The Soviet domination was not only an era characterized by great prosperity and economic progress for America, but also one with a lot of opposition. The period between the late 1940s and early 1950s became a time when Americans were obsessed with fighting communism both at home and abroad. The U.S was frightened by the soviet’s dominance. The cold war broke out at around this time. The Soviet Union controlled the expansion of communism, which was a threat to America.
At this time, foreign affairs was a crucial part of America’s survival. There was an obvious competition between the U.S and Soviet republics concerning who dominated the world economics and politics. There were efforts by the American government to ensure that this problem was contained. However, it became more difficult when China pulled away. Several wars broke out necessitating the creation of policies by the leadership at the time. This paper seeks to analyze the actions taken by Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Joseph McCarthy, and John F. Kennedy in their different leadership capacities.
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Truman’s Input
In previous years, America had clear entry points such as the invasion of South Korea and the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, the Vietnam War was different. There was no clear indication on how America joined the war. President Truman ordered an economic and military program to help the French retain several colonies including Vietnam. This negotiation was marred with many political motivations that delayed action thus costing many lives in the process. The Soviet domination strengthened the communist nationalist of Vietnam. The nationalists were able to defeat the French army in 1954. The French were forced to form a communist nation in the North while the South remained a non-communist. These restrictions interfered with the ability of America to trade because there was no right to free enterprise.
Senator McCarthy’s Role
Communism weakened the dominance of America because it restricted government property ownership as well as personal freedom for Americans. The spread of communism in Europe and Korea only served as fuel for Americas’ anxiety as they thought their way of life would be. As a countermeasure, Senator McCarthy launched a public campaign to eliminate communism infiltration in the government and foreign policies. After his re-election, he embarked on a mission to expose communist sympathizers within the government. These claims were mostly unfounded and baseless, but the fear that the demands created within cultural and political divides made him powerful. However, these tactics did not last too long as the Senate rebuked McCarthy for being an unbecoming senator with a non-befitting conduct for his status. Communism was still an issue that needed to be addressed if Americans were to feel safe again.
Dwight’s Action
During the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a campaign to take back control was established. The government under President Dwight focused on building a nation in South Vietnam. The plan was to construct a government, penetrate the French army and take control over it. Also, the president ordered the dispatch of military professionals to help train the Vietnamese army. Another move of dealing with the Soviet dominance was to bring in the CIA to start a psychological warfare on the Northern part of the country.
John F. Kennedy’s Intervention
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy secretly formed a special operations force and sent over 400 consultants to teach the Vietnamese in the South to fight against the communist that had taken over part of their country. By the time of his assassination, there were more than 16000 American fighters with over 100 Americans dead due to this interference.
