American Anticommunism During the Cold War Essay - 926 Words

Subsequent to the conclusion of the treacherous Second World War, America prepared itself for a period of peace. This peacetime was short-lived, as America’s tolerance for communism receded this issue became the forefront for American concern. The United States of America, also referred to as the USA or US, regarded communism as a strategic threat due to its hostility to private property and free markets, policies that many Americans associate directly to political freedom. Throughout the intense period in history identified as the Cold War, America’s attention was, for the most part, politically and economically occupied by the threat of global left wing expansion and methods aimed†¦show more content†¦In his speech to congress on the twelfth of March 1947, Truman specifically called for four hundred million dollars in financial aid to be delivered to Greece and Turkey, both of which he suspected were threatened by a possible communist invasion. Cowie, a well-noted author, considers Truman’s speech to be the trigger for the transition of the Cold War from a temporary state to a permanent quarrel as it directly states America’s aggressive approach towards communist countries. Congress responded to Truman’s appeal by allocating the required funds along with US troops to administer the reconstruction. In an extract from Truman’s address America’s adoption of the dominant role in the anticommunist conflict is evident. â€Å"The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife. They reach full growth when the hope of the people for a better life has died. We must keep that hope alive.† The Marshal Plan was also established upon similar principles. The American Secretary of State George C. Marshal produced the Marshal Plan, or European Recovery Program in 1947, aspiring towards the rehabilitation of European nations devastated by the war. Highly regarded authors, Theodore Wilson,Show MoreRelatedEssay about Elaine Tyler May’s Homeward Bound1175 Words   |  5 PagesBound weaves two traditional narratives of the fifties -- suburban domesticity and rampant anticommunism -- into one compelling historical argument. Aiming to ascertain why, unlike both their parents and children, postwar Americans turned to marriage and parenthood with such enthusiasm and commitment, May discovers that cold war ideology and the domestic revival [were] two sides of the same coin: postwar Americans intense need to feel liberated from the past and secure in the future. (May, p. 5-6, 10)Read MoreCommunism And The United States Essay1963 Words   |  8 Pagesthe dictatorship afte r World War II. The horrified cognition of communism gets the Americans into panic, while the local government worries that the communist power would take over the United States. In response to the Red Scare was spread in the United States during 20th century, when the power of communists were getting increasingly stronger all over the world. In a way, the fear is tightly bound up with the political decision and the radical changes of the American thoughts. As a leading progenitorRead More American Anticommunism and the Cold War Essay2217 Words   |  9 Pages American anticommunism stems from a history of fear, and want of control over individuals, and groups of people who are defined as â€Å"others†. In this case â€Å"others†, is a term attributed to American citizens who were a part of, or held any relation or affiliation with the American Communist Party. Before them, it was immigrants; and before them it was African Americans, and Native Americans (Schrecker, 13). This fear and want of control over the American Communist Party, which immediately startedRead MoreThe Cold War Era During World War II1349 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War Era that followed th e end of World War II was unlike any Americans had seen before. After defeating Germany and its allies in the war, the United States faced a change on the home front: young Americans rushed into marriage and parenthood in unprecedented numbers. In Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, Elaine Tyler May describes these changes from the end of the war through the early 1960s. The author makes a compelling range of arguments about the changes that affectedRead MoreThe Cold War Essay1029 Words   |  5 Pages When one hears the common phrase, â€Å"The only good commie is a dead one,† the Cold War comes to mind. This war, cold because of no direct violence towards each country, was a major contribution to future wartime diplomacy. The clever Americans used many tactics to create a â€Å"cold† war that would benefit them in every aspect. The fear of communism consuming smaller countries exaggerated the possibility that America’s economy could be jeopardized. Politicians also helped guarantee anti-communistRead MoreThe Age Of Mccarthyism By Joseph Mccarthy1151 Words   |  5 Pagessubversives’ instilled fear and anxiety among Americans. This was exacerbated by the anxiety associated with the concerns of an escalating Cold War. McCarthy was motivated by his political ambition and thus used the anti-communist crusade as a scapegoat, to benefit his political career. It became increasingly apparent that the accusations were made against innocent individuals. Despite resorting to sensationalism and eventually lies to exploit American fears of a growing undercurrent of SocialistRead MoreAmerican Anti Communism : Combating The Enemy Within890 Words   |  4 Pagesreading American Anti-Communism: Combating the Enemy Within, 1830-1970 by M.J. Heale to watching Civilization (1916) and The Great Dictator (1940), I was able to identify a major comparison amongst all three that even through the economic chaos, peace is the solu tion. Although, they all were published in different years, I was able to analyze that each films and book illustrated that war never has a positive outcome. Wars last for years and usually results to the death of many. In American Anti-CommunismRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The War Of Las Vegas Nevada 914 Words   |  4 PagesLudmilla, Drago s wife, calls the United States an â€Å"antagonistic and violent government† that makes â€Å"threats of violence† to her husband and Koloff, the head trainer, comments that American society has become â€Å"pathetic and weak.† The Soviets insist on a rematch in Russia with Balboa as the antagonist. Angered by Drago’s cold indifference over Creed’s death, Balboa decides to avenge his friend, defend his country’s honor, and fight Drago in the Soviet Union in an unsanctioned fifteen round bout on ChristmasRead MoreThe Cold War Summarized Essay1619 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowing the Second World War is known as the Cold War. This period was full of tension and fear that the United States and the USSR would destroy each other and the world with their arsenals of atomic weapons. The seeds of this rivalry were planted nearly a quarter of a century before its actual commencement with the Revolution of 1918 in Russia. The Cold War Rivalry would manifest itself in everything from sports in Olympic competition to science and the Space Race. The Cold War did not only take placeRead MoreEssay on McCarthyism and the Conservative Political Climate of Today6203 Words   |  25 Pagesyears, the words quot;McCarthyquot; and quot;McCarthyismquot; have stood for a shameful period in American political history. During this period, thousands of people lost their jobs and hundreds were sent to prison. The U.S. government executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, two Communist Party (CP) members, as Russian spies. All of these people were victims of McCarthyism, the witch-hunt during the 1940s and 19 50s against Communists and other leftists, trade unionists and civil rights activists