The post WWII Era was an interesting time in the US. We had just defeated the Axis powers, our economy had finally recovered from its lowest point and history, and people were just generally happier; or at least they were for a little while. After WWII was a period of time known as the Cold War. Relations between the United States and Russia had been deteriorating rapidly over the course of the war, but things got much worse after the war. The Russians were upset over the division of Germany because they felt they did not get what they deserved. And to be fair, the Russians took more casualties than any other country involved in the war. After WWII the United States and Russia hated each other, plain and simple. The only thing keeping the two nations form declaring war on each other was the threat of nuclear destruction. However just because Russia and the United States never fought each other directly, doesn't mean there wasn't any military action at all. One of the results of Japan's surrender at the end of WWII was the liberation of Korea. After the island was liberated, the question became, what kind of government would take over? The people of Korea were divided; the North Koreans wanted to be communist, and they tried to enforce their ways on the people of southern korea, with the help of the Chinese, and of course, the Russians. The US responded to this by sending troops to help the south, and in the end, a ceasefire was signed, and the island was split into to nations, North and South Korea. Both if which still exist today. Then, there was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam war was the longest war in world history, was made immensely larger by the tension between the US and Russia. Ironically, this war had nothing to do with the US or Russia, but because the leader of the Vietcong, the people wanting liberation from France, was a communist, the Russians supported them. The US, afraid of the spread of communism, sent in troops to counter the Russians. As we all know this war was a colossal failure for the US, and many men were lost in the process.
While there was a lot going on overseas, it is also important to note what was going on in our own neck of the woods. At the end of WWII, the US hated the Russians. If you were remotely against democracy, or even liked the color red, you were instantly labeled a communist. Congress even established a committee called the House Committee on un-American Activities to keep track of those who they believed to be communist. Of course, all this committee actually did was falsely accuse hundreds of people of being Communist. Particularly those in the film industry. Walt Disney was even called to testify before the committee. All forms of media were affected by our rivalry with Russia. Cartoons and comic book heroes such as G.I. Joe, and Captain America, were created to depict the evils of communism, and the strength of democracy. The tensions between the 2 nations also began what is known as the space race. The launch of the russian satellite Sputnik, scared the living hell out of every American. The thought of a Soviet nuclear strike form space was not something anyone wanted to imagine. However thanks to the efforts of President Kennedy in the early 1960s, we were able to send the first man to the moon in 1969. The conflict between the US and Russia would last until 1989, when President Ronald Reagan famously demanded that the Russians tear down the Berlin Wall.
As much as we hated the Russians back then, our anti-communist sentiment wasn't the only social issue at work. The 1960s saw the birth of a civil rights movement. Rosa Parks became famous for starting the Montgomery bus boycotts, and even more well known, and a man by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr stepped up and lead many demonstrations in the hopes of gaining equal rights. And sure enough, by 1965, blacks had gained equal rights.
A lot happened in the post WWII Era, and even though ont all of it was good, we can still learn from it all, and hopefully, never make the same mistakes again.
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