The only thing that was bad about the new political changes was how the Communists were treated so badly during the Cold War. Other then that most good things came from the new political changes. One of the most important changes was how the U.S. made new friendships with countries because of this War. I think overall

America and the Soviet Union were on the brink of world destruction. The Cold War was one of the most frightening times in American history but strangely the difference between the cold war and the other major wars was the two superpowers in the United States of America and the Soviet Union never actually fought in any battle or had attacked the other through the long 50 years. It affected many people from the fear of destruction, the wave of patriotism in people for their country, and to the wave of people wanting more from the government and wanting a drastic change. It also forced America to change its ideals on their foreign policies and had America get more involved in foreign affairs and move away from their idea of isolation. The cold war also gave way to the rise of unions and the wave of worker rights. The effect of the Cold War has affected American culture and policies into the system and style of life we live in today.

The Cold War started in 1947 and “consisted of propaganda battles, economic warfare, proxy wars, and arms race, the cold war touched virtually every corner of the globe in the years after World War II” (Etheridge 1). This wasn’t like any kind of war the U.S. had been involved with in the past because there was no real fighting in this “war.” This was between two former Allies who teamed up to take down Germany, Italy, and China in World War II. It’s the United States vs the Soviet Union. It’s safe to say that “the relationship between the U.S. and its former wartime ally had deteriorated considerably” (Weaver 1). This put the country on alert because they weren’t sure what to expect after coming off a big four-year war. The United States got involved in the Cold War because the Soviet Union was trying to influence other Eastern countries to turn to communism as their primary government. They didn’t want the world to be overrun with a Communist government so the U.S. had to step in to try and put a stop to the madness of the communist influence. The “American participation in the cold war represented a sharp break in the history of American foreign relations” (Etheridge 1) because many U.S. presidents followed George Washington’s advice and “avoided political and military participation in the world” (Etheridge 1). This led to “the Soviet Union [overthrowing] the democratically elected

Following the end of one of the deadliest wars in history, a new problem arose between two of the world's most powerful nations. The development of the Cold War caused fear and hysteria throughout the United States quickly shaping American life. The tensions created due to communism and anarchy were quickly formed by select individuals and events that would continue to define the United States through the 1900s. The biggest toll communism played was in the U.S. government and its policies. The Cold War was so influential in American politics, it led to the election of certain presidents, lending of thousands of money to countries, and U.S involvement in affairs overseas leading to public criticism.

The Cold War was not a bloody war, but rather a political war between the United States and the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Although war usually ends up in bloodshed, this particular war brought beneficial changes into todays society. The Cold War, in a nutshell, was the fight for communism vs. capitalism. With this, I contend, that there are various contributions from this war, that created the society that we live in today.

The Cold War had a major impact on people’s lives then, and now. Most people are using technology generated from the cold war today without even knowing it. Even though the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were allies during WWI, their relationship became uneasy after WWII. The fear of communism spreading made it tense for the American people. There were many advancements during this time because each country was trying to determine which country was superior to one another. The medical and environmental achievements were some of the most significant improvements in technology and they helped America prosper then, as well as today.