Introduction

           Hello readers! We really appreciate you coming to read our blog Communism vs Capitalism in the 1960's. We are 5 students at the University of Maryland in various scholars programs within the university. Through considerable research and analysis we are able to provide insight on the influence of media on the depiction of communism in the United States during the 1960's. In order to portray this, we analyzed two texts in the late 1950's and early 1960's through rhetorical appeals:  a comic book cover "The Red Iceberg" and a newspaper article by Daniel F Gilmore named "Man on Threshold of Space". From analyzing these texts, we concluded that through the escalation of conflict, both texts portray communism as an imminent threat to America’s authority on the world stage, thus calling upon collective action in the face of the red scare.
           During the 1960's, one source of animosity in America was the Cold War. America was at "war" with the Soviet Union, and although there was never any official violence between the two countries, Americans were on high alert against the USSR and communism. Communism, to Americans, was intimidating to their way of life. People feared the idea of not being free, and that picture had been furthered by the launching of the first Russian satellite.
           The article by Daniel F Gilmore, the United States Press Staff Corespondent, "Man on Threshold of Space". In this article, Gilmore discusses the success of Russian launching the first satellite into space. This was a mighty blow to U.S. morale; the Russians had beat the U.S at something which threatened U.S's super power status, making communism on shore a real threat. This lead to further propaganda against Russia, as fear of communism had become a real threat. The resulting propaganda can be portrayed by the comic cover "Red Iceberg". The Red Iceberg was publicized in order to warn Americans of the danger that communism posed to U.S. democracy. The image depicts Uncle Sam sitting on a boat heading towards a red iceberg which depicts the symbol of communism ( the hammer and sickle) as well as many gravestones of many nations (expressing the death of a nation due to communism). The cover is warning Americans of steering clear of communism.
            This idea has been important in more recent times as well, especially the past month. This is because of the relationships between Trumps campaign officers and Russia as well as the relationship between his pick for the national security advisory and Russia. The latter is extremely important because of how important the roll is in the US government. Even though we are no longer at "war" with Russia, we still aren't allies with them so the fact that Trump seems to be on such good terms with the Russian government is very troubling and some have even said that he should be impeached over this scandal.
            The newspaper article argues for pressure on the government in order to be more proactive in the 'race' for authority on the world stage, while the comic book cover argues for the need of people to be aware of the presence of communism around them. Ultimately, each text argue for the execution of a unique action on the part of the people, by inciting suspicion, doubt, and fear. We argue that these texts are still valuable today because propaganda is still used to serve various ends. However, this propaganda is often more subtle and even barely visible due to hyper exposure in everyday situations. This propaganda, at its most complex, comes in the form of advertisements in a capitalist society.


  

Stasis Theory in Newspaper Article

The article exemplifies the action aspect of stasis theory. While the headline simply states that the Russians have won the race to launch the first satellite in space, the subject lines of the articles contained within the paper are pointing to the various reactions the public and the government must be having in response to this defeat by the soviets. Among them is the fact that the ‘U.S. may speed up [their] satellite program’, indicating that the U.S. is contemplating how to respond to the increased threat of Russian progress. Another article seems to explain how to spot the satellite, as if attempting to provide some means of security or false illusion of control. Additionally, the sub-headline states that man is ‘on the threshold of space travel’ seemingly implying that the soviet success with sputnik will have a domino effect in the rest of the space program. The implication of a domino effect is evidence for an urging for action in order to ensure that the first person on the moon is an American. Overall, the paper seems to lack a bit of focus and reflect a confusion, at the heart of which asks: “What do we do next?”

~Eva

Kairos in Video

Duck and Cover Video

This video is particularly meaningful because of its Kairos. It aired when people were seriously concerned about atomic bomb threats from other countries during the cold war. It incited fear and paranoia in its viewers as it urged people to protect themselves in the case of an explosion. The video gives countless examples of how atomic bombs are dangerous, such as the severe burns and destruction that can occur. It is effective because, by nature of the time period, atomic explosions were feared. The video encouraged people, especially children, to understand the dangers of atomic bombs and what to do during a bomb threat. This was the perfect time to present this video because it would be most well received at this moment. People were seriously concerned about the bomb threats, and people would have gladly accepted any advice to improve their security during this time. 

Stasis Theory in The Red Iceberg

The comic book cover "The Red Iceberg" uses the stasis of cause and effect to emphasize  the importance of avoiding communism. The cover portrays Uncle Sam sitting on a ship drifting out on the sea, heading towards a red iceberg with tombstones of various nations including China, Hungary and Poland. The red iceberg in this comic depicts communism. The iceberg is red as this was the color associated with communism; the symbol of communism is also etched onto the iceberg (the hook with the hammer through it).The purpose of this "Red Iceberg" is to demonstrate the root of all destruction of the tombed nations,communism. The tomb stones on the iceberg represent the many nation destroyed by this governing system, thereby showing a causal relationship between communism and the destruction of nations. The cover is portraying the importance of the U.S. avoiding the iceberg, avoiding communism, due to its destruction to a nation, as can be shown by the tomb stones already destroyed by this governing system. This cover may also be interpreted as a stasis of call to action, as the comic book is encouraging people to be wary of communistic ideals, however, much of the comic demonstrates the importance of not falling victim to communism, the way many other nations have.

