The Cold War was a fascinating time in history because it pitted the superpowers of the United States and other allied nations against those of the Soviet Union and other communist countries. The governments spent decades trying to outdo one another regarding foreign policies, military force, science, and space. Although this is a straightforward explanation of the war’s impact, the Editors of History.com explain that after World War II, there was such a hostile atmosphere that no one nation was to blame and that even historians believe the period was inevitable (2009). It’s no wonder that television producers thought to create a dramatic program that fictionally focused on two Russian spies and their time in the United States. They completed dangerous assignments for their native country Russia. “The Americans” television program uses a mix of factual and fictional events to depict The Cold War connections between the superpower nations of that time.
“The Americans” was a period spy drama that focused on the later years of The Cold War, with Ronald Regan being President in the United States and Mikhail Gorbachev being part of the leadership of the Soviet Union for a large portion of the series. Although the show is fictional, it does provide some context on the misconceptions of the power dynamics between the United States and the U.S.S.R. As Edward Cohn explained in his The Washington Post article “What ‘The Americans’ gets wrong about the Cold War” “the show’s representation of Soviet espionage promotes a distinctly conservative narrative of the Cold War – one in which the Russian enemy is truly the “Evil Empire” engaged in the sabotage of American institutions” (2019). This is an interesting summation because it almost entirely ignores Hofstede’s cultural dynamics about both nations. (Although it should be noted that since the U.S.S.R no longer exist, this comparison is solely based on Russia and the United States).
According to Hofstede, “a high score in the masculine dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement, and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field” (2020). By comparing the U.S. and Russia, the U.S. outranks Russia 62 to 36. In this case, Russia’s low score pegs them as a more feminine society that does not want its members to stand out too much and expects that their achievements will be modest. Although this point can be debated, it can also be thought that the primary goals and values within Russian culture are for certain people to win big. At the same time, the majority of society is expected to be successful within their ranks. The higher score received by the United States determines that the U.S. is more concerned with any individual securing a win. This also relates to the power distance and individualism comparisons of the nations. While Russia has a higher power distance that distinguishes the country as one where few have power over the many, the United States considers itself more individualist. These themes repeat themselves on “The Americans” because time and time again, the audience witnesses how the show’s protagonists expect modest lives for themselves and consider their superiors as status symbols that do not necessarily have to categorize themselves with other Russians. Despite these cultural differences, the Cold War depiction in “The Americans” reveals that both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R were determined in their evolvement to advance their nations.
As Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014) explain, “the U.S.S.R. did survive World War II, becoming a superpower that achieved some impressive accomplishments” (p. 494). The same occurred in the U.S. Both nations implemented and developed rigorous space programs. The editors of History.com state that the Soviets launched the world’s first artificial satellite, while the U.S. also did the same and created NASA. Also, the nations made accomplishments in healthcare, education, and other innovations. “The Americans” details all of this through a lens that is critical of both the Cold War and the actions of spies and government operatives.
Despite the cultural differences, the Cold War did come to an end in the early 1990s. Through various actions, the nations’ leaders eventually secured their administrations’ necessary support to bring the hostile actions of their countries to a stop. For “The Americans,” this meant getting caught and having to return home to a country that was all but foreign. In his article “Peace, Yes, but World Freedom as Well”: Principle, Pragmatism, and the End of the Cold War, Travis Cram suggests that President Ronald Reagan used his skills, diligence, and the rhetorical context of the situation to manipulate the war to a close. Although this generalizes the role that the President played, by analyzing Hofstede’s cultural country comparisons, can anyone doubt that the United States’ masculinity and individualism would lead to the end of a hostile political rivalry?
References:
Cohn, E. (2019, April 01). Perspective | What ‘The Americans’ gets wrong about the Cold War. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/03/28/what-the-americans-gets-wrong-about-the-cold-war/
Compare countries. (2020, June 08). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
Cram, T. J. (2015). “Peace, Yes, but World Freedom as Well”: Principle, Pragmatism, and the End of the Cold War. Western Journal of Communication, 79(3), 367–386. https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1080/10570314.2015.1035747
History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). Cold War History. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. Abingdon: Routledge.
