Since the civil war in the United States there have been many events that could be described as having the biggest impact on our national identity. There are countless ways that the American people have evolved since then. To me, there is no stronger test of a country’s unity and ability to succeed under pressure than war. The United States has weathered many wars and has gone back to help save the countries they defeated. World War 1 established the US as a formidable opponent and a world power. World War 2 confirmed the superiority of the United States military and the unstoppable patriotism of its people. The Cold War showed that the government could negotiate peacefully instead of directly waging yet another conflict. The main problem with being seen as a powerful nation is that there is an expectation that we look after our allies and lesser-developed countries. This is where we made a critical error that led to the Vietnam War. Which, I believe is one of the most crucial points in the history of the United States.
Allow me to set the background for this political nightmare. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany and the nuclear bombing of Japan, the US reveled in its victory while the Soviet Union claimed a large amount of Eastern Europe and the Northern half of Korea. They stated clearly that they wished to consolidate control over the rest of Europe. Winston Churchill responded and set the iron curtain, isolating Eastern Europe. Communists of the time were considered fiendish backstabbers that would gladly flood the Country at any moment. The political tension brought on by the conflict between an ally (Europe) and a previous enemy (The Soviet Union) drew the US closer to the war of words. There were hunts for the “Reds” al...
... middle of paper ...
...tion to deal with the wounded veterans, disgruntled families and political backlash of an utterly pointless campaign. But, the citizens of America learned that they are able to protest what they do not believe in, even if it goes against the undying ideals of patriotism. Learning this helped our great nation diversify our beliefs in the government and still inspires us to challenge decisions made by the government today.
Works Cited
Brigham, Robert K. Battlefield Vietnam: A Brief History. http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/index.html (accessed 11 9, 2011).
History.com. Vietnam War. http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war (accessed November 9, 2011).
"Muhammad Ali- The Measure of a Man." Freedomway, May 1967: 101-102.
Reagan, Ronald. Vietnam war quotes and sayings. http://www.quotesandsayings.com/qvietnam.htm (accessed November 9, 2011).
After the war of 1812, the United States moved toward to the creation of a unified national state and by 1830 became a nation-state. Through major changes in infrastructure, establishments of national banks, and the purchases of land, America was developing into its own fully functional and self-sufficient nation.
The alliance formed between the US and USSR during the second world war was not strong enough to overcome the decades of uneasiness which existed between the two ideologically polar opposite countries. With their German enemy defeated, the two emerging nuclear superpowers no longer had any common ground on which to base a political, economical, or any other type of relationship. Tensions ran high as the USSR sought to expand Soviet influence throughout Europe while the US and other Western European nations made their opposition to such actions well known. The Eastern countries already under Soviet rule yearned for their independence, while the Western countries were willing to go to great lengths to limit Soviet expansion. "Containment of 'world revolution' became the watchword of American foreign policy throughout the 1950s a...
The United States today, both militarily and economically, is the strongest force in the world. In order to get to that point, however, the United States had to pull of the miracle upset in its infancy stages against the reigning super power of the time in what would become to be known as the American Revolution. This was not an actual revolution for there was not a political overhaul with an exception to who now collected the taxes. This instead was a rebellion against the British by people who largely considered them selves to be British. The new American government was even modeled after the British government. In fact, many Americans did not want war but instead just wanted to have the same rights as a British man. They felt like their
The wars that America fought was primarily for that reason. The formation of the European Union was a key strategy by United States to ensure that European countries are consolidated under one umbrella that controls the political and economic affairs of the region. United States’ economic mighty, political and cultural appeal and strong military has helped maintain the status as the only truly global power. U.S. used its power to promote democracy and support countries under siege both from internal and external aggressions, a strategy that they also used to promote the interests of American companies and its people. The U.S. foreign policy through the 20th century was meant to take the lead in creating effective international institutions and arrangements to handle new challenges especially those rising from Europe, Asia and Latin America. The U.S. wanted to lead not only because it alone could have helped the international community overcome its problems, but feared that it is most likely to be hurt if it does not act. Following the victory in World War II, the U.S. led the efforts to create United Nations and NATO and also facilitated formation of new regimes in some countries to promote democracy, economic recovery, development, and prosperity which benefited those countries and their people and
After the war, the United States and the Soviet Union had very different ideas on how to rebuild. The United States, led by President Truman, wanted to form democracies in Europe and create a capitalistic society to build economically strong nations that would compliment the American economy through trade. In contrast, the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, wanted to rebuild itself and spread communism through Europe and Asia. In a desperate attempt to rebuild, many countries devastated by war fell under soviet influence and resorted to communism. The Soviet Union called these nations Satellite nations and hoped that they would serve as ?buffer? nations, preventing invasion from the west .In its efforts to defend democracy, the U.S. created the policy of containment. In this new policy, the United States would try to block Soviet influence by making alliances and supporting weaker nations. Winston Churchill described this strategy as an ?iron curtain?, which became and invisible line separating the communist from the capitalist countries in Europe. To help enforce the ideas of containment, President Truman create...
