Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2014

 

An Analysis of US Cold War Social Mobilization and Indoctrination Activities in the Middle of 20th Century

(Abstract)

 

Zhang Yang

 

The Cold War represented a state of international tension characterized by ideological confrontation. As the "leader" of the Western camp, the US government very early adopted the ideological strategy of using "freedom" as a weapon against the socialist countries. In the early 1950s, under the influence of McCarthyism and the Korean War, the whole atmosphere of US society was tense, and the radical concept of "freedom to fight" gained widespread acceptance. It was implemented at home and abroad as an action program with thought control and indoctrination as its main methods. It is noteworthy that the radical ideology of "freedom to fight" was not an isolated case, for the same period saw the emergence of many analogous policy proposals and ideas, some even more extreme. Radical ideology reflected the sense of cultural superiority and mission underlying the "national security crisis." This radical ideology is continually present in the consciousness of American society. It experiences dramatic rises and falls, depending on changes in the situation at home and aboard. Under a given consciousness of crisis, it had a major impact on American politics and foreign relations.