From the Cold War to Today

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Chapter 30 and 31 were named “The Triumph of Conservatism” and “A Nation Transformed” respectively. In 1980, Ronald Regan was elected as the president of the United States and he began the process of adapting the conservative values in the U.S. The “Triumph” in chapter 30 was referring to the conservatism’s victory of the cold war and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Chapter 31 revolves around globalization which “transformed” the U.S. as a nation. Although the cold war inhibited the trade between the U.S. and Soviet Union, it also helped America to move toward globalization. The globalization of America emboldened the involvement of the U.S. in foreign affairs. The involvement of America on abroad issues led to war on terror and economic crisis. As usual, different groups of people experienced the legacy of cold war differently. After Ronald Reagan won the election of 1980, he was dedicated to restore the American power as he mentioned in his speech, “More than anything else, I want my candidacy to unify our country; to renew the American spirit and sense of purpose.”[ Ronald Reagan, “Acceptance Speech,” U.S. Political History (1973-2001): 2, accessed May 21, 2014, DOI:10.1093/acref/9780199794188.013.0191] By renewing the American spirit, he intended to strengthen American’s military power. The main purpose of him doing this was to contain the Soviet Union. In order to maintain his anti-communist policy through military forces, he needs to increase the military spending. This directly associated with the lives of U.S. Army. Since the military spending is raised, they could afford to use more expensive weapons, better clothing, and even better treatment in the military. In a way, Reagan’s dedication to press the Soviet Union... ... middle of paper ... ...nd disturbed American life leads back to the legacy of the cold war. Without the cold war, US probably will not move so fast into globalization and involvement with Middle East warfare. The collapse of Soviet Union in 1989 finally put an end to the cold war. The US won the ultimate victory like what Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “...the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”[ Franklin D. Roosevelt, “War Message,” US(1920-1945): 2, accessed May 21, 2014, DOI: 10.1093/acref/9780199794188.013.0142] However, the cold war legacy had a big influences on variety groups of American. The military spending increases indicates the better condition in the US Army, the Technological advances gave opportunities to many technology innovators and globalization led to economy crisis. This is the extensive power of the cold war legacy.

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