t
he postwar period promised to be expansive for American interests and
ideals. After the United States, Soviet Union, and other allied powers
defeated the aggressive fascist nations of Europe and Asia, they set in
motion an international order that was grounded in the new United
Nations and in statutes that protected universal human rights. However,
in the waning days of the Second World War, the United States and the USSR
established the parameters of a global conflict that lasted for nearly fiffty years,
approximately a quarter of US history.
The Cold War was waged between people living in two fundamentally differ-
ent political and economic systems and reflected a precarious balance between
the two world powers left standing in the aftermath of 1945. The destructive
capabilities of modern warfare, especially after the invention of nuclear weap-
onry, made direct conflict between these two “superpowers” unthinkable for
most leaders. Instead, in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, a series of “proxy
wars” on the fringes of each nation’s sphere of influence broke out regularly
throughout this period. These proxy wars inspired an ongoing culture of pre-
paredness and anxiety domestically, including debates over the power of the
federal government over individuals in an age of constant fear of war, and they
shaped American consciousness until the eve of the twenty-fifrst century.Seeking the Main Point
As you read the documents that follow, keep these broad questions in mind.
These questions will help you understand the relationship between the doc-
uments in this chapter and the historical changes that they represent. As you
reflect on these questions, determine which themes and which documents best
address them.•
Analyze the effects of the Second World War and the Cold War on Ameri-
cans’ sense of themselves as an isolated nation.•
To what extent did the Second World War and the Cold War shape Ameri-
can debates about civil liberties?•
Compare and contrast the influence of the Second World War and the influ-
ence of the Cold War on the relationship between American voters and the
government.428 ChApTEr 19 | Containment and ConfliCt | period eight 194 5 –198 0 TopIC I | the origins of the Cold War^42920_STA_2012_ch19_427-446.indd 428 16/04/15 4:37 PM