Publications
- Economic Aspects of the Cold War, 1962-1975
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- by Cooper, Richard N.
- US objectives during the Cold War were to prevent Soviet attacks on the United States and its
allies and to prevent the spread of communism as a political and economic system to other countries,
whether by force or by threat, subversion, persuasion, or bribery. The principal instrument to prevent
attack was an extensive build-up of defensive and retaliatory military forces, combined with political and
military alliances that extended US protection to other countries in exchange for their engagement and
support. The principal instruments for preventing the spread of communism by non-military means
involved building an international economic system conducive to economic prosperity; engaging in
persuasion, providing incentives, and occasionally imposing economic sanctions; and, not least, promoting
a robust US economy that could serve as a stimulant to others and as a beacon for the benefits of a free,
enterprise-based, market-oriented economy.
- Publication Type: WCFIA Working Paper
- Published Date: February 2008
- Field of Interest: International Economics
- Cooper, Richard. "Economic Aspects of the Cold War, 1962-1975." Working Paper 2008-0018, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, February 2008.
