coldwar- alliances and shifts

what did eisenhower place much greater importance on than truman did

developing allies

what do historians argue the reason for this shift in developing allies was

a means of compensating for the lack of development of conventional US forces

what was eisenhower’s strategy

to create a global network of alliances in order to encircle the USSR and china with pro-US allies - the strategy was based on the USA providing a nuclear umbrella

what was a consequence of eisenhowers strategy

in the medium to long term US forces would be replaced by those of the USAs allies leading to increased reliance on allied military capabilities.

nuclear umbrella

this defined a nuclear capacity that could be used to protect a range of allies; it would be sufficiently wide reaching to ensure that no ally would be endangered and would therefore act as a form of collective deterrence

when was the sino-soviet alliance strengthened

may 1953

how was the sino-soviet alliance strengthened

• the USSR agreed to provide defence-related technology to china

• september-october 1953 -khrushchev visited china as a sign of reinforcement of sino-soviet links

• USSR provided significant economic aid and technological expertise to strengthen china’s economy and national security

dulles brokered a defensive alliance based on southeast asia in september 1954 in response to what?

in response to what seemed to be close sino-soviet relations

SEATO

a collective defence treaty established to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia

SEATO members

• thailand

• pakistan

• UK

• france

• USA

• australia

• new zealand

• philippines

states that might have been deemed to be in need of SEATO protection but weren’t members

• burma

• south vietnam

• laos

• cambodia

what did adenauer recognise was the best way of strengthening his country

to align west germany to the western powers

why was the regeneration of germany supported by the USA

• they saw a strengthened west germany as a safeguard against communist expansionism

• and reliance on the USA would prevent a resurgence of german nationalism and militarism

when did the FRG join the council of europe

november 1949

what was the outcome for the FRG joining the council of europe

received the right to establish consulates in other countries and to have direct representation on the organisation of european economic cooperation (OEEC)

when was the general treaty signed in bonn

may 26, 1952

what did the general treaty signed in bonn do

abolished the statute of occupation and thereby recognised the full sovereignty of the FRG

what did adenauer do in order to placate the french

agreed to renounce nuclear weapons and keep the german army limited in size and under strict civilian control

when did west germany start re-arming

may 1955

when did west germany join NATO

may 1955

why did the FRGs entry into NATO underline the commitment the USA had

• it underlined the centrality of germany as a regional force

• it underlined the concept of regional alliances designed to contain communism as effectively as possible and at the lowest possible cost to the USA

what did the FRG being allowed to rearm and join NATO prompt stalin to do

to further consolidate its relations with the satellite states of eastern europe

when was the warsaw pact created

may 1955

warsaw pact

a collective defense treaty among the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies

how did the USSR view the warsaw pact

as a means of legitimising its influence in eastern europe - just as NATO had legitimised US influence in eastern europe

warsaw pact members

• poland

• USSR

• bulgaria

• czechoslovakia

• romania

• albania

• hungary

• east germany

the warsaw pact was presented as a …

collective security strategy therefore a non-threatening alliance

the warsaw pact served as a..

• military reinforcement of the USSRs satellite structure

• consolidated the political and economic relationship between the USSR and its satellites

what did eisenhower accept/continue from trumans national security policy

• the USA must retain sufficient influence in western europe and there should be a collective western defence strategy which included germany and its economic and military potential

• the USA must retain its influence in asia

• the soviet threat was significant and real and the containment of soviet territorial expansion was fundamental to US security interests

• the USA must retain a strong nuclear arsenal and conventional forces in order to deter and counter soviet opportunism

conventional forces

military resources that are non-nuclear; such forces normally consist of ground troops and air and sea forces , none of which are armed with nuclear technology

what did eisenhower reject from trumans policies

• trumans commitment to a major expansion of the USAs conventional forces

• believed that containment was limited and that its effectiveness was insufficient as the basis of US foreign policy

containment had simly created ..

a stalemate

when was the new look policy introduced

october 1953

the new look

defence policy emphasizing nuclear deterrence and a reduction in conventional military forces , reducing the dominance of soviet communism globally

how did eisenhower and dulles view containment

saw containment as a strategy that demanded a global reaction to any communist expansion that might occur

what changed as a result of the new look policy

increased reliance on nuclear weapons

what did NSC162/2 report emphasise

emphasised the view that the most effective way to deter aggression against western europe was for the USA to forcefully display its determination to use nuclear weapons and its nuclear superiority against any aggressor

how did the USA come to think of brinkmanship

• dulles saw the USAs nuclear arsenal as not only a source of deterrence against soviet attack but it was also a diplomatic tool

• the USA could use its nuclear strength to attempt to force agreements from communist opponents, up to the very point when a nuclear war might break out

• dulles was convinced that the ability to reach the verge of war without actually engaging in war was essential in effective foreign policy and diplomacy against a potential aggressor

brinkmanship

a strategy designed to convince one’s opponent that there is a risk of war or actual conflict ; one side shows no sign of backing down and this is used to force the other side into having to back down or face the prospect of actual conflict

indochina

collectively referring to the region in between china and india; southeast asia

including countries such as cambodia laos north and south vietnam

when did USA support independence from france for indochina

by 1950

when were laos and cambodia granted autonomy

july 1947

when was bao dai returned to power in vietnam

1949

when did ho chi minh proclaim the existence of the democratic republic of vietnam(north vietnam)

1950

who was ho chi minh backed by

stalin and china

by 1952 how many casualties did france suffer in its bid to keep vietnam

90,000 casualties

why was eisenhower committed to supporting the french in vietnam

• southeast asia was seen as a region vulnerable to communism

• wanted to contain communism to protect japan, south korea and taiwan - rather than simply a determination to defend stability in vietnam as an objective of its own right

• vietnam was geostrategically important within the context of southeast asia and it was a useful market place for japanese goods and the strengthening of japans economy - couldn’t lose vietnam to communism

eisenhower was opposed to using what type of forces to support the french

conventional forces

by 1954 how much was USA paying for the costs of the french-vietnamese war

75 percent

what did general mathew ridgway convince eisenhower of about the french-vietnamese war

‘ war in indochina would absorb our troops by divisions’

when and where did the french lose to vietnam

april 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

who supported a diplomatic rather than military approach to the solution of the french-vietnamese war

• USA

• USSR

• china

viet minh

a nationalist and communist military force in vietnam

when did china start supporting the viet minh in its struggle against french colonialism and military

december 1949

what did the viet minh control in vietnam

viet minh controlled much of the rural vietnam

who was instrumental in the creation of an independent north vietnam

viet minh

the outcome of the battle of dien bien phu

• french withdrawal

• a divided vietnam

how long did the battle of dien bien phu last

march to may 1954

why was the battle of dien phu so significant

it was the first time that a non-european nationalist force had defeated elite troops from a european colonial power

when was the geneva conference

july 1954

what was agreed at the geneva conference regarding vietnam

• it was agreed that two zones were to be created with the 17th parallel serving as the dividing line between the two

• french forces were to move out of the northern zone while the nationalist forces were to withdraw from the southern zone

• this division was not intended to be permanent

• national elections were to take place in two years

who initially refused to sign the agreements regarding vietnam at geneva

the USA and South Vietnam government refused

who was the new president of south vietnam

ngo dinh diem

what did USA want for south vietnam

the existence of a pro-american independent non-communist government in vietnam - and aiding such a government to eliminate pro-communist subversion and influence