The Cold War in which there were political and ideological tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted into the development of new political, economic, and social strategies that shaped the economy of the United States (Foner, 2017). The United States had the objective of increasing the acceptance of capitalism while the Soviet Union promoted the economic ideology of communism and authoritarian leadership. The antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union that involved non-use of weapons but the use of propaganda started in 1947 until 1991. This paper examines how the Cold War shaped the American society economically, socially, and politically.
A major social impact of the Cold War on the United States was the increase in acceptance of citizenship or the perception of Americans as people of one country rather than different races or cultures. More strategic policies were formulated aimed at ensuring the people of the United States were united to achieve effectiveness in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Segregation that was common in public transport, public schools, and accommodation services was reduced significantly due to the enactment of laws aimed at preventing them ( Foner, 2017) . President Truman made significant changes to policies that discriminated against the Blacks in the Southern states and increased their freedom of choice in order to prevent division within America when it was involved in a war against the expansion of communism. The Cold War also shaped the emergence of Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. and promoted equality between Blacks and Whites. This movement has played a major role in promoting the acceptance of minority groups such as Blacks in the American society. In order to promote unity of Americans and increase their collective effort in the prevention of the spread of communism, people who were incarcerated due to sex offences were freed under the Presidency of Eisenhower. There has been an improvement in the perception of the US society towards homosexuals such as lesbians and gays. Generally, there was overall lack of considerations for personal feelings towards people of diverse characteristics and social stability improved.
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The domestic political impact of the Cold War was the creation of political ideologies that promoted capitalism and opposed communism. Most presidents who were elected passed laws that ensured the US remained opposed to communism. For instance, President Johnson contributed to the passing of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ensured discrimination in public and private accommodation was prohibited. The passing of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) by President JF Kennedy in 1961 enabled the president to get information regarding the issues affecting women. The challenges experienced by women in workplaces and in quest for political positions or participation in voting were addressed through this commission. The security concerns among the American citizens such as after the Cuba Missile attack resulted into the need to formulate security policies that guaranteed the safety of citizens. The cold war also led to political popularity of the Republican Party in the United States between 1950s and 1990 because most citizens did not consider Democratic Party effective in handling communism. This is observed by the high number of Republican Presidents between 1945 and 1990s.
The economic impact of the Cold War that shaped the US economy was the increase in spending on military equipment and training that lead to budget deficits of 53.3% between 1966 and 1970, 3.7% between 1971 and 1975, and 2.6% after 1975. There was also competition between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding who was able to make the longest advancements in space and the military. Consequently, the US spent a significant amount of revenues in military equipment and citizens were overtaxed to meet the budget requirements for the space exploration efforts ( Foner, 2017) . In order to prove to the Soviet Union that the United States could achieve the objective of self-determination, the government developed an economic plan of consumer culture in which the Americans relied on their home-made goods and reduced the number of imports. There was increased national productivity in terms of the use of mechanized farming, the use of farm inputs such as fertilizers to improve productivity of farms, and increased spending in infrastructural development programs ( Foner, 2017) . There was a stimulated economic growth of the US in the 1980s under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan through reduction of interest rates and deregulation of regional trade. A significant amount of national revenue was directed to acquisition of military equipment and other programs such as the Strategic Defense Initiative and military support for American troops in different parts of the world.
In conclusion, the Cold War shaped the American society in many aspects between 1945 and 1992 with the greatest impacts being the culture of patriotism, reduction of discrimination and segregation, improved equality in public schools and consideration of the rights of women, and greater allocation of funds on military development and acquisition of weapons. The need to promote national unity in order to achieve the objective of self-determination led to the improvement in agriculture that stimulated the productivity of the US economy and enabled it to be less dependent on imports of food supplies. These policies have shaped the economy of the United States and enabled it to be one of the most democratic societies globally.
References
Foner, E. (2017). Give Me Liberty!: An American History (Fifth Brief Edition) (Vol. 2) 5th Edition: ISBN 978-0-393-61416-9.
