The Human Tradition in the Vietnam Era by David L. AndersonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The country was experiencing the breakdown of what scholars have termed the "Cold War consensus." This shared body of beliefs, which had existed in the country since the end of World War II, was not just a policy consensus; it also incorporated the widespread conviction that America and American principles were noble and worth defending. In terms of policy, the Truman Doctrine of 1947 had declared that the United States would assist people anywhere across the globe who were threatened by authoritarianism. Translated into action, this pledge became the containment policy designed to op- pose the creation and spread of communist regimes in any corner of the world. Despite the altruistic ring to this commitment, a defense of U.S. interests in global stability and in an open international economic and political order was inherent in the policy, as well. In the flush of America's success in World War II, the potential costs of these ambitious goals were largely ignored.
The Cold War policy consensus also merged with the belief that America was a model of democracy, prosperity, and domestic harmony. In the 1950s and early 1960s the new medium of television popularized and reinforced this image in such programs as Father Knows Best, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, and The Donna Reed Show. The depiction of domestic bliss in these shows was idyllic and mythical, and it ignored the economic, racial, gender, and other inequities that existed in the country. Still, the powerful myth led many Americans to accept the notion of a unique "American way of life" which they would defend even by ruthless force, if necessary. The tougher aspect of this self-image was also reflected in popular television dramas including Westerns such as Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel that portrayed a violent conflict between good and evil in which the good hero used his fists or gun to prevail over the heartless villain.
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