World War II and conversion to a wartime economy that the United States
emerged form its long economic downturn. World War II was also responsible
for the emergence of nuclear weapons which forever changed the concept of
conventional warfare, led to an arms race, and indirectly contributed to
the Cold War. It was the first demonstration of the capability for
destruction that nuclear weapons possessed. Internationally, the Soviet
Union emerged with one of the mightiest armies in the world, replacing the
axis forces as the future threat to world peace. Tensions between the
United States and Russia, sparked by Russia’s attempt to control eastern
European nations after the war, led to the Cold War. postwar period also
saw the formation of the United Nations. Contrary to the position taken
after World War I, the United States joined with the allies to create the
United Nations, an international organization created to maintain peace and
deal with agricultural, monetary, health, and other matters. However, in
many respects World War II was not a unique war from the United States’
perspective. In fact, the causes of the war were to a large extent a
result of the unfinished business of World War I. Further, as was the case
with World War I, the United States was victorious in a relatively short
war and the postwar mood of Americans was upbeat and optimistic.
The Vietnam War, on the other hand, was the most unique war in American
history and had more of an impact on U.S. history of the period than did
World War II. Vietnam was the only unsuccessful war in United States’
history. The geography and the style of war put the United States at a
disadvantage and made it an impossible war to win. As a result, unlike
previous wars, it seemed to drag on with no apparent progress. The lack of
success, combined with a general feeling that the U.S. security was not at
risk, divided the country into those who supported the fight against
Communism and those who opposed the war. This was contrary to the attitude
toward previous wars, which were strongly supported by Americans. The
division over the war initiated a political and social revolution.
Americans became willing to openly criticize the government and elected
officials. Public protests were staged, calling for an end to U. S.
involvement. This public outcry against the government’s po ion ultimately
led to President Johnson’s decision not to seek reelection. The cultural
changes which took place as a result of the Vietnam War were unprecedented.
The pride of many Americans who supported the war was hurt by the defeat,
and they were left bitter and with painful memories. Other Americans would
adopt new styles of dress and music as a demonstration of their opposition
to the war and the government. The changes in the United States brought
about by the war ended the social and cultural traditions of the pre-
Vietnam era and set the stage for the current social and political
environment.
The Cuban Missile Crisis ranks as one of the most significant events of
the Cold War period. For several days, the United States appeared to be
on the verge of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. In 1962, Cuba was
convinced that the United States was planning an attack and asked the
Soviets for additional military aid. The Soviet Union responded with
missiles and materials for construction of launch sites. The United States
Intelligence Agency advised President Kennedy of this nuclear missile
build-up in Cuba. The president demanded that Khrushchev remove the
missiles immediately, which Kennedy viewed as a violation of the American
sphere of influence. On October 22nd, Kennedy announced his course of
action which included establishing a naval blockade to prevent further
shipment of supplies, a demand that the bases be dismantled, and a warning
that any attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet
Union, requiring retaliation from the United States. The con ct rose in
suspense until finally the Soviet ships were directed not to challenge the
blockade and turn back. In a letter to Kennedy, Khrushchev expressed his
concern over the horrors of nuclear war and agreed to remove the missiles
if the United States would end the naval blockade and agree not to invade
Cuba. The United States accepted these terms and the crisis, which had the
world on the brink of nuclear war, was over. The Cold War would not have
another event in which tensions on both sides were so high.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of the strongest and most
important pieces of legislation in support of civil rights in the United
States. The law banned discrimination because of a person’s color, race,
national origin, religion, or sex. The rights protected by the act are
freedom to seek employment, vote and use parks, restaurants, and other
places. The act also forbid discrimination by any program that received
funds from the government. In addition, the act authorized the Office of
Education to direct school desegregation in areas specified by the
government. The act was proposed in 1963 by President Kennedy. After his
death, it was supported by President Johnson and passed after a lengthy
debate in the Senate. The act reinforced the rights guaranteed by the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments and reversed the Supreme
Court decisions of the late 1800’s which limited these rights and plagued
minorities for a century.
