After the Second World War of between 1939 and 1945, the globe witnessed the rise of yet another conflict in the form of the Cold War. Apparently, with no need for an alliance against a common foe, the Soviet Union, and the United States turned against each other on the grounds of different ideologies of governance. While Americans were for the democracy based capitalism, the Soviets stood for communism that went against the United States’ perceptions of freedom. To that end, the Cold War did not amount to actual combat between the two powers; although allied countries took to the battlefields in support of their respective dogmas. For instance, South Vietnam supported American Imperialism and for that reason, the nation fought North Vietnam for embracing the Soviet communists (Zinn, 2005, p. 472-474). To that end, Harry S. Truman’s time in office coincided with the commencement of the Cold War, and as this paper argues, both person and event were important to history.
Harry S. Truman’s relevance in history revolves around his executive decisions that went on to affect the United States and to an extent, the world. Notably, perhaps his greatest achievement that guaranteed him a place as an important individual in American history was the issuing of an “executive order” in 1948 to desegregate the military (Foner, 2013, p.725). Since the American Revolutionary War, the Korean War became the only other national conflict in which black and white Americans fought together. The two battles were one hundred and seventy-five years apart. Nonetheless, Truman’s actions paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement as the African American populace finally had enough grounds on which they could claim black enfranchisement. After all, there was no better show of allegiance to one’s country that said person fighting for its interests abroad. Previously, in August 1945, Truman aided the Allied forces to win World War II by dropping atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Zinn, 2005, p.423). Notably, it was the United States’ development of nuclear weapons that plunged the world into the Cold War as it mainly entailed the American and Soviet government threatening each other with an atomic attack.
With the given facts in mind, it was only inevitable that the communism and capitalism arguments that made up the Cold War affected the American government and its citizens. Concurrently, the relevance of the Cold War at home encompassed its effects on all Americans, from the societal to the national levels. Foremost, there was the adoption of the Truman Doctrine through which the United States accepted its “permanent global responsibility” to prevent the spread of communism no matter the cost (Foner, 2013, p.711). By extension, communism sufficed for tyranny and as a result, the prevention of its spread meant the promotion of democracy. Subsequently, the need for better military advancements encouraged Congress to fund research work in the field of medicine and technological advances that begot “aircraft[s], computersand other products” (Foner, 2013, p.728). Hence, the Cold War at home was important as a precursor to the role of the United States as the world police and the multiple inventions that continue to impact the globe.
In conclusion, Harry S. Truman's presidency redefined the United States and the global societies by seizing the opportunities that came with the Cold War. Albeit not in the best circumstances, his decisions to expand democracy on American soil and beyond the country’s borders are vital to both his importance and that of the Cold War.
References
Foner, E. (2013). Give Me Liberty!: An American History (4th ed., Vol. II). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Zinn, H. (2005). A People's History of the United States . New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
