DBQ----Cold War post here
bsa...@gmail.com
willhu...@yahoo.com
AP U.S. History
Period 3
DBQ: 2001 AP exam question
4.27.2006
In the decade immediately following the end of the Second World War,
relations between the United States and the Soviet Union rapidly
deteriorated as both nations began to distrust the other's leaders
and political system. This mistrust began the Cold War, which lasted
into the late 20th century. In the year immediately after the end of
World War II, Americans began to fear that the influence of communism
and the Soviet Union would spread across the globe and infiltrate into
the United States, a great anxiety reflected in the arms race that
occurred during this time. The foreign policies of president Dwight D.
Eisenhower were not successful in calming these fears. In the mid-20th
century, fears of a "communist infiltration" had gripped the United
States, permitting extremists such as Joseph McCarthy to come to power
in the United States. These fears were intensified with the Soviet
Union's technological developments during this period, setting off
the arms race. The Eisenhower administration managed to soothe American
hysteria somewhat, but failed to either make peace with the Soviets or
contain communism, which lay at the heart of Americans' Cold War
fears.
By the mid-20th century, mistrust between the United States and the
Soviet Union, caused by fundamental political differences and competing
visions for the post-war world, had reached a great level in the United
States. Americans began to fear that if "communism captures any
American State" it would "increase the danger to the entire free
world" and "endanger the peace of America." (Document B)
Americans, who believed that the American way of life was superior ever
since John Winthrop outlined American superiority in his speech "City
Upon a Hill," became hysterical that the United States superior way
of life might be ruined by communism-a threat which seemed very real
as communism had already successfully spread into Eastern Europe. The
rise of McCarthyism, a period in which Wisconsin Senator Joseph
McCarthy accused many Americans of being communists, directly reflected
these fears. In any other emotional atmosphere, McCarthy's
accusations would be dismissed as ridiculous, as they were supported by
little or no hard evidence. In the hysterical times, however, the
"witch hunt" continued for several years. The success of
McCarthyism echoed the hysteria that Communists had infiltrated the
American government, and communists were a danger to America's
superior way of life.
The fear of communists was compounded by the arms race, in which the
United States and the Soviet Union competed with each other to become
the more technologically advanced nation and to process the most
destructive weapons. A fear that the Soviets might become
technologically superior is seen in Document E. Americans feared that
the Soviets would dominate modern warfare, putting the United States in
the weaker position. A prime example of the technological race was the
Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957. Although Sputnik was not a war
vessel, Americans believed that the Soviets now could, and would, wage
warfare on them from orbit. Thus the United States desperately began to
try to establish a spaceship of there own. When their first attempts
failed, Congress passed the National Defense and Education Act, to
"assist in greater efforts in specific areas of national concern."
The Act increased federal funding for "education in science and
engineering" (Document G). Congress also developed the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to manage the U.S.
construction of spaceships. The fears of the Soviets dominating modern
technology and warfare terrified Americans, intensifying the fears of
the spread of communism into the United States.
Amidst the communist hysteria, the United States either needed to make
peace with the Soviets or contain the communists. Either solution would
work to calm American anxieties. The Eisenhower administration did
neither. The Eisenhower administration took limited measures to
establish the Safety of Americans to combat the "multiplicity of
fears" (Document A) that was gripping the United States. As Document
C shows, Eisenhower established fallout shelters in case of a nuclear
attack. Some of these shelters contained beds, radios, and other
comforts of home, adding a sense of normalcy that Americans craved in
this intense and unusual age. Eisenhower was committed to the cause of
protecting American safety, as shown by an increased federal deficit
caused by the growth in defense spending (Document H).
However, Eisenhower failed bitterly in foreign affairs. In the Geneva
Convention of 1955, Eisenhower failed to establish an "open sky"
over the United States and the Soviet Union. Furthermore Eisenhower
took full responsibility for the U-2 incident in which a U.S. plane
flew over the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Khrushchev was furious that
Eisenhower would fly over the Soviet Union, and withdrew from the Paris
peace talks he and Eisenhower had been planning. In addition, the
establishment of Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba proved
that the United States could not contain communism within the borders
of Europe. As the Eisenhower administration failed to either make peace
with or contain the communists, they failed to successfully address the
Cold War fears of many Americans. Americans showed their
dissatisfaction with Eisenhower and his inability to deal with their
fears, by electing John F. Kennedy president in 1960, a man who would
"oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of
liberty..." (Document I)
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the American people began to
fear a "communist infiltration." Joseph McCarthy exploited these
fears and began "cleansing" the United States government of
communists. Fears of a communist infiltration were multiplied by the
arms race. The American frenzy after the Soviet launch of Sputnik
demonstrates this fear. Finally, although he did attempt to combat the
American fears of communism, the Eisenhower administration failed to
address the Cold War fears by failing to either make peace with or
contain the Soviets.
J. Pizzle
APUSH Per. 3
Sanoff
4/26/06
Cold War DBQ
In the time period following World War Two - the beginning of
the Cold
War, the American people were afraid of three things, nuclear war,
spreading communism, and the communist investigators in America.
However, nuclear war, the threat of communism, and overly aggressive
communist investigation committees were only partially addressed by the
government, and American fears were more often than not increased by
the Eisenhower Administration's and the media's actions. The fear of
nuclear war
is a prime example of the Eisenhower Administration's partial success
to address the
fear, and its slight increase of the fear.
Nuclear war may be one of the world's most prevalent fears,
even
today, but in the 1950's it was forever on Americans' minds, as the
Soviets acquired nuclear weapons and the Cold War arms race began.
