Assignment Three. Beginning the Narrative

The Cold War


The Cold War was a proxy war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The two super powers were both seeking world domination in the wake of World War Two; both nations aimed to spread their sphere of influence into the third world (developing nations) that were established at the Yalta Conference in 1945. The new organization of countries would lead to major conflicts between the major players in post-WWII.
By sending troops and aid to far away lands, the US and the Soviet Union were responsible for numerous civil wars around the world that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The threat of communism spreading across the world was the premier concern for the United States. Containing the diffusion of communism forced the US into overthrowing foreign governments, aiding revolts and rebellions, and alarming their won citizens into a constant state of alarm and terror.

Causes:
+ The end of WWII divided up Europe into smaller nations that would be assisted by The US (democratic-type governments) or the Soviet Union (communist-type governments). The two nations wanted to extend their form of government (and society) into any and all nations that would be easily subdued by their persuasive tactics.
+ The tensions were starting to brew between the super powers due to technological advances of the atom bomb. The US detonated two successful atom bombs that devastated Japan in the summer of 1945; it was not much later (1949) that the Soviet Union possessed the same power. America was no longer the only nation in the world that was capable of nuclear weapons and this alarmed the American military and government.

>> These few causes were only the beginning of the War. The ceaseless battle for the most influence in the world created a sense of urgency for President Truman to entangle his resources (troops, finances, and politicians) in dangerous debacles, such as the notable Korean War (1950-53) and the Vietnam War (1945-1975). These wars would continue to kill thousands of Americans abroad in addition to those individuals (combatants and noncombatants) in the countries involved. Huge sums of federal expenditures were spent to finance the international conflicts, furthering the stress and tension between the United States and Soviet Union.


Timelines

+ Dr. Quintard Taylor, Jr, of the university of Washington sketched a brief timeline of events of the Cold War.
http://faculty.washington.edu/qtaylor/a_us_history/cold_war_timeline.htm

+ The Cold War Museum has a great collection of timelines arranged by decade, starting in the 1940s. Each of the decades has a list of major events and key players, each with their own snippet of information. It’s a great resource!
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/index.asp



Because my interviewee distinctly remembers the Bay of Pigs Incident of 1961, I took special care to research the event. Under the administration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the US government (CIA) and military secretly supported an attempted brutal coup to topple the Castro Regime in Cuba. By supplying Cuban exiles with arms and other support, the US hoped to inspire a revolution of Cubans to overthrow the government and place a more acceptable leader in control of the small Caribbean nation. After several calamities thwarted the infiltration of the island, the invasion of the Bay of Pigs was a huge disaster.
Along with a price tag over $50 million, the Bay of Pigs would preclude the Cuban Missile Crisis of late 1962. JFK was subjected to political criticism and the nation was seen in a very negative light from around the world for inciting violence and trying to oust Castro, a powerful leader that was initiating a relationship with communist Soviet Union.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/JFK+and+the+Bay+of+Pigs.htm



This history will focus chiefly on the American pint of view, due to materials available to my study, as well as the main goal of the project, to find the perspective of one individual living in the Hayward are during the Cold War. The earlier years of the Cold War are the main focus of the project, ending around 1965.


…More history to be updated in the next couple days.