Cold War Era and the Threats to American Families - Essay Example

Describe the historical and political conditions of the Cold War era. While the United s and the Soviet Union fought as allies during the Second World War (1939-1945), in the period that followed, they became adversaries. The onset of the 'Cold War' between the US and the Soviet Union is conventionally maintained to have started with the Truman Doctrine [Hunter, 1998, p. 13]. In the immediate aftermath of the war, President Truman vowed to support both Greece and Turkey with military aid so that they would not fall to the expanding Soviet empire.

The Cold War became a conflict over expansion. While the US was interested in promoting liberal democracies world-wide, the Soviet Union was equally interested in expanding communism [Hunter, 1998]. For instance, when Cuba fell to Fidel Castro in 1959, they immediately got aid and support from the U.S.S.R.[Shermen, 2004, p. 17]. Likewise with a wide range of nations. In general, the Cold War became a situation where both the US and the USSR continued to expand their interests internationally, and in turn, grew their military power.

Included in the growth of the military, was the expansion of nuclear arms. A nuclear bomb was first used by the US on Japan in the Second World War, and its effectiveness became the catalyst for developing these types of bombs in both the US and the USSR. The Cold War was thus synonymous with the 'arms race' [Westad, 2000, p. 207], which would eventually bankrupt the USSR. Explain the specific threats to American citizens. The US lived under the threat of nuclear bombs. These were not just in the USSR, but during that era, were the cargo for bombers constantly circling the world and also, located in allies of the USSR like Cuba.

Thus, the US was under threat of being bombed and to a lesser extent, they felt they were under an ideological threat. One of the aspects of the Cold War, was the general fear that communism was expanding and within the US too. This involved the McCarthy hearings in the Senate that had an agenda of questioning anyone who had any personal affiliation with communists. Describe the preparations you would make to protect your family In the US, the department of 'Civil Defense' was in charge of informing Americans about security threats.

During the Cold War, families were told or instructed to prepare for the possibility of a nuclear war. As such, many built bomb shelters in the backyards, and underground, and many or the majority stocked up on food supplies and water [Field, 2005, p. 83]. It was known that the after effects of a bomb was excessive radiation, so the main focus of helping US citizens was aimed at dealing with radiation. Further, a number of basic safety techniques also got taught through the Department of Civil Defense, and this included the 'stop, drop, and roll' strategy taught in the schools to most children.

This was a method by which US children were taught to protect themselves. That is, stop what you are doing, drop to the ground, and roll under neath anything that would provide some cover [Field, 2005]. Conclude with one question for further study on the Cold War era Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, more and more documents have become open for inspection for historians. One area that is worth exploring, asks how Soviet families were taught to cope with the prospect of nuclear war.

Works Cited: Field, Douglas (Ed.). 2005. American Cold War Culture. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Press. Hunter, Allen. 1998. Rethinking the Cold War. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Sherman, Joseph. 2004. The Cold War. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications. Westad, O.A.. 2006. The Global Cold War. Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Time. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The Cold War: A U.S. Perspective.