'The Cold War Age ' demanded that the US Tiger superpower invest, both in Stocks and shares, industry and business, but also invest in the battle of wits of disinformation and misinformation. To dissolve and disintegrate 'Soviet manoeuvres' on its and its allies' borders by cultural and social pressure was a new weapon and franchise that liberated post War Europe from having to engage in military confrontation to sustain the open urban free democracies of the West. So the West had to encourage the Soviets to stop their 'protest with nuclear weaponry and ideological menace' by other means. How ?
America was prepared to reveal its open democracy that wasn't perfect but was free and that nurtured a post-European immigrant based society that shared its liberty but did not interfere with individual privacy and certainly did not share its personal property. But was this just a beauty contest? No ! The US were prepared to acknowledge its open door policy wasn't enough to meet the challenges for the next century, but demoralizing the Soviets was. Whilst the cultural battle of popular relativism in the West disintegrated Marxist analysis by deconstructing and re-inventing ways to relegate ideological certainty, the West destroyed Soviet morale by freely admitting its socio-economic faults, imperfections and rejoiced in them haunting the East. Haunting? The Soviet Union collapsed from a broken heart as well as a losing of its soul without the West having to wage war. Intimidation by ambivalence, its criminal communities largely out of control and beyond the law, its corrupt and morale damaging addiction to pleasure ,excess and its free access to guns,drugs, poverty seemed horrendous to the Soviets.
America shouldn't have to justify itself to anyone especially their Cold War enemies, but its transparent consumerism welcomed relegating ideology to the 19th century and relished Western self-sustainability and civilization by popular demand. General Warhol-blitz chic..ed irreverent non-self-disgust and regenerating self-indictment as a popular soap,endeavouring to provide a Western self-manufacturing weapon of culturally ironic but degenerate audacity, where aesthetic tastelessness was aggressively endorsed by social purchase and conformism....until someone would re-invent it and head in another direction whilst renewing the original concept as an opportunity to sell it as a 'retro- fashionable' accessory ! Tactics and Capitalism must have enraged the Soviets! This sequence of self-advertising was ruthless in making society as a construct as well as a humanity governed by its currency of redistribution by individual self-regulation, matching effort to achievement. Post war America swept aside external prejudice and re-birthed Capitalism as a popular vaccination against the debilitating sloth of social democratic capitalism to be found in Scandinavia as well as the Soviet and Maoist Marxist threats from the East. Unproductivity could be measured in the US by the popularity of entrepreneurial profit. Entitlement was not a narcissistic aristocratic entity received at birth but a recognition of the virtue placed upon re-engagement and responsible decision making in re-investing in resources and financial know how back into the American system.
How much connivance the USA enjoyed in luridly dangling it in front of the Soviets nose is only relevant if it offers a blue print for those who wish to do harm to it.counter. This was one of two lethal weapons that the West led by America used to destabilize the Soviets, the other being that Capitalism had evolved.
The West evolved Capitalism during the Cold War to prevent any threat to it. Enemies of the West thought they could dead-head the whole global liberal free market economy by being able to single out who to 'hit'. 'I'm Sparticus !' 'No, I'm Sparticus'. 'No I'm Sparticus ! etc should give us a clue as to how to hide, protect, avoid exposure of, but also to reinforce and gel economies together - the chain of command had been orchestrated to appear self-evident by existence of board-rooms 'taking macro management decisions, whilst an annual meeting for all shareholders gave it legitimacy - but staff come and go and the network of the global free market economy has flourished in a organic way. This wasn't a protectionist measure, but a statement that espoused the advantages of Capitalism. With what? By 'multiple diffusion' of authority and responsibility so no dead-heading (the Soviet aspiration) to produce Western economic chaos could destroy Free trade.
Indeed, contemporary Capitalism has only one master - another Wall Street Crash' of 1929 proportions. Even the sub-prime market collapsed in 2007 didn't see those levels of disaster! Nervousness and lack of market stability ironically tested those 'recent apps' and 'upgrades' to Capitalism where the system of panicking stock brokers were reassured by the re-booting the system by itself. Inadvertently the 'system' had proved that it had been able to defend itself; mutual economic autonomy or 'economic firewalls' had been activated in a way that Capitalism (and Marxist perceptions of it) could fight-off friendly or enemy fire!
