Excerpt from President Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation
Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
. . . But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence—economic, political, even spiritual—is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
. . .
Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war—as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years—I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.
Use the excerpt from Eisenhower's farewell address to answer the question.
Eisenhower's reference to disarmament concerns which of the following countries?
A.
China
B.
France
C.
the Soviet Union
D.
the United Kingdom
C. the Soviet Union
C. the Soviet Union
To determine which country Eisenhower's reference to disarmament concerns, we need to analyze the given excerpt from his farewell address. In the excerpt, Eisenhower expresses the need for disarmament as a continuing imperative. He emphasizes the importance of composing differences with intellect and decent purpose, rather than with arms.
Nowhere in the excerpt does Eisenhower directly mention any specific country by name. However, he does acknowledge the existence of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry, which is new in the American experience. This suggests that the reference to disarmament is not limited to the United States alone, but rather involves international implications.
Given this context, we can infer that Eisenhower's reference to disarmament concerns countries other than the United States. Among the options provided, the most likely candidate is the Soviet Union (option C). During Eisenhower's presidency, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War, a tense period of geopolitical rivalry that included nuclear arms race and mutual distrust. As such, the Soviet Union would be a logical choice for a country that Eisenhower sought disarmament with.