IDEAS AND BELIEFS
As you approach New York, you encounter the Statue of Liberty Liberty is
the core American belief. The American idea of liberty evolved from the
English revolutionary ideas of the seventeenth century, from the history of
two civil wars and, first and foremost, from the philosophy of John Locke.
The Americans have always been battling for liberty In the 1770s they fought
and won a war against Great Britain in order to become a free people.
(Although they did have some help from the French.) Psychologically,
from an American point of view, liberty has to be defended by deeds and
arms whenever necessary Liberty fosters democracy which is a continuous
process. Basic to democracy are freedom of speech and economic activity or. free enterprise and independence from external threats. Secure property
rights are the cornerstone of liberty. The rule of law is necessary in order to
regulate political, economic and social life. The United States has been the
engine of global liberation since 1917 when it intervened in World War I and
tipped the balance against imperial Germany. The result was that Germany
and many other states could begin building democratic societies. In 1941
Washington was forced into World War II and in 1945 japan, Germany and
a host of other states could choose the democratic road of development.
Soviet and American arms contributed most to the defeat of imperial japan
and national socialist Germany. Without American military intervention
japan and Germany might now dominate Asia and Europe. The American
presence in western Europe after 1945 ensured that the Soviets never
launched a military attack, thus permitting the democracies to develop and
mature. When General Franco died in 1975, there was only one viable model
for Spain: democracy. .....
Russia America and the Cold War, 1949-1991 ;Martin McCauley, Longman, 2008
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The History of the Cold war: A Comparative Perspective 