Nationalism In The Cold War Analysis

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Ruthann Niewoehner
11.16.14
Professor Goldman

Nationalism on the International Stage “The Cold War” is a broad term for the international order between 1945 and 1989. From proxy wars to space programs, and propaganda to independence movements, nationalism is the common denominator that truly catalyzed the major confrontations of the time period. Nationalism is defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy as, “(1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity, and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination”. Nationalism shaped international political maneuvers throughout the cold war because it created solidarity, was blended …show more content…

American involvement sparked protest in the US, catalyzing a global youth movement. Nationalism in Vietnam not only united the people to fight the Japanese, French and Americans, but also cultivated communist leanings which caused U.S. intervention (Hunt 128). Ho Chi Minh, the leader in Vietnam, was first and foremost a nationalist revolutionary who used communism to rally the people. Harnessing anti-Japanese sentiment, and backed by the allies, he formed the Indochinese Communist Party to drive out the Japanese and implement land reform in the North Vietnam (Hunt 122). Ho Chi Minh used communist ideals to get support from China and the USSR, but was primarily a nationalist domestically. This connection was key to Cold War political tension because the United States got involved in Vietnam to prevent communism, mistaking it for nationalism. Robert McNamara, U.S. secretary of defence during the Vietnam War, reflected in this confusion by writing, “we also totally underestimated the nationalist aspect of Ho Chi Minh 's movement. We saw him first as a Communist and only second as a Vietnamese nationalist” (McNamara). Because of the confusion between nationalism and communism in Vietnam the United States got involved in an extensive conflict that would turn the country against its leadership and begin an anti-war youth movement in the 1960s that became a catalyst for youth movements in France, Mexico and Prague (Hunt 185). Through this succession from nationalism to communism and outside intervention, Vietnamese nationalism shifted global political realities during the cold

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