What was the montgomery bus boycott

Assignment Help History

Reference no: EM133824756

Assignment:

In 1958, during a "thaw" in the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to exchange national exhibitions in order to allow citizens of each "superpower" to become acquainted with life in the other. The Soviet Exhibition, unveiled in New York City in June 1959, featured factory machinery, scientific advances, and other illustrations of how communism had modernized a backward country. The following month, the American National Exhibition opened in Moscow. A showcase of consumer goods and leisure equipment, complete with stereo sets, a movie theater, home appliances, and twenty-two different cars, the exhibit, Newsweek observed, hoped to demonstrate the superiority of "modern capitalism with its ideology of political and economic freedom." Yet the exhibit's real message was not freedom but consumption-or, to be more precise, the equating of the two.

When Vice President Richard Nixon prepared for his trip to Moscow to launch the exhibition, a former ambassador to Russia urged him to emphasize American values: "We are idealists; they are materialists." But the events of the opening day seemed to reverse these roles. Nixon devoted his address, entitled "What Freedom Means to Us," not to freedom of expression or differing forms of government, but to the "extraordinarily high standard of living" in the United States, with its 56 million cars and 50 million television sets.

The United States, he declared, had achieved what Soviets could only dream of-"prosperity for all in a classless society."The Moscow exhibition became the site of a classic Cold War confrontation over the meaning of freedom-the "kitchen debate" between Nixon and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Twice during the first day Nixon and Khrushchev engaged in unscripted debate about the merits of capitalism and communism. The first took place in the kitchen of a model suburban ranch house, the second in a futuristic "miracle kitchen" complete with a mobile robot that swept the floors. Supposedly the home of an average steelworker, the ranch house was the exhibition's centerpiece. It represented, Nixon declared, the mass enjoyment of American freedom within a suburban setting - freedom of choice among products, colors, styles, and prices. It also implied a particular role for women. Throughout his exchanges with Khrushchev, Nixon used the words "women" and "housewives" interchangeably. Pointing to the automatic floor sweeper, the vice president remarked that in the United States "you don't need a wife."

Nixon's decision to make a stand for American values in the setting of a suburban kitchen was a brilliant stroke. Nixon recognized that "soft power"-the penetration across the globe of American goods and SOS popular culture-was an even more potent form of influence than military might. Indeed, his stance reflected the triumph during the 1950s of a conception of freedom centered on economic abundance

How did the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education advance the efforts of the early Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s?
What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott? What led to this boycott and how did it impact the course of the Civil Rights Movement?
Describe the experience of American women in the postwar era. How did life, work, and gender norms for women shift at this time? What caused these shifts?
How did politics and religion evolve during the 1950s?

Reference no: EM133824756

Questions Cloud

What should the nurse teach the client in order to prevent : The nurse is giving discharge instructions to client who has been diagnosed. What should the nurse teach the client in order to prevent rhinitis medicamentosa?

What medication will the nurse anticipate being prescribed : A client is diagnosed with acute sinusitis. To promote sinus drainage, what medication will the nurse anticipate being prescribed for this client?

Which types of prescribed medications should nurse question : The nurse is administering prescribed medications to clients diagnosed with a personality disorder. Which types of prescribed medications should nurse question?

Bonus plans and profit-sharing plans : A potential problem with both bonus plans and profit-sharing plans is both are tied to company performance

What was the montgomery bus boycott : What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott? What led to this boycott and how did it impact the course of the Civil Rights Movement?

Do you think leadership style is fixed and unchangeable : How might the paradigm shift from competition to collaboration make the job of a leader more difficult? Could it also make the leader's job easier?

What type of cough would the nurse explain is best treated : A client asks the nurse about using dextromethorphan to relieve a cough. What type of cough would the nurse explain is best treated with the drug?

Discuss the concept or project evaluation phase : MRKT450 Online New Product Development Discuss the concept or project evaluation phase of the new products process. - Discuss the five methods to accelerating

What adverse effect of drugs creates a risk : A client who is unsure whether symptoms are attributable to a cold or to allergies is taking. This combination of drugs creates a risk for what adverse effect?

User Account

All Pages