The Cold War- 1945-1991
THE COLD WAR- 1945-1991
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the United States took a turn to the economic and political right. Nothing demonstrated this shift more than the Second Red Scare. The trials, denouncements, black lists, and paranoia about Communism in the Second Red Scare showed the domestic face of the Cold War--the international struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States for world dominance. The Cold War transformed anti-Communism from a right wing to a mainstream ideology.
Some questions to keep in mind: 1. Compare and contrast the development of political ideologies in the post-WWII era to those of the Depression era, concentrating on the attitudes of Americans toward Communism. 2. Compare the events, justifications, and results of the Second Red Scare to those of the First Red Scare. 3. Who supported Joe McCarthy and why? 4. Compare the competing American and Soviet visions for the post-war world in 1945. How did these opposing ideas lead to a "cold war?" 5. Compare the foreign policy goals of the Truman administration with those of Woodrow Wilson's administration.
The Cold War
Although the Soviet Union and the United States had been allies during World War II, their alliance quickly unraveled once they had defeated their common enemy. Different people have different views on the origins of the Cold War: all the fault of the Soviet Union, all the fault of the United States, all of the above
The Cold War emerged because the United States and Soviet Union had radically different visions of the post-war world. American politicians believed that the nations of the world were interdependent and should provide open markets for American goods and services. In this vision, free and open trade was necessary to prevent another Depression. In addition, many Americans were proud of their democratic system, believed in Manifest Destiny, and wanted to "share" their version of enlightened self-determination with the
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the United States took a turn to the economic and political right. Nothing demonstrated this shift more than the Second Red Scare. The trials, denouncements, black lists, and paranoia about Communism in the Second Red Scare showed the domestic face of the Cold War--the international struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States for world dominance. The Cold War transformed anti-Communism from a right wing to a mainstream ideology.
Some questions to keep in mind: 1. Compare and contrast the development of political ideologies in the post-WWII era to those of the Depression era, concentrating on the attitudes of Americans toward Communism. 2. Compare the events, justifications, and results of the Second Red Scare to those of the First Red Scare. 3. Who supported Joe McCarthy and why? 4. Compare the competing American and Soviet visions for the post-war world in 1945. How did these opposing ideas lead to a "cold war?" 5. Compare the foreign policy goals of the Truman administration with those of Woodrow Wilson's administration.
The Cold War
Although the Soviet Union and the United States had been allies during World War II, their alliance quickly unraveled once they had defeated their common enemy. Different people have different views on the origins of the Cold War: all the fault of the Soviet Union, all the fault of the United States, all of the above
The Cold War emerged because the United States and Soviet Union had radically different visions of the post-war world. American politicians believed that the nations of the world were interdependent and should provide open markets for American goods and services. In this vision, free and open trade was necessary to prevent another Depression. In addition, many Americans were proud of their democratic system, believed in Manifest Destiny, and wanted to "share" their version of enlightened self-determination with the