Contrasting Cold War Terms

United States v. Soviet perspective

Democracy: Government by the people

• American Perspective: best system of government, majority rule

• Soviet Perspective: can’t promote democracy and capitalism at the same time, everyone should be rewarded equally, the few will take advantage of the many, results in poverty for many

Equality: Condition of being equal

• American Perspective: equality of opportunity, equality before the law =healthy society, providing guarantees of basic necessities such as health care and employment regardless of a persons effort undermines a citizen’s work ethic and adversely affects society

• Soviet Perspective: equality of condition =healthy society, society must share material wealth so that no one will have an unfair advantage

Capitalism: private ownership of industry and freedom of competition

• American Perspective: provides opportunity for individuals to better themselves through hard work and individual initiative, competition helps create better products and competitive prices, brings out the best in people and improves society

• Soviet perspective: evil economic system that breeds selfishness and undermines cooperation and community

Individualism: People working on their own to reach highest level of achievement

• American Perspective: people’s lives determined by inner fortitude, human nature is individualistic, competitive, and acquisitive

• Soviet perspective: individualism produces winners and losers, this leads to a society of inequality and exploitation

Collectivism: People work together to benefit the whole

• American perspective: violates human nature which is naturally competitive rather than cooperative, calling on sharing and teamwork rather than competition works against humankind’s nature and is doomed to failure

• Soviet perspective: cooperation and caring are finest attributes of human nature, society should share ownership of property and resources are controlled by the collective

Socialism: Government controls means and profits of production

• American Perspective: Threatens right of property ownership, property is the fruit of labor, Constitution protects private ownership of business

• Soviet Perspective: Response to Capitalism, redistribute wealth to the people to create a classless society

Totalitarianism: One or elite few control the people, no personal freedom

• American Perspective: equal to dictatorship, threatens freedoms of speech, press, and assembly

• Soviet Perspective: required to transform a society of unequal wealth to one in which wealth is equally distributed

Freedom: condition of being free to express or do what one pleases

• American perspective: core of happy and productive society, Patrick Henry once stated: “Give me liberty or give me death”, the United States fought the American Revolution, Civil War, World War I and II in part to promote freedom

• Soviet perspective: people are not free unless they have a fair share of wealth that allows them to live beyond basic needs.