Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Cold War: Foreign Policy, McCarthyism and Technology
Speaker
Professor John Putman
Coordinator
Steve Clarey
In the aftermath of WW II, the Cold War emerged as a global struggle that fundamentally reshaped both domestic life and international relations. Even as the U.S. sought to defend the ‘free world’ against communism, the domestic fervor of the Second Red Scare began to undermine the very democratic ideals the nation claimed to uphold. This decadeslong conflict not only dictated American foreign policy for nearly half a century but also catalyzed unprecedented scientific and technological breakthroughs that transformed the daily lives of its citizens.
July 9: Origins of the Cold War
The first lecture will explore the origins and causes of the Cold War. It will discuss the differing world visions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. and the key events, ideas and people who shaped the early Cold War from the end of WW II to the mid-1950s.
July 23: Hunting Reds: The Great Fear
With a chilling Cold War abroad, the fear of communism would have a profound impact on the American political landscape. This lecture will examine how the evolving Cold War influenced American politics, highlighting the key moments and conflicts in what is often called the Second Red Scare.
August 6: Containing Reds Abroad: Cold War Foreign Conflict
While the U.S. and U.S.S.R. never directly fought a war during the Cold War, this ideological conflict produced several moments of tension and conflict. This lecture will explore the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well as the era of Détente and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
August 20: The Cold War, Technology, and the Transformation of American Society
hile the Cold War’s influence on economics, diplomacy and domestic policy is well-documented, the era was also a crucible for profound scientific and technological innovation. This lecture explores the evolution of pivotal advancements—ranging from the origins of GPS to the foundations of Artificial Intelligence—and examines how these Cold War legacies continue to redefine American life.
July 9: Origins of the Cold War
The first lecture will explore the origins and causes of the Cold War. It will discuss the differing world visions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. and the key events, ideas and people who shaped the early Cold War from the end of WW II to the mid-1950s.
July 23: Hunting Reds: The Great Fear
With a chilling Cold War abroad, the fear of communism would have a profound impact on the American political landscape. This lecture will examine how the evolving Cold War influenced American politics, highlighting the key moments and conflicts in what is often called the Second Red Scare.
August 6: Containing Reds Abroad: Cold War Foreign Conflict
While the U.S. and U.S.S.R. never directly fought a war during the Cold War, this ideological conflict produced several moments of tension and conflict. This lecture will explore the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well as the era of Détente and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
August 20: The Cold War, Technology, and the Transformation of American Society
hile the Cold War’s influence on economics, diplomacy and domestic policy is well-documented, the era was also a crucible for profound scientific and technological innovation. This lecture explores the evolution of pivotal advancements—ranging from the origins of GPS to the foundations of Artificial Intelligence—and examines how these Cold War legacies continue to redefine American life.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: John Putman is Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Letters and a professor of American History at San Diego State University. He is a historian of the modern American West. He has published two books, Class and Gender Politics in Progressive Era Seattle and Boosting a New West: Pacific Coast Expositions, 1905–1916. He has taught many courses, including early and modern U.S. History, U.S. Constitutional History and California History. He received his PhD from UC San Diego in 2000.
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