Pennsylvania State University (2020). Lesson 13: Eastern Europe and Russia. OLEAD 410: Leadership in Global Context. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2075490/modules/items/29697221
Hello,
I found your post to be very interesting. You do a great job of incorporating ideas from Hofstede and Organizational Leadership lessons. I watched the show “The Americans” and enjoyed the incorporation of actual facts that were part of the show, although the overall show was primarily entertainment and less factual. I still enjoyed the show and many of references throughout I recall very well having been a teenager during the eighties.
The cold war was definitely an interesting time the flashbacks on the show of doing Nuclear drills in school are just one of the many scenes I personally remember taking party in while I was in growing up. The high score in the masculine dimension indicating a society will be driven by competition, success, and achievement linking Russia to ‘best in field’ is really a shock. I understand that the review is based on modern day Russia and not the old USSR, however I believe the cultural demographics and ideology are still very similar to what they were during the USSR. It is no surprise that the U.S. outranks Russia based on the criteria. The focus of the individual self in the U.S. in deeply woven into the Capitalistic society. The most recent lesson on China exposed some very interesting information regarding their economic expansion and how they have quietly surged to one of the largest economies in the World.
I was surprised to find out just how Capitalistic the Chinese economy had become, yet declaring their Socialist political ways vigorously. It makes think about the unintended consequences that the Cold War may have produced relating to the U.S. economy. Perhaps the fear and focus that was present during this period encouraged and pushed the United States as well as other countries to work as if their lives were always in present danger. It is possible that some risks that scientist or developers may have taken that led to innovation may not have happened with out the underlying constant sense of urgency produced by the cold war setting?
I agree with the hat tip to then President Reagan for orchestrating an end to the era we know as the Cold War, The walk down memory lane that “The Americans” brought through the show was a nice throw back to my younger years and a reminder that there has always been challenges facing the U.S. as a Nation. Thank you for the post and insights from the leadership aspect, I enjoyed your comments.
Respectfully,
Ben
Good morning,
I was a fan of the show, ‘The Americans’, because it gave me some insight as to what The Cold War was about. I was a young child during the Regan administration and although the show mixed facts and fiction, the scenarios amazed me. It is hard to believe that Russian spies lived in the U.S. among citizens and went unnoticed. Even more surprising, on the show, was the fact that the spies lived across the street from an FBI agent who they befriended. The show gave new meaning to what people would sacrifice for their country.
I find it interesting that Russia scores low on Hofstede’s 6 dimensions model for masculinity (de Toekomst, n.d.). I’ve always viewed Russian leaders as dominant. I realize now, after reading more into it, that the low score reflects those who are not in powerful positions who are expected to remain low-key about their accomplishments (de Toekomst, n.d.).
In 1991, the U.S.S.R. collapsed which left some of their population suffering from communist cultural conditions and the Cold War which requires challenging reeducation (Moran et al., 2014). Although they do have a way to go, more recently, they are focusing on human rights, the rule of law, protection of freedom, environmental improvements and quality of life (Moran et. al., 2014).
I enjoyed reading your post, thanks for sharing,
Chrissie
References
de Toekomst, V. (n.d.). Geert Hofstede. https://geerthofstede.com/research-and-vsm/vsm-2013/
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Doing business with Europeans and Russians. In Managing cultural differences (9th ed., pp. 459-499). Routledge.
Hello,
I really connected with your post because my Wife and I just finished watching all of “The Americans” series. I somehow missed this very interesting show while it was on. We enjoyed the connection to our childhood, since we both grew up in the late 70’s and 80’s. It was cool seeing things from a different perspective, even if it was just good writing for ratings.
I can remember when President Regan was elected and the amped up situations that came with the defense spending programs started kicking in high gear. My Father was working for a defense contractor, and in the Army Reserves, during that time. It was interesting to hear him talk about all the money that was being poured into military spending.
Funny thing is that most of those Cold War technologies are still in service today. Guess we did a good job engineering things that may have never been needed.
I liked your perspective on the space race and other advancements made during the Cold War years. I know that this type of global friction was very dangerous and costly, but I wonder where we would be without all the inventions that were spurred by necessity of staying ahead of your adversary? Would we have ever invented the Internet, communication and weather satellites, GPS, supersonic flight, etc.
Very interesting post.
Douglas