coldwar- increasing coldwar tensions

when did a growing mood of anti-communism among the general US public come about

1950

house of un-american activities comittee

carries out extensive investigations on the patriotism and political affiliations of hollywood filmmakers

red scare

a period of intense fear of communism in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s, marked by government actions and societal paranoia

what was the purpose of the house of un-american committee

• founded in 1938 - became permanent in 1945

• purpose was to investigate communist infiltration into the very core of US society existed and therefore feared it

• those brought before the committee were often perfectly innocent but served a sacrificial victims that fed the popular paranoia

• the film industry became a particular target

when was alger hiss convicted of perjury

january 1950

why was alger hiss convicted of perjury

he lied about passing on information to the USSR while working for the US state department during 1937- 38

what was truman accused of as a result of these communists in the US

being to soft on communism and being responsible for the loss of china

joseph mccarthy

• 1909-57

• republican senator for wisconsin

• he ruthlessly exploited and fermented the anti-communist anxieties of the time

• 1954 - accused the US army of being too soft on communism - he was discredited

• he never uncovered any government worker of being a communist

what did McCarthy think in the context of the alger hiss affair

that there was an army of communist conspirators working within the US government influencing its policies

what were McCarthy’s targets during his hunt of communists

• state department

• film industry

• the democratic party

• universities

who was the head of the FBI during this time

J. Edgar Hoover

what did hoover referrer teachers as

reducators - a reference to the nickname of ‘reds’ that was commonly used to describe communists

what was hoovers view on communists

believed they were undermining americas traditions and customs and questioning the correctness of the american way of life

why id mccarthy attack the united nations

for favouring left-wing and liberal causes

what claim did mccarthy make in 1954

‘reds’ had infiltrated the US army

when did the US senate vote in favour to kick out mccarthy and anyone associated with his anti communist bandwagon

december 1954

what did mccarthyism emphasise

the urgency of moving US policy away from Eurocentric focus and towards policies with a more determined ‘asia first’ viewpoint

what influenced the viewpoint of mccarthyism

containment had consolidated the west’s position in europe against the threat of aggressively expansionist communism , but asia was much less secure

what two events in asia influenced this view of mccarthyism

• the creation of the communist peoples republic of china in 1949

• the alliance of mutual cooperation formed between china and USSR in 1950

who did mccarthy blame the korean war on

• truman and his failure to recognise the importance of the threat of the continuing spread of communism in asia

• trumans failure to support the chinese nationalists against mao

how did truman try to resolve the chinese civil war

by bringing the communists and nationalists together - rather than through aiding the nationalists against the communists

when was it clear that britain could no longer maintain its pre-war role as the USA’s main partner in europe

After WW2 , particularly by 1947

when did britain start becoming concerned about the USA’s more aggressive cold war thinking

1950s

why was britain concerned with the USA’s aggressive stance over korea

might lead to the USSR destabilising europe while the international community was focussed asia

how did britain view the asia first thinking

it was dangerous

what did britain do as a result of the USA’s asia first thinking

increased defence spending by britain at a time of continuing austerity

how did britain view the korean war

to place in jeopardy the stability and territorial status quo that the creation of NATO had established

what was britain’s view of the globalisation of the USA’s role

not being in britains interests

what was britians primary concern

to remain a close ally of the USA and it was this that assumed an overriding priority - britain made a significant military contribution to the allied war effort in korea

where are headquarters of the united nations

new york

when was the united nations charter agreed

june 1945

when did he united nations organisation come into being

october 1945

membership of united nations from 1945 remained unchanged till when

1955

USA and western dominance in the united nations

• 20 out of 50 members were from capitalist central and south american states

• members from the middle east were also pro-western e.g. iran , iraq and egypt

• the pro-western membership was reinforced through the presence of greece , a state that had triggered the introduction of the truman doctrine, and the majority of USA’s western european allies along with india canada australia new zealand

