The Cold War was more about the protection of Capataist interests than fear of  Communism per se...?
466071
Everything done by the US Government is protection of some capitalist interest or another. The Cold War, Iraq, The Gulf War, and the Bay of Pigs invasion are all examples of that. The people dont run the USA, the large corporations do.\n\n\npeace
1170831
China's communism is much deeper rooted than the Soviet System.  One thing you can say for the Chinese is that they do evolve to new systems when they are better.  You can see this slow change over the thousands of years that China has existed.  Kinda makes you feel like a baby country when you think the US has only been around for 200 years.
543018
To contain communism.  That is how we got involved in the Korean and Vietmanese wars.  President Truman also got the civil rights movement going after WWII.  Maintaining our status as a superpower and stopping Russia was our primary concerns.
429663
The cold war ended because the newly instated leader, gorbachev, started giving the satelite countries more freedoms and it steadily dissolved from there. That's at least a base for you. It's along those lines. George Bush was on better terms with him than before as well.
250392
Stalinism is referring to a specific style of government (the Stalin USSR era), whereas Communism is the political ideology behind it. Check out this site: \n\nhttp://www.marxists.org/glossary/index.htm\n\n(wikipedia is also helpful)
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.
427332
The Cold War was an extended period of bipolar rivalry between the USSR and the USA. Most obviously, it represents a period of stability in International Relations where the world was often divided into two seperate spheres - the US and its satellites and the USSR and its satellites.\n\nIn many ways this was also a clash of values and of political systems, of a liberal democracy dedicated to free trade and market forces against a socialist authoritarian state operating on the basis of a command economy, though it is important not to overstress this. \n\nTo a large degree the Cold War was nothing more than a particular instance of bipolarity where the international order was balanced between two superpowers.
647344
Fear is a powerful tool... people give up their freedom for it... and if America gives up it's freedom, then it's not America anymore... you can't let fear (of Communism or Terrorism) dictate who you are and how you do things... if you do, then they have won...
1130779
WHY DO???huh?  I'm American and I'm not afraid of Russia.   Vladamir Putin is a commie hell bent on making Russia a commie country again, but that's been proven time and time again that communism/socialism just doesn't work.  Sooo, really, there is nothing to be afraid of, I don't know WHY you think this.
279279
Cold War is called the conflict that existed between the USA and the USSR after the end of WWII. The world was divided in two sectors: the west, occidental, "christian", democratic, etc, with USA and allies; and the East, communist, etc. with the USSR and its puppets, under the power of the USSR. It was a situation of contained confrontation, like to forces pushing in opposite directions without a clear winner. Sometimes the tension provoked some very risky situations, such as the Missiles Crisis in Cuba, or persecutions, such as the famous Mc Carthy, black lists in the USA. IN the USSR, everything coming from the west was a threat. In the west, anything coming from the East was communist. With the end of the USSR--in the beginning of the 90's--and its communist satellites, the Cold War reached an end, fortunately, without a nuclear war. I suggest you not only consult a good book of Political History, but to watch a great and famous black and white movie of Stanley Kubrick (I dont remember exactly the name) for a satiric view of the Cold War.
681367
Communism is a political ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of production. It can be classified as a branch of the broader socialist movement. Communism also refers to a variety of political movements which claim the establishment of such a social organization as their ultimate goal.\n\nAmerica is scared becuase golbally capitalism is on the decline and they see Latin america becoming more and more close to Communist values.
261530
Very limited in comparison to the period during the Cold War.
982355
Communism is just a more extreme version of socialism.\n\nSocialist countries can have an element of democracy, the US, UK, France, Germany etc have socialist aspects.\n\nFor example, welfare, government subsidized healthcare, etc...\nbut still has capitalistic aspects where individuals own business and land.  The people vote on their leaders, ie democracy.\n\nCommunism on the other hand, usually involves total central planning, and is frequently controlled by dictators or a small group of people.  They decide what companies produce what.  They decide everything that will be done in the country.  They usually put down internal dissent with violence.  Communist countries are like North Korea, China prior to 2000 (still semi communist), the USSR before it collapsed.
1127913
Yes. Americans are afraid of anything that they don't understand. And those under 18 seem to understand just as little. \n\n I dont really think there ever has been a true communist nation - just a bunch of capitalist-monarchists who called themselves communists.  Funny....Some Americans (and others) will say the communist ideal is good but not practical cause its never worked HOWEVER democracy is a good idea too - but we've never had a true democratic nation either and the faux democracies of our world  have not "worked" either. \n\nSo hmm....whats more practical? A communist gov't to train the people into caring for each other so that eventually they will be capable of making the right decisions - OR an immediate "democratic" government which gives the selfish people the ability to make decisions on their own before they have been educated enough to wipe away the influence of humanity's self-destructiove history? \n\nThere is a reason that there is a minimum voting age in most nations - it is the same reason that communism is a necessity for a true socialist world - a world where one hand helps - not hinders the other.
353792
Following the Cold War, I believe many Americans were afraid of nuclear threat. As a result, U.S. would sign the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) which would conform the countires into a military alliance if any one of them were threatened.\n\nI don't know if this also includes the 'arms race,' in which U.S. would compete with the Soviets to build the H-Bomb (organzied in the secret Manhatten Project) while the Soviets were attempting to build their first Atomic Bomb.
256909
Ideally, the interests of the military are the interests of all citizens. Conversely, the interests of civilians are the prime interest of the military.\n\nIn this non-ideal world, there seems to always be factionalization.\n\nThe biggest long-term fear that I know of is the fear that (a professional) military will put its support (even without vote) behind elected officials as their representative and thereby gain power indirectly.\n\nIt has been strongly believed for a long time that professional military eventually come to believe that they can govern better than the civilian population and may move to put themselves in charge.\n\nIn the US we have the Posse Comitatus Act: \n"Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."\n\nThere are exceptions for both State Governors and our President, but the general idea is military generally not be used within the country for law enforcement. This is supposed to keep the military from becoming a powerful enforcement arm of the government with a disproportionate ability to influence the constitutionally protected choices of citizens.\n\nA secondary effect is to keep the military from being under arms while within our borders and thereby be less likely to perform a coup and put in the kind of government they want.\n\nPast General and President Dwight Eisenhower warned us to "beware of the military/industrial complex." His exact words, on the occasion of his leaving the presidency, follow:\n\n" In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.\n\n"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." (1)
342512
The Soviet Union was not true communism, it was a dictatorship with classes like rich and poor, I don't really see much difference then what we have here in America other then we get to vote our own poison.