Early Cold War

Why were Americans so terrified of Communist infiltration after World War II? What impact did the Red hunts of the late 1940s and early 1950s have on American politics and society?

During World War II, the Soviets were known to be brutal to their own people - they were not allowed to own their own land, practice their religious beliefs, or speak or act freely. With the media displaying Soviets as power-crazy and desperately wanting to achieve world domination, Americans were afraid that the Soviets would try to strip their freedoms from them, which would goes against every democratic value. The Red hunts of the late 1940s and early 1950s implemented fear into the American public. People did not trust their neighbor or their government, and they were afraid that anyone around them could be a Red. Also, politics became centered on accusations of treason and communism based on loose evidence. It made the government seem unreliable to its own people.

In your opinion, was the Cold War inevitable? If not, was the United States or the USSR more to blame?

The Cold War was inevitable because both the US and Soviet Union were superpower nations with such drastically opposing viewpoints. While the US was a democratic, capitalist country, the Soviet Union was the exact opposite with communist ideals. Although both countries were so different in values, they shared a common goal - to spread their influence beyond their own borders, essentially world domination. The tension between these two nations was intense, and the fact that both had nuclear weapons only added to this stress. Therefore, the Cold War was inevitable.

What impact did the Korean War have on American foreign policy?

The Korean War encouraged the US Cold War policies of containment and militarization. In past wars, the US was mostly neutral, only joining when a force directly targeted them. Now, the US actively sought conflict whenever communism was perceived as a threat to the democratic nation. During the Korean War, the US had succeeded in preventing the spread of communism to South Korea. This motivated American military officials to continue with this foreign policy, which would eventually set the stage for the Vietnam War.

How far was US foreign policy of containment a success?

US foreign policy of containment was a success for the most part. Although it was unable to save Eastern European countries from succumbing to communism, the US was able to prevent the expansion of the Soviets into Western Europe. This policy also ensured that South Korea would be democratic; although, the US was not able to salvage North Korea. In regards to Latin America, US foreign policy was somewhat successful, but the US was much took advantage of their power and led to the rise of harsh military dictators in these countries. All in all, containment was a success in Europe, while not being so in Latin America.

Deterrence

a strategy of war in which a nation prevents another from taking action by instilling fear of the consequences.

Containment

a strategy to prevent the expansion of an enemy. During the Cold War, the US used a policy of containment to stop the spread of communism in Europe.

Truman Doctrine

an American foreign policy that gave political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from communist forces.

Marshall Plan

an American initiative to aid Western Europe, so that it would not fall to communism. The U.S. gave over $13 billion in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II.

Berlin Airlift

an American initiative to support West Berlin with resources and food after the Soviet Union blockaded the perimeter of the area. The Soviets had hoped that cutting the city off from resources would lead them to succumb to communism, but the US would not allow this to happen. The US airlifted food and other resources into West Berlin, leading the area to continue thriving.

NATO

an alliance consisting of several North American and European nations. It was created as a result of Soviet threat and the desire to have support from other countries in case of an attack. The motto for this organization was attack one, attack all; therefore, if one nation was attacked by the Soviets, for instance, all member states would help fight.

38th Parallel

the line at which South Korea and North Korea were split into two separate countries. The south was determined to be capitalist (US supported) while the North was to be communist (Soviet supported).

McCarthyism

the practice of making accusations of disloyalty or treason without proper evidence. This was especially seen in the US during the Cold War when authorities accused people of being communist with no solid proof.