The Cold War was an ideological, and sometimes military, struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. In general, the Soviet Union supported the expansion of communist governments around the globe, and the United States supported anti-communist regimes, including both democracies and dictatorships. By the 1950s, these tensions were seen in Latin America, and revolutions, coups, and uprisings became commonplace throughout most of the latter half of the twentieth century.
Crimes of War
Crimes of War
When we think about the battles waged by Americans both at home and abroad, we tend to remember the big picture questions. Why were Americans fighting? Who else was involved? What were the outcomes?
Less remembered are the civilian victims of the violence wrought by Americans in the course of their wars. In this exhibit, you'll find a range of writing about those victims, and about the extent to which Americans have acknowledged and accounted for the atrocities committed in their name.
Founding Violence
View Connections03Native Soil
View Connections14Victims of Empire
View Connections08The Good War?
View Connections20Where the War Wasn't Cold
View Connections09Crimes of War
Where the War Wasn't Cold
Dictators and Civil Wars: The Cold War in Latin America
Driven by fears of the rise of communism, the U.S. intervened in elections across the globe. In Latin America, the consequences are still being felt.Vietnam
View Connections16War on Terror
View Connections14Accounting for Crimes
View Connections17How We Remember, What We Forget
View Connections07