Strangely, America's role as policeman in Europe actually led to its becoming involved in military conflicts in Southeast Asia. Although the U.S. did not fight the Soviet Union directly in Korea or Vietnam, both conflicts were due to the U.S.'s policy of defeating the spread of Communism no matter where it might occur. Fears of escalation during both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts caused the U.S. To adopt a military strategy that favored limited warfare (Brodie).
The Cold War had a tremendous impact on the growth of the United States as an industrial and world military power. America's presence throughout the world militarily and the dependence of Western Europe and Japan on the American economy for the sustenance of their own economies caused America's political and economic influence to expanded substantially. Beginning with the Berlin airlift (Reeves) where the United States provided food and other vital items to West Berliners cut off from the rest of West Germany to the adoption of the Truman Doctrine (Truman) where the United States officially committed itself to providing financial and military aid to nations in Europe fighting Communism, the United States positioned itself as the world's leader in the battle against the spread of Communism.
The fear of Communism caused a major shift in defense spending by the United States. The Soviet Union's development of an atomic bomb and, later, nuclear weaponry initiated a major military build-up by the U.S. government (Lieber). Prior to the Second World War, defense spending was a major portion of the U.S. budget only during times of sustained war but during the Cold War defense spending escalated to be a major part of the total national budget. This situation continued throughout the entire Cold War period and has not subsided.
The result of the Cold War is that it no longer allowed the United States to isolate itself from the rest of the world. The circumstances surrounding the Cold War forced the United States to take a leadership role in world affairs and to involve itself in situations that it had attempted to avoid for several decades. Adding to the situation was the fact that improvements in communication and transportation made the world seem much smaller than it once was and the factors that allowed such isolation had dissipated.
One of the positives arising out of the Cold War was America's involvement in space exploration. America had only a minimal interest in such matters until the Soviet Union managed to develop a successful space program. Viewing such development as both a political and military threat, the United States adopted an aggressive position relative to space exploration and within a few short years not only caught up with the Soviets but also surpassed the Soviet's successes. From the space program many technological advancements were garnered that have benefited American society in general (Comstock).
Although the Cold War was a difficult time in the history of the United States, the country withstood the period and emerged as the world's only super power. The nuclear destruction that was once envisioned and feared has been virtually eliminated and the security of the country has been solidified.
Works Cited
Brodie, Bernard. War and Politics. New York: Macmillan Co., 1973.
Comstock, Douglas A. "NASA's Legacy of Technology Transfer and Prospects for Future Benefits." AIAA Space Conference & Exposition. Long Beach, CA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2007. 1-9.
Cox, M. "The Cold War as a system." Critique (1986): 17-82.
Lieber, Keir A. "The Rise of U.S. Nuclear Primacy." Foreign Affairs (2006): 42-67.
Reeves, Richard. Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift- June 1948- May 1949. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.
Sherwin, Martin J. "The Atomic Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War: U.S. Atomic-Energy Policy and Diplomacy, 1941-1945." The American Historical Review (1973): 945-968.
Truman, Harry S. "The Truman Doctrine." ourdocuments. gov. 8 March 2012 .
Zeinert, Karen. McCarthy and the fear of communism in American history. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1998.
Cold War on the Homefront
Sample Source(s) Used
Works Cited
Brodie, Bernard. War and Politics. New York: Macmillan Co., 1973.
Comstock, Douglas A. "NASA's Legacy of Technology Transfer and Prospects for Future Benefits." AIAA Space Conference & Exposition. Long Beach, CA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2007. 1-9.
Cox, M. "The Cold War as a system." Critique (1986): 17-82.
Lieber, Keir A. "The Rise of U.S. Nuclear Primacy." Foreign Affairs (2006): 42-67.
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