Columbia Southern University Fear of the Soviet Union by the United States Question In your opinion, how did the fear of the Soviet Union affect American c

Columbia Southern University Fear of the Soviet Union by the United States Question In your opinion, how did the fear of the Soviet Union affect American culture and society?Just a paragraph is needed UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE
Post World War and Korea
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
6. Explain the United States’ role as a superpower during and after the world wars.
6.1 Describe the new responsibilities of the United States as a superpower in the Cold War era.
7. Describe the modern challenges and opportunities concerning the United States around the globe.
7.1 Identify key individuals associated with the Cold War period.
7.2 Recognize notable innovations in the post-World War II (WWII) world.
7.3 Identify political ideals related to the Cold War era.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
6.1
7.1
7.2
7.3
Learning Activity
Unit Lesson
Reading: U.S. History
Unit VI Assessment
Unit Lesson
Reading: U.S. History
Unit VI Assessment
Unit Lesson
Reading: U.S. History
Unit VI Assessment
Unit Lesson
Reading: U.S. History
Unit VI Assessment
Reading Assignment
Throughout this course, you will be provided with sections of content from the online resource U.S. History.
You may be tested on your knowledge and understanding of the material listed below as well as the
information presented in the unit lesson. Click on the link below to access your material.
Click here to access this unit’s readings from U.S. History. The chapter title is also provided below.
Chapter 28 (Sections 28.1–28.5): Post-War Prosperity and Cold War Fears, 1945-1960
Unit Lesson
Unit V focused on World War II (WWII), which left us with one lasting front of political, militaristic, and cultural
hostility. The Allied Powers, who had so effectively worked together in the extermination of the Nazi threat,
were not as fortunate in overlooking their own differences.
In the West, the traditional powers of Great Britain and France remained aligned with the United States, which
had been the one superpower left standing after WWII. On the other side stood the Soviets, who, unlike in the
aftermath of World War I (WWI), possessed an established, commanding leader in Joseph Stalin. Stalin
demanded the respect and loyalty of his people, which was a power he gained through utopian promises and
brutal aggression. Hitler’s defeat would ultimately lead to tense negotiations for the fate of the German people
and, finally, a new struggle to find the world’s one true super power.
HY 1120, American History II
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Cold War Hostility
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
This unit will focus on the early hostilities of the Cold War, including the Korean conflict and troubles at home.
This would be the ultimate test for democratic resolve, as it was attacked on the world stage by individuals of
immense power and influence who wanted nothing more than to spread their ideas of perfectionism to the
nations of the West.
Germany, at the end of the war, was literally divided in half between the Allied West and Soviet Union
(U.S.S.R.). To put it in simplest terms, excluding Berlin, the fate of former-Axis territory now rested in the
hands of the nations that liberated it. Berlin, the capital of Germany and the opposition’s seat of power during
the previous world war, was also divided between the two sides. To enforce this border, the Soviets
constructed a wall, which, over time, would become more than just a symbol of the differences between
geographic rivals but, rather, become a form of political validation. The Western powers were not going to
repeat the mistake of abandoning the rebuilding process, which could again lead to further hostilities, but
Stalin demanded that German suffering stand as payment for Soviet losses and casualties as well as a
symbol of the strength of Eastern Europe and of his own ruthless nature.
East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, Nov. 20, 1961.
(National Archives, 1961)
Communism, in its purest form, was popular in poorer nations because it publicly guaranteed equal treatment
and promised to provide what was necessary to live. Its failures, in practice, were ultimately due to corrupt
management and limited incentive, which was the hallmark of the free market economy.
In the fallout of WWII, the Soviet Union would be influential in the spread of Communism throughout its
sphere of control or influence, which now spread all the way into Western Europe, having been invited by
some and bullying their way into others. With the efforts of other aspiring dictators, such as China’s Mao
Zedong (Tse Tung), other war-weary and struggling nations, including Vietnam and Korea, would also soon
face strong communist pressure.
