How the Cold War Shaped the US Socio-Political and Economic Landscape - Essay Example

The Cold War (1917-1991) Even though there are different types of government ideologies, there is need for the people to strive for a common ground and have an open mind. The Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies, and others) and the Eastern Bloc (and the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact) had different ideologies and beliefs: the western bloc with capitalism and eastern bloc with communism (Harper, 88). Each bloc viewed their ideologies with serious conviction and none of the party was ready to compromise for a middle ground. Mistrust and suspicions grew between the two power blocs, which led to an international power struggle with both parties vying for control and dominance, exploiting every chance for expansion anywhere in the world. This supremacy battle led to the Cold War, which was a state of military and political tension after World War II between the Western bloc and the Eastern bloc. This paper discusses how the cold war shaped the socio-political and economic landscape of the U.S. As the cold war came to dominance, most of American policies toward the rest of the world, attitudes about immigration and immigration policies began to change. “The increasing prevalence of an internationalist ideology led to the passage and implementation of the Displaced Persons Acts of 1948 and 1950, which brought more than 400,000 European refugees into the US...”( McLaughlin & Mary, 15). By the early 1960s, calls to reform U.S immigration policy had increased, majorly because of the growing strength of the civil rights movement. The focus of civil rights movement was the importance of equal treatment regardless of nationality or race; this led many to view the quota system that was in place since 1920 as backward and discriminatory. The Congress debated and eventually passed the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965(McLaughlin & Mary, 76).This Act greatly changed the face of the American population. Effects of the Korean and Vietnam wars in United States The US has been involved in many wars with different objectives and results. However, one thing stands out from the wars that the U.S has been involved in, that is, the wars have served as crusades of political instruments. The only war that was exception to these objectives was the Korean and Vietnam wars. The war was a cold war-era proxy war that started in November 1955 and lasted for 20 years. The war had far-reaching consequences for the US. Many lives were lost; “….US lost more than 58,000 soldiers while more than 150,000 soldiers were wounded” (Hosch, 43). These harsh consequences led the Congress to replace the military draft with an all-volunteer force and the reduction of the voting age to 18 years. The president’s power was capped with the enactment of The War Powers Act, which restricts a presidents ability to send American forces into combat without explicit Congressional approval. The US became wary of getting involved elsewhere in the world out of fear of another kind of Vietnam War. The US government spent an estimated $350 billion to $900 billion in the war including veteran benefits and interests. Unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the war, President Lyndon Baines Johnson unleashed a cycle of inflation, which left a heavy burden on the U.S economy (Hosch, 65). Furthermore, the war weakened American citizen’s confidence and faith in the government, and in the competence and honesty of leaders especially in military decisions right after the war. Indeed, skepticism, and a high degree of suspicion and distrust towards all kind of authority characterized the views of a large number of Americans in the wake of the war. Public opinion led to the formation of strict guidelines for the commitment of forces abroad and a shift to a heavy reliance on air power to project American military power. Wilsonianism Even though the US had good intentions by engaging in other country’s affairs, the adverse results came back to haunt them. After the end of World War II, USSR capped its control over the states in the Eastern Bloc while in response United States officials agreed that the best defense was global containment. The strategy involved extending financial and military aid to the countries of Western Europe .This is where wilsoniasm came in, “…dealing with the perspective ideology on world affairs and foreign policy”( Eksterowicz & Glenn, 72). This led to the conviction that the leading priority of US foreign policy was the promotion of democratic government around the whole world. Critics to this policy argue that this policy was used to exert influence on European countries, which were under the control of rivals of USA and not due to the interests of the concerned countries (Eksterowicz & Glenn 89). Because of the application of this policy in the fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was loss of lives as USA used military intervention which otherwise was not entirely necessary. This exploits on foreign lands has subjected Americans to a war that is alien to America’s foreign policy. Critics suggest that Wilsoniasm may suffer from failure to recognize the objective limits of America’s influence. “They may fail to cooperate with the respective authoritarian governments when this is necessary for security reasons; indeed, they may raise unwanted tensions in such regimes by their superior and self-righteous posturing as witnessed in the Libyan crisis…” (Eksterowicz & Glenn 64).This policy may overextend America’s power by intervening, trying to bend local conditions in the process confusing national priorities. Liberal democratic internationalists should learn from these past events and experiences when they consider how to promote their agenda abroad. The Effects of the Great Depression It is hard for a country to emerge from the grip of a national crisis without profound changes in cultural, economic, political, and social ways. The US was no exception in the Great Depression that struck in the 1930’s. The Great Depression caused a myriad of changes in American society and economic policies, many of which linger to this day. While undesirable vices associated with a state of hopelessness were on the rise, the depression strengthened many businesses and family units. Mass migration reshaped the American demographics with populations shifting from rural areas to urban centers. After the stock market crash and the collapse of more than 40% of American banking sector, strict trading, banking regulations as well as financial protections were formed and enforced by a newly formed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (Nishi, Dennis 45). The Threat of Totalitarianism and its Effects While governments all over the world have different systems and ideologies on governance, the decisions of the political class affect the society in both good and bad ways. Totalitarianism can be defined as “a political system with similar characteristics as communism, in which the government holds authority and controls all aspect of private and private life...” (Cernak, 24). The US government has increased spying on its citizen’s personal associations and life patterns. This has led to a decrease in shared information. The sales of many information-based companies are plummeting as firms are exiting the information industry in fear of breaching tight government legislations. In addition, American citizens have started growing some distrust towards the government. The intrusion of citizen’s rights breaks the fundamental foundations of democracy. The proper functions of the government include promoting the equality of all citizens, ensuring fairness, or impartiality in creating and enforcing the law and protecting their natural constitutional rights. Totalitarianism hinders the government from delivering these functions, in the process undermining democracy. Conclusion In conclusion, the cold war period saw many changes in the structure of the America’s society. America bore the full brunt of the Vietnam War loosing many soldiers. This led to a review of military practices in foreign land to the betterment of America’s military strength. While wilsonianism has put America on a collision course with other countries, the foreign policy of America remains a strategic tool in dealing with international issues such as terrorism. The great depression led to a period of economic hardship for Americans. However, the depression served many lessons to government authorities and instilled financial discipline among the citizens. Totalitarianism remains a major hindrance of democracy. However, with the emergence of civil rights and several amendments of the constitution, every citizen has a say on matters of public interest be it on a federal level or at the highest level of governance. Works Cited Harper, John Lamberton. The Cold War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Nishi, Dennis. The Great Depression. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Print. Eksterowicz, Anthony J, and Glenn P Hastedt. Wilsonianism and Other Visions of Foreign Policy. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2012. Print. Cernak, Linda. Totalitarianism. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub. Co., 2011. Print. Hosch, William L. Korean War, and the Vietnam War. New York, NY: Britannica Educational Pub. In association with Rosen Educational Services, 2010. Print. McLaughlin, Bob, and Mary McLaughlin. USA Immigration & Orientation. Satellite Beach, Fla.: Wellesworth Pub., 2003. Print. Read More