Introduction
It was an era of atomic action and reaction in the world following the World War II. Various nations were trying to survive through high tension and fear. Most of the countries were gripped under a common concern of what was going to follow and which nation/nations would hold power. Countries like America and Soviet Union were using their power to use other countries to their advantage. This was the time when many demographic and political changes took place in many countries. However, the journey post war was not easy, even for America. The anxieties and fear in people made them change their attitudes and beliefs towards life (Goldfield et al, 2004).
Analyze the impact of the Cold War on the domestic home front. How and why did Americans turn to the home and the family as a bastion of safety in an insecure world?
It was an age of nuclear weapons and atomic bombs; an age which witnessed the harsh effects of war on countries like Japan. Many lives were lost and the post-war situation was the worst of all times, all throughout the world. America was no different. The people were tired and living in the fear of war. The main threat that America faced after the World War II was that of the cold war (Dudziak, 2011).
During the initial stages of the cold war, life in America was full of uncertainties. At such a time, home seemed more secure for the people, compared to the outside world. Self-contained houses and families promised security in an insecure world. Such climate seemed to offer Americans abundance and fulfillment. In this period of cold war, Americans became more conscious of forming healthy family environment. A new phenomenon of “baby boom” was observed after an increase in the marriages, which were on a decline in the country since decades.
American mindset changed during this era, as the people began to think beyond race, ethnic groups, religion, and social and economic classes. They all married young and had more children. All Americans tried to bring up the marriage rate and avoided divorces. Even divorced men and women tried to live together to live securely in an atmosphere full of tension. Young Americans tried to get married early and have two or more children, in order to make good family bonding and healthy relations with members (Goldfield et al, 2004).
They treaded a path different from the one chosen by their parents or grandparents. The rate of marriages increased significantly among young Americans in this period, as more people wanted a secure home in the atmosphere of war. They wanted to have close-knit families and thus, tried to make enough time with their families and avoid the fears of war.
What is meant by the phrase domestic containment? How and why did the American people and political leaders utilize domestic containment as a bulwark against communism and the dangers of the cold war?
The atomic age of 1959 was the period which saw the cold war at their peaks. Vice president Nixon travelled to Soviet Union to take part in American National Exhibition. He often played heated debates with the Premier, Nikita Khrushchev. However, the debates were never about the war or weapons. Nixon discussed the American way of life and Nikita, to counter him, the communist system of Soviet. Neither of the sides dared to bring up the topic of missiles or bombs in the discussions. Washing machines, televisions, and electrical ranges continued to dominate the argument. This warm debate was often considered as “kitchen debate”, since no one wanted to initiate a talk about war (May, 1998).
It was a high level of cold war between the two most powerful countries of the world. In the American culture, the men took on the role of bread-winners for the families and home makers were women, as addressed by Nixon. He commented that America had more variety and brands for washing machines which were capable of providing good life, health, and comfort to their women; and that it was a matter of high merit to have more machine companies than rockets. High quality consumer goods meant good lifestyle of housewives, which made it easy for men to succeed at work. Soviet countered this with the pride it held in the productive Soviet female workers; and that there is no full time role of housewife in a communist economy. This was referred to as a capitalist attitude by America (Dudziak, 2011).
Hidden in these arguments was their attempt of cold war, but they smartly and carefully treaded away from creating a war-like atmosphere or meddling with the world peace.
What impact did this changing dynamic have on sexuality, marriage, and traditional gender roles? How were men, women, and minorities each affected by the anxieties of the cold war?
In the changing times following the World War II and during the cold war era, the lives of people in America changed like never before. They began to find more security with families and tried to get more involved with families. Black or white, rich or poor, with all races and social classes, people wanted to spend more time with families. Americans changed history by making more marriages and trying to have large families, which was not the scenario earlier.
Americans tried to live with families and avoided war and political activities, and tried to become more social. They got married young and tried to begin parenthood very early after the marriage. Not just that, but they also tried to make large families by increasing birth rate in America. This not only helped increase the marriage rate, but they also avoided divorces and started making healthy relationships with their spouses. Men wanted to live with their wives and children in order to forget the war environment. They wanted to avoid depression and enjoy their time with the family (May, 1998).
This phenomenon was not observed in World War I, and the effects of this culture of returning to peace were beyond expectations this time. Post-war America saw more young marriages, parenthood and traditional gender roles. War time brought challenges to traditional gender roles that could have led to restructuring of homes. In the time of war, men joined armed forces and women forcefully joined paid labor work, which caused challenges in family life and work (Goldfield et al, 2004).
However, post-cold war era saw increased job opportunities and high education. Increase in birth control devices might have led young people to get married late or not to marry at all. They also preferred fewer children post marriage. The children of the people who grew up in the cold war began their family in prosperity, when the war had ended and the life had returned to normal. They went on to create a culture contrary to those, who lived their adult lives in the 60s and 70s. All these factors led to the return of high divorce rates and low children rates in America (Dudziak, 2011).
Assess the legitimacy of the author's arguments. Do you believe that the home and family provided security and protection for Americans during the Cold war? How did this dynamic change and evolve throughout the cold war?
But after the war and during the cold war, the general perception towards marriages and children changed completely. They wanted to get married younger and have family, so they began early parenthood. They also tried to have large families and they really wanted to enjoy life with family, in order to come over the depression of wars. The thought of having a secure home and a family offered a temptation too lucrative to be refused – a temptation of having an own nest away from the aftermath of the wars. The bonding also improved by the fact that everybody in the family who has seen the world war was vulnerable from inside, and needed support, comfort and protection from the outside forces. This vulnerability also played a key role in binding families together in the time of the distress. They believed in construction of families and homemakers of the families played a role to develop a secure and cultured lifestyle. Men took on the roles of the breadwinners. So, we can firmly say that in cold war era, Americans were closer to their families and wanted to develop healthy relations and didn’t want to be a part of another war.
However, the history data also tell us that after the era of cold war ended, situation again changed in America. After about two decades of prosperous family life, the trend began to reverse. Marriage rate saw a decline and divorces were on a rise. New-generation Americans also wanted less children. Author attributes this to the expanding opportunities in employment and education for women, which took them out of their roles of mere homemakers and made them don on the hat of a breadwinner for the family (May, 1998).
References
Dudziak, M. (2011). Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy. Princeton University Press.
Goldfield, D., Abbott, C., Argesinger, J., & Argesinger, P. (2004). Twentieth-Century America: A Social and Political History (2nd ed.).
May, E. T. (1988). Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era.
