During the cold war from 1945 to 1960, America’s role in the world and identity changed as the United States grew into a world power and became increasingly involved in foreign affairs in order to contain the spread of communism. Spending on the military and defense also increased as America began sending aid to non-communist countries which had a large impact on the US economy. The US was fearful of a communist conspiracy like that of the first red scare after world war one and as the arms race intensified because of soviet developments such as the atomic bomb and Sputnik, more funding went towards developing superior weapons and technology including NASA and the hydrogen bomb. The United States was leaving the old policy of isolationism behind…
More and more US dollars went towards the military industrial complex so that soldiers, money, and supplies could be sent to foreign nations (Document 7). The federal government had to cut back in other areas of the economy to keep a steady flow of money going to the MIC. People sometimes criticized the MIC for becoming too big and taking up too much government money (Document 7). When president Eisenhower gave his farewell address, he even warned against the growth of the MIC. To fund defense at home, Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act (Document 6) which built highways to connect all of the major cities in America. The increased taxes on fuel and cars went towards the national defense fund.
With increased US involvement in foreign affairs and the containment of communism, the US gained a new identity as a world power. Early in the cold war, Americans and President Truman were confident that they could win the cold war and stop communism (Document 3). America developed a new fear of communism which led to a second Red Scare and a new fear of nuclear warfare because of new technological…