Developed and approved during Harry S. Truman's presidency, the Truman Doctrine was disseminated by the US to numerous nations. The theory centered on a containment-style foreign strategy. One strategy the US used to stem the spread of communism and the danger it posed to the US at the start of the cold war was containment. The US was concerned about communism spreading. The "domino effect," which held that if one country adopted communism, there was a good chance that its neighboring countries would do the same, was a threat that the US was mindful of. For the US, this was unacceptable especially during this post world war period where the Nazi Germany was a real threat to America and the allied nations. Containment meant the intentional and aggressive involvement of the US in the bordering states to prevent these countries from turning into communist states. The split of Vietnam and the failing South Vietnam nation led to the realization of the US of the threat of the young new nation falling into the hands of communism. It was despite the earlier decision of the US not to directly engage its military in Vietnam. After the vicious guerilla attacks on the French in the region of Vietnam, The French decided to withdraw from Vietnam setting precedence for the invasion by the US. It was in light to the fact that the US was not part of the signatories of the Geneva Accords and instead laid preference to the creation of South Vietnam to play the role of a buffer from the communist-led North Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader, fronted by the US to lead South Vietnam did not succeed in leadership resulting in the fall of the young new nation, and by the 1960’s, the country faced the threat of invasion and infiltration by the communist.
The Vietnam War had a significant effect on America both locally and abroad. Like any war, the Vietnam War had an enormous strain on the economy of the US. The Vietnam War cost the American people 168 billion dollars, but the real effect was felt in the manner, in which it impacted the economy. The financing of the Vietnam War and the absence of any significant rise in the taxes led to an acceleration in the levels of inflation in the American economy. The war led to several policy changes by the Congress which included lowering the voting age to 18 years and an all-volunteer army. In regards to the overseas effects of the war, the US developed a cautious approach in the manner in which it deploys its military in conflicts abroad. In the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” conflict in Somalia which led to the loss of 18 US service men, the US immediately withdrew from Somalia instead of advancing in its quest for democracy and fighting extremism. Additionally, in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the US decided to lean back instead of stepping in, to assist due to the fear of a repetition of the incident of Somalia. The intervention of the US in conflicts around the world was significantly restricted until the 9/11 bombing, which was a direct attack on the US. The relationship between the people and the government in the US was changed to that of accountability where the government through institutions, such as the congress and senate are answerable to the people.
Question 2
In my opinion, I can place the impetus of the Great Depression in the period leading to the end of World War I. The first world had a significant effect not only in America but; it had a major impact on the European nations. The Great War had an enormous effect on the aggressive and non-belligerent nations. It is evident the war had a profound effect on the economy, and it was hugely felt by the people of the US. In the period of the war and the period after the war, there was a huge demand for the farm produce mainly grain from the American farmers. This high demand was extreme, and the farmers lacked options in the matter leading them to fall into debt while trying to acquire farm lands and machinery to meet the required number of products. However, after the war was over, the European agricultural market was able to recover and led to a sudden demise in demand for American farm products, and this was one of the primary causes of the recession in the early 1920’s. It is evident by the fact that the American agriculture having maintained an all-time low throughout the periods of 1923 to late 1929. There was the issue of the unequal distribution of wealth in America which led to the poor assigning of relevant resource between agriculture and industry. During the 1920’s there was tremendous speculation of stocks and the significant rise was powered by the false sense of optimism and its fall and plunge was a result of the feared stark. The great depression ended in the era of President Roosevelt through the creation of federal government agencies involved in creating jobs, providing unemployment insurance and unionization.
In 1933, FDR took very swift and efficient approach towards the Great Depression through the setting of numerous projects and agencies, which were collectively known as the New Deal. The aim of this New Deal was to bring back the faith and the ultimate measure of dignity for the American people. The New Deal had a socialist approach, where the new federal Government agencies would provide the restoration of trust in the government institutions by its populace. In my opinion, the real nature of the new deal was to restore the banking sector which was an essential facility affected by the great depression. Also, this new deal is in line with economic socialism. The purpose of the new deal by FDR was to counter the mitigating effects of the great depression that had crippled the American economy. The success or failure of the deal is measure is the statistics in regards to the programs introduced by FDR in the realization of the New Deal. The levels of unemployment remained high, and the reforms brought in the New Deal did little to nothing in solving the problems during that period. Furthermore, the country fell deeper into depression crisis which suggests a total failure of the New Deal introduced by FDR. For FDR to counter the degrading economic system a single reform could not handle the problem, however, by introducing a set of executive orders and legislations, he was in a position to determine the success of his New Deal. There was a combination of the legislature and the executive. The legislations were brought forth through the congress, namely the Social Security Act, and allowed new agencies setting up, such as the National Recovery Administration. As for the executive, the Roosevelt administration released executive orders, such as the bank holiday, which took place immediately after he assumed office.
Question 3
At the period of the Cold War took place, the tensions between the USSR and the USA have evoked the so-called Red Scare, aiming to bring fear among the people that was based on the leftist political views and their invasion within the US. The following are some of the resemblances between the first Red Scare of 1920’s and the second Red Scare of 1950’s. Both scares took place in the periods after the World Wars – that is fully explained by the people’s fear of new possible war. The two-scares are similar concerning the constant fear of communism in both instances. Both scares had an issue with the increased levels of inflation in the economy and the need for the government to tackle this problem. Additionally, the scares involved labor strikes, where there was a huge go slow on work by the people. In the period of both red strikes, there were some civil rights violations recorded, which needed a direct address. The times were coupled with controversial trials, such as the Rosenbergs and the Sacco and Vanzetti. The difference in the two Red Scares is as follows. In the first Red Scare, there was a threat of foreign subversion while in the second Red Scare there was a fear of domestic subversion. In the first Red Scare, in the midst of strikes and civil unrests due to the dissatisfaction by the workers, there were bomb threats that were reported. In the second Red Scare, the threat had risen, and there was a much more severe threat of the atomic bomb launch. The first Red Scare is identified to have focused on the worker's revolution and political extremism, however, the second Red Scare was based on the national and overseas communism.
In the periods of the war and after, the government placed restrictions on civil liberties, and they justified it as a precondition to the success of the current war. In the argument of the government in the case of FDR, they identified a greater seclusion for the personal liberties of the people can bring about defeat or bring about victory but at a higher cost regarding bloodshed through loss of soldiers and money that would significantly affect the economy. The government tends to limit civil liberties to control and dictate the narrative of war and the reporting by the media since there is a lot at stake and information is power in wartime. The anti-radicalism in the 1920s was brought about by the continued heightened fear of the penetration of communist and other radicals in the US government. The philosophical approach to this concern is identified to be as a result of the visible differences between the communism and the economic systems. One of the causes of the anti-radicalism is recognized to have begun after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. In this period there were constant bombings on US ground. In the 1950s, the anti-radicalism was initiated by Wisconsin senator, Joseph McCarthy to uproot the communist working within the US government to submerge the country. In the period, the identified suspected communists left the positions they held and were blacklisted by the entertainment industry which led them to situations where they could not get employment or recognition. As part of the process, other left-wing and judicious political parties were cautioned from criticizing McCarthy’s anti-communist campaigns.