In a comparison of these two events, the Cuban Missile Crisis emerges
as the event which had the most impact on the period. In reaching this
conclusion, however, the importance of the Civil Rights Act cannot be
ignored. In many ways the act concluded unfinished business of the Civil
War and Reconstruction Period in defining civil rights for all Americans.
Previous Supreme Court decisions, such as Plessy v Furgeson, had attempted
to deny many Americans the full measure of rights that had been guaranteed
by the Constitution. The act was the defining statement on civil rights in
the United States, reversing previous Supreme Court cases and providing
equal rights for all Americans. Despite its significance in providing
equal opportunity to all Americans, its impact primarily effected black
Americans, who had been the subject of continued discrimination. As a
result, it cannot be considered to have had as universal an impact on the
American public as the Missile Crisis. The Cuban ssile Crisis brought
tensions in the Cold War to the breaking point. The concern of all
Americans about the threat of nuclear war seemed to be materializing with
this crisis. The country was frozen in anticipation of the outcome.
Finally, the compromise reached between Russia and the United States to end
the crisis not only relieved the immediate concern of a nuclear war, but
marked a turning point in the Cold War. Both sides, faced with the reality
of nuclear destruction, realized the need to avoid a conflict. Although
tensions would remain high on both sides for years to come, agreements were
reached to limit the production and testing of nuclear weapons, and the
threat of a nuclear war began to decline.
The finalists in Bracket IV are the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile
Crisis. They represent two of the most controversial events of the time
period. In considering the lasting effects the Vietnam War would have on
the United States, it emerges as the major event of the time period.
The Cold War with the Soviet Union was the dominating international
issue during the first twenty-five years of this time period. The Cuban
Missile Crisis was the closest the United States came to entering a nuclear
war with the Soviet Union during the Cold War period. It represented the
defining moment of the Cold War when anti-Communist tension would nearly
reach the breaking point. The world stood on edge during the crisis. The
destructive capability of nuclear weapons could have resulted in one of the
most disastrous events in history. However, as a result of the recognition
by both major powers of the potential for disaster, the crisis was defused
through negotiations rather than confrontation. The crisis represented the
beginning of the end of the Cold War. The major world powers would begin
negotiations, limiting the development, production, and testing of nuclear
weapons.
While the Cuban Missile Crisis had significant international
implications, the Vietnam War had a greater impact on America society and
culture. It was the first foreign war in which U.S. forces would fail to
achieve victory, leaving Americans angry and disillusioned. It appeared to
be a war without a defined cause, other than the obscure premise of
containing Communism in an insignificant part of the world. The attitudes
in America, which resulted from the war, led to dramatic changes in
American society and politics, making it the most significant event of the
period. Besides the death, injury, and psychological problems of those who
fought the war, many other Americans were profoundly effected by the war.
They became increasingly critical of the government’s motivation for
involving the country in the war and began to take a more active role in
criticizing foreign policy. This rebellion would extend itself into
American culture. Those who opposed the war and American invol ent also
rejected much of America’s culture and tradition for unquestioned support
of the government. As a result, much of the American tradition for
unquestioned patriotism and loyalty that existed before the war would be
drastically changed, leaving a lasting effect on American history.
The competition has been reduced to the finalist from each of the four
brackets. In the semifinals, representing bracket I is the “Mexican-
American War”, which is paired against the finalist from bracket II the
“Civil War”. The other semifinal pairing matches the winner of bracket III
“World War I” against the winner of bracket IV the “Vietnam War”.
In the first semifinal match-up, the Civil War emerges as the event
that not only had the most significant impact on the time period in which
it occurred, but also on the future of the United States. Both the Civil
War and the Mexican-American War had significant economic, political, and
social implications. However, an examination of the impact each had in
these areas clearly establishes the Civil War as the landmark event of the
time period that brought closure to many of the issues precipitated by the
Mexican-American War. Politically, the Mexican-American War widened the
division between Democrats and Republicans over the slavery issue. Although
several attempts at compromise were made, none were successful. This
political division left the country on the brink of dissolution with no
apparent solution to the issue. The Civil War, on the other hand,
preserved the Union by settling the slavery issue once and for all and
readmitting the states that had succeeded from the Uni The war also
established the Republican Party as the dominant political power in the
United States for the next several decades. The influence of the Democrats
immediately after the war was weakened to the point that politically the
country appeared to have a one party system. Economically, the Mexican-
American War extended the boundaries of the United States to the Pacific,
gaining territories which were rich in natural resources. This extension
of the boundaries would allow settlement beyond the Mississippi, increase
agricultural production, and play a major role in American economic growth.
