During the Cold War, Soviets and Americans raced to be the best at everything. From the “Space Race” to economies to education and technology, the feeling in both countries was that the loser would be annihilated. Since the end of the Cold War, the drive to be the best is no longer fueling such determination. As a result, over the past two decades or so, Americans are increasingly aware and afraid of decline. There is a raging debate as to the current state of America both compared to where it was 40 years ago and relative to other countries. Some, like New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, contend that there is a “fire in the basement” and we don’t even know it’s there. These “declinists” feel that America has a serious problem and its stature is steadily falling in various categories such as technology, education, and economy. On the other side of the debate are people like Alan Dowd who feel that America is still a leader of the world and is in great shape. While I agree that America still may be clinging to its leadership role, as Americans, there is much reason for pessimism about the future of this great country. In a 2006 Time magazine article entitled “Are We Losing Our Edge,” Michael D. Lemonick outlines a number of reasons to be skeptical about the future of America. Among his various reasons, he outlines three specific reasons why business and academia experts are warning of trouble specifically with regard to science and technology. He claims that the Federal government has not been investing nearly enough in research and development, big corporations are more concerned with a quick buck than with spending time researching the next big thing, and that the “quality of education in math and science in elemen... ... middle of paper ... .... The Cold War was certainly a frightening time in American History, but it produced great results such as NASA and medical and scientific breakthroughs. We need to have a similar sense of urgency driving us to unprecedented exploration and innovation. If not, we will quickly find ourselves with even worse economic hardships than we face today. Works Cited Herr, Phillip. U.S. POSTAL SERVICE Broad Restructuring Needed to Address Deteriorating Finances. Rep. no. GAO-09-790. United States Government Accountability Office. 30 July 2009. Web Accessed 18 Mar. 2011. . Obama, Barack. "State of the Union Address." Address. United States Capitol Building, Washington D.C. 25 Jan. 2011. The White House. Web Accessed 18 Mar. 2011. .
The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
During the Cold War, the United States engaged in many aggressive policies both at home and abroad, in which to fight communism and the spread of communist ideas. Faced with a new challenge and new global responsibilities, the U.S. needed to retain what it had fought so strongly for in World War II. It needed to contain the communist ideas pouring from the Soviet Union while preventing communist influence at home, without triggering World War III. With the policies of containment, McCarthyism, and brinkmanship, the United States hoped to effectively stop the spread of communism and their newest threat, the Soviet Union. After the war, the United States and the Soviet Union had very different ideas on how to rebuild.
In 1980, it seemed like the United States was not as dominant in the world as it had been before. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began after World War II. The two nations had joined forces as members of the Allies, but tensions arose after the war. The Americans were very worried about the spread of Soviet communism, and tried to prevent it with a policy of containment, where the United States would protect countries from outside oppression. The Cold War also expanded to include the race between the Soviets and Americans to create atomic weapons. Furthermore, there was a race between the two countries to put the first man in space, which was accomplished by the United States in 1961 (“Cold War History”). The Cold War was a standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union to try to prove their dominance in the world. Each country wanted to have more power and diminish the power of the other. At home, Americans were paranoid with the thought of Soviet spies and communists hiding amongst them, dubbed the “Red Scare.” President Richard Nixon and the Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic A...
In ancient times, there was a country of stupendous power and might. A nation which amassed a military like no other, grew an economy so strong that it seemed everlasting, and established a government that stood for its people. It appeared that this was the country to set an example for all countries that followed. It was the behemoth of prosperity. It was the great Roman Empire. It seemed as though this country’s reign would never end, but this was far from the truth. For with great prosperity came a dreadful plummet and eventually collapse. This was the unfortunate fate of all powerful nations, including that of, dare it be said, the United States of America. The all powerful and unbeatable nation which reigned its dominant influence over the entire world. Surely, it could never have fallen. However, that statement would be considered nonsensical if directed toward the once almighty and all powerful Roman Empire. Thus, it could not be stated for the “Great Experiment” (USA). Which was why the comparison between the two, very similar, superpowers was logical. Clearly, the Roman Empire which had striking parallels to the United States was a foreshadowing of America’s fate: Inevitable collapse. Both superpowers had vastly similar economics, foreign influence, and government, of which, Rome had experienced an unfortunate decline. Thus, comparisons could be made between how Rome and America rose to power, began to lose their power, and eventually, how Rome fell and how America might have fallen.
"Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
Obama, Barack. "President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address." The White House. Office of the Press Secretary, 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
As we look back upon the 20th Century we see the birth of American prominence. The century is marked with glorious American achievements ranging from the birth of the Space Age to the development of the Information Age. Now, as we venture through the new millennium, the potential of further American prosperity is enormous. At times this journey will be a perilous quest, but with valiant leadership this nation shall flourish. Only the Democratic Party is prepared to guide America towards this future.
Bob Herbert, columnist and professor of journalism, wrote about the current condition of America in “A Fire in the Basement,” an introduction to a collection of his editorials, Promises Betrayed: Waking up from the American Dream (2005). The “fire” he is referring to, is the idea that America is falling apart from the inside out, and we aren’t even aware of it. He suggests that our current state as a world power is in decline, and it’s not the terrorists we should be worried about. Rather, he gives examples showing that this decline will be the result of the growing inequality, irrationality, and the loss of hope within our nation. He states, “It’s not that life in America was better in the 1960’s. It wasn’t. But it seemed to be moving in a better direction” (396). In other words, we’ve lost a crucial part to what made us a great nation in the first place. If we don’t recover this hope and can-do spirit soon, we may be headed for a supporting role on the world stage.
In 1979 the United States Postal Service had a cash flow of $22.5 Billion and was additionally receiving $176 million from investing(#1, Intro). Even with this added revenue the Postal Service was still greatly under funded on its own (#1, Intro). During this time it was discussed to privatize the postal service and introduce competition because of the extreme losses that the service was experiencing. A positive argument for privatizing the Postal Service was with numerous competitors in the market there would be more efficiency and the public would receive lower prices.
The essay titled America Remain the World’s Beacon of Success by Tim Roemer discusses the positive position America placed as a leader in many of its endeavors in the fields of technology, sciences, and healthcare. In Roemer’s opinion, America regarded upon by other countries as the litmus test comparing their success. Roemer enumerated the many achievements and discoveries America accomplished as new country at only 700 years old. Now the question remains, will the success of America continue to be sustainable? I believe it will be, and I agree with Roemer’s opinion despite the internal issues the country face on a regular basis. After all, success is a daily repeated effort in small sum.
To conclude, the cold war had an enormous effect on nearly every aspect of American life. With varying results, some were good and others were bad. I sense that the Cold war was helpful to us as a nation. Russian competition pushed the U.S. toward improvements in technology, military, science, and education. In a world with 2 superpowers the U.S. was driven to be better than the competitor. But now we are alone at the top and there is nowhere to go but down. Hopefully the termination of the U.S.S.R. didn’t open up a spot for a new and better world power to emerge in the near future.
For years, America has always been perceived as one of the top world powers due to its ability of achieving so much technological, economical, and social progress within a mere couple decades. Despite their great accomplishments, America is actually regressing psychologically, preventing the country from reaching its true potential as an “opportunity rich” country. In Anthony Burgess’ Is America Falling Apart? , the author unveils the circumstances in which America’s restricting society and selfish ideology cause the nation to develop into the type of society it tried to avoid becoming when it separated from the British Empire.
...om society. Although Bishop makes no excuses for the shortcomings of science and academia, he delivers an ominous message to those who would attack the scientific community: Science is the future. Learn to embrace it or be left behind.
Geddes, R. Richard. "Policy Watch: Reform Of The U.S. Postal Service."Journal of Economic Perspectives 19.3 (2005): 217-232. jstor. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.
Impersonating a family possession can tear the minds of the family. William Faulkner’s book The Sound and The Fury is the story of a noble family’s inglorious fall from grace. The Compsons are a southern aristocratic family with numerous psychological problems. The story is told by four characters, all have a part to prove how they were involved in the shameful downfall of the once powerful Compson family. The novel illustrates to the readers how corruption among multiple family members can tear down a whole family in a period of time.