-Shaher Bano

Kairos - Newspaper Article

The timing of this newspaper article is absolutely perfect for the effect it is looking for. In a time in which Americans were afraid of losing their way of life to the communists, having an example of some sort of superiority by the Soviets was scary. Had this taken place 20 years earlier, it would not have been a big deal, as long as we were working on something similar. The fact that they were our rivals and "next up" to go to war with the United States was intimidating and lit a fire in the US's stomach. In a time when the American public was on high alert, this newspaper article served as a wake-up call and demonstration of the power the Soviets had.
Peter

Audience of Capitalism Cartoon

Capitalism Cartoon

The audience of this cartoon is clearly the American public. This is extremely evident for a few reasons. One example of this is that the character is wearing a Captain America-like costume. Another reason is the fact that he's riding on a bald eagle. The cartoon depicts capitalism as being a wonderful economic system. It does this by showing the character holding a bunch of money with more flying behind him. This also implies that other economic systems are inferior to capitalism because they will not result in as much money for citizens. This cartoon does a good job of making capitalism seem good because who wouldn't want to ride a bald eagle while wearing a Captain America costume and holding a bunch of money.

- Conor Cochran

Pathos Miscellaneous Source: Ain't I Right by Marty Robbins

Ain't I Right By Marty Robbins

The song "Ain't I Right" by Marty Robbins was a widely popular song produced in 1966 in order to portray the detrimental affects communism has on the U.S. Through the use of pathos, Robbins is able to demonstrate the widespread dysfunction and division that communism causes within the U.S. and the importance of banishing such ideology in the nation. The song itself has an fast beat, which is generally associated with happy music, despite the message of the song being far more serious. Robbins mentions the struggle of the common people, the corruption within the government and the great divide that communistic activities are causing within the nation, all of which are issue to be taken seriously. The purpose behind this contrasting tone and message is to appeal to a much larger audience; by making the music more upbeat and "catchy", people are more likely to listen to it in times of leisure and agree with the conclusions of the singer as compared to if the beat were more melancholy. Throughout the passage, the author mentions repetitively how the communists do not care for the people, insisting that these people have much to gain from American suffering and see this activism and destruction to American ideals as "a game". By portraying communists as uncaring people who see American ideals as "a game", Robbins is able to incite anger into the listener, as this passage makes it seem  Americans are being taken advantage of, something that no true American desires.  Robbins  repeats the phrase "Ain't I Right" every time he criticizes communism; he does this in order to make it seems as though Americans are reaching their own conclusions of right and wrong, despite simply following the ideas laid out to them by the singer. Through the use of pathos, Marty is able to successfully  convince his audience the detrimental effects communism is having on this nation, as well as the effects if such communist policies were put in place. 

-Shaher Bano

Ethos in 'The Red Iceberg'

As a comic strip, there is very little credibility for the artist to begin with. Cartoons are known for skewing facts, using hyperbole to gain the support of an audience. Despite this, the artist uses Uncle Sam, the personification of America, in his comic in order to create a sense of credibility in the comic alone. Uncle Sam is known for the best parts of America, particularly freedom, so using him as the poster-child of this comic is gold. The argument against communism is deeply rooted in the lack of freedom that is associated with the governmental policies. By using Uncle Sam, that argument means much more, as it represents freedom being halted to a complete stop by the "iceberg" that is communism. While seeming trivial at first glance, the comic 'The Red Iceberg' has a fantastic story playing out in the illustration
-Peter

Logos in 'The Red Iceberg'

The cover of ‘The Red Iceberg’ primarily argues that communism is a formidable and imminent threat and that it is often inconspicuous and slippery, requiring that all be on the look out for its presence. Firstly, the cover poses the argument that communism is a powerful force by illustrating it as a large, pointed mass colored an angry shade red. Overall, the red iceberg seems to possess a sort of abeyant hostily. This argument is further supported by the various tomb stones that emebllish the iceberg. The graveyard that it keeps is a testament to and clear evidence of what the iceberg is able of doing to ships that lead astray. Secondly, as discussed in the post on the pathos of the piece, the placement of the iceberg in the foreground and of the Uncle Sam in the back, manipulates the sense of time in the piece, assigning an immence to the threat of communism. Lastly, through the allusion to the Titanic one clearly sees that the piece is arguing not only for the govvernment to be on the look out for communism for the American people to be as well. The power of the allusion to the Titanic is that it recalls a tragedy in which hundreds died because no one saw a devastating threat. The situation could have been avoided if people had noticed the icerberg. Hence, the cover urges people to be on the look out for communism in order to avoid an irrecoverable crash and hence, the loss of the American identity and way of life.

