The 1950s: A Decade of Peace?

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the political climate of the 1950s was shaped by the Cold War, the fear of Communism, economic changes seen in the rise of big business and the military-industrial complex and by the aftermath of the success of the U.S. in World War II. The paper looks at the Korean War that started the decade and the foundation for the Vietnam War that was set by the end of the decade. The paper also examines the social change and social turmoil, with the Civil Rights Movement's birth. The paper illustrates how this era was not one of absolute peace, although it is seen as peaceful when compared to the demonstrations and protests of the 1960s.

From the Paper:

"A security crisis developed in the 1950s with the fear of communism and the certainty that subversives had infiltrated nearly every facet of American life. The McCarthy era, as it came to be known, was referred to by many as a witch-hunt. This was a political crisis that was used by Senator McCarthy as a way of elevating himself and boosting his career, but the mass hysteria of the time made it possible for him to do this and also caused others to be accomplices in accusing people of being subversives."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ambrose, S.E. (1971). Rise to Globalism. New York: Penguin.
• Clark, B. (1991). Political Economy. Westport, Connecticut.
• Ferrante, J. (1998). Sociology. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing.
• Gacek, C.M. (1994). The Logic of Force. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Zinn, H. (1980). A People's History of the United States. New York: Harper.

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