Cold War - Containment

Franklin Rossovelt FDR

• concerned with what it will be like when WW2 ends

• worried about what America’s role in the globe is going to be

• isolationists

• wants to create a system of global management between the 4 super powers

• lose wilsonianism

• Dies in 1945

The 4 major powers

U.S. : represtent the America’s

Britan: rep Western Eurpore, South Africa, South Asia

Soviet Union: rep Eastern Europe

China: Asia (Once Japan is defated China will emerge as a super power)

Yalta Confrence Feb 1945

FDR sets up a meeting for the 3 major allied powers (Britian, U.S., Soviet Union). They meet to set up a plan on how to end the war in Asia. They agree on how to defeat Japan and make the United Nations.

Red Flags for Soviet Union

Stalian is a terrible person for the U.S. to be working with he goes against everything the U.S. stands for. He is a dictator, starves his people, and sends them to war without adequte weapons

Plan for After WW2

They plan to divide Germany into 4 different zones. Each allied power would get temporary control of each zone until Germany has their elections

Harry Truman

• Becomes president after FDR dies

• Truman was only the VP for 4 months

• Democrat

• served in WW1

• was in the senete from 1934-1944

• Truman is like a glass of milk (boring)

• sees the world in good and evil terms

  • believes in the manifest destiny of America

Truman And Stalin

This is the meeting of the 3 allied powers. Truman is very skeptical of Stalin, and doesn’t want him to be apart of power sharing. While Stalin was helping the nazi places he was taking the freed places to be apart of the Soviet Union. Truman thought that if Stalin helped them defeat Japan then Stalin would claim Japan too.

Postdam Confrence July 17-August 2 1945

Truman decides that he will drop the atomic bomb in Japan. He drops the bomb on August 6. Truman only tells Atlee from Birtian that he’s going to drop the bomb because of his reservations about Stalin. Truman’s goal is to make USSR secoend tier. Atlee didn’t wantto be a superpower he wanted to create social reforms in England so he didn’t care what Truman did.

Truman Doctorine 1947

Talks about how the USA will hold back communism. Also mentions the Foregin policy of economic aid which is that regardless of the party of a president they will use foregin policy. The U.S. will insert itself into conflicts that they arent directly involved in and will engage in intervention

Marshall Plan

Program for economic aid to the European Countries. Effort to take away communism. 12.5 billion dollars go to the program (pro democracy canditated rebuild roads, buildings, and homes).

Berlin Blockade Airlift 1948

Places under British and American control begin to be involved in the democracy plan. the soviet zone is struggling. Western Berlin is thriving under the control of USA and Britian. Stalin can’t take Western Berlin because they don’t have the weapons so Stalin starves the people of East Berlin, stops fuel, power lines, from getting into the city. Stalin says hell stop if USA gives him west Berlin. U.S. wants to fly over Berlin and help the people by giving them food. After a year Stalin lifts it because its not working.

1949

2 big events

• Mao Zedong and the communists won the Chinese civil war

• Soviet Union devlops a test for the first nuclear bomb

• turning point in the Cold War

  • people start to question the efficancy of Containment

  • U.S. is taking a hit because another nation is now communist

  • Soviets cant make another war because the U.S. will drop a bomb on them

Truman Admistration’s new assment

Make report 68. Truman admnistration says they should continue with containment and are willing to go into Asia. Also decide that they need to create more advanced technology. T-admnistration hasn’t locked at the cost v. benifit. How many lives are they wolling to lose to stop an ideology? raises questions about trst in the governmnet. T-admi sees the USSR and China working together.

How NSC-68 changed the containment stragey

The U.S. severs diplomatic ties with China, they only interact with Chaing Kai-shek. They give communists the cold shoulder and isolate them from the rest of the world. refusal to communicate leads to misccomunication and use of spies

U.S. involvment in the French Indochina War

The people of Vietnam don’t want to be in the French Empire. France was hesitant to let it’s colines go. U.S. starts devloping the domnio theory that communism will spread all across Asia. USA sends money to France to help supress the Vietnamese movement.

Korean War 1950

Korea was a Japanese coloney that Japan had to give up after WW2 it is now under control of the allied powers. Korea gets split into 2 zone the North and South. The northern communists ideals start to take control. Communist movement was lead by Kim Il Sung. In 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea and does very well, looks like they can capure the whole country.

U.S. and China in Korean War

U.S. worried that war will be another domino. U.S. send troops into Korea (first time sending troops in the cold war) The U.S. had a small draft. The U.S. trrops manage to push North Korea up past the 38th parallel up to China. China gets worried and decides to send troops in aswell. As China gets involved the North pushes back. Douglas MacArthur told Truman the only way to win the war was to use nuclear weapons on China. U.S. worried if they bomb China that USSR will bomb them. Douglas goes on a press tour against Truman because he didn’t bomb China.

Posotives and Negatives of Containment

Pos:

• Entirety of Korea isn’t communist

• War within China is avoided

Neg:

• A new “nation” is communist

• affirms the relationship between the USSR and North Korea

• the 38th parallel is still there

Middle East after WW2

Most of it was colonized by the French or British. They shifted to self-rule which raised anxiety in the U.S. because theyre nervsous about soviet influence. Worried that that if there are anti american movements then they won’t have acess to resources. U.S. tries to supress the rise of nationalism in Middle east.

Creation of Isreal 1948

U.S. supports the creation of Isreal. They are trying to gain more pro-American regimes. Isreal was created out of pressure for a Jewish homeland (dates back to the zionest movements). Many peope fight back against Isreal because Arab people lived there before and it should be their homeland. The U.S. sees Isreal as a potential ally.

Iran

Iran is pro western from 1941-9179. Iran was ruled by the Shah and Mohammad Mosaddegh. The goal was to spread Pro West/ Pro American ideals. In 1953 the U.S. wants to take Mosaddegh out of power. They contact the British to help for a coup against him.

Shah and Mohammad Mosaddegh

Shah→ deepley valued by the U.S., agrres with U.S. economic goals

Mohammad Mosaddegh→ Elected in 1951, doesn’t agree with Shah because he’s too comfortable with the U.S. For Iranian Nationalism. Wants to nationalize the oil company.

• Hav the government take control over oil insted of private buisness, scares the U.S., without the U.S. USSR can move in