Response to the Teacher’s Commentary
Although the decision to be made is very difficult, it seems that the leaders in question should not be lauded as heroes. Although their actions and mindsets were understandable, given the era of their leadership, they are still inexcusable. Namely, the refusal to acknowledge the humanity in women, people of color, and Jewish people, especially in light of the suffering that the specified vulnerable categories experienced, means that these leaders could not be defined as heroes. Instead, the people that fought against Nazism and prejudices, in general, including soldiers at the frontline, deserve the title of heroes.
Discussion
Although the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which occurred in 1947-1991, did not entail any bloodshed, it still had a similar goal. Namely, with the USSR gaining increasingly large military power and beginning to pose a political and an economic threat to the U.S., as well as the world, in general, the confrontation was inevitable (Lewis 516). Moreover, the fear of the USSR using nuclear weapons was quite high at the time, justifying the need for the war to continue.
In retrospect, the Cold War made Western Europeans feel more connected to the U.S. culturally and politically as allies against the USSR (Lewis 545). Vietnam also suffered significant changes, such as the creation of the movement for liberating Vietnamese women (Femmes et Guerres; Tram 5). In turn, the economic challenges that the Cold War had on the Soviet Union made Russian people by exposing them to the idea of a democratic society. Therefore, the Cold War was worth fighting, and without the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NSC-68, the U.S. would not have been able to win it. Presently, most Americans seem to view Communism and, by extension, Socialism as unviable and even somewhat dangerous concepts, which is the direct effect of the Cold War.
Works Cited
Femmes et Guerres. “Vietnamese Women in Wartime.” Femmes-Guerres.ens-lyon.fr, n.d., 2020. Web.
Lewis, Gavin. ​WCIV Volume II. ​Cengage Learning, 2012.
Tram, Dang Thuy. Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram. Crown, 2007.