Background: After the Second World War, the US
embarked on what came to be known as the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
Although the two sides never fought against each other directly, the Cold War
nonetheless erupted into violence at times in places like Vietnam, Korea, and
Afghanistan. As the US grew more activist and interventionist in its foreign
policy, the domestic government also grew in power and in its role in the
people’s lives.

Resources: When responding to these
prompts, draw from the material in ONE of the following videos:

1. Hawksworth, R., Hogan, H., & Spencer, S.
   (Writers). The post-war
   years [Television series episode]. In R. Hawksworth
   (Executive producer), America in the 20th Century. Chicago, IL: Media
   Rich Communications, LLC. Available from
   http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47585&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
2.  Isbouts, J., & Johnson, B. D. (Writers), & Johnson, B.
   D. (Director). (1999). Superpowers collide [Television series episode]. In J. Florescu, J. Isbouts, & B. D.
   Johnson (Executive producers), Inside the Cold War with Sir David
   Frost. Los Angeles, CA: Porchlight Entertainment. Available from
   http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=8397&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
3. Wattenberg, B. (Writer). (2000). 1930-1960 [Television series episode]. In A. Walworth (Executive producer),
   The First Measured Century: The Other Way of Looking at American
   History. Arlington, VA: PBS. Available from
   http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=44378&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=

Also, draw from the material in TWO of
the following documents:

1. Byrne, M. (Ed.). (2000).Electronic briefing book no. 28: The
   secret CIA history of the Iran coup, 1953 Retrieved
   from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB28/
2. Eisenhower, D. (1961, Jan. 17).Farewell address Retrieved from http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/ddefarew.html
3. Herberg, W. (n.d.) Protestant-Catholic-Jew: An essay in
   American religious sociology (1960) [Excerpt].
   Retrieved from http://personal.ashland.edu/~jmoser1/herberg.htm
4. Johnson, L. (1964, Aug, 5). The Tonkin Gulf incident;
   1964 Retrieved from
   http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/tonkin-g.asp
5. Kennedy, J. (1962, Oct. 22). Address on the Cuban crisis October 22,
   1962. Modern History Sourcebook. Retrieved from
   http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1962kennedy-cuba.html
6. Kissinger, H. (1969, March 8). March 9th memo from Kissinger to
   Nixon. Retrieved from
   http://www.historycentral.com/Vietnam/Documents/Kiss.html
7. Nixon, R. (1974, Aug. 8). Richard Nixon’s
   resignation. Retrieved from
   http://customers.hbci.com/~tgort/resign.htm
8. Potter, P. (1965). SDS Vietnam anti-war
   speech. Retrieved from
   http://www.hippy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=130
9. Schlesinger, A. M. (1949). The vital center: The politics of
   freedom [Excerpt]. Retrieved from
   http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/vital-center.html
10. United States Congress. (1973, Nov. 7).The war powers
    act. Retrieved from
    http://customers.hbci.com/~tgort/wpa.htm

Instructions: After reviewing your Instructor’s Guidance
and completing the weekly reading assignments (including those in the resource
section below), please post a substantive discussion post of at least 200 words
that analyzes BOTH U.S. Cold War Policy AND the impact that the Cold War had on
U.S. society, using the following questions as the basis of your analysis:

1. Why did the Cold War start and how did it develop over its first three
   decades?
2. How did different presidential administrations, from Truman to Nixon handle
   Cold War affairs?
3. How did these approaches affect foreign policy?
4. How did the Cold War lead to changes within American society and culture?

Your initial post should be at least 200 words in
length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and
properly cite any references. You may use additional scholarly sources to
support your points if you choose.