1946: Signs of American Retaliation
If people always surrendered their freedoms, then America would not be the great country that it is today.
There are multiple examples that support Americans valuing freedom over their own safety. One example that demonstrates Americans’ desire for freedom is the Cold War, starting in 1946 and ending in December of 1988. It began out of a struggle for power between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also referred to as the Soviet Union or USSR. The two countries had forms of government that were worlds apart. The Soviet Union instituted a communist, totalitarian form of government that did not allow for a free market system economy and restricted the freedoms of the people. The U.S. democratic government and the capitalistic economy were the complete opposite.
The Soviet military had the mission of taking over and converting other countries to communism. In fact, they already controlled all of Eastern Europe after World War II. In addition, the Warsaw Pact, a unified command of communist forces, showed that the Soviets were increasing in dominance and influence. All countries in the pact agreed to article 4, stating that
In case of armed aggression in Europe against one or several states party to the pact… each state member of the pact, in order to put into practice the right of individual or collective self-defense… will afford to the state or states which are the objects of such an aggression immediate assistance…with all means that appear necessary, including the use of armed force.
The concept of this pact was troubling to Americans because it showed that the Soviet Union was becoming stronger and many countries were adopting their communist form of government.
Due to the Soviet Union’s increasing power and the adoption of the Warsaw Pact, American society was worrying about being overtaken by communism. Tales of massive weapons of destruction began to alarm U.S citizens, and rumors spread about the Soviets creating a monstrous new weapon. Puzzled about the nature of this weapon, some thought it could possibly be some sort of death-ray or cobalt bomb. Not only that, but it was also reported that soviet nuclear warheads were pointed at America.
A large part of why Americans were so fearful of nuclear war is because the media of the time stirred up panic. One specific propaganda article found in The Chicago Tribune is “Nuclear war threat casts long shadow.” In this article, the author reports his findings from an interview held with Dr. Norris Bradbury, a member of the first atomic bomb team. Bradbury reported to The Chicago Tribune that “mankind will walk in the shadow of a nuclear Armageddon.”
It is very scary to hear from a well-respected scientist that he believes the end of the world is approaching all because of these weapons. Whenever he is talking about the weapons, he refers to them as “terrible,” also trying to set fear into Americans.
In addition to promoting scare tactics, the article also conditions readers to despise less developed countries of the time such as China. The author states that “China is a threat,” and that “they might be tempted to start a war” without any justification for such an accusation.
Despite the Soviet Union’s growing power, America decided that it was not going to let the Soviets walk all over it.
As a result of the Cold War, President Harry Truman decided he would do something to show that America will stay strong and not back down. To protect Americans against the threat of communism, Truman created the Unified Department of Defense, the CIA to learn about the threat, and a National Security Council to analyze the threat. In addition, Truman exploited his power by threatening to deploy U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf and attack the Soviet troops that were stationed in Iran. According to Ridge’s speech, Truman is the reason behind why America’s military is the most powerful force for freedom the world has ever seen.
In addition to Truman’s new agencies, Sara and Tom Pendergast state in Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-bottoms that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also came about after the Cold War in 1958.
The political contest between the America and the USSR moved into space in 1957. Sputnik was the first ever satellite to orbit Earth and was launched by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union then pulled ahead in the space race when the first man was launched into space, and the first man orbited Earth. However, President John F. Kennedy gave America the extra push into the lead when he sent men to the moon. The first launch attempt in 1967 ended in disaster, despite Kennedy’s ambition, when three astronauts died in a pre-liftoff fire.
No matter, Kennedy was strong-willed about getting the job done. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the moon, proving to the Soviets and the rest of the World that America was advanced and powerful despite major setbacks.
The actions of both Presidents Truman and Kennedy display that America is a force for freedom. American citizens during this time period chose to endanger their own safeties in order to prove that America will not be bullied by the Soviet Union.
If the people chose to ignore the growing problem over communism and let the Soviet Union’s authority increase, then America could have potentially be overtaken by communism.
A nuclear war was almost waged in the U.S. to grant the citizens freedom in a democratic government without losing all of their civil rights under a communist government.
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