Americans became increasingly paranoid about a Soviet Nuclear strike on
American soil, and many people began to believe the only way to prevent
one was to make the first strike in the nuclear war (Document E). The
Eisenhower Administration addressed American fears of nuclear war
slightly, but did
nothing to help them. J.F.K., among others, addressed these fears in
widely publicized speeches saying that "the deadly atom" could be
unleashed to "engulf all humanity in planned of accidental
self-destuction" (Document I). Statements such as these prompted
Americans to support massively increased defense funding (Document H)
and an increase of the media and industry using the American fears to
their advantage. A prime example of this is Document C, which shows a
family in a fallout shelter. Inside the shelter is canned food, water,
and other survival materials. The profits of publishing materials such
as this went to the media and industries producing these materials. As
is apparent, the Eisenhower Administration addressed but did not quell
American fears,
and certain groups in America were able to take advantage of this fear.
Another great American fear in the 1950s was the threat of communism.
Communism, and the great communist power of the Soviet Union,
were
spreading across Asia and eastern Europe, striking fear in the hearts
of Americans as country after country fell to communism. As American
politicians such as George Kennan developed and strengthened the idea
of containment, and powerful cabinet members such as John Foster Dulles
spread the idea that "world communism...will increase the danger to
the entire free world", Americans became more and more afraid of
communism. Americans began to believe their leaders when they said
that communism was "endangering the peace of America" (Document B)
and when they addressed the problem they had created by making
statements such as "we fear the men in the Kremlin". Americans
were afraid of the communist threat to their nation, and the Eisenhower
Administration
did little to soothe these fears. They acknowledged these fears, and
again used them to garner support for their increased spending on
defense. The Americans susceptibility to fear during this time period
was also evident through the fear of communist investigators that
prevailed among the Cold War.
Communist investigators, most prominently Senator Joseph
McCarthy,
instilled fear in the hearts of thousands of Americans. His ruthless
calling-out of anyone he "discovered" to be a communist resulted in
prison time, alienation, and generally, a ruined life. Americans were
constantly "fearing what unwise investigators will do to us here at
home" (Document A) and what their possible "hysterical reactions"
could culminate in. This fear was addressed very little by the
Eisenhower Administration, as the communist investigators were
sponsored by the
government. An excellent example of the irrational fears American
suffered from in the Cold War, American fear of communist investigators
ran rampant across the country, and the Eisenhower Administration
rarely addressed it.
In conclusion, it is apparent that Americans feared a great
many
things in the 1950s, but above all communism, the communist
investigators at home, and the possibility of nuclear war with the
Soviet Union. These fears were hardly addressed by the Eisenhower
Administration, and in many cases fear was increased by the government
so they could
maintain a tight control over public support for defense spending. This
strategy has been implemented countless times, and it may be easily
argued that it is being implemented today.
Jarvis
the spread of communism, the danger of the a-bomb in the hands of
Soviet Russia, and general anti-Soviet propaganda. President Dwight
Eisenhower's administration was very ineffectual in subduing this
fear, since many were afraid themselves of being accused of being
communists by McCarthy and his crusade against communism. In addition
to this, the constant threat of being attacked and bombed by the Soviet
Union hung in the air. Eisenhower's administration acknowledged this
fear as is shown by Eisenhower's speech made on March 1954 in
Document A, but despite his acknowledgment of the terror brought on by
the threat of communism and the a-bomb, Eisenhower's administration
did next to nothing to diminish this fear.
The McCarthy trials were probably the generator of many of the Cold
War fears. McCarthy kept the idea of communism alive and imposing. By
accusing government officials of being communist traitors, McCarthy
generated a new level of paranoia; now, even those in charge could not
be trusted. Instead of quelling these worries, the Eisenhower
administration only enforced them with speeches like the one in
Document B, where the secretary of state John Dulles talks on the
dangers of the spread of communism. Instead of reassuring the public,
Dulles only helped in terrifying them and the same can be said for many
of the Eisenhower administration's replies to the concerns of the
Cold War. McCarthy had started the fire burning and the Eisenhower
administration was barely trying to put it out.
However, once McCarthy began to loose power, after his oral defeat at
the hands of Joseph Welch, the fear of communists within our midst
started to subside. Despite this, the Cold War was far from over.
McCarthyism may have been extremely vital in the installation of fear
into American society, but the threat of being bombed by Soviet Russia
was nearly equally daunting. Document C shows an "average" American
family taking refuge in a bomb shelter. This was published in Life
magazine, and is a perfect example of how the fear of the a-bomb led
the bomb shelter to become a standard image in American society.
Propaganda like the item shown in Document E, also played an important
part in instilling the fear that embodied the Cold War. Document E is a
report on why America would be in extreme danger if the Soviets
acquired missile technology. Reports like the one in Document E served
no long term purpose except to help fear grow in American society. The
last panel in Document E claims that with a touch of a button Russia
could launch an unstoppable missile attack on the United States within
a half hour. It is easy to see how fear became so abundant in American
society when one examines items like this one.
Standing alone, it is unlikely that any one of the forces of
McCarthyism, fear of the a-bomb or anti-Soviet propaganda could cause
the amount of fear that ran rampant during the Cold war, but together
these forces pushed the Eisenhower years, and many after, into this
fear. The Eisenhower administration was ineffective against this fear,
especially when they did so little to stop it. It would be years before
the fear brought up in the Cold War would be over, but the Eisenhower
years marked an ascension to the peak.
whit...@gmail.com
April 26, 2006
APUSH
Cold War DBQ
During the Cold war era, President Eisenhower's policies reflected
his agenda to subdue the national hysteria produced by communism and
the nuclear era. Upon taking office, Eisenhower was faced with a
national crisis characterized by McCarthyism's strict anti-communism.
Situations like the Rosenberg Case were common at this time, because
there was so much fear in the country, so much so that selling nuclear
secrets was a crime punishable by death. Eisenhower dealt with this
crisis by committing his administration to taking a strict
anti-communist stance overseas, and by dismissing Truman's
"passive" containment policy. Eisenhower worked to reassure his
nation of their safety from the traps of communism and nuclear attacks.
