The cold war affected every aspect of American life

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The cold war affected every aspect of American life. Discuss the domestic implications of the cold war. Your answer should explain how the cold war affected higher education, the economy, immigration policy, civil rights and civil liberties

The government had established the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, which helped the returning soldiers by giving them economic benefits and a chance to pursue their education. Once the soldiers returned from the war, the government had to find them work to do. This resulted into the displacement of women and other minorities from the workplace. Minorities had worked to keep the economy going during the war but this changed after the soldiers came home (Williams 21). There were union strikes in some industries such as mining as well as increased rates of inflation. The inflation happened because of increased spending after the war (Brinkley 709). The fair deal proposed by President Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour and it expanded social security (Brinkley 712). The deal saw the creation of low-income housing in an effort to improve public housing and clear the slums.

There was an increase in civil liberties and rights as the president sought to end discrimination in the workplace and he desegregated the armed forces. The civil rights movement rose as a way to end discrimination and guarantee civil liberties to the people. It was initially hindered by the government’s efforts to prevent communism and to ensure that there was internal security (Powell 32). The government exported the concepts of democracy to other countries, yet the African Americans and other minorities faced restrictive conditions in their country. This prompted people to act and they demonstrated as a way of raising awareness concerning their rights as American citizens. The Second World War placed America in a position of power. It created legislation that allowed displaced people from European countries to enter in the country. Asian population from countries such as China and Philippines were given citizen status. Although the US maintained tight control on Asian immigration, it ended immigration laws and ended the total exclusion of the Asian immigrants (Manchester 25).

Works Cited

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, Volume 2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print

Manchester, William. American Caesar: Douglas Macarthur, 1880-1964. Boston: Little, Brown, 1978. Print.

Powell, Colin L, and Joseph E. Persico. My American Journey. New York: Random House, 1995. Print.

Williams, T H. The History of American Wars from 1745 to 1918. New York: Knopf, 1981. Print.