Foreign Affairs
The 1960’s were an aggressive time for Foreign Affairs. The US had taken a bold stand against communism by focusing on the Containment Policy and the Domino Effect. The Containment Policy was brought about by the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine was passed in 1947 (Office of the Historian). Globally there were many countries turning to a communistic government and the Truman Doctrine was one way to prevent its domination. Another Doctrine that was used to prevent Communism from spreading was the Eisenhower Doctrine. The Eisenhower Doctrine was essentially the Domino Effect. It meant that if one country fell to Communism, others around it would soon fall too. This idea of the Domino Effect led America into one of the greatest Foreign Affair issues of the 60’s; the Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War was a tough war fought between South and North Vietnam. North Vietnam had been taken over by a communistic government and the South was also facing a takeover. The US stepped in to help the South defeat communism. The public viewed the Vietnam War as a waste of time, material, and people. Donald Neff from the Times wrote, “The immensity of the job is staggering and the cost in American money, sweat and blood is high”. Many people protested against the war and became very active in society. The Youth of the 1960’s united and spoke up about their opinions. In comparison, the youth of today are less active and expressive with their opinions. People have been frustrated and mad about the Gulf War and Middle East issues, but not nearly at the level of people in the 1960’s. This could be because people in today’s society are less focused on challenging the government. People of today could be considered lazy in the eyes of the people of the 1960’s.
The Youth of the 1960’s also became active in other Foreign Affair events. One organization that was created mainly for the youth was the Peace Corps. President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 and it was very popular with the youths. Kenneth T. Walsh wrote in a US News article about the possibilities of the Peace Corps for youths during the 1960’s. He wrote, “There was a sense of new possibility in everything from enhancing human relationships to protecting the environment”. The Peace Corp reflected exactly what was on the mind of the youth in the 1960’s, which was civil rights, global peace, and political fairness. Today the Peace Corp is still active, but the popularity among youths has decrease. The focus of youths today is more internal. Many people will not fight for something that is not directly related to their lives. This may be because the youth of today is more self- centered and detached from the rest of the world.
The Vietnam War was a tough war fought between South and North Vietnam. North Vietnam had been taken over by a communistic government and the South was also facing a takeover. The US stepped in to help the South defeat communism. The public viewed the Vietnam War as a waste of time, material, and people. Donald Neff from the Times wrote, “The immensity of the job is staggering and the cost in American money, sweat and blood is high”. Many people protested against the war and became very active in society. The Youth of the 1960’s united and spoke up about their opinions. In comparison, the youth of today are less active and expressive with their opinions. People have been frustrated and mad about the Gulf War and Middle East issues, but not nearly at the level of people in the 1960’s. This could be because people in today’s society are less focused on challenging the government. People of today could be considered lazy in the eyes of the people of the 1960’s.
The Youth of the 1960’s also became active in other Foreign Affair events. One organization that was created mainly for the youth was the Peace Corps. President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 and it was very popular with the youths. Kenneth T. Walsh wrote in a US News article about the possibilities of the Peace Corps for youths during the 1960’s. He wrote, “There was a sense of new possibility in everything from enhancing human relationships to protecting the environment”. The Peace Corp reflected exactly what was on the mind of the youth in the 1960’s, which was civil rights, global peace, and political fairness. Today the Peace Corp is still active, but the popularity among youths has decrease. The focus of youths today is more internal. Many people will not fight for something that is not directly related to their lives. This may be because the youth of today is more self- centered and detached from the rest of the world.