There were casualties - Lehman Brothers went under in a spectacular manner! But you can't make an omelote without breaking an egg ! That was the only high profile 'weak link' in a huge complex juggernaut that dropped anchor but never drifted onto the rocks 1929 style ! What an evolutionary step that this 'trial' proved to be ! So, why wouldn't 2007 only underline the market's ability to attract more investment not less !It is also clear that the domino effect in a bear market has been avoided by the insulation of spreading ones portfolio in a way that may sound contradictory but can guarantee some level of permanent security of profit making. If the West was ever vulnerable to economic collapse then perhaps this 'taking a count and giving yourself the chance to re-focus rather than be knocked-out' is a lesson well learned.
I Imagine that the remaining residual hard-liner Soviets still in the Russian Federation received their ideological coup de grace when Capitalism recovered post 2007, and the full extent of how far Capitalism had developed was the very thing of nightmares for the anti-free market economy brigade. These post 2007 generations are now a new species in their changing and evolving environment, where stereotypical 'money men' aren't just hard-nosed but are more than just morally ambivalent mercenaries serving their self-interest alone, but are our protectors and our servants too ! There may be a point in the future when our economy and not our military will future proof our futures, defend our way of life and deploy our economy to defend against aggressors. Our free market economy will always be our weapon of choice, and the American Dream not the Soviet Regime will always be grateful to it.
Evangelical america does fool and alarm many, but trusts its own instincts and its hard won autonomy because it trusts its DNA and believes in its capacity to re-wire and reconnect with its global economy without flinching when the Cold War age was at its most intense.It has also not boasted of its victory over Marxism, and it has not bragged about its ability to help rebuild the post Soviet Russian Federation. It has not ducked its own domestic agenda of trying to find a way to stop High School mass shootings and white supremacist racism, or the challenges over climate change etc.These issues are regularly and actively debated. But I believe that America is stronger when it does not hide from the struggle against insoluble side affects of being economic global leader, and i believe that the West defeated the Soviets because America was open to criticism, ridicule and contempt from its enemies which America has re-worked as assets not failings ! That made the US stronger and more competitive without the need to saber-rattle, but it needed a watershed moment like the debacle of 'Vietnam to re-focus without having to police world.America became ruthless at learning lessons from the past.
Here is an example of such evolution : The 2 Iraq wars illustrated a clear intent that colonization was and is not an American agenda. Why? Because the birth of the USA involved kicking -out the British as well as understanding the contracting pains of the painful decline of the 20th century British Empire; to embark on a disastrous colonial route would be reckless in the 21st century. Twice the Western forces led by the US rejected the 'temptation' of colonial rule in Iraq ! Meanwhile people were quick to criticize the withdrawal of Western troops from Iraq, as an indictment of Western negligence, by abandoning Iraq in its 'hour of need!' Did the occupation of Iraq compel Colonial rule at any stage ?No ! America has changed the priorities and set a precedent for any superpower and has been paradoxically slated for its non-compliance to the Colonial imperial format ! The US has never been given the post-imperial credit that it deserves! But recent US Administrations are still accused of being isolationist ! Why do the same Congressional hacks who criticize US military policy still believe that the US have reneged on its military responsibilities? Humour me here, but I thought that IS and the Americans use entirely military unmanned drones against each other and not the unguided political drones at home, who relegate the quality of discussion and exploit the very openness of Western democracy by occupying division? I pity those domestically who largely unwittingly use the dwelling on the past as a scaremonger tactic. Politicians are also "Hail fellow well met"friends for life as long as you're useful to them, but if there is a wisp of' 'impeachment' or 'trigger-happy Vietnam or Suez reminders then political advantage and not loyalty is their dream ticket ! So why would you accuse any administration of a reckless military dominated foreign policy when it has not once deployed troops on a large scale to invade? Why should far-sightedness and being smart be penalized?
In Blighty we haven't impeached anyone recently, but we can be good at engaging in political homegrown 'Britain last'! or 'selfies first!'! Mind you, we can be good at 'Britain hasn't got talent!' in spite of a popular TV programme. In Blighty we tend to get the shit-stirring brigade of the Tabloids to 'throw someone under the bus'for us. Job done ! But Britain does do entitlement , a very industry, a nationalized industry in commanding 'Downstairs to be upstairs these days. 'Downstairs expects!' Colonization of Britain by Britain has transferred our very anachronistic ancient regime into a fist-pump of a new social class system ! The 21st century has up-dated and not dissolved the class system.It has evolved and progressed beyond Marx's nightmares ! Social, economic and political new demographics are emerging from all corners of Britain, where cross-pollination is the future today ! The state of Britain's post-colonial experience has been put in context and left in the past ! Britain is open for business especially with its partnerships from the Commonwealth ! That is a 21st century Britain to be proud of !
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