America’s Fall From Grace Part II

The Anti-Militarist Paper

TheAtlantic.com

TheAtlantic.com

Jumping to the post World War II era, the United States found itself as a world superpower alongside the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, a relatively new confederation of states, was trying an economic system called communism where the wealth of the people was collected by the government and distributed equally. The United States, believing it would shrink their capitalistic sphere of influence, became a fierce opposer to Communism.  The U.S. was no longer fighting to protect democracy. They were risking the destruction of the entire world to protect their money.  

Every country that turned to Communism in the 1900’s had a long history of corrupt governments working for the wealthy elite.  In John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government; the same piece of writing that the United States based its declaration of independence on, he states, “under the social contract, the people could instigate a revolution against the government when it acted against the [common] interests of citizens, to replace the government with one that served the interests of citizens.”  In the same way that European powers had no right to fight the young United States because it was a democracy, the U.S. had no right to declare a cold war on the Soviet Union because it was communist.  They were fighting for equality, just as the U.S. was.

  Another factor that contributed to the U.S’s involvement in global wars during this time was the weapon manufacturers’ surge in sales. Since WWII, weapon manufacturers had been taking in huge profits every year, and now they had money to spend. They would donate vast sums of money to political candidates who would act as agents for them in the federal government. This was brought to wider attention in 1961 when President Eisenhower made his farewell address on T.V.  In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.”  Unfortunately, the U.S. had a history of ignoring farewell addresses. In 1965, we took one step too far.  

Going back to 1945, Vietnam had declared independence from France, and became engaged in a revolutionary war.  North Vietnam had even modeled its declaration on the American Declaration of Independence to try and win American support.  France asked America to help fight against the revolution, and the U.S. agreed.  A country that devoted itself to the eternal support of democracy was helping to reinstate a controlling government.

The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit.

— Martin Luther King Jr

North Vietnam under Ho-Chi-Minh was receiving military supplies from the Soviet Union and China, making them communist in the eyes of the U.S.  At this point, the United States had completely lost all meaning of the word communist. North Vietnam had done nothing to the U.S. to provoke their wrath. They were fighting a civil war against their southern counterpart, working to reunify the country they loved.

By comparing the circumstances of Vietnam’s situation to the U.S. in the 1860s, some cracks in American logic start to show.  During the American Civil War, Europe would have benefited from a Confederate victory, being that they were a big exporter of cotton.  Even with economic temptation, European countries refused to get involved in an overseas war that had little impact on their daily lives.  

Returning to Vietnam, the U.S. made it clear they decided to get involved because they feared the “domino effect”. If Vietnam fell to Communism, would their neighbors fall too?  Even though Vietnam was on the other side of the world, the U.S. acted like communism there was affecting them personally. In 1965, the United States ramped up the draft, and sent millions of young men to fight. One in ten would die. We were finally taught a valuable lesson, but we didn’t pay attention. Like a school bully who had just been put in his place, the U.S. walked away with their tail between their legs, and looked for someone else to pick on.  

Throughout the 80s and 90s, the U.S. continued to use unfair invasions to stimulate their economy. Little did they know, behind the scenes, these wars would have huge financial consequences if left unchecked. A clock is ticking today, counting down to the biggest government failure in U.S. history. And it all has to do with oil.

“The Financialist Paper” Coming Soon