 The Berlin Wall After reading Part IV (chapters 10-13) and the first part of chapter 17 (or all of chapter 17; it is your decision) in the Findley-Rothney textbook and my short note (below), answer the following question in a short paragraph of about one-half page in length: Why did communism change from being an attractive political ideology after World War Two to being a political liability by the 1990s?
Please consult Charlie's History Writing Center for specific information on the writing requirements of this course.
Before 1945, most average Americans did not pay much attention to communism, and American politicians generally regarded communism as the most evil of all things possible in the world, bad, bad, bad: After all, communists had defaulted on the American loans made to Russia during World War I; communists had expropriated American property (factories and such) and investment in Russia during the Russian Revolution; communists spoke lovingly about causing revolution everywhere and overthrowing the capitalist world; communists were very active in America in the depths of the Great Depression of the 1930s (America's "Pink Decade") when it seemed that capitalism had failed--communists in the Soviet Union had undertaken an enormous economic expansion during the 1930s while the Western world's economy stagnated and fell to pieces. Further, the Soviet Union had signed a treaty with Adolf Hitler in 1939 that gave Germany a green light to begin World War II--although most Americans did not really understand that connection--and then communists had divided up Poland (and annexed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) with Hitler's help. But suddenly, in early 1942, America found itself as an ally of Russian communists, both involved in the struggle against Germany--interestingly, but not as allies in the struggle against Japan--and just as suddenly American propaganda and Hollywood showed Americans just how wonderful the communists were (for example, see the film The North Star). The propaganda blitz continued throughout the war. Russia's fierce resistance (despite horrendous casualties that eventually reached into the tens of millions) to the enormous armed power of Germany further evoked American admiration, especially after the battle of Stalingrad, November 1942 to February 1943. By 1945, Americans had become somewhat convinced that maybe those Russian communists were not that bad after all. By 1949, Americans were again convinced that Russian communists, and communists throughout the world--and they seemed to be everywhere by 1949--were again the incarnation of evil. |