The hysteria of this time was a result of the threat of communism
during World War II. The war made Americans realize that their policy
of isolationism could not succeed, and they were not safe from
countries like the Soviet Union and China who sought world domination
with communism. John Foster Dulles spoke to the fear of the nation
when he said that communism on any American state would be a threat to
all of America's independence and peace. Only years earlier, this
same fear had resulted in the McCarran Internal Security Act and the
creation of the NSC and the CIA. The image on Massive Retaliation
demonstrates the fear of many Americans that the future would produce
policies and warfare that now one would be safe in. It says that
warning systems would not be able to give any effective warnings, and
that the push of a button in Russia could cause huge destruction in the
US. Many Americans were petrified by the thought of Atomic warfare and
attacks on their own soil.
Eisenhower dealt with these fears by reassuring his people that they
were safe. His statement ins his press conference in 1954 tells his
country that "there is too much hysteria." He tells them that
their fear is overtaking them and affecting their actions. He also
worked to dispel the strict view of McCarthyism by investigating
McCarthy's claims on communism. In his investigations of
McCarthy's attacks on the army, the government showed McCarthy's
lies and ruined his career while much of the country watched. This
helped dispel much of the harsher views on communism. The image from
Life magazine shows how propaganda tried to portray bomb shelters in a
positive light. This image glorifies the family hiding out in the bomb
shelter, reassuring Americans of their safety from atomic warfare. The
Historical Statistics on the US show that Eisenhower's administration
in creased government and defense spending, demonstrating an increase
in military focus. There was also an increase in domestic programs,
such as the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which
served to connect and "modernize" the country. Eisenhower's
message to Congress on education shows his concern for atomic warfare.
Much of his support fro education was to prepare the next generation of
scientists for nuclear advancement. Eisenhower's program worked to
make the country safer and reassure Americans of their security.
The Cold war was a time of frenzied fear for many Americans. Some
feared nuclear attacks, while others were scared of communism poisoning
their country, but Eisenhower was successful in dispelling much of the
alarm in the country. Through his policies and his program, Eisenhower
effectively dealt with communism, domestically and overseas.
mbbu...@yahoo.com
AP US History
Period 3
27 April
After World War II the Allies (the United States, Great Britain, and
the Soviet Union) began to meet and discuss what should happen now that
they had won. Of course winning always brings out the best in people,
so at the Allied conferences everyone was getting along and had a
common goal and agenda in mind. As the conferences went on the more
each country began to disagree with each other, especially Stalin and
the Soviet Union. When Truman became president he didn't trust
Stalin. Finally when Stalin and Truman weren't able to agree at
Potsdam, Stalin began forming more of a Communist government and an
alliance between the two countries became difficult to work out. After
World War II most Americans feared communism because they found it to
be a real threat, which the Korean War experience proved true. Also,
propaganda helped promote Communism. The strategy of Eisenhower's
Secretary of State Dulles was to try to push communist countries to the
brink of war, knowing that they dare not actually declare war out of
fear of the US, which had the ability to use atomic weapons, and had
used them in WWII against Japan. Eisenhower just tired to reassure the
American people and focus on a domestic agenda.
Propaganda fueled paranoia concerning communists and the nuclear
threat. Most anticommunist attacks emerged from the Republican Party,
which tried to portray the Democrats as soft. The Republicans started
the House of Un-American Activities Committee, which mainly targeted
the film industry, accusing them of being behind the spread of the
communist party in the US. Document C depicts the type of propaganda
being shown to the American people. The photograph shows a bomb
shelter with a family living inside it. The purpose of this was to
reassure Americans that even though they may be bombed at any moment,
they could survive a nuclear strike by following government guidelines
for fallout shelters. Document E also shows another piece of
propaganda. It is trying to insert fear by telling Americans that
Soviet Union with the press of a button could bomb anywhere in the US.
Document H is a chart of how much money the government was spending
on defense - a huge increase in percent of the federal budget from 1949
to 1951, a trend which only increased over the decade. Even though
World War II was long over, 57.9 % of government spending in 1959 on
defense, thanks to the threat of the spread of communism. This
reflects the importance of Eisenhower's 'domino theory.' The US
felt is necessary to fight communism wherever it appeared (especially
in nearby Latin America) out of the fear that this would lead to
neighboring counties also fallen to communism, destroying the balance
of power.
Eisenhower did little at first to prevent anticommunist feelings. By
Eisenhower's second term, however, he began thinking a little
differently. Document A shows that Eisenhower was trying to tell the
American people not to over react to the Cold War. He was worried
about what might happen if the American people's fears turned into an
irrational hysteria. Document I, President Kennedy's inaugural
address, shows that, even after Eisenhower, Kennedy was trying to
reassure Americans and warn other counties that America will not stand
idle and let "dark powers of destruction," meaning communism, take
control.
In the aftermath of World War II most Americans feared communism
taking over the world, but these sentiments grew thanks to the
government. The Eisenhower administration tried to address these
fears, but these fears still remained up until the next presidency, and
led to our involvement in Vietnam.
thom...@hotmail.com
confrontation never actually got into a shooting war. The reason for
this is that an all-out war between Russia and America would have been
absolutely devastating to the survival of the world. This constant
state of tension and fear had a deep impact on the American public,
especially coupled with an ideological fear of communism. As far as the
American people were concerned, communism was scary, nukes were scary,
and commies with nukes was extraordinarily frightening. This state of
fear was at one of its highest levels during the Eisenhower
administration. Even the choice of president reflects these fears.
Eisenhower had no qualifications other than confidence and an aura of
military competence that made people feel safer. During the 1950s, the
American people as a society feared communism and nuclear war. An even
deeper fear was almost subconscious, and was the fear of losing the
prosperity America enjoyed in the 50s to some unthinkable disaster. To
Americans, their world was like a fragile bubble of prosperity and
security that could be burst at any moment by the fearful forces that
lurked outside.