In the United States, communism was a source of constant headlines. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare
was effective at swaying social consciousness against anything communist. The Soviet growth across
Eastern Europe and Asia provided his campaign with a continuous source of propaganda.
This period of tension would be dubbed the as the Cold War in reference to the absence of violence between
the powers. However, all the while, there was a lingering threat that only supported further political action,
including espionage on both sides and relentless speculation of who was an enemy and who could be trusted.
In the aftermath of previous wars, the United States would instinctively renew its isolationist policy, retreating
back to its natural borders and leaving Europe to address its own problems. With the quick and ominous
threat that communism brought, however, this was no longer an option. As the only world power with the
HY 1120, American History II
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potential to rival the strength of the Soviets, the United States found itself in the
middle
of a political
UNIT
x STUDY
GUIDEfirestorm
and in a state of constant alert.
Title
In 1950, the dominos started to fall, and the first real conflict emerged from this situation. The Republic of
Korea (ROK), more commonly known as South Korea, was invaded by the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea. Once united under the control of Japan, these two neighbors
were, like Germany, divided at the mutually agreed upon 38th parallel. As a part of negotiations following
WWII, the North fell under the control of the Soviets, and the South fell under the united Western control.
Following the pattern of their Soviet brothers, the North Koreans became communist and desired a
reunification of the Korean peninsula. South Korea, supported in their rebuilding, had become quite
Westernized in the years since the war and no longer shared many cultural, social, economic, or political traits
with their neighbors to the north.
For the Western powers, this was a situation in need of containment. United Nations (UN) forces would be
brought into the region to enforce the Truman Doctrine and ensure that South Korea would not sustain losses
due to the invasion. Things did not entirely go as planned for the heavily U.S.-backed UN. Early losses would
lead to moderate success and momentum, but conflicting leadership would lead to China stepping in to
support their communist allies.
The United States was not ready for this conflict. Despite this, Truman would not be seen as afraid or unable
to back up his promises, and 1.8 million Americans would be deployed to Korea. The first success would not
come until General Douglas MacArthur successfully retook Inchon, Seoul, and, finally, the original border.
Truman wanted to reunite Korea, rather than simply reinforcing the border from 5 years prior, but he knew the
risk of threatening the Chinese border. MacArthur, as brilliant and charismatic as he was, did not see eye-toeye with this strategy. Since his experience in the Pacific padded his confidence in U.S. strength, he decided
to ignore his Commander in Chief, and China did indeed enter the fray with an initial force of 300,000 soldiers
to aid the northern cause.
After a disagreement about a bombing strategy, MacArthur and Truman would have a very loud and public
falling out because of this decision. MacArthur, like many Americans, did not discount the United States and
saw the situation at the time as an opportunity to strike against the communists. Truman, frustrated and
angered by MacArthur’s blatant refusal to follow orders, removed the WWII hero from his post as Commander
of the Pacific in 1951, whereupon the first round of peace negotiations began.
Finally, in 1953, with North Korea battered from continuous air raids and South Korea unable to match
Chinese forces on the ground, an armistice was signed at Panmunjom. In addition to ceasing hostilities, this
agreement instilled a 2.5-mile mutually shared buffer zone, called the demilitarized zone, surrounding the new
border. The last impact of this conflict was the fear of future problems. It was decided that the military was not
up to the standard of a superpower, and with that, the federal budget would allot approximately 70% of the
1952 budget to restocking the military in case of later aggression. This controversial and secret decision
would be known as NSC 68.
Truman would not recover from Korea, and he would not even attempt to challenge as the incumbent in the
1952 presidential election. The Republicans would take the White House, with Dwight D. Eisenhower at the
helm; he chose California Senator Richard Milhous Nixon as his running mate.
HY 1120, American History II
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Eisenhower knew the nation
was
war-weary
and chose
UNIT
x STUDY
GUIDE
to be a moderate during his
term of service as president.
Title
He proposed a plan that most Americans would see as
beneficial but was essentially the opposite in terms of the
flash of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (FDR) New Deal.
