Anti-communism in the USA and American foreign policy in the late 1940s

Callaghan, JT

Abstract

As the post-war configuration of power became clearer in 1946 – involving an uncooperative Soviet Union in Europe and stronger Communist parties in Europe and Asia – American foreign policy drew upon and greatly reinforced domestic anti-Communism in explaining and justifying the nation’s changing overseas priorities. In doing so theories were fashioned that dramatised and simplified the world scene, proving potent in mobilising public opinion for the Cold War. Anti-communist ideology became a highly successful rationale for numerous decisions by the US government over very a long period of time because it commanded the convictions of enough people to have material effects. American capitalism itself had never been more popular than it was in the late 1940s, and its leaders had never been so powerful in world politics.

Citation

Callaghan, J. (2014). Anti-communism in the USA and American foreign policy in the late 1940s. Twentieth Century Communism: A Journal of International History, 6, 149-171

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Aug 8, 2014
• Journal: Twentieth Century Communism
• Print ISSN: 1758-6437
• Publisher: Lawrence Wishart
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Pages: 149-171
• Related Public URLs: https://www.lwbooks.co.uk/twentieth-century-communism/6/anti-communism-USA-foreign-policy-1940s; https://www.lwbooks.co.uk/twentieth-century-communism