why did america millitarily fought communism and forced capitalism on other countries?
140519
America does not force capitalism on anyone.  If we did, we would be militarily involved in forcing capitalism on half of Europe and Asia.  Don't confuse us with the Soviets!  Even though they are in our back yard, we are not forcing Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, etc. to give up their version of socialism, are we?\nAmerica fought communist nations - sometimes with arms, sometimes by other means - from the '40s to the '90s because they posed an explicit threat to our nation.  Yes, we made mistakes; but we Americans are the first to admit we sometimes make mistakes.  If you ask people who lived in eastern Europe when the Soviets ruled it, they overwhelmingly think we did the right thing.
833444
It is an isolationist attitude much like that of America pre WWII.  Hitler had conquered Europe and N Africa minus the UK and Japan had dominated the Asian front, yet nobody in America wanted to commit money or troops to war.  History repeats itself often.  The same thing happened during the Revolution.  Our Army nearly starved to death during winters at valley forge and morristown because of the lack of local support, it was only after the war was won the Americans took credit for their loyal trust in support of the war effort.  Civil War identical, see how Lincoln trampled the constitution to get things done in order to win.  Anyway whether we win against terrorism is purely whether the people wake up from their long slumber and fight for their liberty.  I hope an American City doesn't have to be destroyed before we wake up and take action.
628135
Your right the ones who suffered most in the conflict was the third world.  South America and Africa were riddled with ineffective puppet governments put there by the US to keep the "radical" communists out.  However they tend not to teach that in High School history classes so you will find most Americans are oblivious to the effect that the Cold War had on the third world.  Good Luck trying to teach them.\n\nTo:adonrummd\n\nI don't just blame the US I also blame the a**hole "leaders" who would sell out their people for money.  If it was the USSR encouraging ineffective governments then yes I would blame them, but it wasn't.  With great power comes great responsibility.  If you mess up, you have to take responsibility.  America was looking out for its own best interest, I would agree with that.  To think that in doing that they did not have a big part in the underdevelopment of the third world, is naive.
11239
Sites of conflict weren't limited to Cuba and Afghanistan--there were ideological conflicts throughout the world at the time. Many countries in South America, Asia, etc. Though the US and USSR didn't ever really have direct contact, the cold war was very real though many people at the time didn't want to recognize that it actually was a war. \n\nThe USSR was actively promoting Communism throughout the world to extend their reach. Luckily Reagan had the insight to know that just because they weren't attacking us--the spread of Communism would be just as good as if they were attacking us. Reagan countered the USSR's pursuits and won. I think the USSR would still exist today if Reagan hadn't actively countered them and given the US "peace through strength". Because he refused to play Russia's game, they were forced into trying to keep up with the US's military and nuclear buildup which eventually lead them to an economic crisis--forcing them to snap out of their ploys of world domination.
414802
Because the USA is owned and run by corporations that need the capitalist system to thrive.
263320
That is a good question.  If you look at American history you can see that from the Spanish American war to now, the US has no inhibitions against using military force to support its vested interests whether they are the United Fruit company in the Central American nations, colonial commerce in China, or suppressing resistance to American occupation in the Phillipines.  After WWII, under the doctrines of Cold War\nidiology there wasn't a year we were not engaged in undermining countries with political leaders we did not like\n( Domincan Republic, Chile, Indonesia, Congo,) or creating puppet governments and fomenting civil war, ( Vietnam ).\n\nAs an American I am NOT in support of these actions,\n\nDuring the Reagan Admin, the US supported dictators such as  Park, ( S Korea), Marcos, ( Phillipines ), Botha,( S.Africa), Pinochet, ( Chile), and others that oppressed their own citizens.  This was fine as long at they opposed communism. \n\nI don't doubt in this current crusade to maintain access to oil in the Middle East, we are behaving like the Roman Empire and supporting governments that support our aims, no matter how badly they treat their citizens. \n\nI don't think Americans in general support these actions.\nTo a great extent we are goverened by corporations, big business, idiology, short term economic policy and now, \nNEOCON doctrine, wars are inevitable and beyond our ability to prevent.\n\nIn earlier history, we had a civil war over soveignity and slavery as well an on ongoing genocide of the indigenious\ninhabitants. Americans execute more people than any other country in the world except for China.  We are a violent society.\n\n  When I travel abroad, I tell people I am a Canadian.
