In the 1960's, the American landscape was surrounded by the presence of the Cold War. Individual citizens took measures to protect themselves from possible attacks, the cold war became a large part of politician's campaigns, and international diplomacy was about to change.
In the 1960 presidential race, both the democratic and republican candidates ran on aggressive stances towards the communist threat that seemed to be spreading across the globe. Richard Nixon said, "The biggest problem confronting the next President of the United States will be to inform the people of the character of this kind of [Soviet] aggression, to arouse the people to the mortal danger it presents, and inspire the people to meet the danger." John Kennedy also ran under the banner that the Soviet threat must be pushed back to protect the American way. True to form, the cold war topic seemed to heavily influence the outcome of the election. While Eisenhower was president, Cuba had joined the communist cause. Having such a near country under the influence of communism was a serious blow to American diplomacy. Because of this failure by the Republican Party and the strong anti-Communism sentiment shown by the Democrat, Kennedy was able to secure the presidency.
Many historical conditions led to the occurrence of the cold war. Television was still in its infancy and Kennedy utilized this new mass media resource to its fullest, which helped his cause to become President. The Soviets were also showing their strength in the world. In 1957, Sputnik, built by the soviets, became the first satellite to go into space. The Soviets also experienced increased economic growth during this period. These Soviet victories only seemed to fuel the urgency with which Americans wanted to fight the communist tide. In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the President of Cuba. American interests in Cuba had long been a part of the former corruption and because of this, many Cubans had pent up anger towards America. This led to the communist sympathies that were later seen in the Cold War.
American citizens experienced many threats to their way of life during the cold war. The American government had been relentless in pushing the idea that if Communism was not fought against, the American way of life could be wiped off the face of the earth. American fears were not only philosophical, but many Americans feared for actual attacks. With the large amount of missiles the Soviets were storing in Cuba, Americans feared of a missile attack.
Americans used many preventative measures to protect themselves and their families. Many families had bomb shelters in which they could use to take cover in case of bombing. Some of these were even well stocked in case of a long stay. During high tension times, many people fled from the large cities, which were more likely to be targets of missile attacks. Many people had bomb plans that outlined what they would do in case of an attack.
During the Cold War era, American Presidents exercised great influence and power. It would be interesting to research how congress reacted to the climate and what actions they took, whether with or without the president.
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