The Civil Rights Movement - Essay Example

The Cold War was a conflict between the U.S. and its allies against the Soviet Union and its allies which lasted from the end of World War II until 1991. The war was unconventional in that it, for the most part, was not fought on the battlefield. It was, however, a war of ideological, political and economic differences fought with propaganda, diplomatic scuffles and the sporadic military skirmish. These inherent differences that preceded WWII intensified following the war. The former allies mistrusted each other which led to a massive arms race which would make both countries military superpowers during this era. The Cold War was fought on many fronts such as Asia, Africa, Cuba and in outer space. Given the ideological differences, the emergence of both as military superpowers each wanting to dominate the other, world-scale conflicts were unavoidable. Events that occurred during World War II initiated political trepidations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Following the war’s end in 1945 and continuing through the latter part of the 1940’s, widespread fear increased among both politicians and the public in the U.S. that Communism would proliferate throughout the world including the U.S. This period in history was a time of tension and conflicts on not only a global scale but also within the national political scene as well. It was hoped that the alliance formed between the two countries during the war would continue and strengthen afterwards. However, the Soviets expanded their territories in Eastern Europe, attempted to control the affairs in the Far East including China and detonated its first atomic bomb in 1949. The combination of these events on foreign soil acted together and along with prominent national scandals such as the Amerasia and Alger Hiss cases led to the ‘Red Scare’ and ‘McCarthyism’ in the U.S. (Evans, 1997). The Soviet Union’s military atrocities in Poland served as the catalyst for the U.S. dissolving its alliance with its former friend. All economic aid to the Soviets was cut off in May of 1945 by President Truman who, in August of that year declared that Stalin, the Soviet Premier, did not desire peace but to rule the world. Truman employed two major policies in the cold war fight. The first was the Truman Doctrine, a policy of containment of the Soviet Union. He said in a speech in March of 1947 that it was “America’s duty to interfere.” He did not want to destroy the country but wanted to stop the Soviet territorial expansion. The Truman Doctrine gave military and financial support to countries vulnerable to communist expansion such as in Turkey and Greece. The second major policy, the Marshall Plan, provided economic assistance to the democratic countries in Western Europe. Marshall said that “America should give $17 billion of aid to get Europe’s economy going and stop Communism” (Marshall, 1947). Cold War tensions improved a bit in 1959 when Nikita Khruschchev, the new Soviet leader, made a visit to Eisenhower’s holiday residence. But in 1960, when a U.S. spy-plane was shot down in Russia, tensions resumed. This incident was followed a year later by the Bay of Pigs invasion ordered by then U.S. President John F. Kennedy. In August of 1961, tensions continued to grow when the Berlin Wall was built by the Soviet puppet government of East Germany to stop the many thousands of East German people from fleeing their impoverished oppressed life to the hopes of a better future in the West. The wall was heavily fortified and guarded. Many were killed in the effort to escape. Though, when Ronald Reagan was President he referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire,” Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev had four meetings with Reagan. There was extensive instability among the ‘communist block’ countries of Eastern Europe by 1989. That year, the Berlin Wall was torn down, again uniting East and West Berlin. The demise of this symbol of Soviet domination along with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the collapse of the Soviet Union itself soon after marked the end of the Cold War (Pike, 2005). According to the textbook, “The Declaration of Independence never claimed that perfect justice and equal opportunity existed in the United States; rather, it challenged the Revolutionary generation and all who later inherited the nation to bring this ideal closer to reality.” There are a number of ways in which Americans living during the past century have worked to remain true to the Revolutionary spirit of striving for greater justice and equality among people including women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was an important chapter in American history which led to the establishment of human rights around the world and The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin” (US Equal Opportunity Commission, 1997). Subsequently an Executive Order (11246) originating from the Lyndon Johnson administration in 1965 mandated affirmative action for all federally funded programs. These governmental efforts to effectively outlaw institutionalized racism was a reaction necessitated by the enormous outpouring of public pressure of all races and gender during the 1950’s and 60’s. Society as a whole as well as many groups and individuals has benefited from these programs including women, those who suffer disabilities and the working class, but the principal emphasis of the movement and legislation was focused on racial discrimination. Civil Rights legislation gave credence to the great imbalance of social equality that blacks were experiencing and to the rights and the respect that they were seeking through the movement. Jim Crow segregation laws were banned by the 1964 Civil Rights Act causing segregation to become a thing of the dark past. Blacks now had social equality, at least in legal terms. The Civil Rights Act also prohibited discrimination in employment practices and the 1965 Voting Rights Act made the process to register to vote more accessible for blacks. In the South, ‘literacy tests’, poll taxes and other methods were used to restrict black voting. These were made illegal allowing all adult blacks the right and means to vote thereby giving them political equality. All other discriminatory laws were also banned in the 1960’s such as laws prohibiting inter-racial marriages and racist housing practices. By the end of the 1960s, the “Civil Rights Movement had achieved both social and political equality for blacks. This was a significant success” (The Civil Rights Movement, 1998). Although women had achieved the right to vote some time ago, the position of women was still not equal to that of their male counterparts during this era. During the 1960’s, women began developing theories to help express the oppression they endured and the modern-day feminist movement was born. Feminists drew media attention for their cause by gathering in street protests and burning their bras. This attention led to reforms in the laws and in the minds of women and men alike. Feminism is best described as a structured movement that endorses the idea of equality for women and minorities in the economic, social and political arenas. No one would question that women have historically been subjugated to second-class citizen status and oppressive tactics simply due to their gender in the dominant patriarchal society. Feminists have been instrumental in producing and supporting laws which eradicate social barriers women have historically endured. These laws have sought equal rights and opportunities for women in the workplace, educational system and through social and health programs. By legislating equality for all, the traditional patriarchal ideologies are challenged and broken down while liberating women at the same time (Kramarae & Treichler, 1985). Both the Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement have made significant strides in advancing the equal rights of black people and women in American society, both groups that have traditionally suffered injustice and restricted access to opportunity. While there remains some injustice and restrictions in place today, both of these movements honored the nation’s revolutionary roots in working tirelessly to draw attention to the matter and bring about change, political and social, that would begin to address them. References Civil Rights Movement, The. (1998). Theale Green Community School. Berkshire. Evans, M. Stanton. (May 30, 1997). “McCarthyism: Waging the Cold War in America.” Human Events. Retrieved December 4, 2008 Kramarae, Cheris and Treichler, Paula A., with assistance from Ann Russo. (1985). A Feminist Dictionary. London, Boston: Pandora Press. Marshall, George C. (June 5, 1947). “The Marshall Plan.” The History Place Great Speeches Collection. Retrieved December 4, 2008 Pike, John. (July 6, 2005). “Cold War.” Global Security. Retrieved December 4, 2008 US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (January 15, 1997). “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” United States Code. Retrieved December 4, 2008 Read More