Eisenhower’s Middle Way sought to reinforce the
liberties and rights of the American people. Eisenhower
saw benefit in public works, such as the New Deal, but
he did not think that the government needed to interfere
with every aspect of personal life.
The Cold War was a time of high alert. It is perhaps
because of Eisenhower’s style of modern Republicanism,
which was focused on public works (e.g., the Interstate
Highway and Defense System Act of 1956) and jobs—
instead of constant threats and overbearing government
interference, that he was popular.
On the other end of the scale, the active muscle behind
the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy, would finally
step too far by accusing persons of the military of
communist association, without any proof to validate his
claims. He then experienced a very public falling out, and
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956
almost overnight, the public scare was over, though the
(White House, 1956)
threat was still very real. Today, the term McCarthyism is
linked to false, or unproven, accusations. His model is common to popular media and literature, such as
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, which uses the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s as a comparison
to the panic and fear of McCarthy’s time in the public limelight.
Adapting to Changes
With progress, there are often losses—some expected and others not. Such is the case with the success of
Eisenhower’s interstate system. For the second time in American history, agreements between the federal
government and Native American tribes would be broken over issues such as land rights and the assumption
that the Native Americans wanted to become “more American” and “less Native.”
By the end of the Eisenhower Administration, there were plans for the forced removal of tribes from granted
lands in exchange for compensation or replacement lands. Much of this was related to a Truman-era belief
that the Native Americans needed federal aid to survive and that many Native Americans acted out their
desires to be more American by undertaking roles with other Americans during the war years, such as
enlistment working in factories. However, the final outcomes would begin during Eisenhower’s time.
Similar to the Jackson Administration in the 19th century, not all went according to plan with the removals.
Prices given for lands were often unfair to the tribes, and federal funding ceased with the closing of federal
care and aid facilities (as this became a state matter). Lastly, many Native Americans were sent to cities
where they were promised everything they would need for a prosperous opportunity, but they found
themselves on the receiving end of much of the same racism and bigotry that was seen by immigrants in the
1850s.
There would also be a great migration in the 1950s resulting from the popularization and advertisement of the
suburbs. Families who could quickly make their way out of the city and into the neighborhood did so in large
numbers. This was a part of the American dream and the finding of one’s piece of paradise, just as depicted
in popular television programs such as Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best. In reality, what changed
was the nature of work.
HY 1120, American History II
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Technology was replacing the unskilled worker in industry. Also, many of the backbreaking
farming
tasks,
UNIT x STUDY
GUIDE
which had required a large family in previous generations, were now almost fully
automated. Unions grew
Title
stronger as work opportunities were at a premium; many of the lower classes would move into the city to
discover there were still few opportunities to be had.
Thanks to the growth of the electrical grid and air conditioning, the greatest rate of population growth occurred
in the Southeast and Southwest, which traditionally had much smaller populations and few major cities. With
this influx of citizens, however, there came an effort to oust competition, starting with immigrants. Due to its
location, the group that would face the harshest criticism would be Mexicans.
Women did see their opportunities to work trend upward, but they were not considered equal to men in either
wages or status in most companies. Women also became more common on university campuses, though
starting a family would often trump educational ambition. Perhaps the largest change for women would be a
new group of reform-minded activists, such as Betty Friedan and Edith Stern, who argued against the
homemaker expectation. They would advocate for women to not accept society’s right to judge their capability
based on gender but to challenge themselves to find personal fulfillment, which might be outside of the home.
Miss Main Honour, a math major at Auburn University and the first woman
accepted into Redstone Arsenal’s Cooperative Training Program
(U.S. Army, 1956)
Equality was also a goal for African Americans, who still contended with many of the Jim Crow attitudes
confronted by their fathers and grandfathers. The 1950s would provide some steps forward but at the
expense of a renewed wave of racism and hostility. Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court
decision in 1896 that legalized segregation. It had reinforced and supported racist attitudes and actions in
America, which inherently also limited the opportunities for advancement of African American communities.
