The Cold War era in the USA: foreign and domestic policy

Abstract

In the general time frame of the Cold War (1947-1991), the U.S. and the USSR participated in an arms race, among other things. This period had a profound effect on American foreign and domestic policy, particularly as the Americans sought to stem the spread of communism and survive a potential nuclear war while maintaining global influence. This paper critically examines the discursive shape of, and challenges to, the legacy of U.S. foreign and domestic policy through the Cold War years that lingers still in the U.S. and global cultural life.