1169832
The answer to this is complex and depends on whose history you read. However, the European side of WWII was caused solely by Adolf Hitler's quest for power.  He used tactics such as the Dolchstoss Legend, which stemmed from the "stab in the back" sentiments of the Treaty of Versailles, to gain power.  These tactics gained him wide support from Germans who were still bitter from their loss of WWI.  It also rallied anti-semitism because this legend, in part, blammed the Jews for the loss.  Initially Great Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, allowing him to take over former German lands such as Czechoslovokia.  However, Hitler kept wanting more. WWII started after Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939.  Great Britain and France, allies of Poland, declared war two days later. \n\nOf course, if you look at WWII from the point of view of Asia, the war started much earlier.  According to China, the war started when Japan invaded them and the infamous Rape of Nanking occurred.  \n\nThe US became involved initially with the Cash and Carry policy developed in 1939.  The US, still struggling with the economic depression, used this to remain neutral but to fuel the need for industrial jobs.  After a while, though, Great Britain and France could no longer afford to pay the US for goods and the US enacted the Lend-Lease program in 1941.  This program allowed for much the same, but the Allies were not paying for the goods immediately.  Therefore, it could be argued that since the US only provided goods to Allied forces, we were involved in the war since 1939. \n\nHowever, most pinpoint US involvement as occuring shortly after  December 7, 1941 (the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese).    Nazi Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, with Hitler wanting to declare war on US before we could declare war on anyone. The United States was fuming at the Japanese, but the president decided to focus more on the European front first, making that top priority.
29232
That comparison is dated. Americans have never followed even the noblest of ideals championed by our for fathers when they are against money matters. The USA is now the puppet master that pulls the strings of over half of the world. It didn't start with Iraq. We've been doing it for over 200 years now. And it's good that we have been too. If we didn't grab up the oportunities someone else would. Look at history. Every country that gets its interior problems sorted out turn to imperialism, even our civilized cousins the French, the Belgians, the Swiss, all of them. Would you rather someone else held the whip?
316485
The west rejects/condemns *anything* that isn't capitalism (though I spell it CRAPitalism) because God-forbid Americans get a clue that other forms of government are not evil *in and of themselves*...  \n\nor that they get a clue that capitalism = form of slavery.
2589
During WWII, Canadians and Americans joined the British Air Force to fight against the Nazis before their own countries were at war.  That is a good example of fighting for another country against a tyrant dictator.
170593
Oooh i like this question.\n\nOK, imperialism is where other countries use or exploit other countries to serve as colonies, or interfere in other's politics in order to better their own country. In the 1900s, this was extrememly common. The strongest powers of the world: Japan, the US, Britain, France, Holland, Germany, Russia, and other countries all started seizing colonies and interfering in trade. This is morally wrong. It is not correct for us to meddle too much in the business of soverign nations. However, at the time, imperialism became a sort of contest. Countries could be judged as powerful based on the amount of influence they wielded outside their own country. Britain had many colonies, and for that reason they boasted that "the sun never sets on the British Empire", since it extended from India to Africa and the Americas.\n\nIntellectuals and politicians uniformly supported imperialism, saying that it was better for colonized nations anyway. Also, they talked about how some races were superior to others. That is, New Guineans (colonized) were born inferior to the French, say. \n\nNew imperialism is simply the mad rush for colonies in the 19th and 20th century. This includes the Spanish-American war, the Boer Wars, the Indian uprisings, and the British conquering of the African tribes.\n\nOld imperialism took place before, in the 17th and 18th century, when people rushed to claim land in the Americas. The US was born from that, since Britain took the French claims in the area and formed thirteen American colonies. We subsequently broke off, took land from Spain and France and Mexico, and voila, behold the US.\n\nYou shouldnt offer to do anything on the Net. \n\nHope I helped,\n\nThe Wise One
610039
Look at George Keennan article on the soviet union, \n\nBasicly \n\nthought communism was in the long run gonna die, \n\nDidn't want to start a world war, as communism thought would go carzy if near death\n\nTHought in long run us, stronger than soviets,
154515
Communism is not all bad, America and many countries just don't like it because it's pretty much the opposite of freedom which is what America value so much.\n\nIn China, before they turned communists, there were a lot of starving people who became sick and died because there was shortage of food, shelter, and medicine.  The aristocrats were wealthy and it was easy for them to make money because they had connections.  \n\nAfter that there was a group that turned the country into Communism, that's when all the food, and other necessities are taken from aristocrats and are devided among everybody.\n\nYou can see that communism saved lives in this situation.
