Since its birth in the late 18th century, the United States has arguably had one of the greatest global presences in human history. It has left its impact on most, if not all, nations currently in existence. In the past century, the United States has helped develop and manage many different countries around the world. In recent years the goal of this nation building and managing came in response to the spreading of communistic ideals. The United States, being a democratic and capitalistic nation, helped many nations avoid being led by communistic regimes. United States intervention has helped to prevent dictatorships, oppression, and genocide around the globe. Many of these interventions came during a key period of time of communistic ideology …show more content…
The spreading of communistic ideals was a, if not the, primary focus of U.S. foreign policy. Even though both of these countries are thousands of miles and multiple continents away, the manner in which the U.S. intervened in both of these countries is strikingly similar. While communism was the root of both of these countries interventions, the MNR was not nearly as dangerous of a communist threat as the North Korean government. The communistic goals of the oppressive North Korean government were a much greater threat to democracy than the primarily economic goals that the MNR had. This is why war was imminent in Korea but in Bolivia it remained relatively peaceful. While both countries received financial and provisional aid from the United States, the reasoning behind this aid was different. In Bolivia the United States gave this aid in an attempt to stabilize their government and keep making economic profit from the tin industry in Bolivia. While aid in Korea was less for United States gain and more for the retention of democracy. Economically speaking, the case of Bolivia and South Korea turned out to have an extremely different impact. The aid that was given to Bolivia, in turn ruined their economy and drove them into deeper and deeper reliance upon the United States. In South Korea however, the South Korean people were able to capitalize on the aid they were given and turn it into a highly functional and profiting society. This is possibly because the Bolivians were never able to diversify their countries source of revenue as South Korea was able to, with it coming primarily from tin and oil. To this day the Bolivian people still have a dependence on the American government where the Korean and American government can almost be seen as equals. It would be a safe assumption to say that both the Korean and
As stronger nations exercise their control over weaker ones, the United States try to prove their authority, power and control over weaker nations seeing them as unable to handle their own issues thereby, imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided with their ideological ones
Communism has resulted in a poor quality of life, poor economy, and oppression of its people. In order to retain power, communist countries have needed to remove civil dissent and would result in imprisonment or murder of its citizens (Williams). In fact, more than sixty five million people were murdered by the USSR, nearly thirty five million were murdered by Communist China, and a number of Southeast Asian and Eastern European countries account for ninety seven million murders (Williams). The U.S which was founded on capitalism and free markets, protection of private property, and protection of individual rights has developed policies to oppose the spread of worldwide communism (Hughes). Consequently, the U.S has engaged directly in military
The Korean War was a defining part of the United States foreign policy in the Cold War Era and was a response to threats from the Soviet Union. The Korean War was a culmination of tensions between North and South Korea that had resulted from the influences the United States and the Soviet Union inculcated into the countries during their occupation. When the Korean War was initiated, by the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, the United States and their allies in the United Nations perceived the invasion as a bold communistic expansion effort that occurred without provocation. (Document A). Further validating this idea was the fact that the attack was endorsed by the USSR, and partially lead by Red China, both of which were communist countries
North Korea was supported by the Soviet Union while South Korea was supported by the United States. Northern korea was greatly influenced by the Soviet, “fearing that the Soviets intended to seize the entire peninsula from their position in the north, the United States quickly moved its own troops into south Korea” (National Archives). This caused the US to help South Korea from the influence of communism, but the “forces are nearly pushed off the Korean peninsula” (document C). China got involved by helping North Korea since they share a border with them, feeling aligned. This war proceeded to happen for several years until 1953. This demonstrates containment because they are trying to keep communism in only these
During the period of both wars, the U.S. committed to preventing further growth of communism. During the Korean War, the South gained backing and assistance of the U.S., reasoning that the government of North Korea were wanting to pursue the expansion of their communism towards the south of Korea. With the increasing growth of American troops, air and naval forces, and strategic combat, the intervention of the U.S. slowed the North Koreans from advancing south. American involvement in Vietnam was an implementation of the Containment Policy, which was a the obligation of U.S. foreign approach makers to terminate the expansion of communism (Vietnam War). With the participation of the U.S., the South was provided financial assistance and military hardware. This permitted North Vietnamese troops to retain their militia in the south.
Not only were these two nations supporting opposing sides during the Korean War, but the war intensified America’s anxiety about communism. There were Americans dying in Korea fighting against a communist movement. All the while, back at home, more Americans were losing their jobs or even being executed due to claims made against them by anti-communist movements. And, those who weren’t getting accused of being communists, campaigned with furor against “commies” or supported McCarthy in his investigations of alleged subversion in many areas of government. Thus, had it not been for the Soviet support of communist North Korea in the Korean War, Josef Stalin would not have become the face of communism and anxiety about domestic subversion in the United States would have increased to level it did.
