16.3. After of the war: international politics.

16.3.1. The war had ended, but the suffering continued. After the war, much of Europe's farmland and industry was in ruins. It was necessary to rebuild Europe. General George Marshall worked out a plan for rebuilding Europe. Congress approved the Marshall plan. The United States gave 5 billion dollars to European countries.

The Allies decided to set up an organization called the United Nations, which would work for world peace. The UN had the right and power to enforce its decisions with troops. One of the most fundamental acts of the UNO was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). It was prepared by the Commission on Human Rights chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, social activist and widow of United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

16.3.2. The struggle between the United States and communist countries after World War II was called the Cold War. The war was "cold" be­cause it was fought mainly without guns or bombs. The "weapons" in the Cold War were words, ideas, and economic and military aid. Soviet domination of eastern and central Europe increased, which led to what Winston Churchill called the Iron Curtain in his famous 1946 speech.

The first battle of the Cold War was fought in Berlin. In 1948 Stalin tried to cut off West Berlin from the Allied Zones in Germany by stopping all traffic by road, rail and canal. The Allies continued to supply Berlin by air. The Berlin Airlift lasted for ten and a half months. Finally, Stalin gave up. Yet, in 1961 the notorious Berlin Wall was built. This concrete and wire wall stretched all along the West Berlin – East Berlin border and was guarded by soldiers.

16.3.3. The United States helped create a new military alliance, the NATO. The creation of the organization led to the stationing of US forces in Western Europe. The most important clause in the NATO treaty was that an attack on one country was considered to be an attack on all. In other words, the East could not pick off democratic countries without the risk of a war with NATO. The Soviet Union did not react to NATO until the 1955 admission of West Germany. Then the Warsaw Pact was established.

16.3.4. In Asia, the Cold War in Korea became "hot". Soviet-trained North Koreans invaded the South. In a few weeks they occupied most of South Korea. The US-controlled United Nations sent troops to help South Korea to fight back. The Korean War lasted more than three years (1950-1953). When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, it became a communist country. Castro's government was receiving help from the Soviet Union. Many Americans thought that the Soviets could easi­ly attack the United States from Cuba in case of war. When the United States learned that the Soviets were planning to install missiles in Cuba, the Cuban missile crisis began. For several days the world was a step away from another world war that could have destroyed the whole planet.

16.4. After of the war: domestic affairs.

16.4.1. In 1946, Doctor Benjamin Spock authored one of the most influential postwar books in America, Baby and Child Care. His child-centered approach emphasized helping children to learn, grow and realize their potential. According to Spock, all other considerations must be subordinated to the needs of the child. In fact, the book reflected the spirit of the times. Post-war America experienced large-scale population growth known as the "baby boom". It lased for almost two decades, and combined with growing prosperity of the average American.

16.4.2. These developments combined with pioneering discoveries in medicine. In the early 1950s, American physician Jonas Salk developed the first successful vaccine against polio, a serious disease affecting thousands of children in the country. The Salk vaccine was tested and more than 650,000 children in 44 states received injections, which proved it was safe and effective. When this news was announced on April 12, 1955, church bells rang in celebration in many towns and cities across the United States. As a result of widespread inoculation programs, the U.S. incidence of polio dropped by 90 percent.

16.4.3. Technological developments were taking place on a large scale. American physicists received the Nobel Prize for inventing the transistor which became the basis for modern electronics, and a primary foundation for microchip technology. Gordon Gould's idea for the laser came to him in 1957. He coined the acronym “laser” in his notebook, but failed to apply for a patent at that time. The device is now widely used in industrial, commercial, and medical applications. In the early 1950s, television began to make a rapid impact on American life. Soon enough, it replaced newspapers, magazines, and radios as the primary informational vehicle.

Among the first to be nationally televised were the court hearings instigated by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He claimed knowledge of hundreds of "communists" in the highest echelons of power. As a result of a new "red scare", thousands of people were blacklisted. The campaign against Communist subversion destroyed the careers of many.

16.4.4. Yet there was something on the brighter side, too. The same period of time produced the school of humanistic psychology in the USA. The leading figures were Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Maslow's theory was the need for "self-actualization" is the highest of all. He also stated that human needs exist in hierarchy; when lower needs, such as food and shelter, are satisfied, then higher needs, such as love and acceptance, become principle motivators. Maslow's study of self-actualizing people revealed they were spontaneous, creative, lacked inhibitions, and were interested in the world rather than being self-centered.

An important bestselling book of the period was The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) by the Reverend Vincent Peale. He offered a message of psychological security and material success. In fact, his own life proves his words. He died in 1993, at the age of 95.