The prominence of the US as a world’s superpower has been shaped by a series of historical events. Most of these historical events greatly influenced various policies that informed how the country engages with the international community and how to handle national issues that confronted the American citizens. Some of the events that shape the US foreign and local policies include;
The great Depression (1929-1939)
The Great Depression was the world’s longest economic downturn in the world.Zinn reiterates that the Great Depression started in the United States in October 1929 when the stock market crashed. The condition sent panic among investors who embarked on a massive withdrawal of money from financial institutions (12). Most of the business people wiped out their investments. Consumer spending reduced a fact that saw a decline in the market for industrial goods.
Roosevelt was committed to addressing the US economic woes. He ordered for the close of the banks for four days to allow the Congress to pass the reform legislations. Only those banks that had a sound financial condition were opened. Also, the President engaged the public through the radio talks so as to restore confidence in the Americans. Furthermore, Roosevelt passed the Social Security laws and other legislations that were aimed to stabilizing the economy. However, it was until the WWII when the US economy stabilized. The Great Depression affected most economies in the world a fact that puts US at the centre of the world economy (Bryce28).
Cold war (1947-1991)
The cold war was a condition of military and political tension after the WWII between two world superpowers, the United States and the USSR. According to Zinn the Unites States and the Soviet Union fought as allies against the Nazi in Germany during the WWII.However, the alliance began to fall apart after the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.The tension between the former allies was apparent during the Potsdam conference in July of 1945.The main ball of contention was about the occupation of Germany and the freedom of the countries in East Europe (45).
The USSR wanted to establish a buffer zone between its boards and the countries in Western Europe, which were allied to the United States. Also, the Soviet Union established regimes that were pro-communism in countries in the Eastern Europe like Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The USSR tightened their grip on countries in Eastern Europe; the US embarked on a containment policy to counter the spread and influence of the Soviet Union in Western countries like France, Greece, and Italy.
In the 1940s, the US reserved its traditional policy of not getting involved in the European war affairs. President Truman Doctrine of 1947 pledged to support nations that were threatened by the communist subversion. The Marshall plan of 1947 provided billions of dollars to eliminate economic instability among its allies that could open a way for the takeover of democratically elected governments by the communists. The US formed an alliance with the NATO to form a first mutual security alliance in the history of the US. The USSR countered by forming an alliance with the communist countries in Eastern Europe.
Despite the fact that the USSR and the United States did not engage in a physical fight, the tension between the two countries played a great deal in shaping the US foreign policies and the homeland security. Most of the American citizens were prepared for the possibilities of the war. The content about the war and how to protect the US citizens against any attacks from the USSR dominated the school curriculum. Also, Businessman and real estate developers constructed bomb-proof houses for protection (Bryce 70).
When the tension between the two powerful states escalated, President Kennedy ordered the strengthening of the US intercontinental ballistic forces in 1962.Also, the US strengthened its army by introducing five new army divisions. To date, the US has taken the policing role of the world since it has the most sophisticated military force in the world.
The disintegration of the communist Union due to the US military and financial aid to anti-communist states and severe economic downturn due to the sanctions by the US caused the USSR to bow to the Pressure that saw the cold war come to an end thus making the US be the sole world superpower.
Civil Rights Movement (1954- 1968)
According to Bryce, the Civil Rights Movement on the 1960s was a mass protest against racial discrimination and segregation in the US southern states. Also, the Africans wanted federal protection, and legal recognition as American citizens since the law did not allow them to participate in any election process (96).
However, the movement came to the national limelight in 1954 when the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown V. Board of Education that the policy of racial segregation in the public schools was unconstitutional. Many politicians in the south were against the ruling by claiming that the decision to desegregate the public schools violated the rights of the states to govern their education systems. The political leaders’ responded with legal challenges, defiance and delays to compliance. Consequently, less than 10% of the black children attended integrated schools by the end of the 1950s.
Zinn opines that the Civil rights were characterized by a series civil resistance campaigns. Prominent Civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. led nonviolent dissent and civic disobedience that created crisis thus necessitating constructive dialogues between the activists and the US government authorities. The protests started with the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955.When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man, she was arrested a charged public disorderly. Africans protested against segregation policies of Montgomery bus service (87). They demand that all passengers should be treated equally. The bus company was forced to change its policies so as to accommodate the views of the activists.
In 1960, four college students disobeyed the segregation policies of the Woolworth's lunch counter. The students sat in the areas designated for the whites and asked to be served. They were refused service and arrested for disobedience and causing disorderly. These spurred a series of sit-ins in other colleges within weeks. The management of the eatery amended their policies so as to end racial discrimination.
The war on racial decimation got a boost when the whites joined the blacks in the Washington march in 1963.The major achievement of this march was the passage of the Civil rights law. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed “I have a Dream” speech in front of over 200,000 demonstrators. The civil right movement was instrumental in enhancing the freedom of the Africans in the US.
Conclusion
Many historical events in the US have influenced the US policies on how it engages with the local citizens and the international community. For instance, the effects of the US great depression were felt all over the world. The US recovery policies were adopted by other nations so as to overcome the economic crisis. Also, the Cold War saw a change in the US foreign policies and the formation of the security alliances to help in ending dictatorship in the world that was being propagated by the USSR. Furthermore, the Civil Rights movement ushered in a new era of racial equality in the US. Other countries in the world have emulated the human rights policy that has seen a reduction in cases of racial discrimination all over the world
Works Cited
Bryce, James. The study of American history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.Print
Zinn, Howard. A people’s history of the United States. London: Pan Macmillan UK, 2016.Print.
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