Cold War Changes

The Cold War is an important moment within America because it changed the way Americans thought. It changed the belief system and the functionality of American laws and citizens. The Cold War was caused by many factors mostly revolving around the Second World War. America changed in how it dealt with its citizens domestically and also how foreign affairs were handled. One of the main reasons for the Cold War was the containment of communism. Communism was viewed as something that should be totally avoided. America looked at communism as if it was the plague trying to avoid it at all costs. The Cold War should not only be remembered in every American citizen’s mind but also be understood, because this was a huge turning point in the way …show more content…
During the Second World War the Soviets and the Americans were fighting together against a common enemy. They were on the same team with America financially supporting the soviets in the war that was being fought. However, throughout the Second World War many problems created tension among the Soviets and Americans. They had certain disagreements and every so often there would be one country doing something in secret to wrong the other. After World War II, there was an arms race of sorts between the Soviets and the Americans. They were trying to see who could make the first atomic bomb a reality. So, within the actual Cold War, both the Americans and the Soviets were using these massive bombs to prove who the stronger world power was. Also, the Korean War was a leading factor to the Cold War. Many Americans do not consider the Korean War an important factor in Americans history at all, which is why it is often referred to as the forgotten war. However, this was another case when the U.N. was fighting on the Americans side but again caused tension among powers. Throughout the Korean War there were more problems caused then there were …show more content…
One of the biggest impacts of the Cold War, which is still seen today, is domestic surveillance. America had been using surveillance tactics overseas for a long time, but it was never really used at home. However, during the Cold War something occurred to the American government that there needed to be domestic surveillance. Through the Cold War both the national security act and the CIA were implemented domestically. These acts allowed the government to have a more open view of what its citizens are doing. The government put these acts in to place so that if there were citizens rising up against America and siding with the Soviets it would be made aware, and could be stopped or prevented. However, over time America has abused this power of domestic