what were the only african states in the UN at this time

ethiopia and Liberia

why was the intact of european empires until the mid 1950s significant for USA dominance in the united nations

this limited the number of potential new member and it ensured that the USA had the support of these states because their imperial european masters were allies of the USA

why was the absence of newly colonised states in the UN beneficial to the US

removed any possibility of them functioning as non-aligned or pro-soviet states in the UN - which served to protect the USA’s dominance in the UN

what did the USA do to further enhance their dominance regarding china

insisted that mainland china( a communist state) could not take china’s seat in the UN while supporting the nationalist government in Taiwan, effectively isolating the communist regime

the only eastern european state that joined in 1945

poland

who were soviet allies in the UN from 1945 -1955

poland

what was the executive decision-making arm of the UN

the security council

five permanent members of the security council

USA britain france china USSR

what did the structure of the security council do for the USA

enhanced the power of the USA in the UN

what did the power of veto do

enable any one member to block UN intervention

what members could use the power of veto

permanent members

what was the pattern of the use of veto from 1946-1955

• china=1

• france=2

• britain=0

• USA=0

• USSR=75

what did the USA see the UN as an opportunity for

as a vehicle for intervention on global scale - in order to enhance it own foreign policy aims - particularly in the cold war context

the primary route for USA to act as a global policeman was NOT through the UN but …

US-influenced regional alliance systems - of the kind favoured by eisenhower

what did veto do regarding USA’s influence in the UN

the use of veto weakened US influence in the UN most of the time

what was an exception to when veto strengthened the USA’s influence in UN

the US-led intervention in korea in 1950

what became central to US thinking

the notion that communism was a global threat and therefore needed a global response

when was the dominant influence of the USA in the UN apparent

the time the korean war started

e.g. USA requested for the security council to meet and they passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and the return of northern forces to north korea

what did the USA do when north korean forces did not withdraw

brokered a second security council resolution - which called upon UN members to aid south korea in its struggle against the north

what was the outcome of UN intervention in korean war

a collective military UN force that was composed predominantly of US troops and commanded by general Macarthur

what did truman and his senior advisors favour as a result of the new established communist china

favoured the avoidance of any military conflict with communist china

when did britain recognise mao’s regime

January 1950

did mccarthyism have an impact on british policy towards the far east

it had little impact

when was the interest in detaching the US from any significant involvement with china finally deflected

when china and USSR formed an alliance in february 1950

what was the most alarming element of the sino-soviet alliance for the USA

the commitment to mutual security guarantees to combat any aggression rom japan ‘or any other state that may collaborate in any way with japan in acts of aggression’

how did the sino-soviet alliance appear to the USA

to inflate china’s significance as a far eastern power

what was the result of the sino-soviet alliance for the USA

it reinforced the USA’s need to develop its own power base in that part of the world - therefore japan formed a crucial element of the USA’s strategy for the far east

how did stalin view the sino-soviet treat as

• reducing the influence of china

• the alliance in stalin’s mind was to work to the USSR’s advantage rather than open up wider international support for china a means to strengthen Soviet control over China

the result of the sino-soviet alliance

• brought china into the communist camp and it served to consolidate the USSR’s security in the far east

• strengthened the USSR’s power as a cold war protagonist and it forced the USA to review its policies towards asia

• this lessened the USA’s european priorities and shifted the cold war focus out of europe to some extent - this was to the USSR’s advantage as the pressure of the cold war in europe reduced

the korean war reinforce china’s …

isolation

how did stalin weaken china’s international status

stalins refusal to commit soviet troops but his willingness to see chinese troops involved regarding the korean war

achesons defensive perimeter was undermined by..

the invasion of south korea by north korea

what confirmed the USA’s role in the far east

the san francisco peace treaty between USA and japan september 1951

how did USA diplomatically isolate china

• the USAs refusal to accept china’s entry into the UN

• the enhanced US commitment to protect taiwan

• the creation of the strategic defence perimeter

• the development of a regional alliance system in the shape of SEATO