Cold War America had a deep and irrational fear of Communism that
pervaded all aspects of society. People stocked up on canned food to
survive when the commies came. Foreign policy reflected a desperation
to stop the spread of communism, even to small countries on the
periphery of the world's most important regions. Politics revolved
around the exploitation of fear to put everyone from charismatic
leaders to vicious would-be tyrants in power. Even Secretary of State
John Dulles, who would be expected to keep his head, said that the fall
of Guatemala to Communism would be a grave threat to the security of
America. (Doc B). This is clearly a gross exaggeration, since Guatemala
is a small, poor nation with no international power, and Dulles gives
not a shred of supporting evidence to justify his claim. President
Eisenhower recognized that people were taking fear of Communism too far
when he said that " there is too much hysteria...the world is
suffering from a multiplicity of fears." (Doc. A). Americans saw two
threats to their security, the insidious spread of Communism eventually
undermining the capitalist system that brought prosperity to so many of
them, and the terrifying specter of nuclear war that threatened to
obliterate the world regardless of ideology.
While the American people feared Communism, they also had to live with
the knowledge any moment the nuclear fireballs of Soviet missiles could
destroy every American city without more than a half hour warning. The
December 1957 issue of the U.S. news and world report underlines the
threat from Soviet ballistic missiles. It says that "push a button
in Russia, and the U.S. could be laid waste." (Doc. E). Only the
counterpart button in America that can lay waste to Russia prevented
the end of American civilization. The American people feared the
destruction of their homeland, and only their nation's fearful
destructive capacity safeguarded the peace that let them drive shiny
new cars and watch TV. Of all America's cold war fears, Soviet
missiles represented the most straightforward and the most frightening.
Underneath the surface of fear of Communism and nukes lay a societal
paranoia. This was a result of recent history. America had just seen
their whole system of life come within a hair of failure and a
collection of mass murderers come within a hair of world domination.
America had passed triumphant through both tests, only to be faced with
the Communist scourge and the threat of not world domination but
destruction. It seemed like every time they beat off a threat a new and
deadlier one emerged. This atmosphere of constant threat created a mass
psychology analogous to a human going into the fetal position in
extreme fear. The illustration in Life magazine (Doc. C) captures it
perfectly. The wholesome American family sits in a cocoon of protection
against nuclear attack. An electric bulb burns on the reinforced
ceiling, temporarily keeping out the darkness outside. Supplies lie
stockpiled for when the world comes crashing down. Superficially, the
family is enjoying normal domestic life, but the symbology of fear is
obvious at a glance. Another great example of this mindset is from the
1930s. Orson Wells' War of the Worlds sparked a massive panic, by
touching the same nerve in the American psyche as the Cold War would
later. Despite being prosperous, free, and powerful, the American
people had a deeply ingrained culture of fear.
The Eisenhower administration realized that America was afraid, and
took steps to address these fears. Eisenhower used his force of
personality to reassure Americans, in the tradition of FDR. The defense
budget was enormous, constantly producing new technologies to keep the
sword of retaliation at the throat of Russia, since America lacked a
shield against the threats it faced. Despite Eisenhower's reassuring
speeches, however, the American people remained fearful in the midst of
prosperity, afraid that all that had been granted them would be
snatched away at any time by Communism or depression of nuclear war.
The need for reassuring leadership to placate the populace and
saber-rattling to keep the Russians at bay led to strong speeches such
as President Kennedy's which proclaimed that the U.S. would "bear
any burden...to assure the survival and success of liberty." (Doc.
I). But right up to the end of the Cold War, the canned food/basement
bunker mentality remained prevalent throughout American society.
Politicians thrive on fear, and every president used the threat of
Communism and war to scare the American people into support. When the
monster that kept America united in fear collapsed spectacularly and
unexpectedly in the early 1990s, a new bogeyman was needed to keep the
people in line. The dramatic destruction of the World Trade Center in
2001 provided the latest president with a modern-age bogeyman. Perhaps
this is a reason Eisenhower only partially assuaged America's fears:
those same fears elected him.
akada...@gmail.com
Akshata Kadagathur
APUSH
Period 3
April 26, 2006
The Cold War DBQ
The end of World War II should have marked a period of relief in
America but instead, it lead America into a completely different type
of war. The Cold War was both a military battle and more so, a war of
ideals and it was waged between America and the Soviet Union. Stalin
began to lead the Soviet Union into Communism and to better the Soviet
Union's military technologies, so America began to view the Soviet
Union as a serious competitor and threat. The Soviet emerged as another
leading global power and because they advocated for a completely
different political system, Communism, and were gaining power through
it, Americans began to fear a possible Communist takeover and attacks.
The main fears of the American people during the cold war consisted of
possible Soviet attacks and Communism displacing Democracy. To end
these fears both the Truman and the Eisenhower administration tried to
root out Communism from the country to assure the public, but instead
their harsh tactics created an even larger state of fear and mistrust.
The Soviet Union had roughly the same military technology as America
and because they were becoming more and more hostile, America feared a
possible attack. The Soviet had created an Atomic bomb and began
testing during the early stages of the Cold War. After seeing what the
atomic bomb did in WWII, Americans knew how dangerous it was, and were
petrified that the Soviets had them. The state of fear was at the
government level but also the civilian one. Bomb shelters were built in
public locations (Document C) and posters were up displaying how to
shield oneself from a nuclear attack. Articles in newspapers and
magazines called for America to strike first and not wait to be bombed
(Document E) as they had in Pearl Harbor. Schools even incorporated
national security into the lesson plan (Document G) and the sciences
and technologies were more heavily stressed, as America wanted to stay
on top of the military battle. Along with the fear of a Soviet attack
of arms came the fear of a Soviet attack of Communism.
