The Cold War and Sports Essay

Between the US and the Soviet Union, the cold war was a verbal conflict that was accompanied by the development of armaments and a great deal of distrust. There were no combatants in the conflict. Despite having a tense relationship, the US and the Soviet Union both fought the Axis forces during the Second World War. America was wary of the Soviet Union's promotion of communism and the tyrannical control of leaders like Joseph Stalin in Russia. (Amoroso, Alexander 6). Conversely, The Soviet Union was not pleased with the US for failing to treat them as legitimate power of the global community, and their late entry into World War II. The end of the war was the beginning of intense mutual distrust between the two countries. Each realm was committed to promoting their domestic policies and way of life to demonstrate to the rest of the world their strength and abilities. As a competitive strategy, both the US and the Soviet Union understood that, to outweigh one another, they needed to exert their influence by promoting their policies domestically and on the international platform. Some of the efforts of these countries to promote their ideologies were similar while the rest were completely different, which exposed their insincere motives. For instance, Americans tactics that they used to promote their culture was not a concise status of what was happening in the country while the Soviet Union was disguised as the generous one, when they intended to increase workforce. In fact, the nations did not mean to explicitly promote sports, but it was a way of achieving supremacy especially to the developing nations (Ashutosh, Ishan 706)

The US and USSR Quest to Promote Their Way of Life during the Cold War Era

The tension between the US and the Soviet Union was at the center stage within the first three decades after the Cold War. The two nations adopted different tactics in enhancing their ideologies to other regions of the world, so as to gain more influence and power (Amoroso, Alexander 7). The Soviet Union was pressing hard to have the world under their control with the communism ideologies while the US swore to stop the influence of communism through containment policy.

The Soviet Union had soiled the American democracy on the international platform, claiming that it is a one-sided democracy that did not recognize African Americans. In response to the Soviet Union propaganda, the federal government decided to engage in Goodwill Tours to redeem their international image and win the ideological cold war. As such, Gibson, a professional black American tennis player was made to undertake Goodwill Tour in developing countries especially in Asia and other parts of the world (Amoroso, Alexander 3). He was accompanied by three other American athletes, who engaged in exhibition matches and tournaments throughout the tour. The tour was an international exhibition to eradicate the propaganda by showing positively some successful African American athletes, and the federal government recognition of their activities (Ashutosh, Ishan 711).

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For a fact, the Good Will Tours of Black American entertainers were not organized to facilitate their exposure and talent. It was to bring out the image of the US as a vibrant democracy that recognizes the cultural diversities of all races. However, the equality among American races that was demonstrated to the world was the opposite of what was taking place in the country. The white community expressed extreme racial prejudice towards Americans blacks (Ashutosh, Ishan 706).

The US employed the containment policy, or the Truman Doctrine to assert their influence, and find soft landing spots for their ideologies. Nonetheless, this policy was used as a tool to prevent the spread of communism. The system of containment involved application of economic, military and diplomatic tactics to prevent communism from spreading beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. After World War II, people’s properties were destroyed, and many European countries could hardly sustain their population. In fact, hunger was a common factor in most of these countries (Harris, Peter 418). As such the US developed the Marshall plan through the enactment Economic Assistance Act 1948. They opted to assist European countries that were hard hit by the war. However, the main intention of the US was to develop friendly ties with these nations, and extend their influence, way of life as well as building their economy.

The US regarded Africa as a place to challenge the influence of the Soviet Union. The US was committed to aiding newly independent African states to achieve democracy and good governance. Nonetheless, they worked closely with the governments of these African states to improve their economic development. The US offered education scholarship to bright African students to improve level of literacy (Ashutosh, Ishan 718). They wanted to appeal to Africans as supportive partners to win their confidence and trust, hence preventing the spread of the communism in the continent. Conversely, the United States of America adopted the policy of non-cooperation with the South American countries that promoted the spread of communism, or related to the Soviet Union in any way.

