Socio-economic effects of the Cold War on America
Introduction
The cold war had a huge impact on the culture and economy of the American people. In a nut shell, the cold war was a state of political tension between the capitalist Western hemisphere and the communist Eastern bloc. The Soviet Union and the United States of America emerged as the two biggest super powers on opposing sides of the cold war. It was referred to as a cold war because there was no direct fighting between the two super powers. However they funded wars in other regions with each side supporting those they deemed to be their allies.
Cultural and Economic Effects
The cold war led to a strong intolerance for communism in the American society. This was evidenced to a large extent by various anti communism ideas that were propagated through various forms of art such as the film industry. During this time, Hollywood was seen to produce films that largely criticized communist ideologies while praising capitalist cultures. It led to the emergence of cold war modernists who used literature and other art forms as a weapon to spread propaganda against the communist Eastern bloc. i The cold war also resulted in many Americans constantly living in fear amid threats by their powerful enemies. ii Both the United States and the Soviet Union built up large arsenals of nuclear weapons that they used as threats against each other. Economically, the cold war led to heavy taxation of the American people in order to support the nuclear weapons programs as well as financial support of their capitalist allies in proxy wars. The United States also helped to reestablish the capitalist economies that had collapsed due to war. This had a monumental effect on the American economy. iii
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Conclusion
All in all, the effects of the cold war were long lasting and can be felt to this day. The strong anti-communism stance held by America during this war is still existent to this day. The collapse of the Soviet Union however led to the widespread adoption of the capitalist system globally.
Bibliography
i Barnhisel, Greg, and Lisa Force. American Literature and Culture in an Age of Cold War. Iowa: Iowa University Press, 2012.
ii Cold War Modernists. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015.
iii Walker, William T. America in the Cold War : a reference guide. Santa Barbara: CLIO Press, 2014.
