Cold War Propaganda Analysis

The American perception of war, prior to the Pearl Harbor attack and inevitably entering World War II, was distant. Many Americans, both politicians and consumers, believed that entering World War I had been a tragic mistake, which added upon the economic turmoil from the Great Depression. Additionally, many Americans favored the rising German power in Europe as they served as a balance with the communist influence from the Soviet Union. Businessmen didn’t want to ruin their “profitable overseas market” by allowing the United States to enter the war. In fact, famous businessman Henry Ford even made deals with marketers within Nazi Germany itself. The United States strived to station themselves as a nation without aggression. In fact, in order to avoid certain conflicts with both European and Asian countries, Congress applied a series of Neutrality Acts. These primarily restricted the trade of products and goods from the United States, with other countries that were currently at war. However, tension began to rise near the 1940s. Therefore, after a prolonged debate, Congress “agreed to the sale of
However the Cold War was not a worldwide effort nor was there any weaponry used against either nation but, the ultimate fear created by the vast amounts of propaganda is very similar to that of World War II. Additionally, the fear of communist influence surprisingly took a strong hold upon the American people. What can be referred to as the “Red Scare”, is the ultimate terror the American people had against Communism. Several Americans were suspected that they were not entirely loyal to the democracy that held their constitution. Furthermore, the idea that Russia held high-grade military weapons, such as nuclear bombs, terrified the American people. This increased the acceptance to join the war effort for the American