During the early stages of the Cold War (1945-1954), the United States became so dedicated to stopping the spread of communism that they completely ignored the potential ecological effects of their strategic decisions, signifying a complete disconnect from contemplative ecology.
During this period under the Truman Administration, there was an overwhelming societal belief that national security concerns trump environmental safety. As a matter of fact, there was zero concern from the federal government towards environmental safety, as evidenced by the United States Federal Government Spending for the Fiscal Year of 1950. Zero concern equalling zero dollars being spent on ‘pollution abatement’, and most appalling ‘protection of biodiversity and landscape’ (the Federal Government literally spent no money on the protection of biodiversity, talk about ecological disconnect). Compare that lack of money being spent to the 10.8 billion USD being spent on pollution abatement and protection of biodiversity and landscape respectively in the fiscal year of 2010. The constant threat of World War Three with the Soviets was on everyone’s minds. The closest the United States came to war with the Soviet Union during the early stages of the Cold War was the Berlin Blockade, which began in June of 1948. Had the Soviets shot down any cargo aircraft supplying West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift, World War Three would have begun right on the heels of the end of World War Two. Months after the blockade ended, the Soviets successfully tested their first atomic bomb and Mao Ze Dong’s Communist army defeated Chiang Kai Chek’s Nationalist army in the Chinese Civil War. By the start of the new decade in 1950, Communism was flourishing and the US Govern...
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...s Sons, 2003. 529-532. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 May 2014.
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The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
According to the video the U.S. Army was using the Marshallese islands as a testing sites for hydrogen bombs and a miscalculated
Truman?s approach to Cold War politics was practical and logical, but it was too reactionary by nature. Truman failed to see that it was inevitable for the U.S. to eventually fight against the Soviets; in fact, one Soviet diplomat even said this himself as a rationalization for seizing more lands. The Truman Administration clearly realized that the Soviets had engaged in a struggle for power, a Cold War, so why then didn?t Truman do everything in his power to eliminate this...
The Cold War began and Truman worked to contain communism. The Soviets had put a containment around Berlin and therefore the American’s could not get in supplies to the democratic people there. Truman then got the daring idea to do an airlift to get supplies to the people there and it was highly successful. This was a brave action because of a few reasons. The nation was scared of another world war with the Soviet Union and Truman had the lowest approval ratings he had ever had. This action had a chance of causing retaliation from the Soviet Union and was therefore highly risky. He also had reelection coming up which required the public’s approval and this action could risk getting that approval. While this showed bravery for the previously stated reasons it also showed his compassion for people. He made sure these people were taken care of with very few excuses. This event also led to an expansion in the defense department in the United States. This growth of the defense department continued for several years and continued to provide some protection throughout the Cold War. While it can be difficult to see exactly how this effected the rest of the Cold War but it can be argued that it definitely helped the side of democracy in the world. Both bravery and compassion are great traits for a successful President, so it is no surprise that he was so
America and the USSR both had different opinions on communism and how a country should be run. The USSR believed communism was the perfect way to run its country and people. Communism consisted of a one party state which owned the whole of the industry business and the agricultural business too. There would be no individual profit making and everyone was equal and received an equal amount of money. America, however was a capitalist state which meant that there was freedom of speech, free elections and more than one political party.
During the Cold War, the United States engaged in many aggressive policies both at home and abroad, in which to fight communism and the spread of communist ideas. Faced with a new challenge and new global responsibilities, the U.S. needed to retain what it had fought so strongly for in World War II. It needed to contain the communist ideas pouring from the Soviet Union while preventing communist influence at home, without triggering World War III. With the policies of containment, McCarthyism, and brinkmanship, the United States hoped to effectively stop the spread of communism and their newest threat, the Soviet Union. After the war, the United States and the Soviet Union had very different ideas on how to rebuild.
