The Cold War was one of the most fear-inducing situations in American history. Post World War II, the superpowers of the world, namely the United States and the U.S.S.R, struggled to settle issues that arose from initiatives and responses after the war. These created the climate of tension and distrust between the two nations (Sibley 1). The United States held tightly to its liberal-capitalist beliefs while the Soviets “…professed fervent belief,” in their Marxist-Leninist ideology (Sibley 1). Many events led to the tension between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. First, the Soviets grew to distrust the Americans because, during World War II, the U.S. waited a long time to open a second front and relieve the Russians of the German attack. Then, during the Yalta Conference of 1945, it was agreed that Poland would be led by both democratic and communist powers until a democratic election could take place, but Communists took over soon after that and controlled Poland for the next four decades. This left the U.S. State Department feeling betrayed by the Soviets. The Soviets, in turn, felt betrayed by the United States after they were pushed out of Japan with the dropping of the Atomic Bomb. After that, a U.S. representative to the UN Atomic Energy Commission proposed that all atomic weapons materials be placed under international control and to destroy weapons that already existed (Sibley 7). Russia did not like this plan because it allowed the United States to hold onto its complete
The Cold War, a period of sustained political and military tension between the USA and the USSR, resulted in various viewpoints concerning the cause of the tension emerging. Until today the question remains unresolved, even after the 1991 release of Soviet archives. The main point of disagreement relates to the roles that ideology played in the events between 1945 and 1949. Was it the strongly opposing ideologies, capitalism and communism, or power and material interest that drove both superpowers to the decades of struggle for global supremacy.
Democratic localism was also enforced to keep the government at bay, allowing people to make their own economic decisions. Capitalism was renewed due to growth. Americans were enjoying various freedoms in politics, religion and travel. Nixon stated in one of his speeches that the United States had “come closest to the idea of prosperity for all in a classless society (166).”
Offner, Arnold, "Provincialism and Confrontation: Truman’s Responsibility" in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II.
Following the Second World War, the United States had gotten involved in the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union had become the two superpowers, vividly proving their strengths in the most recent war. These strengths, however, caused a rivalry to form between the two, and would affect the United State’s domestic policy and American society throughout the Cold War. Communism and the threat of war were the most prominent aspects which affected the United States both economically and socially.
1. How NSC-68 influenced America’s response to Communist North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in June 1950 and to Communist expansion in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. The NSC-68 called for military assistance programs that would meet the requirements of our allies. Since South Korea was an ally, we assisted them in repelling the invasion of another communist nation. This help for South Korea meant that a communist nation would be weakened and therefore possibly cripple a potential ally for the Soviet Union. Also, South Korea would then respond to a call for aid if the Soviet Union ever attacked
During World War II the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as Allies against the Axis Powers, however the relationship between the two was tense. The Axis Powers were an alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan. The United States government was wary of the Soviets because they were communists and Americans were concerned about the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. The political systems of the two countries prevented them from reaching a mutual agreements such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, which then resulted in war. This nuclear war had a huge affect on the society, along with communism, education and even the Space Race. Hysteria was caused in result of the threat communism, which was later called the Red Scare. The Cold War impacted
Document-Based Question Early Cold War Conservative historians state that the United States of America used American containment to avert further expansion of communist power from the U.S.S.R, and in doing so, prevented a global communist revolution. The Cold War was a period of tension and hostility that developed between the U.S and Soviet Union post-World War II. The Cold War rooted from an ideological conflict between America’s capitalist government and the Soviet Union’s communist administration. Communism is a totalitarian system of governing in which a single authoritarian party controls both the political and economic aspects of society, leading to absolute and total control held by just a few people in the central government. America
After the events of World War II, there was growing tension between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1946. This growing tension developed into the Cold War, which would dominate American foreign policy. Foreign policy changed within the beginning years of the Cold War, as both the US and Soviet Union wanted to assert their power without creating international conflict and devastation.
In 1961 President John F Kennedy put together a doctrine, which altered from President Eisenhower’s one. It was to “Respond flexibly to communist expansion, especially guerrilla warfare.” (Roskin & Berry, 2010, p. 58) It was a time when the Cold War was at its height and nuclear weapons a mass threat and source of power. This doctrine was aimed at using alternative means before opening into combat. This, in light of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, it succeeded in doing.
There were a number of specific threats that American citizens had to endure during the prolonged Cold War, which lasted for the better part of 40 years. One of the most eminent of these threats was the fact that during much of this historical epoch U.S. citizens believed that the Soviet Union could
The differences in reactions outweigh the similarities in this analysis. During the time after WW2 and the Cold War era the United States had a completely different approach towards foreign threats, and regional instabilities that could serve as a purpose of harm to the United States fragile foreign policies. One thing to be noted is that all these threats were treated differently mainly due to them not being carried out on American Soil, while 9/11 was an attack on the American Soil, people, economy and a scar that will always remain in the hearts and minds of the American people.
The Cold War from 1950-1980 The period of 1950 to 1980 saw the Cold War spread from the traditional playing field of Europe to other parts of the world. However it is quite clear that the USA and the Soviet Union played only a marginal role in originating these conflicts-at the most setting up the basic framework for it to occur. Furthermore, when they did get involved they each did so to varying degrees. The USA seemed to be much more motivated and interested in involving themselves, while the Soviet Union was more apprehensive.
The Cold War was a response to the perceived threat by the United States that Communism would interfere with national security and economic stakes in the world. It was a perceived threat by communist countries that the United States would take to the world. During the Cold War, the United States, Russia, and other countries made efforts to avoid another world war, while warring in proxy in other lands. The devastation caused by the hydrogen bombs exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the next technological advancements became only deterrents to the public. Governments had their own agenda which would result in worsening the strain between nations. The United States hid behind a curtain of nationalism resulting in increased
“The Cold War became a dominant influence on many aspects of American society for much of the second half of the twentieth century. It escalated due to antagonist values between the United States, representing capitalism and democracy, and the Soviet Union, representing communism and authoritarianism” (Tradshad, par. 1). This long lasting war had a lot of negative effects on the American people, but also helped many in a positive way of becoming free citizens. Although most people had feelings of hatred toward the Soviet Union, a sense of fear swept over the United States and many actions had to be taken to keep the enemy and their influences out. 4 done.
The end of the cold war signified a new era of history that has changed the entire world. The face of Europe and Asia has changed dramatically. Vast changes have been felt socially, politically, and especially economically. Also the effect the cold war had on foreign policy was paramount. The effect of these changes is not only felt across the ocean but can be felt here in America. The goal of this paper is to define what the cold war specifically was, and reflect upon the various choices throughout the world as a result of the end of the cold war.