Making Sense of the Sixties

Andrew Goraj

Making sense of the sixties

Question #1

The Cold War was a period of East and West competition, tension, and conflict between the Soviet Union and the Western democracies. The Cold War was a period in which mutual perceptions of hostile intentions and conflicting ideologies between military and political alliances occurred between our country and the Soviet Union. The hostilities between the United States and Soviet Union involved the use of nuclear warfare, which was the center threat, and greatly increased the severity of the situation. The Western world felt threatened by the spreading influence the Soviet regime over Europe, and Stalin's attempt at communistic takeover. Allies such as Europe and Great Britain, were worn down from WWII, and could not hold their usual control and guidance over the European countries. As a result, the United States became involved. The United States also saw a good chance to win allies, such as Turkey, and this would help keep the war on foreign soil. Policies such as NATO and the Marshall plan were also implemented at this time, in an attempt to gain alliances. NATO involved the alliance of democratic countries, in a policy which would have them working together. The Marshall Plan consisted of foreign aid for European countries, harmed by WWII.

The Soviets under Stalin vowed to rid Europe of the U.S. Capitalists, and offered their communistic dream to every country. There were several countries who were willing to accept the ruling of the Soviets, unknowing that they would eventually be taken complete control of. Stalin believed that WWII was an inevitable result of our capitalist imperialism, and war would probably occur again.

The United States main policy in the Cold War was containment of communism. Communism led to a controlled economy, and lifestyle. Our democratic views believed in a Capitalist economy. The differences are apparent, and the Russian policy which attempted to expand and spread their hostile ideologies, led to the main issue at hand, the Cold War.

American policy, headed by Truman, basically stated that America will become involved in any situation where freedom is threatened due to an outside aggressor's hostile takeover. The question remains then when viewing our foreign policy, as to whether containment is necessary, or it is the free choice of an educated group. There probably is no clear cut answer, but Stalin's regime was an excellent example of when our policy should be implemented, and justly so. In the end neither the United States nor the Soviet Union achieved there exact goals. Although a goal was achieved, which consisted of a political compromise, and the avoidance of nuclear warfare, which was more then a goal, it was more like a necessity.

Question #2

The 1950's were marked with a strict set of rules and guidelines which pertained to the average Americans social lifestyle. Americans were free and individualistic, although the continuous threat of attacks from outside aggressors shaped the culture. A nation of Americans was created concerned about security and conformity to a strict set of cultural guidelines. This conformity began with the baby boom, leading to the building of developments and the creation of the middle class suburban family. Competition and individualism was looked down upon and replaced with more of a group ideology. The children thought life was about being free and happy. There was not a strong concern for money, for most of the baby boom generation was middle class. Many of the children wondered why their parents worked so hard. Which was largely in part due to the opportunity to do so, which was lost during the great depression. A women's only goal in life during the 1950's was to become a housewife. If they attended college, it would be to find a husband, or perhaps take some home economics classes. Colleges even held higher standards for women to be accepted, in order to save space for the men. The man worked, while the women and children stayed at home. Few men would help in any household "chores". Children were taught not to ask questions and to be seen and not heard. They were not allowed to talk back in any way and should always control their emotions. Dress codes took over the schools, which meant no jeans for the boys or skirts for the girls. Men tended not to have facial hair and kept their hair closely cut on top in order to fit in with the general corporate standards.

Conformity, as mentioned before, played a large part in the culture, especially due to McCarthyism. The fear of being accused of supporting communism led to the attempt to fit in, rather than challenging rules. Students were considered the "silent generation", due to their fear and unwillingness to speak out.

Teenagers regarded themselves as very fortunate, for they were the wealthiest generation to have ever lived. More guys had cars and women had cosmetics and clothing, than any other previous generation. The whole generation was a extremely materialistic culture. A strong sense of unity in the family also persisted, which was apparent in the family's daily lifestyle. After the busy day, the whole family would gather in the living room and watch TV shows such as Ozzie and Harriet and Leave it to Beaver.

An overall strong sense of patriotism and religion persisted, due to the insecurities of the time (pertaining to the threat of nuclear warfare). Religion and the American ideal began to coincide. In 1954 "under God", was added to the pledge, which shows this newfound religious commitment. Children viewed Communists as Atheists.

The term used in our textbook, "rebel without a cause", in general defines the result the cultural expectations of the 50's had on the Teenagers of the 60's. Children were spoiled and anxious to move outside of their shell. They were not necessarily "stuck-up" spoiled, they were just well provided for. These teens were now growing restless from this catered life, and wanted to expand their horizons, or perhaps just break some rules. The children of the 60's were very patriotic due to their higher standard of living. They felt as though they were treated well by their country, so they would return the favor. Kennedy also greatly contributed to their patriotism by leading them to believe "they could change the world." In general, teenagers were tired of doing and acting as they were expected to, and began to believe in individual thinking and lack of conformity. The 60's counterculture placed emphasis on the immediate, rather than the future.

Women began to strive