The Irony of Anti-Communism: Ideology and Interest in Post-war American Foreign Policy

Abstract

Since 1945, US leaders have pointed, with depressing regularity, to Soviet actions as proof that communism is an evil force destined to spread around the globe unless stopped by a firm hand. Of all Soviet actions, the one that perhaps had the greatest effect in solidifying the Cold War was the coup that brought a pro-soviet leadership to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948. Yet the very same case can also be used to illustrate another fascinating feature of the Cold War: the degree to which aggressive actions by the Soviet Union were literally welcomed by the United States in order to build a domestic consensus around anti-communism.