The Cold War And The Soviet War

When discussing WWII and The Cold War from an American perspective, the focus is likely to be centered on the wartime efforts of the country while debating strengths and shortcomings within those efforts. However, while the physical and psychological wars waged on, America’s homefront saw a continuation of fighting in the form of social movements aimed at attaining equality for all Americans. Minorities like African Americans and Mexican immigrants continued to face discrimination and racism during WWII but were shaped in different ways by the war. The Cold War era in America is a very complex subject marked by heightened tensions, fear, and paranoia among citizens. Much in the same way that WWII shaped the plight of minorities and immigrants on the homefront, the Cold War era also effected what it meant to be an American by shaping the conformist social class. Reaction to this conformity would also be shaped by the Cold War era, and Americans would eventually become critical to these effects.

The Cold War was a state of economic, diplomatic, and ideological discord among nations without armed conflict. The Cold War was between the United States and the USSR because these were the two major powers after WWII. Basically, the Cold War was a series of proxy wars that had taken place back in time involving surrounding countries. One of the main causes for Cold War was that the Soviet Union was spreading communism and the United States didn’t like that so they were trying to contain communism. However, in the end they failed. Many events took place in other countries. In Korea, Vietnam, Latin America, and China, communism took over; however, before it did, major wars had taken place. The cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union worsened the condition of countries involved. The Cold War broke countries into two parts that turned against each other, the United States and the Soviet Union used these countries to fight their war and caused a big disturbance to daily life, and the Communist States fought the Non-Communist States; however, the end results of these wars only caused more damage in these countries.

War. Humans have thrived from war for as long as we can remember. The United States has been fighting wars ever since we found the new country in North America that we now call the United States. We fought against our selves for the freedom of others. We fought in several world wars. We have always fought. But in the late 1940's “war” changed forever. This was well known as the Cold War. Why was this so different? “ The world had never experienced anything like it. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States was a half century of military build-up, political maneuvering for international support (Hanes, Sharon M., and Richard C. Hanes).” This means that the world has always seen war as either hand to hand combat or gun to

The Cold War was a direct result of the feud between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. Due to this feud both countries made alliances, Canada went with the United States as well as many other countries and together formed NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Following the influence and model of the United States’ social structure and capitalist economy, as well as the constant threat of nuclear warfare and communism, a new social structure was created within Canada. The Cold War created new identities and lifestyles for all Canadian citizens. This was done to eliminate communism, increase patriotism and as a way for Canadian citizens to work together to combat nuclear threats. Communism was a constant threat in Canada and was to be eliminated if not at least controlled at all costs. This meant that everyone had to act according to the new social structure, or risk suspicion of being a Soviet spy. This new social structure resembled harsh sexist stereotypes where the men are the breadwinners and the women are the homemakers. This type of relationship was called the nuclear family. This paper is going to look at the social roles that the Cold War created because of the threat of communism, nuclear warfare, governmental influence and social influence within Canada for men, women and children.

In studying International Relations, I have realized that, the nature of International politics can be likened to anarchy. This is because in International relations there seems to be no supreme or overriding authority which establishes and maintains rules or laws in international affairs. All States appear to behave in their own interests.

One of the main things Reagan was known for his is stance on communist and his commitment to end the Cold War. Reagan was not afraid of the Soviet Union like his Carter or Ford who served as President before him. He told the Secretary of Defense to order whatever is needed and not to worry about the budget. He wanted to be in a position of strength, that way he believed he would be able to negotiate with them; he had a saying of “To build up to build down” http://millercenter.org/president/biography/reagan-domestic-affairs. Reagan did not want there to be an arms race, however if there were to be one he was determined not to loose. The CIA confirmed that the Soviet Union’s economy could not support an arms race against the US. In Reagan’s mind, winning the Cold War meant having the Soviet Union cease to exist.

After World War II, the practices of Communism, a political ideology, quickly spread from the Soviet Union to other countries in the Eastern Hemisphere. The United States, a country that practices democracy, avidly made it known to other nations that it opposed communist practices. In response to the rapid number of nations that were beginning to practice it, the United States set a goal to limit the amount of nations that practiced it. A poorly planned invasion by the United States on Cuba and certain locations of nuclear weapons increased tensions in the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. This brought the world closer to a full out nuclear war than ever before. From choosing sides in the Ogaden War to opposing views on free enterprise, many conflicts arose between the United States and the Soviet Union which helped increase tension levels between the two nations. Ultimately, these contests led to the global awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

The Cold War grew out of post-World War II tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the war did not bring about large scale fighting, there remained a constant threat of a catastrophic nuclear war. During the war, the US sought to strictly limit the spread of communism through containment, an idea formulated by US diplomat George Kennan, which became the basis of Harry Truman’s foreign policy. The containment policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to enlarge communist influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Africa, and Vietnam. The president’s initial step toward containment came in response to a British request to support both Turkey and Greece against the spread of communism. By requesting Congress for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Greece and Turkey, Truman established the Truman Doctrine. This policy, marking an “informal declaration of Cold War against the Soviets”, established that the United States would provide military and economic assistance to all nations threatened by Communism. The United States further devised the Marshall plan, which provided massive financial aid to western European countries in order to strengthen their economy, which indirectly prevented the spread of communism. Eisenhower and Nixon’s containment policies, while sharing Truman’s idea that communism should be contained, implemented different policies regarding containment. Eisenhower’s “New Look” policy was fiscally

