Download Sarah La Mr. Gradziel US History AP 3-17

Sarah La
Mr. Gradziel
US History AP
3-17-12
Cold War Timed DBQ
When there is a conflict going on between two countries, people are fearful of what effect
that conflict will have on their own country. The Cold War, for example was a period of global
tension between the United States and the Soviet Union from the 1940s to the 1990s. The
President of America during the Cold War was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who he and his
administration were able to address the fears of the American people successfully. Some of the
fears they addressed include the fear of communism in America, the use of atomic warfare, and
the launch of the sputnik.
The fear of Communism in America was one of the many issues the administration of
Eisenhower addressed successfully. At a March 1954 press conference Eisenhower held, he
stated that there was too much hysteria going on in the world that caused the Americans to fear
many things. These fears the Americans experienced worsen because of some unwise
investigators (Doc A). These unwise investigators included the notorious Wisconsin senator,
Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was known for accusing many people being a communist. His
accusations damaged the careers and reputations of countless officials, writers, and actors,
leading on to the Communist hysteria in America. McCarthy finally went over the boundary too
far when he attacked the U.S. Army, in which the Senate condemned him for “conduct
unbecoming a member”, causing his popularity to swindle. The people of America were finally
at ease once McCarthy was out of the picture. The fear of Communism in America was
definitely an issue the Eisenhower administration handled successfully.
The fear that the Soviets use atomic warfare was an issue that the Eisenhower
Administration addressed successfully. In June 1954, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
addressed the atomic warfare issues by suggesting the policy of massive retaliation as the
solution (Doc B). Massive retaliation was the building up of American forces in the sky to scare
the enemy, in this case, that would be the Soviets. America created the Strategic Air Command,
which was an air fleet of super bombers equipped with city-flattening nuclear bombs. American
can use these weapons against the Soviets, that is, if they ever got out of hand. The use of these
fearsome weapons would inflict massive retaliation on the enemy. The fear that the Soviets used
atomic warfare was an issue the Eisenhower administration was able to handle successfully.
The Sputnik was one of the many things that contributed to the fears of the American people
and something that the Eisenhower administration addressed successfully. The Sputnik was the
first satellite launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The launched of the Sputnik
stunned the world, especially, American since it rattled American self-confidence. The
Americans realized that if the Soviets were able to launch heavy objects into outer space, then
they could certainly reach American with intercontinental ballistic missiles (Doc E). This
realization made Americans fear for their safely, so they purchased bomb shelters, which were
civil defense structures designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb (Doc C).
Since Rocket fever was sweeping across the entire nation of America, the Eisenhower
administration responded by establishing the national Aeronautics and Space Administration,
known as NASA that directed billions of dollars to missile development. The Creation of NASA
was successful because by the end of the decade, America had launched several satellites and
successfully tested its own ICBMs. Another effect the launch of the Sputnik had on the
Americans was that it led to a critical comparison of the American education system to that of
the Soviet’s. The Eisenhower Administration realized how important it was for America to
maintain its position of leadership, and see its young people be prepared to contribute to the
maximum of America’s future progress, so they created the National Defense and Education Act.
The act authorized $887 million in loans to America college students and in grants for the
improvement of teaching the sciences and languages (Doc G). Although the Sputnik casted many
fears onto the American people, the Eisenhower Administration successfully handled the
problem.
President Eisenhower and his administration successfully handled the Cold War fears of the
American people. Some of the fears they addressed successfully included the fear of communism
in America, the use of atomic warfare, and the launch of the sputnik. When there is a conflict
going on between two countries, people are fearful of what effect that conflict will have on their
own country, which was exactly what happened to America.