The Cold War On American Politics

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When one U.S. historian wrote, “the Cold War was undoubtedly the most significant factor shaping the American experience during the second half of the twentieth century”, they were likely referring to the Cold War’s colossal influence on American economics, military buildup, and social climate. The Cold War’s effect on these three topics resulted in a back and forth between the United States and its citizens, leaving the nation completely different than it had been at the midpoint of the century. In addition, the Cold War’s widespread effects were heightened by the fact that it also happened to span decades, officially ending in nineteen ninety-one. The arms race was a large portion of the Cold War and was characterized by the military build up in both the Soviet Union and in the United States. The United States military placed a tremendous amount of funds into elevating our weapons capabilities. In fact, “over the entire period 1948-86, real military purchases cumulated to a total of $6,316 billion, averaging about $162 billion per year ( "U.S. Military Spending In The Cold War Era: Opportunity Costs, Foreign Crises, and Domestic Constraints." U.S. Military Spending In The Cold War Era: Opportunity Costs, Foreign Crises, and Domestic Constraints. Web. 3 June 2015.).” The increase in government and militant spending within the United States was done to prepare for the possibility of war with the Soviet Union. Ultimately, many of the manufactured weapons were unnecessary
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