America always affiliated itself with democracy and freedom, and as
Communism was spreading with the aid of the Soviet Americans began to
view it as a threat to their basic lifestyle of freedom. As the
American government and Stalin and the Soviet government spread farther
apart after WWII, America began to affiliate anything Soviet as
negative. Because the Soviet embraced Communism, the first thing
America distrusted and disliked about them was Communism. The American
government saw how powerful the Soviet was becoming under Communism and
began to panic and they could potentially be converted as well. To the
public Communism began to symbolize pure evil that would overturn the
foundation America was built upon, Democracy. The government went
though large extremes to make it clear that they didn't support
Communism, as seen in Document B. The American government was so afraid
of a Communist take-over and Communism in America that they installed
radical measures to prevent Communism from spreading.
To assure the public that America would remain a powerful Democratic
nation, the government made sure that communism wouldn't infiltrate
the country, but by doing so they created more tension in the public.
By making communism such an evil, and by taking the time to weed it out
of America, the government proved to the public that it was actually a
serious threat. Through McCarthy's communist trials, where he would
question a list of Americans, steadily growing larger, of their
backgrounds, to the killing of two supposed spies, communism
fanatically spun out of proportion. Eisenhower stated that there was
"too much hysteria" (Document A) but by trying to block out
communism, he created the fear.
The Cold War was a time in American history that is associated with
fear and mistrust. Technology enabled countries to kill hundreds of
thousands in minutes through the Atomic and Hydrogen bombs. Because the
Soviet and America both had those weapons, they both viewed one another
as possible threats to their own safety. To make matters worse, both
countries represented different political ideals, creating a larger gap
in understanding and producing more mistrust and fear. America was
afraid that the Soviet would attack them physically and attack their
lifestyle of liberty by replacing democracy with communism. The
government tried to end this fear, but to do so they over publicized
the dangers of communism and tried to rid America of all communists.
Instead of creating relief and a feeling of safety in the public, the
government instead made matters worse and increased the fear.
saml...@yahoo.com
By Sam Lawrence
In the years after the end of the Second World War two major
fears developed among the American public. The first fear was the
spread of communism from the growing super power, the Soviet Union. The
second dominant fear was that the arms race that was growing would
escalate into a very destructive nuclear war. As president of the USA,
Eisenhower did his best to address these prevalent fear and experienced
a limited amount of success in terms of the nuclear war and achieved no
success in terms of communism.
In terms of the great fear of a nuclear war, Eisenhower was
somewhat successful in reducing American anxieties. After the USA
dropped the first Atomic Bombs on Japan it showed the world how
destructive these modern weapons were. As other countries, particularly
the communist soviets began to make these weapons as well a arms race
emerged. The fear that the soviets would attack the USA with one of
their bombs was a prevalent fear among a vast majority of American
citizens. Realizing that it was his job as president to address these
fears (document A), Eisenhower made certain attempts to help restore
confidence among his civilians. Eisenhower endorsed reports similar to
the one in Document E optimistically displaying the advantages that the
USA would have in a nuclear war. Reports such as these which said that
the USA would be able to defend against bomb attacks and would have a
“massive retaliation” helped make the American people feel a little
more powerful and less vulnerable. Eisenhower also mad aims to train
American youth (document G) to become scientists and crucial assets to
the Untied States in this great arms race. This as well helped the
American civilians feel more in control and ready in case for a nuclear
attack. Although these measures by Eisenhower did by no means relieve
Americans of their fear they did help to make Americans feel a little
more in control and less vulnerable.
Although Eisenhower achieved success at reducing American
anxiety about the nuclear war, Eisenhower could not do anything to
prevent fear of communism. In fact throughout his administration the
fear of communism grew at an accelerated rate. As the soviets were
spreading communism country by country throughout Asia the fear that
Communism would come to dominate the world and even the capitalistic
USA was a very prevalent fear among Americans. Document B shows some of
the fears that were instilled in the American public. Instead of taking
actions to put out this raging fire of fear, Eisenhower fueled the
smoldering fire to justify extensive investigations for communists in
America and the authorization of as much anti-communist hoop la and
persecution as possible. This fear escalated to extreme McCarthyism in
which innocent Americans were often dubbed “commies” and unfairly
scapegoated.
In conclusion, president Eisenhower had some success with
limiting the fears of the American people during the cold war. Although
he received a small amount of success suppressing the fear of a nuclear
war by putting an optimistic spin of the USA advantages in a nuclear
war, he actually ended up endorsing American fear of Communism.
slugge...@yahoo.com
fearing communism and the the outcomes of nuclear warfare. After World
War II, US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union were left to discuss
what would occur after. However, gradually Stalin was not easily
trusted. When conflict broke out there was a hysteria of communism and
relatively another red scare occured. McCarthy basically had a "witch
hunt" for communists. As well, nuclear warfare caused another hysteria
becuase it would result in a stalemate.
Just as a red scare followed WWI, a second Red Scare
followed World War II. Because of the Communist conspiracy behind
civil wars in Europe and Asia, it facilitated the idea that there were
also Communists and spies in teh U.S, in teh military, and all
institutions within the society. Because of pressure from Republican
critics, the Truman administration had to investigate thousands of
employees, and in the end many lost their jobs. In Document A it
describes, "If world communism captrues any AMerican State, however
small, a new and perilous front is established which will increase th
edanger to the entire free world and require even greater sacrifices
from teh American People." This fear, which was bent on teh world was
supported by a few actual cases in Great Britain, Canada, and the
United States. However the gov. began to go to far and began violating
civil liberties.