Brown v. Board of Education of 1956 would address this limitation by overturning the Plessy decision. In
short, multiple lawsuits were presented, which showed that, due to issues related to geography, facility, or
funding, separate institutions of learning were not equal. This pattern of hostility was not unique to one region,
population, or economic class; it had simply been overlooked or excused for such a long time that generations
continued to grow in its shadow. Even with the Brown decision, there was little to no enforcement in many
cases. The American South, however, was still a hotbed of activity, and a young activist named Rosa Parks
would become the face of one such event: the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott.
Even with these tense times, the 1950s was the backdrop to many cases of peaceful refusal to abide by Jim
Crow laws. If those who resisted were arrested, it was okay, and attempts at public humiliation provided even
greater exposure. Finally, with the aid of leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, this unequal treatment was becoming national news. Eisenhower would
HY 1120, American History II
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make some small strides to advance equality, but in general, he focused on issues
whichGUIDE
he was more
UNIT with
x STUDY
comfortable, most notably, military and international affairs.
Title
Space Race
Internationally, Eisenhower would face many struggles, starting with the premiere of a new Soviet leader:
Nikita Khrushchev. Both Eisenhower and Khrushchev feared what continued hostilities could mean, up to and
including the potential for nuclear war if the threat escalated. Under the leadership of these two men, the
competition between the two superpowers would take a turn in a new direction—the race for space.
Though there are numerous nations with
the technology and means for a space
program today, this was more of a show
of technological progress and ability than
a public spectacle. For example, if one
power could launch a rocket powerful
enough to exit the atmosphere, what
could that mean for their military might?
This is exactly the question that was on
the minds of many when Sputnik, an
unmanned satellite, was launched into
space by the Soviet Union. The United
States was quick to respond, but the
damage had been done. The United
States still had the edge in nuclear
technology, but this was the first time
since the Great War that the U.S. public
was not absolutely sure if it could protect
itself from a rival force.
To calm the public, the government made
public service advertisements, which, in
hindsight, probably had about the same
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2004)
chance of success as a placebo. For
example, schools taught students to crawl under their desks if they heard an air raid siren, as well as other
such drills that supposedly would protect them during nuclear conditions. The United States and Soviet
nations would continue their uneasy peace through the 1950s. Any exchanges between the two would
generally be related to espionage more than imminent catastrophe. This inspired a refocus on science and
mathematics in the American education system.
A replica of Sputnik, which is stored in the National Air and Space Museum
Many of the remaining international issues that Eisenhower would face would largely be related to
containment, the same policy that had ultimately plunged the United States into the Korean conflict.
Eisenhower, like Truman, saw the threat of not acting on the containment strategy.
Eisenhower’s perspective, though, was a bit different. He was more concerned about his domino theory and
argued that failure to act on, or successfully prevent, one non-communist nation from being assimilated into
the communist bloc would result in others following. Just as Truman had feared not acting with Greece,
Turkey, and finally Korea, Eisenhower had his hands full with Latin America (Guatemala and Cuba), the
Middle East (Iran and Egypt), and Vietnam.
This time the threat of communism was arising on a more global scale, but the epicenter of U.S. interest
would be a Southeast Asian target: Vietnam. Following France’s defeat by Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh forces in
1954, Vietnam was separated into communist north and independent south at the 17th parallel, just as Korea
had been divided at the 38th parallel after WWII. The north, led by Ho Chi Minh, would become an
increasingly desperate threat to Eisenhower’s policy. Despite the many comparisons, Vietnam would not be
as clear a separation as Korea had been, the difference being that the Viet Minh, those who supported the
communist regime, were prevalent in both nations. Defense of the south would mean that the United States
HY 1120, American History II
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would very likely need to fight against some of the same people they were sent
to protect
if they
were to stop
UNIT
x STUDY
GUIDE
the spread of communism.
Title
Truman and Eisenhower together set a tone for the early …
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