~Eva

Audience of Newspaper Article

The newspaper article published on October 5th, 1957 was intended for US citizens. The article was clearly written in the US, and it was during the cold war era, however this did not seem to influence how the author chose to write about the successful launch of Sputnik by Russia. This is interesting because you'd expect that almost every american newspaper during this time period would portray Russia as being morally wrong due to its Communist government but this author stuck to the facts of what happened and even seemed excited by Russia's success. That being said, I do think this was an exciting event for people all over the world because, as the article puts it, "man had crossed the threshold into the age of travel through space." This statement proved to be high hopes as we've seen since the farthest man has gone so far was to the moon but if you were alive during the 50's and 60's you might have believed that space travel would have continued to advance through present day. One of the smaller columns of the newspaper gives tips on how to see Sputnik which further illustrates the idea that people from all over the world were excited by this scientific breakthrough even though it was a Russian satellite. The column on the right side of the newspaper depicts a slightly different story though. It depicts the governments reaction to this event as being negative due to the fact that if the soviets could launch a satellite into space, they could potentially fire intercontinental missiles at the US, this is what really started the space race.      

- Conor Cochran

Audience of Red Iceberg Comic Cover

           When it comes to comic books, the first thing one thinks is children. Children are an interesting audience in that children are, to a fault, easily manipulated. The Red Iceberg comic cover works to persuade American children that communism is bad and will stop the progress of America. The metaphor to a ship crashing into iceberg and being stopped is easily understandable, but in two different ways. To children, the idea of an iceberg is simply something that a ship doesn't want to run into. At the same time, this comic cover can also say a different message to an older, more educated audience. This message is related to America's progression in becoming a powerful and efficient country. The iceberg represents communism, portraying it as something that will halt the progression towards being the world power. This makes this comic so effective in that no matter the audience, it can convey an argument that is understandable and impacting in multiple ways.
-Peter

Kairos: Leading up to Soviet Propoganda

The "Red Iceberg"comic book advertisement clearly demonstrates a movement in the making. Though it may seem  that the "Red Iceberg" comic book cover was a hasty retaliation against Russia during the Cold War, there is clear evidence to demonstrate that such propaganda was in fact a response to fear of Russian supremacy years in the making.
On October 5th, 1957, Russia was able to successfully launch a satellite into space. This event struck fear into the hearts of many Americans. Many Americans feared that if Russia was capable of successfully beating the U.S. in reaching space, there was nothing to say that the Russians would be able to succeed in demolishing U.S. democracy. In this way, the success of the first satellite symbolized Russia's true power as a nation, one that may even be capable to destroy the United States.  On May 1, Soviets shot down an American U-2 recon jet flying over Soviet territory. Though U.S. was in the wrong in this situation for international spying, this event demonstrated that Russia was indeed a serious threat against the United States.  In response to the fear of Russian communism, as instigated by events such as the the successful launching of the first satellite into space (by Russia) as well as the shooting down of the U-2 recon jet, propaganda such as the "The Red Iceberg" were publicized in order to warn Americans of the danger that Russia posed to U.S. democracy.

By Shaher Bano

Rhetorical Elements of Daniel F. Gilmore

In a 1957 newspaper article written by U.S. Press Staff Correspondent Daniel F. Gilmore, the rhetorical techniques ethos and pathos were used to calm the American public during a time of social and political frenzy. This article was written after a decade of tensions between the U.S, its NATO allies, and the former Soviet Union. The article reports on the launch of the Soviet artificial satellite Sputnik, which made Russia the first to do so and before The United States. From the begging, it can be seen that a strong sense of ethos is established due to the high positional level that the author of the article has. This creates a sense of trust that the people instill within Gilmore which in turn gives him great power to influence the minds of the people. From the start, he lists off the basic facts on the distances and other calculations of the mission which warms the audience up before the transition into pathos. Next, Gilmore lightly uses pathos in the beginning and end of the article. He starts off by stating that although this is a step for mankind as a whole, the Russians will surely be using this as a tool for propaganda to promote communist success. He ends on the note that a close eye should be kept on Russia due to their lack of predictability.

-Nathan

Appeal to Pathos in 'The Red Iceberg'

The comic entitled ‘The Red Iceberg’ evokes an anxiety and discomfort in the viewer while simultaneously calling upon an encultured faith in the U.S. government. The iceberg, red and foreboding, is placed in the foreground of the cover while Uncle Sam on his boat is placed further back. This placement of the iceberg and of Uncle Sam deliberately effects the viewer's perceived distance from the two subjects, manipulating the sense of time in the piece. As the boat seems to draw closer to the iceberg, there is an imminence associated with the potential catastrophe of the USA being sunk by communism.This fear is exacerbated by the allusion to the Titanic and the grave stones of countries this red iceberg has claimed. In fact, a dramatic irony is almost achieved as the viewer feels the boat is going to crash while Uncle Sam gazes calmly onward somewhere over the horizon that is the viewer. However, being only a picture, there is an eternal suspense that keeps the viewer entertaining the worse but that also creates time for the viewer to consider salvation in Uncle Sam. The viewer hopes and then finally accepts that Uncle Sam will see the iceberg and steer the USA away from danger. Ultimately, the only solace the viewer can take is that Uncle Sam won’t let them down. Hence, the pathos in this piece plays with imagination of the viewers, painting a potentially devastating scene and offering a glimmer of hope in the star studded hearts of the American people.

~Eva