During the Hiss case, Chambers was a confessed
Communists and his testimony led to the trail of Alger HIss who was a
prominent official in teh State Department. He denied any accusations
of Communism, however was still convicted and sent to prison. In fact,
during the rise of Joseph McCarthy, he became one of the most powerful
men in AMerica by accusing many of Communism. He used unsupported
accusations and influenced many opinions. He even trageting Goerge
Marshall a friend of Preseident Eisenhower, and even he was too afraid
to speak up against McCarthy. HOwever as in Document A, "There is too
much hysteria" stated by the president himself, Eisenhower, in 1950
McCarthy was named as a "reckless cruelty. However during his "reign"
he influenced many people.
There was a never-ending competition between the US and
the Soviet Union to create nuclear weapons. First devised by the
Americans and then was even duplicated by the Soviet Union created a
bit of a stale-mate. Each was vulnerable to the other because each
nation had the power to utterly destroy each other. This created
hysteria during the cold war. Propaganda speaking out against this
made many aware of the danger hanging off a ledge. In Document E it
shows the problem of the "massive retaliation" in the Missle age. It
compares first teh recent bomber age how it is a lot safer compared to
the stalemate when tommorrow's missle age ultimately had nothing to
stop it.
Overall, the Red Scare, McCarthysim, and the fear of the
results of the atomic bomb drove hysteria during the Cold War. While
Eisenhower almost was ineffecitve towards these conflicts, it led to
the culture of the Cold War.
Max to the Borg
Cold WAR DBQ
APUSH p.4
4/26 (9 day until test)
Following the conclusion of World War 2, the American people
were living in fear of two major threats to society: communism and
nuclear bombs. The American people feared that the communists would
again try to take over the world. Americans were also living in great
fear of a nuclear attack by Russia that could end up as deadly as the
attack on Hiroshima was which would have a truly devastating effect on
the United States. The Eisenhower administration was unsuccessful as a
whole in addressing these fears of the American people as they were
still living in fear of communism and nuclear bombs. Eisenhower did
implement the strategy of his secretary of state: John Foster Dulles,
which was a far more aggressive plan to deal with China and the Soviet
Union.
At the time leading up to the cold war, the Americans were
living in great fear of the worldwide spread of communism as well as a
possible (or how some of the public feared to be an inevitable) attack
on the United States by the soviet Union. The people of the United
States were greatly scared that not only did the Soviet Union have the
military capability to attack the United States with an atomic bomb,
but they were scared that the USSR would actually carry on with an
attack. As document E shows, the US world news report, which was one
of the main sources of news information to the American people, felt
that it would be good to withdraw from fighting in this war because too
many innocent lives were at stake. Americans were in such great fear
of the possibility of a war/attack because this would not be a combat
style war; it would be the dropping of a bomb and the killing of
hundreds of thousands or millions of innocent American civilians.
The American people also feared the threat the possibility of communist
nations such as China and the Soviet Union and their possibility and
opportunity to gain power. World War 2 was a traumatic experience to
the American public as they saw how perilously close a communist nation
came to world domination. The threat of a country such as China or the
Soviet Union gaining control over more countries and territory, and
eventually fighting the US, could be far worse than a nuclear attack.
Although the American people were living with so much fear at
the time leading up to the cold war, Dwight Eisenhower wanted to
reassure his people that everything would be alright. As he says in
Document A: "There is far too much hysteria." He goes on to
discuss how Americans were living in fear of too many things.
Eisenhower wanted the Americans too live with confidence and security.
As seen on the chart in document H, Eisenhower was spent 50 billion
more dollars on national defense in 1953 than in 1949. This,
Eisenhower hoped, would cure American fear of a nuclear attack. It
did, to an extent; however, Americans were still highly cautious/
paranoid about an attack. As displayed in Document C, a photo of an
American bomb hideout, Americans were clearly preparing for the worst
possible scenario, as they created an intricate system in case an
attack were to occur.
There was not much that Dwight Eisenhower could do to
remove the American people's fear of communism. The only real way to
remove the fear of communists in the eye of the public would be to down
right defeat the communists, which would be quite difficult to do at
the time, especially after just completing World War 2. The main
encouragement the Americans felt was the implementation Eisenhower's
secretary of state, John Foster Dulles policy, which was much more
aggressive than Eisenhower's plan. The Americans wanted to see
aggressive action taken against communism, and that was just what
Dulles' plan was.
The main fears of the Americans leading up to the cold war
was the threat of communist nations possibly gaining control (and
eventually world domination) as well as the possibility of a Soviet
nuclear attack on the United States. Dwight Eisenhower spend billions
more on defense to try and sooth the American fear of a nuclear attack,
which as a whole, was unsuccessful. Americans still feared and
believed that an attack would likely happen. To sooth American fears
about communist domination, there was little Eisenhower could do. He
could simply tell the American people that he would implement a more
aggressive policy towards communist nations.
Lily
War II as allies, there seemed to be a tension instilled between the
two. Matters began to worsen between the two nations, and created a
"Cold War." It created a sense of hysteria among the American
people against communism that was combined with both fear and
confusion. The administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped
address the fears of the general public to a certain extent, although
it was not able to end the Cold War and the tensions it had with the
Soviet Union.
Numerous Cold War fears were surfacing after the end of the Second
World War. Many were beginning to fear the communism that seemed to be
spreading in different parts of the world. People were starting to
become scared that communism would occur domestically, and they feared
that there was a presence of communists around them. Among the public
there was a fear that there were individuals giving private information
to communist places such as the Soviet Union. Others were afraid of a
depression and of losing jobs. All of these fears were causing a
significant amount of chaos (Document A). Many believed that communism
abroad would ruin the peace, and become a threat to the political
independence of American states (Document B). Not only was there a
fear of communism, but also there was horror among the public about
atomic bombs and other advanced technology. The conflict was a "Cold
War" because both the US and the Soviet Union were constantly
threatening each other with the advancements in the atomic bomb. The
picture in Document C exemplifies how there was much fear among the
people that there was going to be massive explosions on the US. In
Document C there is a family that is camping inside a fall out shelter
that is supplied with canned food and water, exemplifying the
continuous fear of the people that there was going to be an atomic
bombing on the US. The numerous fears of the Cold War and what its
effects would be were creating much hysteria throughout America.
The administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower began to deal with
these fears by trying to comfort the people in any way possible. One
piece of significant legislation was passed in 1956 was Public Law 627.
It created the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways that
would help to put an end to the national traffic jam. It would connect
to 209 of the 237 cities that had a population of more than 50,000,
significantly helping industrial and defense areas of the United States
(Document D). The legislation would help to comfort many in fear of an
atomic explosion, and if one were to happen then there would not be as
much of a commotion and hysteria with many more roads open for people
to escape explosions. In 1957, the Eisenhower Doctrine was established
to help deal with the growing problem of communism, as well as
protecting American oil interests in the Middle East. It stated that
the United States would give military and economic aid to Middle
Eastern countries in resisting Communist insurgents. Another way the
Eisenhower administration addressed the fears of the people is by
trying to enhance the education system specifically in science and
engineering. By doing so, it would give America a much better chance
of maintaining its power and to not be bombed by the Soviet Union
(Document G). It was a major competition between the two nations to
see who could make the most powerful atomic bombs. Another way that
Eisenhower dealt with the fears of the Cold War was by increasing the
percent of government spending on defense as shown in Document H. By
increasing defense the general public would feel safer and it would
also protect America from any possible attacks. Through the
administration of Eisenhower people began to feel calmer about the
situation, although much hysteria continued to preside.
>From the beginning there seemed to be rising tensions between the
Soviet Union and the United States that were soon to explode any moment
of time. After World War II the situation between the two nations did
in fact worsen. The result became known as the "Cold War," which
created a commotion throughout the world. Many began to fear the
growing of communism and a sense of hysteria swept the US. For the
most part the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
addressed the fears of the people by creating different legislations.
Although Eisenhower administration helped to deal with the public's
fears, it did not help to end communism or the tense relationship
between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Eva
two decades after World War II characterized by extreme anti-communist
measures and a disgraceful obsession with attaining nuclear
superiority. The Truman administration allowed this mania to increase
without actually resulting in nuclear warfare or mass destruction, but
it was Eisenhower who successfully managed to begin alleviating the
insanity.
The concept of "containment", introduced by George Kennan,
was the first tactic used by the United States to fight against
communist aggression that was quickly spreading throughout Europe. The
Soviet Union blatantly violated the agreements it had made with the US
and Great Britain during and after the war by taking control over
Poland and subsequently establishing pro-communist governments
throughout Eastern Europe in an attempt to create somewhat of a
communist empire. The Containment Doctrine, along with the Truman
Doctrine, were essentially firm statements by the administration that
the US would resist all forms of communist expansion in order to
preserve a free and open world. Anti-communist feelings continued to
grow through the next few years within America with events such as the
Marshall Plan, National Security Act, and NSC-68. Americans were
determined to root out all Soviet threats across the globe and even
within their own borders. Congress, even with Truman's veto, passed
the McCarran Internal Security Act that forced all domestic communist
groups to be registered and also publish their records. A committee
known as the House Un-American Activities Committee attacked Democrats
by saying they were too tolerant of communist activities in America and
even jailed Hollywood producers and high-ranking government officials
such as Alger Hiss. The height of this anti-communist hysteria was
reached during the dominance of Joseph McCarthy, who challenged dozens
of government officials and innocent people and cruelly destroyed their
reputations (and had them jailed) with his inaccurate but intimidating
accusations. Another important figure at the brink of anti-communist
sentiment was John Dulles, who was convinced that communism would
spread to America unless it was prevented with nuclear threats
(Document B). This eventually led to another parallel hysteria that
afflicted the country during the Cold War.
Nuclear warfare underwent drastic changes throughout the Cold
War and was used chiefly as a threat of military superiority. Ten
times more powerful than the atomic bomb, the newly invented hydrogen
bomb posed an unimaginable threat to the communist enemies. However,
the Soviet Union quickly caught up and developed a hydrogen bomb of its
own (most likely through spies) and the world began to rock on the
brink of massive nuclear destruction. Even though the bombs were never
actually used, they intimidated the entire globe and instilled paranoia
in the minds of all Americans. As Document C shows, people took the
possibility very seriously and even developed shelters to protect their
families for extended periods of time in case of nuclear war. The main
controversy surrounding the impending war was ultimately "who should
deliver the first strike?" Document E shows that Americans were in
favor of striking before being struck in order to retaliate more
effectively and basically win the war before it became too late.
Schools and other public buildings regularly performed air raid drills
in order to keep society prepared and in the right state of mind in
case of an attack. Even though the nation was filled with
apprehension, Americans also became more patriotic and hopeful that the
technological advances would bright about a more promising future.
Amid all the exploding anti-communist chaos and panic over
nuclear warfare, Presidents Truman and Eisenhower remained remarkably
calm throughout the conflict and tried to ease the country away from
the confusion. Truman, even though his critics argued that he was too
"soft", maintained a solid policy towards spreading communism and
intelligently prevented nuclear war and used other methods for tackling
the issue. He gave millions of dollars in support to Greece and Turkey
to effectively help the free people resist the rising communist
regimes. He similarly air lifted in tons of supplies to help the city
of Berlin survive when the Soviet Union imposed a blockade of the city.