During the cold war, Soviet Russia and the U.S. disagreed on many matters, but found a common ground in appreciating technology and its instrumental value to the progress of society. Each nation glorified their contrasting examples of the ideal lifestyle, however their shared faith in technology was fulfilled in different forms. The Soviet Union had clearly attained their upper hand in the Space Race, achieving the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite and Vostok 1 which brought the first human to outer space. The US government were also acutely aware of the vulnerability of their military forces as the Soviet Union were developing advanced nuclear weaponry with potential for mass destruction. Conscious of their technological inferiority in comparison, the U.S. sought after ways to demonstrate a technological competence and restore faith in an insecure nation. The family home was praised as the symbol of American prosperity but remodeled to convince a nation that they were just as knowledgeable and proficient in technology as the Soviet Union. These modifications had a radical influence in what was considered as ‘necessary’ technologies to the ideal American home but also materialized a direct confrontation with fears of a nuclear attack on American soil. In this sense, military technology did not have a direct or literal influence on the American home during the Cold War, rather that the consciousness that such technology existed had a profound influence on

America’s foundation was constructed on the ideal of freedom, whether that be religious, political, or individual freedom. U.S. citizens have very strong feelings about their independence and will do almost anything to protect their rights from being taken away. During the 1950s Americans were afraid that their freedom was going to be threatened and taken away by the communist style of government. The Soviet Union and America were both trying to win control on a global scale, but with the USSR being communist the paranoia of a socialism takeover was heightened. Americans were so fearful of communism that it became known as the Red Scare. All over the country people were being accused of being communist spies and federal employees were being interrogated, the U.S. was in full panic mode. The United States was so fearful of the USSR being able to gather more communist allies and take over that the U.S. stepped in militarily to protect South Korea from North Korea’s communist invasion. This battle for dominance between the nations was named the Cold War. I believe that this war was justified because there were clear threats towards the United States and their capitalist ideals. In the very beginning of the Cold War the Soviet Union successfully tested an atomic bomb. This seemed like a clear indication that the USSR had plans to use that bomb in order to establish their dominance and embark on a communist takeover. America fought to keep their freedom and rights safe from the

The Cold War era was an infamous time in United States history. The stand-off between the USSR and the US lasted nearly forty-five years, and began shortly after World War II had ended. Even though the USSR and the US had been Allied Powers during the war, Stalin’s ruling of his country frightened the United States, and the US’s late entry in the war caused Russian resentment. The tension the Cold War caused terrified everyone and pressured the United States government to start preparing for desperate measures. The US began mass-producing nuclear bombs, increasing production four times over, and even started working to create the first fusion hydrogen bomb (History, 2009). It the stress of the Cold War that caused Rocky Flats to be constructed. Rocky Flats was a plutonium processing plant in Colorado, just 26km north-west of Denver (Coates, 2014). During its life it manufactured fission cores that were to be used to detonate hydrogen bombs. The science they used to construct the fission cores utilized the discoveries made during WWII. However after the FBI’s raid in 1989, it was quickly shut down for good. Although the site has received a massive cleanup from the government and community, its impact on Colorado can still be seen today.

The Cold War period represented a breaking point for real and potential threats against the US hegemony in Latin America. The US and the Soviet Union had a power struggle for almost all the last half of the twentieth century, and even if the political and military tension was between those two blocks, the poor relationship’s collateral damage reached the rest of countries in the American continent with the anti-communism US foreign policy.

The term “military complex” was made popular by Eisenhower who was the president from 1953 to 1961. The term refers to the marriage of military institutions with economic institutions for the reason of securing the nation However, the structure of the intertwined military, government and civilian was started earlier in the century from about 1915. There were many trial and errors to get the ball rolling on such an impacting and controversial issue. Many boundaries had to be overcome for there to function among these industries with the common ground of providing for the nation while at war. Although war’s affect may touch upon many aspects of life not only in America but any nation at war, blurred lines take the place of division between

In the year of 1945, one major war ended while another one began. The Cold War began in 1945 just after World War II had ended and last for roughly forty-five years. The war occurred between the United States and the Soviet Union. The war was the attempt by the Allied powers to stop the spread of communism by the Soviet Union. The Allied powers did not want the Soviet Union’s form of government to take over the world. The United States was the only country that had the resources to stand up against the Soviet Union.

When WWII ended, the US and the Soviet Union emerged not as friends, but as enemies. This occurred for a multitude of reasons including: direct opposite experiences in WWII, the US 's desire to contain communism, and economic incentives. These factors caused the cold war to materialize and then further escalate into an arms race.