Cold War Over?

There are many ways in which the Cold War's effects still change our lives today. For example, President Obama just signed the START treaty with Russia in order to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons each country has in its possession. The nuclear weapons created were made during the Cold War era and they still have affects on us today. I think its very good that the two countries are reducing their nuclear capabilities because it shows other nations that they aren't as aggressive as they seem.
The Cold War also involved the Civil Rights Movement. Many influential leaders like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did all they could to ensure that the constitutional phrase "every man is created equal" was in affect and they worked at this goal whether it was in a peaceful way or an aggressive approach. There are still some Civil Rights issues concerning racism that still affect us today. Whether its racism in real-estate, racial jokes or job opportunities based on race. Civil Rights issues and racism that are present today are nowhere near as horrible as they were during the Cold War era, but they do still exist and they still harming many people today.

United States During the Cold War

During the Cold War, America's main goal was to contain Communism and keep its existence in as a few places as possible. To make sure this goal was accomplished, America adopted containment as its foreign policy. There was an intense fear of Communism in the U.S. and the fear that other countries would also convert to Communism. This was called the Domino Theory. Americans believed that if one country became communist others would follow and the result was compared to the falling domino effect. Tension began to rise tremendously and to ensure safety, Americans adopted Brinkmanship. Brinkmanship was the willingness to go to the brink of war without an actual attack. United States did not want this to result in the third world war because it would be the first war fought with nuclear weapons and the results was unknown and terrifying. America struggled to keep Communism away and they did whatever possible to contain it as well as they could. They sent soldiers to Korea, Vietnam and China in order to keep communist beliefs out.
America also had a lot of faults and controversial actions in the Cold War era. They made decisions that many believed weren't the best. United States was also the superpower that contributed to a lot of war tensions during the 1950's. This was because the U.S was offering much help through the Truman and Eisenhower Doctrines in return of support for democracy. Offering these services and wanting support out of it caused nations to choose sides which in turn resulted in much tension for everyone.

Truman Doctrine

After the war, Britain's economy was badly hurt and they could no longer aid non-communist countries liked they did before. Therefore, Britain asked the Untied States to take responsibilityof aiding nations. Harry S. Truman, the president at the time, asked congress for $400 million for economic and military aid for Turkey and Greece. Truman then declared that the U.S should aid all countries resisting communism or "outside pressures."
Though the doctrine seemed fullproof, it also had many critics. The people that were aginst the Truman Doctrine believed that it would interfer with iternational affairs or they were against supporting any dictators, even if they were anti-communist. Even though not everyone agreed, congress decided the doctrine was necessary in order to prevent Communist influence and between 1947-1950, $400 million was sent to Turkey and Greece.
Giving other nations an opportunity to be aided makes them have to choose sides. They can either have help from the United States in return for their promise to not be under Communist rue or be a Communist country. Countries were pressured into choosing sides by the Truman Doctrine and the Soviet Union could decide to compete for nation's promise.