FREE ESSAY ON JIMI HENDRIX

JIMI HENDRIX

Cold War paper 
The role of America at the end of World War II was where the origins of policing the
world originate. America had been engaged in a very costly war in terms of dollars as
well as lives. But, despite the expense the United States came out of World War II better
than any other nation that was involved. The Second World War was a battle between the
Allied and Axis Powers. The Allied Powers consisted of the United States, Great Britain,
the Soviet Union, China, and France. This war was seen as the fight against Nazi Germany,
and therefore resulted in a majority of the battles fought on German and Russian soil.
The aftermath left the Soviet Union in bad shape. Close to twenty million Russians had
died fighting the war, which accounted for about eight percent of their population.
Conversely, none of the fighting was done on American soil, and while the United States
suffered in terms of casualties it was nothing compared to the loss Russia had endured.
Because the war would not end until the Axis Powers fully surrendered to the Allied
Powers, the United States was forced to use the first atomic warfare in history. The atom
bomb would later serve as America's greatest possession. Stalin, the Premier of the
Soviet Union had always distrusted the American and English intentions. Because of
Stalin's aggression and attitude pertaining to Soviet influence on Europe, the postwar
stance on Russia had turned into a standoff. This became the origin of the Cold War. The
Cold War, seen as a battle between communism and capitalism, was in reality a more
complex struggle over a broad range of ideological, economic, and strategic issues.
(Henretta, 868) Over the next several years the United States would spend more money on
military and defense than ever before. Several measures were taken to ensure that the
same mistakes at the end of World War I would not be repeated. The first in a series of
measures was a postwar conference involving President Truman and the Soviet Foreign
Minister, V.M. Molokov, where Truman controlled the entire meeting and basically scolded
the Soviet's for not honoring agreements on Poland. Truman told the Russians just where
the got off and generally bossed the whole meeting. (Henretta, p. 869) This symbolized
America's strong-arm stance against communism and signified the position we would hold
throughout the Cold War. The next step in Truman's agenda was to work with Congress to
pass the National Security Act of 1947, which was designed to strengthen defense
operations. This act created a single Department of Defense, and created the Central
Intelligence Agency, or CIA. These two new agencies acted as the first step in atomic
warfare management. Continuing to act as police of the world and leader of capitalism,
Truman drafted the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan, which complemented the Truman
Doctrine, was a program of large scale economic and military aid to Europe. (Heretta,
p.871) Considered by some, this was the most innovative piece of foreign policy in
American History. Where over the next four years the United States contributed over $12
billion to a highly successful recovery effort. (Heretta, p. 874) The Soviet Union
stilled commanded a blockade on highway, rail, and river traffic to West Berlin. As a
result, the United States responded by entering into a peacetime military alliance; this
being the first time since the American Revolution. The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) a project costing $1.3 billion, enabled the basing of all four United
States Army divisions into Western Europe. Twelve nations agreed to sign this pact that
stated an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be
considered an attack against them all. (Henretta, p. 875) Consequently, a few months
later, Stalin lifted the blockade which had made the city a symbol of resistance to
communism. (Henretta, p.875) Between the creation of NATO, the National Security Act and
CIA, and the Marshall Plan, America was dictating their position with Russia and
communism. These measures made it possible for Americans to become more comfortable with
the Cold War. While all of these governmental policies were being put into action,
Americans were settling back into the ideology of family and free enterprise. The
post-war period became one of the most exciting in American history. With the rising
economy and feeling of consumerism, Americans were rebounding from their efforts in World
War II. Capitalism was on the rise and the Apple Pie portrait of middle class suburban
families was shaping the country. America was now the wealthiest country in the world and
Americans had accumulated savings of $140 billion in 1945. Over the next two decades the
gross national product more than tripled, (Henretta, p.904) signifying prosperity.
Between 1945 and 1960, the gross national product would grow from $213 billion to more
than $500 billion, while real income would rise 25 percent. Included in these figures was
the percent of American families owning homes, which grew from 43 percent to over 60
percent in this same time period; this created the suburban explosion. This suburban
lifestyle was intended to symbolize the superiority of capitalism over communism and
imply that the American way of life would win the Cold War. (Henretta, p.903) Americans
were again beginning to see the capitalist society they fought for, and the confidence
level of the country continued to rise throughout the 1960's. The people cannot create a
great nation themselves; great leaders must direct them. Besides the three Presidents who
led America throughout the end of World War II and through the Cold War, there were many
influential voices that helped to shape the views of the public. Among these influential
people was a man named George F. Kennan. He was a member of the United States embassy to
the Soviet Union and author of the long telegram which was sent to the heads of state in
Washington D.C. In his telegram, Kennan described the Soviets as insecure, inferior, and
less advanced than Americans. As Russia came into contact with the economically advanced
West, fear of more competent, more powerful, more highly organized societies, (Gorn,
p.229) was the general message Kennan was trying to get across. Because he saw the
country from the inside Kennan also believed the United Sates should  pursue a policy of
firm containment…at every point where the Soviets show signs of encroaching upon
the interest of a peaceful and stable world. (Henretta, p. 870) This opinion and idea of
the relationship between the United States and Russia should have been widely accepted by
Americans. They backed this idea of aggressive behavior, rather than a passive approach
to the Cold War. Conversely, postwar liberal such as Henry Wallace, a Progressive Party
leader, continued to seek cooperation with the Soviet Union and defended the
participation of Communists in their organizations. (Henretta, p. 885) These ideals were
quickly silenced. The American majority, being extremely anti-communist, felt relations
with the Soviet Union should be harsh and firm. This period introduced American dominance
in foreign policy. The ideals of personal freedom and opportunity were the driving forces
behind Western philosophy throughout the Cold War. Not only were these principles
showcased, they were set as the benchmark of equality for the human race.