Although modernization was not perfect there were many countries that benefited from U.S. help. In fact countries such as India, Ghana, and Egypt embraced the help of the U.S. America’s assistance. With all three countries U.S.’s support in empowering their economic growth was successful. Although modernizations was to help these underdeveloped countries the primary gaol of the U.S. is to decimate the prevalence of communism. American policy makers for foreign affairs “viewed many postcolonial leaders as politically immature and unprepared for self-determination, they exercised little restraint in trying to undermine governments
The date is August 29th, 1949. The war which plunged the world into chaos is now four years passed. But, a new problem has risen in the west. The Soviet Union has successfully tested its first atomic weapon, and it doesn’t take long before American U-2 planes, flying overhead, spot its destruction. A year later, Mao Zedong’s communist party prevails in the Chinese civil war. Then, before two mere months pass, Communist North Korea, backed by the Soviets, invade South Korea officially starting the Korean War. These problems involving communism are not the first of their kind, and certainly won’t be the last. For a stretch of around ten years, the threat of communism infiltrating Americas “perfect” democracy is very real, plunging the public deeper into the already present mass hysteria known to all as The Red Scare. This mass hysteria suffered over the idea of communism infiltrating the United States government affected the country both politically and socially and still affects the country politically to this day.
The United Sates relationships to the world has change during the cold war to where the Unites States was seen as a most in control world power with values that represents capitalism and democracy to stop communism. During the cold war the United States was seen as a world power that would get involved in other nations affairs to promote is values of capitalism and democracy. For instance, The Korean and Vietnam Wars are examples of military intervention by the Americans in the name of stopping communist expansionism. The United States way of getting involved and helping in other nations affairs to secure American interests can be seen today in the event in Syria, where the United States is working with other close-by countries to help put
In the time directly following the end of World War Two, the beginnings of an entirely new kind of war were brewing that would occur for nearly 50 years after its birth. Towards the end of World War II, the Soviet Union had been an ally of the United States, but their growing power following the war began to concern the American people, who feared the spread of communism, an order based on the idea of dissolving social classes, money, and the state through the practice of common ownership, or the dissolution of the divide between the working and capitalist classes. Once communism began to spread, the United States quickly and passionately worked to put an end to it not only within its own borders, but around the world. This battle waged on
Once an ally the United States fought together with in World War II from 1941 to 1945, the Soviet Union became an enemy of the U.S. after Stalin broke his promise of free elections in Eastern Europe. With nothing to stop invasions on its west, the USSR installed Communist governments in countries bordering its west to make them buffer states. The U.S. was afraid that the Communist takeover of one country would cause a chain reaction of neighboring countries falling to Communism, so it enacted a policy called ‟containment,” whose objective was to prevent the spread of Communism and encourage the USSR to stop its aggressions. U.S. Cold War policies embodied the ideals of democracy because it gave financial aid to countries that opposed Communism
The United States stands for liberty and Justice. Yet during the 20th century, this reputation was greatly damaged. The government began to focus on power and controlling other countries instead. The United States’ focus on imperialism is shown by its fight against communism, its use of propaganda to exaggerate its influence around the world, and its involvement in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was related to America’s fear of communism and showed how far the United States would go to inflict its policy on other nations. During this time the U.S. government did not consider Vietnam’s perspective on the war nor estimate the casualties. The citizens of Vietnam did not deserve to be plagued by death and destruction, and the U.S. should absolutely never have been involved. American imperialism
US armed intervention seeks mainly to counter the “threat of good example”. Chomsky suggests the real domino theory refers not to the threat of communism spreading, but the idea that a country may develop a successful socialist state and economy independent from the US, thus setting an example for other countries where the US has economic interests. This may result in a domino effect where these other countries are influenced to do the same and develop independence from the US, thus threatening US hegemony. There are two types of domino effects: the threat of communism which is used to justify US intervention to the public, and the actual threat of “good example” which motivates US to suppress socialist movements in countries like Guatemala, East Timor, Laos, Grenada, and Nicaragua. The real motives for US intervention are therefore for its own material and strategic gains, under the pretense of propagating the ideas of freedom and democracy.
The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick highlights the mistakes that the United States exhibits in their foreign policy during the Cold War in Southeast Asia. The text is highly critical of the oversights the America makes because of its arrogant, lazy, bureaucratic approach to foreign policy. Even though they were the stronger and wealthier nation, the United States allowed communism to take root, and gain a large amount of success because of their lack of interest in learning the culture of the region, and applying that knowledge in a way that would be beneficial to the people of Southeast Asia. Through characterizations, The Ugly American, demonstrates how the United States’ failure to rally support for democracy and capitalism
As war had been unleashed upon by the North Koreans attack the South, many countries had aided the North and the South Koreans in different type of ways. Some countries that aided North Korea during the war were the Soviet Union and Chinese. When the talk of invading the South rose to the surface, Joseph Stalin had not wanted to be anywhere near it or be involved in it because of the many problems that it could add on to the Soviet Union’s current problems. Instead the Soviet Union had not sent in ground soldiers to fight in the Korean war but did in fact aid the North Koreans by providing them with essential war items such as weapons and supplies that would be needed to help invade the South, China had also sent supplies and ammunition to