- Published: January 9, 2022
- Updated: January 9, 2022
- University / College: University of Washington
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 28
Module Cold War and 1950s Economic Boom The post world war II saw the emergence of two arch adversaries i. e. the United s and the Soviet Union. On one hand the United States perceived the USSR as determined to spread communism on a global scale while destroying democracy. On the other hand, the USSR perceived the US as a nation whose sole aim to annihilate communist in the world by ruthlessly and imperialistically imposing capitalism and democracy. These perceptions brought about the Cold War that essentially started a year after WWII. It was, therefore, more of an economic and ideological war that fed on the continued rivalry between the two aforementioned nations. However, none of the two declared military warfare against the other but they used indirect means to curb the other’s influence in the global arena.
Americans were largely made to fear the communist agenda and this saw the republicans and democrats wage political wars based on which side can better handle the Soviet Union. Cold War was thought to ultimately lead to a nuclear war as both nations increased their nuclear stockpiles to deter the other from attempting an invasion. Hollywood released many anticommunist films and this instilled patriotism in Americans. For US to advance its agenda around the world and not to be seen as hypocrites, President Truman triggered laws that aimed at ending discrimination of the African Americans in the 1950s. On the other hand, US intervened militarily in regions across the world such as Korea and Vietnam so as to stop the communism agenda from spreading.
Cold war, I believe, could not have been avoided. The differences between the US and the USSR were so huge and parallel that it was inevitable that they had to agree to disagree. The ideologies of capitalism versus communism could not merge while both Truman and Stalin could not agree as they had conflicting ambitions of controlling the post WWII world order. The systems of government were so different and the heated arguments between the two leaders made matters worse.
