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Sixteen Most Significant Events In Us History (стр. 3 из 4)

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.