Essay On Cold, Korean, And Vietnam War

A fight erupted between the United States of America and the Soviet Union over superiority though it was no physical. Each of the countries was afraid of each other for a physical way to be initiated. Before the Second World War, the Soviet Union enjoyed the superiority advantages but, “by the end of the war, the United States had emerged as a global superpower. Wartime mobilization made the economy the strongest in the world, buttressed by the military clout of the nation’s nuclear monopoly” (pg 674). The Soviet Union experienced the contrary, “The German offensive against the soviet Union killed more than twenty six million Russian Soldiers and civilian” (pg674). The strengthening of the American military as well as the economy over the weaker Russian military and economy sparked up the cold war between the two countries. The former was bitter that the United States had taken over their former status, a superpower.
The United States was threatened by the communist Soviet Union and this was the beginning of the cold war. “During the campaigns, Republicans had blasted Truman as incapable of dealing with economic problems and the threat of the communism,” (pg675). The republicans were referring to the congress elections that were due tainting President Truman as incapable of dealing with the task that was ahead for him. As much as they were just campaigns, they reflected what was in the mind of the people meaning that they were really shaken by the mention of the then Soviet Union then, now Russia. This was the root cause of the cold war between the two superior nations. Since they were afraid of each other they could not engage into physical war but they sat back and developed a cold war over the years. The cold war turned into the only struggle to show their superiority over each other.
The United States of America came up with a foreign policy that could aid in putting on toes the Soviet Union power. “As early as 1946, Acheson became convinced that the Soviet Union posed a major threat to US security. With other officials, he helped to shape a policy designed to contain and thwart Soviet power wherever it threatened to spread,” (pg680). Acheson was the US foreign policy official during the time. As the rivalry between the two superpowers heightened Acheson was accused with all the wrong moves in allowing the communist show its superiority. “Acheson too reaped abuse from the Republicans for being soft on the Communism,” (pg 680). The communism policy of the members from the Soviet Union in the United States of America poised a major fear factor for the American citizens. “At home a wave of anti-communist hysteria harmed many Americans and stifled dissent and debate about US policies,” (pg 680).
The divergent post war visions between the United States of America and the Soviet Union contributed to the cold war between the two nations. “The prewar mistrust and antagonism between the Soviet Union and the West resurfaced over their very different visions of the post war world,” (pg 681). The West had failed in their expected of the opening of another front in Western Europe. “It aroused the Soviet Union suspicions during the war” (pg 681). The president Truman himself felt and wished that the attack of German on the Soviet Union would have been deadly so that the two countries were eliminated. “As long as the Soviet Union conformed to the US plans for the postwar world and restrained its expansionist impulses” (pg 682).
The cold war between the two super powers was widened by the fact that the booming US economy as well as superior nuclear weapons sent fear into the Soviet Union. This was pronouncing the United States of America as the super power something that the Soviet Union found difficulty to accept. “With a vastly expanded economy and a monopoly on atomic weapons, the United States was the most powerful nation on the planet,” (pg681). The capitalism policy of the United States of America was opposed to the communism policy of the Soviet Union. These antagonizing policies sparked up and further widened the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States of America.
In response to the cold war the United States’ president came up with a foreign policy called the Truman policy as well as the Marshall plan. “In 1947, the United States began to implement the doctrine of containment that would guide foreign policy for the next four decades,” (pg 686). This doctrine saw thousands of the United States Military as well as cash spent to fund foreign troops. This was not an easy task to convince the United States citizens. “Americans approved a verbal hard line but wanted to keep their soldiers and tax at home” (pg 686).
The two countries decided to develop countering decisions. “In September 1949, the United States of America lost its nuclear monopoly when officials confirmed that the Soviets had detonated an atomic bomb,” (pg 686). The United States also responded to the Soviet Union new development. “To implement the second component of containment strategy, the United States beefed up its conventional military power to deter Soviet threats that might not warrant nuclear retaliation” (pg686). The cold went on and one country’s action led to the other country countering an opposing move until the war became global. “Efforts to implement containment moved beyond Europe. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, World War II accelerated a tide of national liberation movements against war-weakened imperial powers, “(pg 688).
The Cold war turned into hot when the United States of America attacked Korea. “The cold war erupted into a shooting war in June 1950, when troops from Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. For the first time, Americans went into battle to implement containment,” (pg695). The battle was really significant as it introduced the militarization of the United States Policy. Furthermore; “The United States involvement in Korea marked the militarization of American foreign policy. The US, in concert with the United Nations, ultimately held the line in Korea, but at a great cost in lives, dollars, and domestic unity” (pg 695). The war between the North Korea and South Korea further displayed the cold war between the two nations fighting for superiority. “The United States and the Soviet Union created two occupation zones separated by the thirty-eighth parallel. The soviets supported the Korean Communist Party in the north, while the United States of America backed the Korean Democratic Party in the south,” (pg695).
The Korean battle led to major developments following the effects of the cold war that existed between the two super power countries. The United States was backed up with the United Nations troops so that they were in a position to deal with any attack given that the Soviet Union did not participate in the battle in Korea despite their support of the North Korea. “The United States furnished most of the personnel and weapons, deploying almost 1.8 million troops and dictating military troops and dictating military strategy,” (pg 697).
The Korean War came with its own repercussions with the United States military personnel perishing as well as causing a deficit in the budget with the heavy military spending. “The war took the lives of 36000 Americans and wounded more than 100000,” (pg 698). The military spending was estimated to be at a level of sixty percent of the federal government budget. “Military Spending shot up from $14 billion in 1950 to $50 billion in 1953 and remained above $40 billion thereafter,” (pg 689).
The United States of America also applied their foreign containment policy leading to the war in Vietnam. When a Vietnam leader attempted to fight for independence and free the state from colonialism. “When France fought to maintain its colony, the area plunged into war. Because Ho (the Vietnam leader) declared himself a communist, the Truman administration quietly began to provide aid to the French,” (pg 708). The war proved tougher and evoked the Guerilla warfare that led to the famous deadly Vietnam War.
The militarization of the United States policy to contain the international wars made enemies with the nation especially those countries that supported the communist policy. On the other hand the capitalist countries backed the United States efforts in the foreign containment policy. The cold war between the two superpower nations led to the development of civil rights movements against the dehumanizing nature of war. The Americans protested but the nation administration had to act in a move to protect itself against its major rival, the Soviet Union. The United States economy was at stake with the military overspending. The Cold war turned hot. “The United States involvement in Korea marked the militarization of American foreign policy. The US, in concert with the United Nations, ultimately held the line in Korea, but at a great cost in lives, dollars, and domestic unity” (pg 695).