Response to Sept 12th's blog
During the era of the Cold War, there was an undeniable increase in the American interest of self-defense. There was an increase of spending which resulted in a massive boost in our nation's defense budgets in order to combat the Soviet Union. We as a nation were spending billions of dollars preparing to defend our nation's borders at any given moment. I found it very interesting in the Cold War Dixie Article, that scientists were some of the most important people alive during this time frame. Down south these people were viewed as almost celebrities due to their potential contribution in the United States military. It is incredible that the military was spending so much money on self defense in a time of pure peace to combat the rise of communism. The advancement of military spending really increased in 1957 due to the launch of the Sputnik satellite. The United States truly recognized the Soviet Union as a threat as they were able to send rockets into space. To attempt and combat this issue the United States attempted to create faster and stronger aircraft to be able to counter the potential Soviet Union attacks. The United States was truly in an uneasy state during this part of the Cold War. President Eisenhower was caught in a lose lose situation whether he decided to quit spending money on the military to focus upon the problems inside of America or continue to build new weapons to combat the Soviet Union. President Eisenhower in response to this question began to industrialize America. Factories became more common everywhere which lead to an increase of jobs which benefited America in many ways. This lead eventually to the rise of America which in result is a reason why we are such a global superpower today almost 40 years after the end of the Cold War.
In Fredrick's "Cold War Dixie", there is great focus on the changes brought forth by the Cold War. Development of factories and munitions were at a great high, with billions being spent on national defense. There was a new "scientific movement" and this brought close recognition of any scientists now working in factories and for the government that worked in chemistry and other developments. As mentioned above, they were certainly viewed as celebrities, as they were the face of upcoming advancements and the production of nuclear weapons in the defense of the nation. In some ways, the Cold War was beneficial to the country and its citizens, as it sparked overwhelming waves of patriotism. It also brought in the arrival of strong corporations such as Du Pont that provided for families and created numerous job opportunities. With these factories and companies came changes to communities such as Aiken, SC. There were new housing developments and a rise in the middle class society. I agree that with this growing industrialization and military development as well as an increase in patriotism, that this was the era in which the United States started to further cement itself as one of the top global superpower today. With the Cold War we were able to advance as a country and make great leaps scientifically, even going as far as to create NASA and put a man on the moon. There were certainly great benefits to this growth that was caused.
ReplyDelete“The seeming preference for private over public lands only helped confirm what many western ranchers long believed: the federal government was grossly inefficient. More than a few ranchers suspected the entire missile program was a waste of taxpayer money. And so despite the fact that this was a military program and South Dakotans considered themselves immensely patriotic, landowners understood the missiles in the same terms that they had come to see all federal programs: sometimes necessary but always to be guarded against. No government agency was to be fully trusted.”
ReplyDeleteIn the readings from “Cold War on the Range” we get an uncommon view from the perspective of the public, who was having their land taken from them for the for the sake of the military industrial complex. These ranchers must sell packages of their land to the military, or face the threat of lawsuits, and appear unpatriotic, as we see on page 109 of “Cold War on the Range.” The military also promoted the idea that programs like this are extremely desirable for the local economy, and the majority of the public seemed to accept the cost for the gain. The idea of becoming a “martial metropolis” was far more appealing over protecting the few that suffered from loss of land.
However, I am left wondering why the military put so much effort into obtaining private land over federal land? What do they gain from having a legal battle with ranchers over a wheatfield? One would think that the public outcry alone would cause them to choose federal land. As we see, there were several cases of public upset that not only cost money, but caused delays. In the readings they talk about the policy of not putting missile facilities on actively used property. So, why then choose privately owned farmlands that are currently in use? Is government inefficiency, as Gretchen Heefner claims, the the real reason for this choice? Although, it seems hard to believe that they would chose this difficult path for no good reason. Or maybe, this was simply a push from the local “higher-ups” to gain a boost in revenue.
The passage at the top is from pages 95-96 of "Cold War on the Range."
DeleteIn Frederikson’s Cold War Dixie, we see how the the military industrial complex could have positive consequences for people. The military, more specifically the the defense industry, is the largest employer in the world. In a lot of cases, the defense industry offers better jobs for better pay, “It was a smart economic decision, as his starting take-home pay was almost 50 percent higher than what he would have made at the mill” (123). However, whole areas were changed as “the emergence of the modern military state literally imprinted itself on the southern landscape” (125). Areas that were once absent and barren were now thriving communities of middle-class Americans, but with that, community identity changed. How communities viewed themselves in relation to A) each other and B) to the nation was forever changed. We see this in the chapter “Cold War on the Range”, where citizens, not just in the south, but in the west, specifically South Dakota, were accepting the idea of modernity, but at the cost of their [farmers] land. However, “the overwhelming majority of South Dakotans… embraced the missiles and their responsibility” (80). While that may have been the case, by doing that, we change the whole dynamic of government and state relations, who has more authority and during when, and how invasive, regardless of how beneficial, the military industrial complex really is.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 6 from Cold War Dixie by Kari Frederickson, I found it very interesting that companies, such as Du Pont, had everyone fooled. The military industrial complex had the whole country thinking that industrializing the nation and manufacturing supplies for the war was going to make the country prosper. For example, on page 127, it talks about Du Pont having its own radio station, Cavalcade of America. Du Pont used the radio station to tell stories of individualized courage and achievements that were based on historical events. Another example is Du Pont’s aggressive public relation campaign. On page on 128, the effectiveness of the campaign is demonstrated. In a survey in 1937, less than half of the people who participated held a favorable opinion of the company. 20 years later, after the campaigning, 79 percent of participants favored the company. Du Pont had everyone thinking that the company will guarantee success and prosperity in the region, and this was the same for many other industrial companies around the nation. On page 126, it explains that the companies even left the president powerless. People gave scientists and innovation so much credit, that if President Eisenhower challenged the surge of industrialization across the country, he would just look anti-intellectual. On page 144, this surge is demonstrated through Aiken, a city that used to be an area for tourists, and had progressed to an example of the modern south. Aiken got a bomb plant, Pyle National plants, and had become a city that was the direct result of the industrial military complex. This shift happened so fast, as a result of the Cold War, and the companies that embraced the military industrial complex.
ReplyDeleteIn “Cold War Dixie,” we get a look at the industrialization of the south and when the Du Pont Corporation began moving its business south. This helped the economy greatly in southern states. “It was a smart economic decision, and his starting salary was 50 percent higher than what it would have been at the mill” (123). It also discusses the enthusiasm these opportunities gave to southerners from an economic stand point, but also patriotically. They were more than willing to support the country at this time. In “Cold War on the Range,” we take a look at the militaries pursuit of the development of nuclear missile plants on ranches in South Dakota, and how an overwhelming majority of citizens supported it. Some even volunteering their ranches for the location. I found it interesting that in both of the passages that not only was the economic situation improved by these movements, but a new sense of patriotism was created as well.
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