Cold War Civil Rights
Discipline: History
Type of Paper: Essay (any type)
Academic Level: Undergrad. (yrs 1-2)
Paper Format: APA
Question
Description
The war is over.(wwII) Now what? Will the Soviet Union lead workers of the world to overthrowing their governments and sharing the wealth that is produced in society? Or will the US support newly independent nations to prevent workers from overthrowing the system by supporting reactionary governments, pro-US leadership, and supplying military and economic aid to keep these countries indebted to the US? This is what we call the Cold War. The US government after World War 2 decides to pour billions of dollars into fixing Europe back up. WHY WOULD THE US WANT TO DO THAT? Germany where World War 2 was concentrated was split down the middle--East Germany was pro-Soviet and West Germany was pro-US/pro-Capitalist. Where would you have fallen into all of that, do you think?
Imagine this: you are a black American living in Chicago in the 1960s. You see that the US has poured all this money into fixing England, France, Germany etc but your city is decaying. Or it is the 1950s and you live in Alabama. And you can not vote. But the Soviet Union frequently extends welcome to famous black people from all over the world like Paul Robeson. How would you feel? How would you feel if the government tells you Communists are evil but your own government does not allow you to sit at a lunch counter with a white person? We call this "Cold War Civil Rights."
So, first watch both videos. Then do the reading. Then write the essay.
https://youtu.be/_w1g9l8S9Mo
https://youtu.be/VhnCrHZkgNk
We have entered the cold war. The US and USSR race to the moon! Why?
Here is your essay question based on the two videos and the reading that is attached: The US paints itself as the political world leader of freedom and justice and after world War II. Based on what you are learning in the videos and ebook, Do you think this is true? How does Paul Robeson's interpretation of the US government differ from how the first film in our module and the ebook describe the role of the US after the war? How does the US "buy" Europe by helping to rebuild it after World War 2?
