Period 6
2/24/2015
The Cold War
The Cold War was a time after the war where tensions were high between the world’s two biggest superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. I will be informing you in this essay about the effects of the Cold War on American people and on U.S. policy towards other countries.
The Cold War left some lasting effects on the American people. The Red Scare by far was probably the biggest of them all. With the fear of Communists in the country, people became very suspicious about one another and even themselves (Doc. 6). Many of people were put on trial for being Communist (Doc. 2) and many suffered loss of employment and destruction of their careers. In the worst cases some even suffered imprisonment.
Before the war the U.S.’s foreign policy was characterized by isolationism. In the early
1940s, US policies such as the Cash and Carry Program and the LendLease Act provided assistance to the Allied Powers in their fight against Germany. This growing involvement by the US marked a move away from isolationist tendencies towards interventionism . The U.S. also tried to help South Korea defend themselves against South Korea and communism (Doc.
3). Some opposed the idea of interventionism like Lewis Mumford. He objected communist totalitarianism, and pursued the idea of working firmly together toward justice and cooperation (Doc. 5).
The Cold War was one of the scariest times for the American people. From the fear of being nuked off the face of the earth, to the fear of communism spreading within the country, it definitely strengthened the U.S.’s foreign policy so something like this wouldn't happen
again. With this conclusion and the information above, I hope you have been informed about the Cold War.