John F. Kennedy Essay

John F. Kennedy was one of the youngest US Presidents in the US history, but, in spite of his relatively young age and short Presidential term, he has managed to make a considerable contribution to the US domestic policy, international relations and the world history. He was the first US President, who has refused from the sheer military struggle against undemocratic and Communist regimes that threatened to the US national interests and democracy in the world. Instead, he suggested to struggle against poverty in the world as the key strategy to suppress the emergence of communist movements in the world that violated human rights, neglected democratic principles and spread totalitarianism in the world on the ground of the fake promise of equality and justice for all and elimination of the class divide.

At this point, it is possible to refer to J.F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, where he reveals fundamentals of his domestic and foreign policy.  J.F. Kennedy developed the brand new policy, especially in regard to international relations and foreign policy of the US. He suggested changing the strategy used by the US in face of the communist threat. He became one of the first US Presidents, who had become aware of the uselessness of the ongoing arms race and the sheer use of the military power in the struggle against the USSR and communist threat. Instead, he suggested the development of the new strategy that shifted away from the arms race and heavy reliance on the military power only (Schlesinger150). J.F. Kennedy believed in the power of diplomacy and economic policies as the major drivers that could lead his country to the defeat of the USSR or, at least, to the suppression of the Communist threat that hanged over in the world.

J.F. Kennedy has recognized the threat of the use of nuclear weapon in the world that could have put the survival of the mankind under a threat. In his inaugural address, J.F. Kennedy had recognized the deadly danger of the nuclear weapon for the mankind and he had also recognized that threats of using nuclear weapon can affect the entire world (Kennedy 201). In such a way, he was aware of the great danger of the mere threat of using nuclear weapon and he had proved to be capable to foresee consequences of the use of nuclear weapon by the US or the USSR or both.

At the same time, he recognized dangers and risk associated with the accelerated arms race which also led rather to the dead end than the final resolution of the growing contradiction between the democratic, capitalist system and undemocratic, communist one (Giglio 142). The arms race was also a great threat to the world, but J.F. Kennedy was also aware of the fruitfulness of the ongoing acceleration of arms race because such race could bring nothing but the further militarization of the world and put the world on the edge of World War III with its obvious devastating consequences for the entire mankind. He became probably the first US President, who had tried to change the US foreign policy and international relations to slow down the arms race and to find the alternative way to stop the spread of Communism in the world.

Instead of the arms race and threats of using the nuclear power, J.F. Kennedy suggested the totally different approach to the foreign policy which involved the focus on the maintenance of positive international relations and helping impoverished countries. This strategy was very effective with regard to the fact that the poverty was the major factor that contributed to the growing popularity of communism in the world and urged many countries to succumb to the growing communist movement headed by the USSR. By focusing on helping impoverished countries to cope with their poverty, the US could take the lead in the competitive struggle against the USSR because it was not only the USSR that could help nations to cope with poverty but also the US that could provide them with financial, technical and economic aid to address the problem of poverty and to raise their standards of living (Martin 74).  The use of diplomatic and economic policies was the core strategy suggested by J.F. Kennedy in the US foreign policy and international relations.

Thus, J.F. Kennedy became the first US President in the post-World War II era, who became fully aware of the fruitfulness of the further militarization, arms race, and threats of using nuclear weapon. Instead, he suggested focusing on international relations and diplomacy as the key tool to enhance the resistance to the spread of Communism, while the strategy of addressing problems of impoverished countries was the major tool that could help the US to take the lead in the world and take advantage from the USSR, who used to position itself as the only country that focused on the elimination of poverty and inequality as its main priorities.

Works Cited:

Giglio, James N. The Presidency of John F. Kennedy. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1991.

Kennedy, John F. “Let The Word Go Forth”: The Speeches, Statements and Writings of John F. Kennedy, 1947 to 1963. Selected and with an introduction by Theodore C. Sorensen. New York: Delacorte, 1988.

Martin, Ralph G. A Hero for Our Time: An Intimate Story of the Kennedy Years. New York: Macmillan, 1983.

Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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