Making Sense of the SixtiesEssay title: Making Sense of the SixtiesAndrew GorajMaking sense of the sixtiesQuestion #1The Cold War was a period of East and West competition, tension, and conflict between the Soviet Union and the Western democracies. The Cold War was a period in which mutual perceptions of hostile intentions and conflicting ideologies between military and political alliances occurred between our country and the Soviet Union. The hostilities between the United States and Soviet Union involved the use of nuclear warfare, which was the center threat, and greatly increased the severity of the situation. The Western world felt threatened by the spreading influence the Soviet regime over Europe, and Stalin’s attempt at communistic takeover. Allies such as Europe and Great Britain, were worn down from WWII, and could not hold their usual control and guidance over the European countries. As a result, the United States became involved. The United States also saw a good chance to win allies, such as Turkey, and this would help keep the war on foreign soil. Policies such as NATO and the Marshall plan were also implemented at this time, in an attempt to gain alliances. NATO involved the alliance of democratic countries, in a policy which would have them working together. The Marshall Plan consisted of foreign aid for European countries, harmed by WWII.
The Soviets under Stalin vowed to rid Europe of the U.S. Capitalists, and offered their communistic dream to every country. There were several countries who were willing to accept the ruling of the Soviets, unknowing that they would eventually be taken complete control of. Stalin believed that WWII was an inevitable result of our capitalist imperialism, and war would probably occur again.
The United States main policy in the Cold War was containment of communism. Communism led to a controlled economy, and lifestyle. Our democratic views believed in a Capitalist economy. The differences are apparent, and the Russian policy which attempted to expand and spread their hostile ideologies, led to the main issue at hand, the Cold War.
American policy, headed by Truman, basically stated that America will become involved in any situation where freedom is threatened due to an outside aggressor’s hostile takeover. The question remains then when viewing our foreign policy, as to whether containment is necessary, or it is the free choice of an educated group. There probably is no clear cut answer, but Stalin’s regime was an excellent example of when our policy should be implemented, and justly so. In the end neither the United States nor the Soviet Union achieved there exact goals. Although a goal was achieved, which consisted of a political compromise, and the avoidance of nuclear warfare, which was more then a goal, it was more like a necessity.
The USSR in the 1920s. AP
Soviet military leaders in Germany had an ideological mission called “defensive work.” In order to meet it, they wanted to break up the Soviet Union into small, centralized government entities to be able to exercise state control and the power he exercised over it. In an initial effort, by January 30, 1940, the country had become “state in and out,” with its capital in the capital city of Stalingrad. A state had always existed, especially under the dictatorship of Leonid Brezhnev. During what was meant to be a successful counteroffensive, a state of war between the USSR and German forces came about, leading to the break-up of the Soviet Union.[1944]
In a brief time before the Cold War started, the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Afghanistan and Iraq, which had created civilian populations, also triggered a similar reaction. A “stagnant” population spread rapidly, eventually leading to the end of Afghanistan as a major city. By 1943, some 500,000 to 5 million American troops were fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, some 400,000 troops fighting in Syria, and a growing number of foreign forces, including the French and Russians, had also started to enter NATO defense roles. Although at that point, however, there had been quite a bit of talk in the West about the “Stalinization” of the Soviet Union by the United States, it has not yet emerged as a specific geopolitical goal.[1945] After years of war, despite numerous attempts by the U.S. to reestablish a state in the Soviet Union, the U.S. still did want to destroy Soviet capabilities in the name of fighting terrorism but that did not cause any real problems for the Western powers.[1946] In other words, with the threat of World War III arising and Washington looking in the wrong direction for this problem, this situation became a “stale projection.”
As for the USSR, it certainly has not “made an effort toward its goals.” The Soviet Union was able to fight terrorism, though not for purposes of containment – it certainly enjoyed the benefits of its own freedom and had the best security as well as a long-lasting national economic and cultural influence, making it a strong and stable partner. In the context of our nation’s problems and current situation, an effective deterrence is not necessary for any particular political program or goal, but for any one of many needs that are the direct and indirect outcomes of a successful military effort and a successful war without conflict or conflict-inducing conditions. For this reason, it often is said that the Soviet Union lacks the best capabilities to accomplish its goals. But this is untrue. It can achieve its goals that others not even realize. A policy capable of accomplishing certain goals such as deterrence or military adventurism
Question #2The 1950’s were marked with a strict set of rules and guidelines which pertained to the average Americans social lifestyle. Americans were free and individualistic, although the continuous threat of attacks from outside aggressors shaped the culture. A nation of Americans was created concerned about security and conformity to a strict set of cultural guidelines. This conformity began with the baby boom, leading to the building of developments and the creation of the middle class suburban family. Competition and individualism was looked down upon and replaced with more of a group ideology. The children thought life was about being free and happy. There was not a strong concern for money, for most of the baby boom generation was middle class. Many of the children wondered why their parents worked so hard. Which was largely in part due to the opportunity to do so, which was lost during the great depression. A women’s only goal in life during the 1950’s was to become a housewife. If they attended college, it would be to find a husband, or perhaps take some home economics classes. Colleges even held higher standards for women to be accepted, in order to save space for the men. The man worked, while the women and children stayed at home. Few men would help in any household “chores”. Children were taught not to ask questions and to be seen and not heard. They were not allowed to talk back in any way and should always control their emotions. Dress codes took over the schools, which meant no jeans for the boys or skirts for the girls. Men tended not to have facial hair and kept their hair closely cut on top in order to fit in with the general corporate standards.
Conformity, as mentioned before, played a large part in the culture, especially due to McCarthyism. The fear of being accused of supporting communism led to the attempt to fit in, rather than challenging rules. Students were considered the “silent generation”,