Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Cold War: Etymology

President Roosevelt and Bernard Baruch
Bernard Baruch, a multimillionaire businessman, stock investor, philanthropist, and economic/ foreign policy consultant (Woodrow Wilsin, FDR, Harry Truman) coined the term "Cold War" in a speech given at the South Carolina House of Representatives to describe post-WWII relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.


His April 16, 1947 speech highlighted the importance of "unity" (some viewed it as an anti-union message) between labor and management. He called for longer workweeks, no-strike pledges from unions, and no-layoff pledges from management.  He than declared that the United States must be a major force in which...

 "The world can renew itself physically and spiritually....Let us not be deceived-we are today in the midst of a cold war. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this: Our unrest is the heart of their success. The peace of the world is the hope and the goal of our political system; it is the despair and defeat of those who stand against us. We can depend only on ourselves."

Following the speech, the term "Cold War" was instantly used and accepted by American news media and politicians as a fitting description for tension between the United States and the Soviet Union.
 

Did anyone tell this guy The Cold War is over?
 
 


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