America has overcome good and bad, ever since we gained our independence. Several large events changed how we view the past and we never want to visit those scenarios ever again. World War II changed lives throughout the world, especially the lives of Americans. Japan sneaked attack Pearl Harbor, Americans dropped bombs on Japan, and the US economy plummeted. We will never want to revisit these events, but they will always be remembered.
The foreign and domestic policies during the Cold War lead to both the separation of world powers and the fear of political and social systems throughout the world. After World War 2 had ended, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union heighted. The agreements made at the Yalta Conference between Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt , were not being followed by the Soviets. The Soviet Union kept the land they reconquered in Eastern Europe and did not enforce a democratic government in those countries, as they promised. Instead, the Soviet Union decided to continue spreading communism in their reconquered lands. The United States’ feared the spread of communism and attempted to do anything in its power to stop it. Before the United
The United States has had a changing view on the management of foreign policy from neutrality to a defender of democracy. It is characterized by the Monroe Doctrine during the 20th century that states no American interference in European affairs unless the democracy of the western hemisphere were to be threatened. This ideology was later abandoned with the entering of the U.S. in WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. The immigrants of this nation were the backbone of the working class that enabled for the U.S. to prosper economically in an open trade. As an established super power the United States has had a series of world relationships that began in 1877 to the progression of today that established the fundamental values of American exceptionalism.
Robert S. McNamara's book, In Retrospect, tells the story of one man's journey throughout the trials and tribulations of what seems to be the United States utmost fatality; the Vietnam War. McNamara's personal encounters gives an inside perspective never before heard of, and exposes the truth behind the administration.
As a result, the Geneva agreement was set up to try and keep order in
During 1945 and early in 1946, the Soviet Union cut off nearly all contacts between the West and the occupied territories of Eastern Europe. In March 1946, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned that "an iron curtain has descended across the Continent" of Europe. He made popular the phrase Iron Curtain to refer to Soviet barriers against the West (Kennedy 1034). Behind these barriers, the U.S.S.R. steadily expanded its power. In 1946, the U.S.S.R. organized Communist governments in Bulgaria and Romania. In 1947, Communists took control of Hungary and Poland. Communists seized full power in Czechoslovakia early in 1948. These countries became Soviet satellite nations controlled by the U.S.S.R. Albania already had turned to Communism. Yugoslavia also joined the Communist bloc. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia had helped drive out the Germans near the end of the war. Communists led by Josip Broz Tito then took over the government (Cold War). East and West opposed each other in the United Nations. In 1946, the U.S.S.R. rejected a U.S. proposal for an international agency to control nuclear energy production and research. The Soviet Union believed the United States had a lead in nuclear weapons and would have a monopoly if controls were approved. The Soviet Union pictured itself as a defender of peace and accused the United States of planning a third world war.
Through its history, America has experienced a plethora of tragedies and victories, each making an impression on its identity. But as with all things, it did not evolve overnight into what it is. Politics are the brain of the country, but the people are the heartbeat. The direction of the former depends on the status of the latter and certain events affect the citizens of a country beyond repair. War shakes a nation to its core, transforming every facet of society. Sometimes it is for the better, but not every time. Throughout the last century the US has had the misfortune of going through three wars, each very different. The start of the century kicked off with World War I, giving the nation economic as well as societal changes, from the growth of Progressivism to the start of the journey for women's equality that would shape the political world of the 21st century. As for the next World War which came all too soon, it gave America the patriotism that was so long admired and the unity of thought on a national matter. Yet again, women in the war transformed their role in society, but this time even greater. However the economy did not fare so well, and suffered even more from Roosevelt's policies and massive tax implements affecting the the future decisions regarding the deficit and budget. To finish, Vietnam was an even greater disappointment to our nation. The riots and movements of the day regarding communism which was the enemy, and the open hate towards the soldiers from the media seriously hurt the war and the nations view of it. NOt to mention Nixon's feeding of the welfare beast and EPA. All in all, despite every other event of American history, very few have had as much of an affect on the nation politically as WWI, WWII ...
Many events have changed America, from being under control of Britain to gaining our freedom from them. Being able to adapt to a new way of living and adjusting to form our own government system was such an important step in American history. Our ability to apply so much grit while fighting for our rights is what makes America so great.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Imperialism was a popular trend among the large, powerful countries. Imperialism is defined as “The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations” Imperialism cannot be said as either good or bad, but as a general rule; If you live in an annexed country, imperialism is not good, if your country annexes smaller ones to gain profit, land, and respect, then imperialism is good. The United States was not much of an imperialistic country until we won the Spanish-American war. As a result of this war, we annexed Guam, The Philippines, and Puerto Rico. This is the point at which the US becomes and imperialistic nation, and though it was a hard struggle to keep these annexed countries under control and eventually gave them all back to their rightful owners. The importance of taking these countries is that we then could have coal stations around the world to fuel our navy, and we got respect from other countries around the war. This respect and intimidation helped the allied powers defeat the central powers during World War II. Ever since the US became the most powerful nation after the Spanish-American war, we have retained the title.
f you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind. David Giffy (Vietnam veteran)