Everlasting Effects

America's Cold Red Nightmare:

Cold War Propaganda and how it Affected the Americans

The Cold War ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But some of the affects the propaganda had on Americans back then are still felt today.

Even after the conflicts which occurred during the Cold War, both countries are still not on good terms. People still believe today that Russia is hell-bent on world domination because of the propaganda campaigns sent out during the Cold War. Some tension between the two have eased though.

Today people still fear communism. The amount of hysteria during the Cold War surrounding communism could not be contained to just that era. Today politicians still say communism is evil and must never come anywhere near the states. America has always been considered a patriotic country and with this patriotism fear arises surrounding things which may threaten this country, one of those things being communism.

In the early 1950's, the Korean war began after Seoul was captured by Soviet led Korean troops. The US had to intervene to try to stop the spread of communism. With the anti communist propaganda already floating around after WWII, it made the American people more supportive of the United States interference in Korea. Because of this war, the Korean Peninsula was split into both North and South Korea, with the North still being under communist rule today.

North Korean Propaganda, c. 1951, David P. Bigler Collection