Truth In The Cold War

What is Realism? Realism is defined in the book as a school of thought that explains international relations in terms of power. This basically means that realism is a political view on global issues that puts stress on both the conflict side and the competition side in the scenarios. “Realists tend to treat political power as separate from, and predominant over, morality, ideology, and other social and economic aspects of life” (Goldstein 44). Now after learning all this information about realism, the question being asked is does it do a good job of explaining the end of the Cold War? Everyone can have their own answers and reasonings behind why they think it does or doesn 't explain it well enough. Realists view the Cold War as an attempt to keep the balance of power between the states and inside the states themselves. Neither states were able to dominant over everything or declare all out war against each other, therefore both the United States and the USSR would dominate international relations without a lot of conflict occurring.

Characterized by the ideological divergence of Communism and Capitalism as well as the intense economic rivalry when World War II came to an end, the political tension between the only two world’s superpowers, United States and Soviet Union, was inevitable. While both of these two nations were motivated by the ambition to expand their worldwide influence, Soviet Union carries more responsibility for instigating the Cold War and exacerbating its discord with United States. While critics argued that America initiated the war by carrying out the Marshall plan when there was no solid evidence about the threat of Communism posed on the United States, it is unassailable that Soviet’s aggression and expansionism prior to the Cold War led to America’s mindset about the nature and potential danger of Communism. The Telegram from Moscow clarified the

The Cold War was a significant time for the United States and the Soviet Union, while the rest of the world watched intently. Although no actual war took place, both of these powerful countries did their best to promote their political and ideological ideas while trying to gain some ground in the seemingly never ending arms race. This war was driven by both fear and the strive to become the strongest and most powerful country. During the time of the Cold War, the United States proved to be a strong influence over Canada. Given its location, it was obvious as to which side Canada was on. While Canada believed in the same ideologies as the US, this nation was still reluctant to fully emerge themselves into the hysteria that had been emerging in the US. However, even though Canada had just received world recognition for its contribution during the Second World War, this large yet acutely populated country had much still to prove. During this time, Canada just recently became a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But while Canada was making huge steps in their peacekeeping and military growth, there were still rumours of espionage circling the country.

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.

For my response, I have chosen to focus in on some of the statements provided by the Nussbaum reading as well as JFK’s “City Upon a Hill” speech. As the group’s Devil’s Advocate, I will strive to make logical and realistic counterpoints to some of the information from the readings that I found either unseemly, disingenuous, or unrealistic as it relates to our modern world.

Skilt took a deep breath, pulled back the arrow in his bow, aimed, and prayed to the great spirit that he would hit his target as he released his breath, and the arrow.

Elaine Tyler takes a social examination on the war against communism in the book, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. May portrays the idea that the nuclear family structure was a way to amplify resistance against communism. The exterior threat of communism during the postwar and the Cold War era caused for interrelationships within marriages to become a longer and more stable environment. Compared to the previous book we read as a class, May takes a deeper look into history and finds geopolitical reasoning for the events of the postwar age. The interpersonal that May connects to the Cold War era allows for the reader to gain a broader concept of how society affected change.

Who could imagine that a wall only four feet thick could separate freedom from oppression? Or who could imagine that different groups of men would threaten to demolish parts of countries using nuclear weaponry to gain world power. Former United States President Ronald Reagan displayed the trait of leadership heavily in the ending of the Cold War, which significantly ended any nuclear threats that the Soviet Union had shown, and by helping the Soviet Union in throes of their revolution and the freedom promises he influenced, contributed to Reagan’s legacy as an intellectual, persuasive, and important leader to the end of the Cold War.

The Cold War brought a tremendous increase in political media in the 1940s and 1950s. Between 1947 and 1957, hundreds of political slogans were released through radio, film, television, and print. The messages behind this propaganda were varied, but they all brought universal panic. Although propaganda did portray the threat of Soviet attack and fear of Communism, its main purpose was to promote the politicized American voice and wage psychological warfare, which caused widespread hysteria among Americans. Few would agree that propaganda from the Cold War failed to show the danger of Soviet invasion.

It wasn 't my fault, it was too late for him and there was nothing anyone could do to help him. It happened in the early hours of the morning, the sun slowly stretching and awakening from its own peaceful slumber but couldn 't get its bright rays past the army of clouds that stood guard over the land. Our broken bodies leaning against the trench wall, our soggy backs slowly sinking into the disgusting, dark and dingy mud. The sound of the raindrops smacking the floor of our trench and the smothered, repetitive blasts of a Vickers machine gun constantly invaded our ears. The murky sky cried with despair as the rain gradually began to hit the ground as hard as bullets connecting with bone. Crippled bullet shells soared overhead with so much acceleration, they camouflaged within the stormy scenery. I recall the power of the silence that would submerge us all once the commotion beyond the trench would cease, I felt I was tangled and drowning within its forceful and mighty waves. My heart pummeled the inside of my chest with built up momentum, my pulse was as repetitive as the constant firing of a machine gun.

The tension between the Soviet Union and the United States escalated with the end of World War II in the summer of 1945. The Soviet Union and the United States, having been on the Allies fighting against the Axis, were both victorious world superpowers at the end of WWII. With conflicting government systems (on one side socialism and on the other democracy) however, these two nations would fight a cold war for the next few decades in hope of making their rule secure. This would shape America’s foreign and domestic policy for the next few decades and define the Cold War presidents. The Cold War presidents, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Henry Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, each altered domestic and foreign affairs including civil rights, containment policies, and welfare reforms. Harry S. Truman, the first president of the Cold War, succeed President Franklin Roosevelt and began forming various foreign policies in order to cope with the increasing bitter relations between the two nations. Every president after Truman until George H. W. Bush formed unique or built upon previous foreign policies during the Cold War. After analyzing all nine presidents’ achievements and failures, they have been ranked in order from most successful to least successful as Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Ford.

Why did none of the three main approaches to world politics (Realism, Pluralism and Structuralism) predict the end of the Cold War? Should they have done so?

Propaganda is a tool for manipulating and changing the opinions people. The bases of propaganda have come forth form the modes of persuasion, Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union resulted in major shift in United States foreign policy. For years, the United States supported tyrannical dictators in return for stable anti-communist government receptive to United States interests. The Cold War resulted in a new world order with the United States as the lone global hegemonic power. In Eastern Europe in particular, the end of the Cold War ushered in an era of economic growth and a large increase in the number of liberal democracies. Although the world saw a large increase in liberal democracies, a new regime type referred to as competitive authoritarianism began to emerge. According to Levitsky and Way, “In competitive authoritarian regimes, formal

In any conflict, differences in ideologies must be respected. America believed that Capitalism, Democracy, Freedom and Individualism was the key to a successful nation, while the Soviet Union believed in Socialism, Totalitarianism, Equality and Collectivism. These differences caused many conflicts such as the division of