Noah+R.+FRQ12+-+SP12

The Twentieth century was a sort of trial and error period in foreign affairs for America. With the Soviet Union primarily dominating the minds of many Americans, the foreign policy after World War II and the Vietnam War was mostly based in the Cold War. The actions and reactions, however, were very different in these two time periods. While 1945-1950 was mostly about realizing the threat of communism and the Soviet Union, 1975-1985 was primarily the finale in the scuffle between America and the Soviet Union.  Americans had known the existence of communism long before the end of World War II, but when the Soviet Union materialized into a world power, the Americans were quaking in their boots. How could such an oppressive government rise to power almost overnight like that of America forty years before? During this time period, with Herbert Hoover as president, the Cold War was starting heatedly. Races between the two countries were held in economics, science, politics, and other important things of the time.  During all of this, America also had to greet herself with all of the other nations in the world with the start of the United Nations. America wasn’t isolating herself anymore. She couldn’t in such a tight knit world. America wanted to look caring and protective to new countries while battling the Soviets, and that eventually turned out to be a fruitless tactic. The Soviets would prove to be the ultimate adversary. Fast forward thirty years. Now, in 1975, the races between the two countries had been held, with the Soviet Union as the victor in many. But when the space race was ultimately won by America in 1963, the tides began to turn. With presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, the foreign policy between the two was now coming to a close. With the United Nations helping America keep diplomatic relations with other countries while battling it out with the Soviets, America was becoming stronger and stronger in the world. Support for democracy was weighing down the scale more than support for communism. With speeches like President Reagan’s “Tear down this Wall”, and internal failures of the Soviets, the big bad bear would soon fall. In short, the main difference between the two time periods of foreign policy were how America was dealing with the Cold War. In the aftermath of World War II, America seemed brash and hardy to other nations. But with the help of the United Nations, America soon became a more respected world power in the end of the Vietnam war. With this respect, the support for democracy would increase, and the support for communism would wane. While both time periods dealt with communism, one was about the start of the war, and one was about the end.

Works Cited

"Chapter 24: Peace Becomes Cold War, 1945-1950." U.S. Army Center Of Military History. U.S. Center of Military History. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. .

Reagan, Ronald. "Tear Down This Wall." Tear Down This Wall. Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany. 12 June 1987. Speech.

Rosenfield, Stephen S. "The Reagan Doctrine: The Guns of July." Foreign Affairs. Foreignaffairs.com, 1986. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. .