He increased government spending for defense purposes significantly
and formed alliances with other anti-communist nations - two tactics
that were effective in posing a real threat to the USSR but did not
actually harm the American people. The Eisenhower stepped in and
continued similar policies but also cooled off some of the heat. He
recognized that "there is too much hysteria" and the "world is
suffering from a multiplicity of fears" (Document A) and he prevented
his own Secretary of State from taking more rash actions and adding to
the chaos. He focused more on domestic improvements than his
predecessors had in order to take the focus off international conflicts
and unite the country in a more productive way. Document D tells the
dramatic impact of the National System of Interstate and Defense
Highways - it improved thousands of miles of highway road and secured
the country's ability to defend itself more effectively.
The Cold War was a stressful and frightening time in American
history. Panic after panic caused by communist and nuclear fears only
brought in more suspicion to the domestic aspect of politics and
created tension all over the globe. People rarely went to sleep
without considering the possibility of a bomb hitting their city
overnight or foreign communists taking over their comfortable
capitalist way of life. Truman and Eisenhower had no choice but to
comply with the frantic demands that the Cold War called for, but they
were intelligent and kept America and the world out of complete
destruction.
alan.i...@gmail.com
APUSH - Sanoff
The Cold War brought about high tensions between two world powers, the
United States of America and the Soviet Union. President Dwight
Eisenhower only had limited success in controlling the American fears
of the growth of communism and the Soviet Union as well as anxiety
created by the arms race. Many people feared nuclear warfare between
the two countries and the threat of communism taking over the world.
Eisenhower acted to ease the anxiety of Americans but only had a small
effect.
Many Americans were seeing that communism was becoming a world threat.
Communism had spread from the Soviet Union down to China, Korea,
Vietnam, and even to Cuba. The rapid growth of communism around the
world made many Americans feel as if they threatened. They believed
that communism would be significant in "endangering the peace of
America," and as Secretary of State John Dulles stated, communism
would "increase the danger to the entire free world." (Document B).
Although Eisenhower recognized the issue of communism and the
"multiplicity of fears" (Document A) that the American people
faced, he did relatively nothing to sooth American anxieties. The only
attempt to contain and destroy communism came from Senator Joseph
McCarthy who used radical tactics to flush out communists in the
country. Although McCarthy was very influential in fighting the
communist problem, he only had a minor impact. Eisenhower's inability
to act on the situation severely limited McCarthy and the overall
soothing of American fears. However this was not the only fear that
Americans faced.
The other significant fear that many Americans shared was that of the
growing nuclear arms race. The United States and the Soviet Union were
the two countries heading the development of nuclear weapons. In 1953,
American scientists developed the hydrogen bomb, a bomb 10 times more
powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War
II. However, Soviet scientists were also able to develop the same bomb
within a year. Americans feared that the production of nuclear arms
would lead to a disastrous nuclear war and many took precautions.
Schools regularly practiced drills incase a nuclear war should break
out, and as Document C shows, many Americans invested in underground
bunkers to protect them during warfare. Unlike the communist problem,
Eisenhower acted. As Document G shows, in 1958, Eisenhower addressed
Congress preaching that the government should be giving money to
schools and emphasizing "attention to education in science in
engineering", hoping that scientists would be able to produce better
weapons than the Soviets. Defense spending, as Document H shows, was
double the amount prior to the Cold War. However Eisenhower had some
downfalls in his attempt to alleviate American fear. His inability to
convince Soviet leader Khrushchev to agree to "open skies" at a
convention in Geneva put a dent in American-Soviet relations. The U-2
incident, when Soviets shot down an American spy plane, also added to
growing tensions and hostility between the two countries. Thus,
Eisenhower's inability to come to terms with the Soviets and
guarantee peace severely limited his success in alleviating American
fears.
All in all, the Eisenhower administration had little effect on
improving American fears of communism and nuclear war. Senator McCarthy
was able to give some Americans confidence in the anti-communism
movement and Eisenhower poured money into American defenses. However
these acts were overshadowed by Eisenhower's inability to act on the
communist issue and his inability to bring a truce between the United
States and the Soviet Union.
becca
international communism, nuclear weapons, and the threat of a post-war
depression. These Cold War fears, outlined in Eisenhower's press
conference from March 1954, created issues of national security and
technological military development. Although Eisenhower, Nixon, and
Secretary of State Dulles worked to launch a "massive retaliation"
campaign against communist nations, these powerful government figures
could not suppress or resolve Cold War fears. Through McCarthyism and
rapid technological development, Eisenhower's attempt at reassuring
Americans of their security within a democratic nation only reinforced
their paranoia.
A widespread fear of communist infiltration in the US and the spread
of communism through Asia, Europe, and Latin America were supported by
the HUAC and McCarthyism. Document B illustrates John Foster
Dulles's opinion of communist infiltration and the influence of
foreign communism on American democracy, showing that influential
officials endorsed this Cold War fear rather than resolved it.
Furthermore, an emphasis on national security only increased public
concerns that they were threatened by communist corruption and
technology. Document C makes a threat of nuclear warfare more
realistic for many Americans, while Eisenhower's emphasis on
"maximum future progress...[and] attention to education in science
and engineering" added a euphemistic quality to nuclear research.
Still, federal recognition of communist and technological threats
increased Cold War fears.
America's arms race with the USSR contributed to Cold War fear of
destructive nuclear warfare. Bomb drills were common, and the
development of the hydrogen bomb and new missiles increased public
feelings of helplessness. Document E criticizes the principle of
"massive retaliation" and the arms race, recognizing the
devastating effects of technological warfare. Although a sharp
increase in defense spending (Document H) added to the Eisenhower
administration's response to public concerns, it also appealed to
feelings of economic vulnerability.
The Eisenhower administration addressed the Cold War fears through
endorsing communist hysteria and participating in the arms race to
develop nuclear weapons. Events like Sputnik increased national
funding of scientific research and education and elevated fears of the
Soviet Union's power to spread communism, start nuclear warfare, and
exceed America's technological advancement. Eisenhower did not calm
the American public during the Cold War, but supported the legitimacy
and growth of issues of communism and nuclear power.