The Cold War On American Culture Essay

After World War II, only two world superpowers remained: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The contradictory political regimes of the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union were believed to be mutually exclusive which increased bitterness between them. Inevitably, the apparent tension between the two superpowers led to the Cold War which lasted about 45 years. It was war without bloodshed or battle, instead it was a metaphorical war where the U.S and the Soviet Union increased their weapons and fought for political influence, one always wanting to excel or maintain within the range of the other. The United States’ desperate need to contain the communist political ideology from spreading any further and meet the Soviet Union’s increased development of nuclear weapons led to the their involvement in the Cold War. The impact the Cold War had on life during the 1950’s and 1960’s can be measured through the creation of the House Un-American

The Cold War changed American society by introducing both foreign and domestic fear into the lives of Americans. It brought neighbor against neighbor, and a trembling thoughts to all Americans. It gave an upper-hand to the men in the branches of Federal Government, and especially to the HUAC; moreover it

The Cold War, which was considered the “years of maximum danger,” lasted from 1949-1962. This period brought an increasing sense of danger to America because the Soviet Union came into possession of an atomic bomb in 1949; an idea many Americans thought to be impossible unless the Soviet Union had a spy in the United States, which they did. Because the Soviet Union had an atomic bomb, a nuclear war became a reality. In Kenneth Rose’s “One Nation Underground” he told of rising issues associated with the Cold War and the threat of nuclear bombings. The Cold War, in conjunction with the inventions of (total destructive) bombs, generated new dangers, fears, and morality issues among Americans, which led to further increased fears.

At this time both the democratic United States and the communist Soviet Union believed that successful advancements in technology would enable them to assert strength and superiority. According to Achieve 3000, “Case Against Rosenberg Falls Apart,” “In 1949, The Soviet Union test-launched an atomic bomb, an act that raised suspicions within the U.S. government” (1). Also, the thought of the Soviet Union having the ability to relinquish such a devastating weapon on the United States frightened the people of America as well. When the Cold War developed in the late 1040s the U.S. government again feared that the communist revolution in the Soviet Union would influence many people in the U.S. to do the same. According to the text,”The fear of communism even spread towards Hollywood when a congressional group called the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated communist influence in the entertainment industry, issuing subpoenas to writers, actors, directors, and studio executives and asking them, ‘Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist party’”(1).

Between 1945 and 1960, the United States was confronted with a colossal predicament. A Cold War had emerged between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This war did not involve any direct attacks between the two, instead indirect confrontations. Subsequently, the war took a massive toll on the U.S. An era of high tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union posed a communist threat to America.

One way that the Cold War affected America was the fear of spies. The Truman’s Loyalty Program was a test to make sure no communist spies made it into the government (document 1). The House Committee in Un-American Activities was always on the hunt for spies in America. No matter how much destruction they caused, they captured spies (document 2). In the Rosenbergs and Hiss trials, it caused a massive division in America’s population between the people that feared spies and the sympathizers of these people (document 4).

Document A describes how the Cold War was embedded into daily life and how it affected the country and culture as a whole. The Soviet Union and communist expansion, as well as other powers they had on the US terrorized the entire nation, bringing it to a state of panic. As stated by John Buescher, “Science was seen as both a progressive tool for achieving a bright future and death-dealing weapon that might end human life. Fear of an atomic apocalypse (disclosure of knowledge) affected culture and politics. Cold War movies dealt with political espionage (spying).” The

American fears in the Cold War originated not only from Communism, but what it represented in American culture. After World War II, the popular culture demonizing the fascist regimes, the built-up aggression surrounding the system, began to move against Communism as tension between the USSR and America rose. Communism became viewed as a corruption; an infection that ruined the rugged individualism that Americans defined themselves by. Communism also, though its declaration of the evils of capitalism, decried Americans as living in an unequal society, that the United States lived in hypocrisy through its statements of liberty for all while it existed in a capitalist and segregated society. Americans saw the Soviet Union as the evil its heroic

The Cold War (1941-91) was a time of political and military tension between Soviet Russia and the United States. During this time, there was a great deal of fear between the 2 international superpowers as they both possessed nuclear weapons capable of wiping each other out. The Americans were in constant fear of Communism and Soviet spies. The paranoia was exacerbated by some politicians who suggested that Soviet spies were everywhere. This fear made some Americans to accuse their own neighbors of being Communist sympathizers.

The cold war not only affected politics and foreign policy but had an everlasting impact on the domestic lifestyle of people living in the United States during the era. The cold war policies affected the entire society by redefining families, persuading pop culture, and pushing for a change in human rights in the United States. Historians look at the national policies of the cold war and how it affected American society and influenced American society.

According to Stephen Whitfield, the Cold War put limits in popular culture. Put people on radio and television, music, writing and other forms of entertainment in the menus may make them communists or simply because they are supposed Communist explicitly. Communism extract more from the fear of "organized crime", and that "distorted and weak" American culture because of the other constant that can be claimed as a communist or a threat of a nuclear war might start at home is located on the land of the United States. Cold War caused "suffocation and degeneration of the same culture of freedom", and made even the smallest possibility of extremist thought people at risk called communism, creating a fear which was much greater than any possible

Between the years 1945 to 1990, a state of political hostility, known as the Cold War, existed between communist Soviet countries and US-led Western powers. This political hostility was emphasized and characterized by threats, propaganda, and other proxy wars between the two power groups. The political conflict over ideological differences shifted tensions outside of political affairs and moved it towards cultural aspects, specifically influencing abstract and modern art. The Cold War differed from most wars in that it was fought on both political and cultural fronts. Cultural battles between the Soviet Union and the United States had as much of an impact on the everyday lives of civilians as any other aspect of the war. As culture became a defining line between the two powers, the CIA and members of government recognized abstract

Contemporary history is dominated by the Cold War that occurred between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the effects it had upon the rest of the world. The Cold War was never fought directly between the US and USSR, but mostly through proxy wars, wars that were instigated by other powers, and through interventions of other nation’s politics. In general, the Cold War resulted in the instantaneous dissolution of the USSR, the establishment of many new nations, advances in technology, and

“The Cold War became a dominant influence on many aspects of American society for much of the second half of the twentieth century. It escalated due to antagonist values between the United States, representing capitalism and democracy, and the Soviet Union, representing communism and authoritarianism” (Tradshad, par. 1). This long lasting war had a lot of negative effects on the American people, but also helped many in a positive way of becoming free citizens. Although most people had feelings of hatred toward the Soviet Union, a sense of fear swept over the United States and many actions had to be taken to keep the enemy and their influences out. 4 done.

As a teacher, I hope to shed light on the conflict between the U.S and USSR and the severity of the Cold War. Often time students and even Americans are unware of the impact that the Cold War had in regard to the home front. As an educator, it’s my job to show students that this war was not just a bipolar conflict. It had deeper roots, it touched on feminist, African Americans the civil right movement, and how we viewed the Gay/Lesbian community. In addition, to these areas it also touched on new technology. As Dr. Tiemyer explained during his lecture on the Cold War Americans during this time were the first ones to live with the technology and ability to destroy the whole world.