USSR, on the other hand, adopted Marxist ideology that the working class of the world would hold an uprising to overthrow the ruling class, or the owners of production in the society. As such, its policy was based on military aid to communist revolutionary groups of various countries. The aid was in the form of weapons and military advice, but not direct military involvement in the combat (Harris, Peter 419). Through the aid of the Soviet Union, communists groups conducted successful revolutions in China, Yugoslavia and Cuba as well as other seven Latin American countries. Moreover, they gave economic aid to countries that were allied to them, and were ready to support communism by enhancing its ideologies. They offered economic advice to their allied nations to assist them in achieving a transition towards socialists economic set up. Besides, the Soviet Union provided favorable trade agreement to as a way of exerting influence. The influence of the USSR was easily accepted in many developing countries, since Europeans and the US as exploitative following their colonial exploitative escapades (Harris, Peter 418).

Both the Soviet Union and the US used economic enticements to enhance their influence in the regions of the world. The US was acting defensively to prevent the spread of communism, and aggressive move by USSR to rule the world (Iber, Patrick 61). Conversely, the Soviet Union wanted to reach out to many countries as possible to exert to spread their ideologies and way of life. The two countries used military tactics, but in different ways. The US used military aid to prevent the spread of communism, while Russia provided military assistance to communist groups to stage revolution and assert communist ideologies.

The Contradiction in the US and Soviet Union Foreign Policies during Cold War

The policies and tactics employed by the two countries were not sincere, and they didn’t bare the true intentions of the US and the Soviet Union. The truth of the matter is that, they were cover-ups for their supremacy wars. For instance, the economic recovery program, The Marshall Plan, was not a positive gesture that was stemming from the US noble spirit, this was means through which American capital and product would penetrate the European market (Harris, Peter 420). In fact, the plan injected about $13billion towards reviving Europe, and hence enhancing capitalism on the world scale. On the other hand, the Soviet Union provided military aid to communists’ revolutionary groups, but not with the intentions of assisting these countries to achieve democracy and good governance. Their main aim was to exert their influence and prevent the US aggressions and subversions (Iber, Patrick 60).

The US promoted many activities to get reputation and win the confidence of many nations as a deserved influence, when this was not the true reflection of what was happening in the country. For instance, the US presented a face of a vibrant democracy that recognizes the cultural values, and achievements of different races in the country. They organized Goodwill Tours of African American athletes’ throughout the globe to give a false representation of the black race by the federal government. The reality is that the US was going through intense racial segregation, and Africans were not given opportunities to undertake various activities as it was portrait in the global tours. The tours were stage-managed activities to influence the opinion of the world, and to prevent the spread of the Soviet Union propaganda of racisms in the country. In fact, during this period, the US was experiencing civil revolution championing for equality among other racial issues experienced by black Americans.

The Good Will Tour and Its Effect to the US

The African American sports personalities were used by the US to influence the world concerning their racial relations. The athletes acted as cultural ambassadors, and symbols of American unity and value for culture (Kennedy-Pipe n.pag) Jackie Robinson was chosen to undertake Good Will Tours, since he had become famous for being the first African American to player in the major baseball league in the US. Nonetheless, he was chosen due to his communication prowess and known viewpoints on key racial issues in the country (Iber, Patrick 64). He had achieved education, and therefore, was intelligent and a patriot. In fact, he advocated for the civil rights reforms within the confinements of American capitalism, and this made him the best vessel to introduce desegrated sports to white American.

Mohamed Ali was a boxing champion, who had deep attachment with Africans. The government of the US used him in various Good Will Tours (Kennedy-Pipe n.pag). For instance, he was sent on a tour to give relief food to cover five hundred children in Ghana 1997. Moreover, he was sent to negotiate the release of 15 Americans who were detained in Iraq. Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Oscar Robertson organized state-sponsored Good Will Tours in Algeria, Somali, Mali, Senegal and Nigeria (Kennedy-Pipe n.pag).

