U.s. Foreign Policy During The Cold War Essay

The end of the nineteenth century marked a significant change in the American foreign policy. Prior to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, America had paid little attention to foreign affairs. When compared to some of the more powerful European countries, such as France, Germany, and Great Britain, the United States had a

When the world famous liberal thinker Francis Fukuyama in his masterpiece declared that we were witnessing the end of the history, he was greeting the new political structure and also the new international environment, which is peaceful[1]. However, developments that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union showed us that the dissolution of the Soviets was unexpected. The international society was not ready for peace and Fukuyama’s optimistic assumptions were far from becoming real. Moreover, the international society currently started to realise that the tension and the potential of mass destructive war during the Cold War era had provided a

Prior to World War I, the United States generally chose to follow Washington’s farewell address and stay out of “foreign entanglements”. The United States foreign policy from 1918 to 1953 shifted from isolationism or independent internationalism to a more involved internationalism and containment of communism due to various international events, economic conditions, and US public opinion.

Interventionism, the belief that the United States should involve itself in foreign affairs, and isolationism, the belief that the United States should avert from any foreign affairs were two ideas that bopped heads during the first World War when it came to the United States’ position in foreign affairs. Interventionism was highly driven off of the thirst for profit and power. This hunger completely brainwashed people of all other thoughts, triggering them to steal innocent lives recklessly and mercilessly. However, isolationism protected American interests during the early 1900’s as it kept us out of war and affairs which ultimately resulted in American debt, lives, and peace being spared from the terrors of war as exhibited in George Washington’s Farewell Address, Ambassador James Bryce’s British Report on German Atrocities, and Robert La Follette’s A Progressive Opposes the Declaration of War.

The Cold War took a lot of affect on the United States Domestic Policy and American society. Domestic Policies were changed due to the world affairs, and the American society had a dramatic change from the war. The United States Government became extra secure and protected. Many new political cartoons were created from the fear of Communists and other big events and things that were happening during this time period. War was the leading problem in the US during this time period. Many citizens became upset and protested. Also, many American citizens were scared because they heard many people talking about the war,and what was happening and took as many measures on safety as they possibly knew and could. Later, through science, we have learned that many of their tactics when it came to protecting themselves would not even have worked.The United States spend a lot of extra money during this time period to keep up with the war. (DBQ questions)

As the United States went through two World Wars between 1914 and 1941, isolationist sentiment had a large influence on US foreign policy. There were many causes for such isolationist beliefs as the era included many significant changes. The main change that Americans experienced during this time period was the immense difference in the decades, with a roaring economy in the 1920s following the first World War and a Great Depression in the 1930s which would end with the start of the second World War. With such large changes occurring within the lives of Americans during this entire period of time, isolationist sentiment rose. As such beliefs became widespread, US foreign policy became influenced by such isolationism. Isolationism meant that

During the Cold War, America's basic policy was that of "containment" of the Soviet Union. The policy of containment was based upon several principles. First, the Soviet Union wanted to spread socialism to all areas of the world. However, it was felt that the leadership of the Soviet Union felt no particular rush to accomplish their goal. "The Kremlin is under no ideological compulsion to accomplish its purposes in a hurry. Like the Church, it is dealing in ideological concepts which are of a long-term validity, and it can afford to be patient. (Hook and Spanier, 42)." In other words, the Soviet leadership believed that, since their ideas were the correct ones, they would eventually prevail, and thus, no direct confrontation would be

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.

Immediately prior to the turn of the twentieth century the United States began to engage in a more assertive foreign policy. There have been numerous speculations of why that the United States decided to engage in a more aggressive foreign policy, but the main factors are clear. The United States required a stronger foreign policy because of the economic, strategic, and political interests that the United States held in foreign markets. Theses interests were necessary in order to continue the strong economic growth the United States had been experiencing immediately prior to the turn of the century.

‘Roosevelt argued that the isolationist fantasy of the nation as a safe oasis in a world dominated by fascist terror evoked for the overwhelming majority of Americans not a dream but a "nightmare of a people without freedom"’ (Dunn, Susan). Roosevelt, who was the US President during WWII, believed that a policy of isolationism would lead only to destroying America's freedoms. This view was highly controversial as the US debated whether to intervene in WWII. Isolationism had been a long-held practice and mostly beneficial policy for the United States. However, in the 1940s, it became necessary to reconsider isolationism. The future of American ideals such as liberty and democracy greatly depended on the US’ course of action. With the growing prospect of a dangerous German threat, the US needed to intervene to protect these ideals and keep the war off of American soil. However, since the US was unprepared

The role of America at the end of World War II was where the origins of policing the world originate. America had been engaged in a very costly war in terms of dollars as well as lives. But, despite the expense the United States came out of World War II better than any other nation that was involved. The Second World War was a battle between the Allied and Axis Powers. The Allied Powers consisted of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and France. This war was seen as the fight against Nazi Germany, and therefore resulted in a majority of the battles fought on German and Russian soil. The aftermath left the Soviet Union in bad shape. Close to twenty million Russians

The history of the United States is short but complex. A young nation, the United States has already become a major power in the world theatre. Risen from humble colony, to independent nation, and finally a world leader, in little more than three hundred years. Many believe that the young nations isolation and independence have shaped it polices toward other nations. The United States following years of isolationist policy entered the world stage in force under the leadership of two powerful figures in United States history President Roosevelt and President Wilson. These Presidents held strong views of the relationship that the United States should have in the world’s political theatre. Wilson was the political idealist, he believed that the

The notion that we do not need foreign policy, or that it is an antiquated concept is greatly misleading. In fact, we need a strong foreign policy now more than ever. We are living at a time when the world’s geographical divides are shrinking due to ever increasing advancements in communication, technology, trade, and a strong global economic interdependence. Even though the notion that we are somehow economically dependent upon other countries is not something new for the US, we still see a strong indifference to foreign policy. In order to understand the problems, let us take a step back and examine the history of US foreign policy.

“Until early in [the twentieth] century, the isolationist tendency prevailed in American foreign policy. Then, two factors projected America into world affairs: its rapidly expanding power, and the gradual collapse of the international system centered on Europe” . President Woodrow Wilson was the leader who would initiate the ideologies of American diplomacy in the twentieth century. Up until his Presidency, American foreign policy was simply to fulfill the course of manifest destiny, and to remain free of entanglements overseas. Although he could not convince his fellow politicians on Capitol Hill of the probable success of his ideas, he did persuade the fellow writers of the Treaty of

The Cold War and its ending with the dismantling of the Soviet Union and a great reduction in the threat of communism as a competing system to capitalism and democratic governance changed the focus of US foreign policy. The change did not happen overnight and has ebbed and flowed significantly across time, often associated with the nature of foreign conflicts and US involvement in them but change it did (Saull, 2007, p. 180). The reduction of the size, might and influence of the US military and many institutions associated with foreign relations was almost directly in response to the reduction in the obvious large and cohesive threat of the Soviet Union. Once that cohesive threat, a sort of outside check and balance with which the US had to meet toe to toe created a public and internal government demand for reduction of spending and investment in the US armed forces and also a point of access that changed the manner in which the US attempted to influence and redirect foreign nations (Saull, 2007, p. 180). According to Saul: