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|  United States Containment Policy |
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| ...The Marshall Plan was instituted to provide economic aid to countries that remained capitalist. Aid was supplied in money but also in commodities like livestock. This influenced many nations to lean toward capitalism, nations like Italy, which was on the brink of turning Communist. Only after the Christian Democrats won the election of 1948, with the aid of the newly formed CIA, was Italy included in the Marshall plan.
This plan was intended to stop the spread of communism in Western Europe. It made each country decide which side of the fence it would sit on thus accelerating the division of Europe. It solidified capitalism in countries like France and Italy and communism in countries like Czechoslovakia (Issacs 243). The conflict came to a head during the Soviet blockade in 1948. The center was Berlin where the Soviets controlled half the country and the Allies controlled the other half. Conflicts included currency, inspection of trains, and a collision between a British airliner and a Soviet fighter. The Soviets wanted one type of currency, the Ostmark, and the West responded with their currency, the B-mark. The conflict came about when the Soviets wouldn't allow the B-mark to be circulated in Soviet sectors. Finally, the Berlin assembly approved both currencies. The next day barriers were lowered on all the routes linking Berlin with West Germany. By imposing this blockade, the Soviets hoped to force the Western Allies to change their policies or get out of Berlin all together. In Washington there was a decision to stay in Berlin. Truman said, "We are going to stay, period" (Issacs 247)... |
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| Women in Politics |
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| Most people believe that women have a tougher time winning elections than men do. At this writing in October 1996, only 8 percent of governors are female, the U.S. Congress has only 10 percent women members, and even state legislatures, which are relatively easy to access, count just 21 percent women in their ranks ( CAWP, 1996b). These numbers exist in spite of the fact that 53 percent of voters are women. At face value, the numbers indicate that women have a tougher time winning office.
Most people also believe that women who run for office face bias or discrimination. Politics has long been seen as a man's game and those women who try to play it face trouble. Few politically active people cannot tell at least one story about an instance of discrimination against women. Accounts by female candidates of blatant sexism or gender-based questioning add to the belief that women face different treatment because they are women. Given society's treatment of women, the association between politics and masculine activities, and the low numbers of women in office, women do appear to face more obstacles in running for public office, especially at higher levels. |
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