The Good Will Tour, however, did not paint the US positively. It showed how the government exploited African Americans to gain political supremacy at the heights of racial discrimination in the country. The country failed to stop racial problems affecting African Americans, but instead, decided to use them for their political gain. African Americans were fronted to the global platform as personalities of the African Diaspora, rather than victims of racial oppression in the US (Fischer, Thomas, et al., 5) In fact, the Soviet Union pointed out that the US expressed great hypocrisy regarding the way that they treated Africans. To the international image, the US was promising and demonstrating equality and value for culture, when this was not the situation in the country

Sports Supremacy of the Domestic Policies

Sport was an important activity of competition between the capitalists and the communists, and a way of showcasing to the world their influence and might. Since the establishment of socialist states, sports have been employed to enhance their ideology and international relations. The support for sports was anchored in both domestic and foreign policies of communism (Fischer, Thomas, et al., 5). In fact, before the 1948 revolution in China and exit of Yugoslavia from the Soviet Union in 1948, the decision to involve in the world sports by communists countries was dictated by USSR. The Soviet sports relation was pro-communists and sympathetic groups, when they aimed to undermine social democrat authority, or the bourgeoisie. All communists’ countries were expected to act in togetherness. For instance, Ethiopia and Cuba acted in support of North Korea by boycotting the 1988 Olympics in soul (Fuelling, Cody 6).

The attainment of sporting prestige through Olympic Games was a battle for supremacy among countries such as Cuba, China USSR, and Germany among other developing nations. Sports victory was a sense of prestige and a way of getting recognition globally, and at home. For example, it was the dream of Fidel Castro the then president of Cuba to see Cuban baseball team beat that of the US (Fischer, Thomas, et al., 7). The Soviet leaders asserted that the success achieved by their athletes was a sign of supremacy to communist system over the culture of the capitalists. The soviet system of sports does not appeal much for developing states. For instance, few developing states showed solidarity with the union, when it lead boycott over the 1984 LA Olympics as well as their military involvement in Afghanistan. This was an indication that commercial western sport had attracted most developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia compared to communism and Olympic style sports (Fischer, Thomas, et al., 10). However, the sports aids advanced by economically stable communists’ nations to developing countries assisted in gaining more allies.

Conversely, sports are an essential aspect of the US domestic and foreign policy, but never more so than during the period of the Cold War. The US used games to enhance its ideologies. The US sent African American athletes on Goodwill Tours to manipulate the perception of the country concerning cultural inclusivity (Molinaro, Dennis 145). The nation also conducted sports aids to developing countries that were allied to them, and enhanced their ideologies. Competition in international sports activities such as Olympic Games was central in asserting their strength (Fuelling, Cody 2).

The Outcome of the US and the Soviet Union Supremacy Wars during the Cold War

The cultural supremacy battles between the US and the Soviet Union had direct impacts to the lives of citizens of the US. For instances, the national security agencies encouraged instructed Hollywood to produce movies with anticommunists content, hence escalating hatred for communism among American people (Molinaro, Dennis 145). American history dominated these movies to enhance patriotism among the citizens.

The supremacy made America to abandon its ideals for democracy and good governance and often supported rebellion in some countries just to prevent the spread of communism. The backing of dictators such as General Augusto Pinochet of Chile is an example in this case (Molinaro, Dennis 147). It led to elections of anticommunist president in the US, who waged economic war against the Soviet to sabotage their influence. American presidents such as Reagan and Nixon expressed absolute anticommunism opinions.

Cold war made the citizens of the United States to live in constant fear of imminent war against the Soviet Union, especially with the discovery of the Cuban crisis. The Cuban missile was a security threat to the US given that they could reach the US soil (Fuelling, Cody 2). Arms race and fear of attack made the US and the Soviet Union to build more sophisticated arms. The economic policies such as the marshal plan assisted in developing the economies of third world countries, and the spread of free-market capitalist economy.

Conclusion

The cold war intensified tension between the US and the USSR. Both countries were determined to spread their ideologies to the rest of the world. The United States wanted to stop the aggressive move by the Soviet Union to control the world through the spread of communism ideologies, and the Union acted to overcome the influence of the US to become the world most exceptional nation. The supremacy battle made the two countries to seek for allies in other regions of the world, which would assist them in spreading their ideologies. As such, they acted appealingly through enticing foreign policies that would enable their doctrines to be accepted. Both countries employed military and economic aids to their allies but in a different manner. The notable center of influence in domestic and international policies was the use of sports. The Soviet Union considered sports achievement as supremacy against capitalist societies. Nonetheless, the US used African American athletes to influence the perception of the world concerning equality and cultural acceptance in the US.

Works Cited

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