bac blanc 2 key issues

Key issue 1

“I do not believe that Soviet Russia desires war. What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines.” – Winston Churchill, 5 March 1946

How far do you agree with Winston Churchill that the Soviets are mainly to blame for the origins of the Cold War?

I) USSR Responsibility

→ Expansion in Eastern Europe: Poland, Hungary, Romania: Breaks promises of Yalta Conference

→  Iran Crisis (1946)

→ Ideology: natural conflict; Spread of communism seen as threat

→ Kennan’s Long telegram: USSR=suspicious, expansionist, security

II) USA Responsibility

→ End of isolationism: global power after 1945 → threatens USSR

→ Containment: Truman Doctrine.

→ Marshall Plan (1947): “economic imperialism”

→ Atomic diplomacy: intimidate USSR

→  Truman: More aggressive than Roosevelt → tensions

III) Shared Responsibility

→ Power vacuum in Europe

→ Soviet security needs

→  Misperception: defence as aggression (Greek Civil War)

→ Factors: Churchill’s speech, communist parties

→ Institutionalisation

Key issue 2 

How important was the Korean War in China’s relations with the rest of the world?

I) Isolation from the West

→ US as principal enemy: leader of “western imperialism”

→ containment: US 7th Fleet to Taiwan, alliances ANZUS (1951), SEATo (1954)

→Eco containement: allies coordinated embargoes (COCOM, CHINCOM)

→ Japan: US-J security treaty (1951) → war accelerated economic revival

II) Sino-Soviet Relations

→ Leaning to one side: closer to USSR → military support

→ Unequal: USSR fewer casualties, loans → subordinate

→ Atomic ambition: war accelerated atomic ambition, USSr refused to help → beginning of SIno-soviet split

III) Regional Prestige, Military Credibility, and Domestic Shifts

→ Military prestige:  halts UN/US advance → credibility for Bandung

→ Foreign policy: militarisation, harder towards foreigners, strategic outreach to non-aligned countries

→

Key issue 5 

How far was the foreign political strategy of France and Great Britain towards totalitarian regimes in the early 1930s misguided?

I) Misguided: encouraged aggression

→ Hitler: TofV, remarmement, Lebensraum, uniting ALL germans

→ Japan: Manchuria ; Italy: ABysinnia

=> Weak repsonses from UK&Fr: Anglo german naval aggr → G rearm

II) Understandable: serious constrainst

→ trauma of WII: public opposed

→ GD: weakened economies, limited military

→ Ideology: comunism and USSR bigger threat

III) Poor judgement + missed opportunities

→ Chamberlain: overestimated capacity to restrain H, see ideology

→ Fr&Uk: failed alliance with SU

=> allwoed G t ogrwo stronger

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