Cold War
Author(s)
Editor
Date
2004Publisher
SAGE Publications, Inc.
Pages
99 - 101
Language
English
Type
Book ChapterItem Usage Stats
268
views
views
186
downloads
downloads
Book Title
American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia
Abstract
The Cold War, which began after World War II and lasted through the 1980s, was a geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union grounded in an ideological rivalry between capitalism and communism. The Cold War raised concerns about both external and internal threats to American strength, social stability, and security, and particularly to material abundance, middle-class lifestyles, and cultural norms about masculinity. Motivated by fears of emasculation, effeminization, and homosexuality, Americans anxiously defined their nation and their way of life in terms culturally associated with masculinity, including power, diplomatic and military assertiveness, economic success, sexual and physical prowess, moral righteousness, and patriotism.
Keywords
Men's StudiesAmericans
Cold War
Communism
Containment
Masculinities
Missiles
United States foreign policy
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/11693/51377Published Version (Please cite this version)
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412956369.n48http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412956369