2020 is going to remembered as a sour year for most. Things like the COVID-19 pandemic and rise of awareness of police brutality are main factors. Another factor may possibly be the result of the election for some fellow Americans. When bad things occur often, it’s best we educate people, the youth in this case, on these subjects. 53 percent of youngsters voted in 2020 so this article will educate the 53 percent on the importance of the Cold War by revealing its true nature on Modern America.

For the youth to grasp the important message of this article, we must begin with a brief summary of what the Cold War was. The Cold War was a global standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union (now simply called Russia) from 1947 to 1991. They both wanted to expand their opposing political influence to world thus creating various forms of conflict. In the history books, it is said the United States won the long standoff, but readers of this article will understand more in depth of who Americas’ true opponent was during this period and what needs to change.

Who was America really fighting and what for? The enemy was supposedly Russia, but in reality the enemy being fought was America itself, leaving a negative footnote for future generations. This is why:

What the youth needs to analyze is the way the US fought itself. How the US fought itself was by government corruption stems from one of democracy’s downsides: tyranny of the majority. Tyranny of the majority is when the majority population exploits and abuses their power over minority groups (smaller population). This flaw rippled and divided America during the Cold War. This is how and why the youth must know…

What happened?
America’s goal was to expand and solidify democracy around the world whereas Russia’s goal was the opposite in spreading communism. America seems to have done well at spreading their influence as well as containing communism, but where they failed at was maintaining and improving unity for its own citizens.

Since the Constitution was founded, the government has committed atrocious acts out of pure lies. During the Cold War, the US government fabricated an act known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The lie was made to believe Viet Cong (our enemy during the Vietnam war) destroyed two navy ships. This lie rippled the nation for it resulted in:

– People forced to join through a military draft
– Left civilians uninformed causing civil unrest
– Distrust in the government
– Deteriorated America’s reputation of being for world peace as well as being invulnerable

Why it’s important for the youth to know:

The youth must know about this today because our government has a history of lying and doing acts behind the back of citizens which creates division amongst people. The government’s tyrannical majority lies and manipulates the American people to support nefarious activities. This specific lie, Gulf of Tonkin, was not exposed for its lies until pentagon papers were released 30 years later. To prevent future disasters like this, young ones must be educated on the history and politics of the Cold War to be more aware and seek the truth.

Another important thing the youth must know is the importance of a stable economy and how it aided America through the Cold War. During the Cold War, the US and USSR entered an arms race. This means they competed towards having better technology and attaining more money.

What happened?
How America “won” the Cold War was by outlasting the USSR by having a better economy. The Soviet Union used a command economy, meaning government controls everything which is popular among communist nations. Their economy was suffering and grew very poor. America, however was prospering by using supply and demand. This practice fed the economy by exchanging goods for money. Eventually, the USSR collapsed.

Why it’s important for the youth to know:

The youth must know about this to ensure a more stable economy in the future because we may have “won” the Cold War against Russia but another country substitutes where the Soviet Union failed: China. Today our economy is rough because America and China have trade together which elevates both nations’ economy but today we are clashing together due to trade wars. This trade war is hurting the economy causing inflation and loss jobs. In order to fix this, young ones must study the Cold War to interact with China and other foreign nations more appropriately.