The impact of the Civil War on the U.S. economy was even more dramatic.
The war devastated the economy of the South. Not only were agricultural
resources of the region destroyed, but slave labor, on which the economy
was based, was eliminated. The Civil War also marked the transformation of
the U.S. from what had been mainly an agrarian society into an industrial
society. This shift in the economy resulted from rapidly changing
technology which came as a direct response to wartime needs. The emergence
of the U.S. as an industrial society also resulted in the North replacing
the South as the economic center of the country. Socially, the Mexican-
American War heightened the debate over the issue of slavery. on which the
social structure of the South was based. Northern Abolitionists seized the
opportunity to challenge admission of the new territories as slave states
and disrupt the balance of free and slave states in Congress. Southerners
realized that as slavery grew more unpopular in the North, its survival
depended on its expansion into new territories. None of the compromises
offered after the Mexican-American War would lead to resolution of the
issue. The Civil War, however, provided a permanent solution to the issue.
As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation and passage of the Thirteenth,
Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, slavery was eliminated and t he
United States began the process of assuring civil rights for all Americans
and forcing a complete reordering of the South’s social structure.
In the second semifinal pairing, World War I emerges as the event that
had the most significant impact on the United States. Both World War I and
the Vietnam War ended without resolving many issues that precipitated the
conflicts. In the case of World War I, although the allies were victorious,
the United States’ refusal to participate in the Treaty of Versailles and
the League of Nations left unsettled many issues that would ultimately lead
to another World War. These events signaled the end of Wilsonian idealism
and began a reactionary period in the U.S. that would spark significant
economic, political, and social change. With respect to the Vietnam War,
the inability of the U.S. forces to weaken the North Vietnamese opposition,
combined with the government’s inability to maintain popular support for
the war, led to the eventual withdrawal of American troops without victory.
The popular outcry against this war, combined with the failure of the
effort to attain any tangible r lts, brought about another reactionary
period. In my opinion, however, the impact of events of the post Vietnam
War period were less significant and far reaching than those that followed
World War I.
The post World War I period in the U.S. resulted in a rejection of the
idealistic philosophy of President Wilson. The opposition to Wilson’s
policies and the politics of the period prevented the United States from
participating in the treaty to settle the war. They also prevented U.S.
participation in the League of Nations, an organization whose purpose was
to prevent further conflicts. As a result, many issues important to a
lasting peace were left unaddressed and this would eventually lead to World
War II. The period also marked the end of the Progressive philosophy of
the prewar period. America’s postwar optimism led to a resurgence of
laissez-faire economic policies and a return to the political philosophy of
the nineteenth century. This change in economic policy and political
philosophy began to set the stage for the Great Depression. American
society became very materialistic. The availability of credit led to free
spending. Many of the advantages gained by workers d ng the Progressive
era were reversed, while taxes on the rich were reduced. This combination
of events would result in the unequal distribution of wealth which would
spark the depression. Socially, the postwar period witnessed wide-scale
discrimination. The propaganda campaigns of the war had resulted in strong
anti-foreign, anti-Communist feelings. Immigrants were often falsely
accused of being Communists, Socialists, or radicals, conspiring against
the United States. Members of labor unions were often targeted as being
anti-American. This climate frequently led to violence and the violation
of the civil rights of many Americans.
The Vietnam War and postwar period also resulted in a period of
significant social and political change. The division in the country
between those who supported the war and those who opposed it led to a
political and social revolution. Americans began, as never in the past, to
question and publicly protest decisions made by the government and elected
officials. Congress and the public challenged the president on U.S.