“Was Truman Responsible for the Cold War”, well, according to author Arnold A. Offner, his simplistic answer is an obvious “yes.” “Taking Sides” is a controversial aspect of the author’s interpretation for justifying his position and perception of “Truman’s” actions. This political approach is situated around the “Cold War” era in which the author scrutinizes, delineates, and ridicules his opponents by claiming “I have an ace in the hole and one showing” (SoRelle 313). Both authors provide the readers with intuitive perceptions for their argumentative approaches in justifying whether or not “Truman” contributed to the onset of the “Cold War.” Thus far, it would be hard-pressed to blame one single individual, President or not, for the “Cold War” initiation/s. Information presented shows the implications centered on the issues leading up to the Cold War”, presents different ideologies of two Presidents involving policy making, and a national relationship strained by uncooperative governments.
The Americans came back to the island. They wanted to test the atomic bomb on the island. They forced the natives to move to an island south of Bikini. This did not make the natives happy, they didn't want to lose there island.
... held on to until 1968 when the Johnson administration turned it back over to Japan. This is has become a sore subject for some Marines who fought and watched brothers die for a piece of rock. The Marine Corp veterans believe we should have kept it as a memorial to those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Japan has since built a memorial for all WWII veterans and continues to do investigations on the island.
The Soviet Union began to view the United States as a threat to communism, and the United States began to view the Soviet Union as a threat to democracy. On March 12, 1947, Truman gave a speech in which he argued that the United States should support nations trying to resist Soviet imperialism. Truman and his advisors created a foreign policy that consisted of giving reconstruction aid to Europe, and preventing Russian expansionism. These foreign policy decisions, as well as his involvement in the usage of the atomic bomb, raise the question of whether or not the Cold War can be blamed on Truman. Supporting the view that Truman was responsible for the Cold War, Arnold Offner argues that Truman’s parochialism and nationalism caused him to make contrary foreign policy decisions without regard to other nations, which caused the intense standoff between the Soviet Union and America that became the Cold War (Offner 291)....
Gregory, Ross. Cold War America: 1946 to 1990. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2003.
Bikini Atoll is one of 29 atolls and five islands that make up the Marshall Islands (“A Short History”). Located in Micronesia, Bikini Atoll played a major role in World War II. Originally taken by the Japanese and used as a lookout point, it was later captured by U.S. forces in a battle that took place in its neighboring Kwajalein Atoll (“A Short History”). This would crush the Japanese hold on the Marshall Islands. After the war, President Truman recognized the importance of the Marshall Islands and its location in the Pacific.
In 1988 Robert Stone directed a documentary film titled Radio Bikini: the most terrifying and unbelievable story of the nuclear age. The film documented the United States’ nuclear weapons tests in a small chain of islands known as Bikini Atoll. This paper discusses the background of Bikini Atoll to include the native population, the preparation of the tests, the results of the tests, and what we learned from the tests. This paper will also show that the movie was not completely objective. Various references were used to show the events, circumstances and accounts for what took place in the experiments.
Influenced by the fear of communism by American society and containment beliefs of people like George Kennan, who advocated that the US should use diplomatic, economic, and military action to contain communism, Truman established the Truman Doctrine, which stated that the US would protect democracies throughout the world, pledging the US would fight it around the world. This doctrine was an extension to both the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary. In dealing with foreign policy, Truman did everything to protect nations of being consumed by communism, such as the Berlin Airlift, in which Truman decided to avoid the Soviet blockade of West Berlin and flew supplies directly over to the people in need. In Asia, Truman decided to use limited warfare, meaning the lack of atomic weapons, and was highly criticized by Douglas MacArthur, commander of the army, who he later dismissed for not following US policy.
It was the 1960’s in America, a time of social consciousness, fear, war, distrust in government, and rebellion. It was a time in which bomb shelter ads on TV were common place. It was a time of tension and fears for communism creping though our neighborhoods and infiltrating American ideals. We were at war with a nation. After World War 2, there were two dominant nations, the United States and the Soviet Union. Political ideals and control over Germany would separate the allies into bitter rivals and enemies. The fear of the Soviet’s use of nuclear weapons was constantly in the backs of our minds. It was a global ...