758475
The American government decided that the Communism that was spreading into Viet Nam from China was unacceptable. They went in to try to stop it. The south of the country sided with the Americans in wanting to have democratic government. The north wanted to be Communist like their Chinese cousins. The war was fought. America lost and needed to evacuate quickly before being overrun by communist forces in 1975, abandoning their former allies (only SOME of whom were evacuated with them). South Viet Nam was converted to communism and absorbed into one country.\n\nAny of this sound familiar?
529589
Cuba is ninety miles from the US.  Cuba was the only country in the western hemisphere that was communist.  Russia put missiles in Cuba directed at the US,  The wealthy Cubans got out and moved to Florida when Castro took over, became a political force.  Russia was the only other superpower that could challenge the US and in Cuba they were too close for comfort.  Remember the times -  it was early 60s.  Only two powers had nukes, Russia and the US.  School children practiced drills against nuke attacks.  They were taught to hid under school desks. Shelter were set up  and stocked by the govt in case of a nuke strike.  It was not too long after the Red scare congressional hearings and many US citizens being ruined by blacklisting.  A big difference now and then is that the US economy was strong.  Manufacturing took place in the US.  We had the natural resources to  keep the country going.  It was  around 20 years since Europe was torn apart by a World War.  It was around 20 years since the US saw what a nuke could do.  Rmemmber Japan.  Memories were fresh and not yet part of history  that few people are still alive to remember. Items made in Japan were trinkets with a low value.  We had a nice little war going called Viet Nam against the Communist.  How could we say it was OK for them to be in Cuba even though the previous system was a place of extreme wealth and extreme poor.  Corruption was common and then go to war against the same political system in Southeast Asia. War in the past  always helped the US economy. The reason that we don't don't beat the drum against China the way we did USSR is that China holds a huge chunk of the US debt now.  If they called it in the US would be bankrupt.
536608
There were two great empires (the Soviet Empire & the American empire) and these empires had the ability to completely destroy each other, so they couldn't fight each other directly. But they could fight over out lying territories, and so Vietnam became te battle ground for the Americans to fight the Soviets.\n\nExcept that we weren't actually fighting the Soviets. We were fighting Vietnames people, so that explanation doesn't really make any sense. Gosh, maybe we shouldn't have been there and the whole thing was a huge mistake. Oops.
96596
China and India are paying their workers a few dollars a day.  These countries are not worth modeling our actions on.  China executes 3500 people a year for crimes as simple as shoplifting.\n\nAmerica is far from Bankrupt.  But we did take a HUGE hit when the dot com busted up the stock market a few years ago.  America not only lost several millions of tax revenue, but had to give millions more in tax rebates to individuals who lost investments.\n\nI think it is extreamly hypocritical to complain about American foreign policy while enjoying the rewards that policy provides.  Do you use oil?  Do you buy shoes, clothes, and other products made overseas?  Do you want your country that has been formed by millions of immigrants to stand idle when horrible things are taking place in their former countries?  Why do so many people complain about 2500 soldier deaths within the last 5 years when in that same time period more than a half million Americans have been murdered, died in alcohol related accidents, and lung cancer, just to name a few preventable deaths?\n\nMy question is why are Americans ruining their own lives while riding the media bandwagon telling us to blame our leaders.\n\nAmerica will survive and will do it helping (and hurting) many other countries along the way.  We will learn to judge our actions on a larger scale (think centuries instead of years).  And it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better as we stretch and learn.  America is still one of the youngest countries on the planet.