American Individuality Versus Soviet Nationalism Assignment Help: Use Textbook Give Me Liberty! An American History Seagull Fifth Editio V2
Text book request: Give Me Liberty! An American History Seagull Fifth Editio V2
As the war comes to a conclusion, two global superpowers emerge; the USSR and the US. Between the US and the USSR a new world order is constructed as countries gravitate to either side. This new world order is marked by not only competing national objectives but also by competing ideologies. American capitalism and its focus on individuality was in contrast with the Soviet Unions communist orientation that made the creation of a strong nation-state the main objective. This competition plays itself out through several military wars but also through cultural wars as well.
American pop culture during the 50s was one that highlighted individuality and contemporary lifestyles that made attempts to respect racial diversity. As you go through the reading this week think about this. Think how America from the mid 40s to mid 50s became a cultural beacon for the world. Of course not all this movement came to its moral conclusions but at least attempts were made in the right direction. In other words we made some progress towards racialized social justice but it would not be until a decade later the the Civil Rights movement really comes together and pushes for laws to change, and they did. In essence this was an intense drive to really respect the Individual and not solely to make the nation stronger in the world. Think how countries like the USSR might have seen this democratic, individualistic trend as wrong. The right for an individual to fully express their will over the will of the state, or government, is not what the Soviets wanted in their country but was everything we wanted at home.
With this in mind, write a two to three page essay describing how this new American reality (the attempt to respect all regardless of race) is reflected in pop culture. Focus your essay on the following three subjects; African American civil rights efforts, the integration of baseball with Jackie Robinson in 1947 as well as Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953). Quote Foner three times. Use the historical events from this weeks readings to highlight the new reality that each one of the three subjects references.
Hope you enjoy this activity. I have given you additional links to browse.
CIVIL RIGHTS
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-rights-movement/essays/civil-rights-movement-major-events-and-legacies (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
JACKIE ROBINSON
https://www.jackierobinson.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
THE WILD ONE
http://www.filmsite.org/wild.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
