USA BOOK 3: The Cold War 1945-75

When was Harry Truman president?

1945 - 1953

[Post-War priorities - Context] What was decided about Berlin at Yalta in 1945?

divided amongst the allies

[Post-War priorities - Context] Where was the USSR spreading?

Spreading into eastern europe

[Post-War priorities - Context] Why had the USSR spread into eastern europe after the war?

• USSR wanted the security of knowing that it could not be attacked without warning again.

• Best way to do this was to control its neighbours so they might act as a buffer zone between the USSR and the rest of europe

[Post-War priorities - Context] In comparison to Roosevelt, was Truman more or less harsh on stalin and why?

more - did not have the experiences of working together with Stalin against a common enemy

[Post-War priorities - Context] what percentage of the USSR’s loss of life had America suffered and why is this significant to rising tensions?

less than 2% - Roosevelt had considered this fact in response to soviet demands, Truman did not

[Post-War priorities - Context] What was Stalin imposing on many countries ‘liberated’ from Nazi influence

imposing communist regimes

[Post-War priorities - Context] Give an example of Stalin imposing communist regimes

Romania - at a meeting with the Soviet deputy foreign minister, the King was given two hours to introduce a pro-communist government

[Post-War priorities - Context] What did USSR’s involvement in neighbourhood countries seem like to Truman?

the USSR was not just to protect its borders from any future invasion, but rather to control the whole of Europe.

[Post-War priorities - Context] When was Churchill’s iron curtain speech?

1946

[Post-War priorities - Truman Doctrine] When was it and what did it signify?

1947 - marked the beginning of cold war

[Post-War priorities - Truman Doctrine] What did it state?

offered support for countries struggling against communism

[Post-War priorities - Truman Doctrine] what did it seem to imply?

the USA would stem the spread of communism ‘support free peoples who are resisting’

[Post-War priorities - Truman Doctrine] Where did it first apply?

• Greece

• USA gave aid to the non-communist forces

• Greece did not become communist, hence the first intervention appeared successful

[Post-War priorities - Marshall Aid] What was it?

A package to help european countries recover from the effects of the second world war

[Post-War priorities - Marshall Aid] What organisation was set up to spend this money and who was not part of it?

OEEC - USSR was not part of it

[Post-War priorities - Marshall Aid] What was the aid in part intended to do?

help countries to recover their prosperity so communism would loose its appeal

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What was the situation of the separated allied occupied zones in 1948?

• Three western sectors = co-operating and recovery was well on the way through Marshall Aid.

• Soviet zone = remained poor. Increasingly, it was having communism imposed upon it

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What did the Western zones introduce in June 1948?

A new currency - the Deutschmark

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What was Stalin’s response to the Deutschmark?

Stalin ordered all transport links with the West cut

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] Why did Stalin order transport links to be cut?

he believed he could blockade Berlin into accepting communist rule and therefore make Berlin part of the future communist East German state.

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What did Britain and the USA organise in retaliation?

an airlift of essential supplies to the city under siege

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] By March 1949, how many tons of supplies per day were being delivered despite Soviet threats to the aircraft which were having to fly through communist-controlled airspace?

8000

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What did Stalin do on the 9th May?

Called off the blockade

[Berlin Airlift 1948-49] What was the siginficance of the airlift?

It appeared in the first great confrontation, the USA had won

[NATO] What did the Berlin Crisis (airlift) confirm for Truman that led to the formation of NATO?

the commitment to containment in Europe and highlighted the soviet threat to western europe

[NATO] When was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation signed?

April 1949

[NATO] what was NATO’s main purpose?

prevent soviet expansion

[NATO] What did countries part of the organisation agree?

an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or north america would be considered an attack against them all

[Korean War] When was it?

1950-53

[Korean War] Following WW2, Korea was split into North and South. Which half supported the USA?

South

[Korean War] What did North korea support?

communism

[Korean War] What happened in March 1950?

North invaded south

[Korean War] UN forces were sent to stop the invasion in the North. The vast majority were under an American commander, what was his name?

General Douglas MacArthur

[Korean War] What did MacArthur urge UN forces to do after liberating the south?

invade the north, despite warnings from china

[Korean War] Truman fired MacArthur for going beyond his instructions. What was the consequence of this?

People accused him of being soft on communism

[Korean War] Who became involved in the war?

china

[Korean War] What did the war become after China’s involvement?

A stalemate for 3 years

[Korean War] How many troops did USA loose?

27,000

[Korean War] How many troops did Korea loose?

1 million

[Korean War] What did the USA realise as a consequence of the war?

communism is global

When was Eisenhower president?

1953 - 1961

What was domino theory that Eisenhower spoke of?

the belief that if one state fell to communism it would quickly be followed by neighbouring states

[Korean War] How did it end?

Not 100% peace but agreed neutrality

[consequences of the Korean War] What theory becomes the prevailing view?

domino theory

[consequences of the Korean War] What was domino theory used to justify?

full US involvement in the vietnam war

[consequences of the Korean War] hostility between what countries incresed?

Sino-American = china got involved aiding North Korea which increased hostility

[consequences of the Korean War] A second wave of what began?

McCarthyism - large fear of communism spreading

[consequences of the Korean War] There was a debate between containment vs ‘Roll back’. What did these terms mean?

• Containment = let communist countries stay but no expand

• Roll Back = reduce number of communist countries

[consequences of the Korean War] what did relations with china look like from now?

Relations worsened - USA put a trade embargo on china and kept it out of the UN

Who was Eisenhower’s Secretary of State?

John Foster Dulles

Did Eisenhower and Dulles adopt a containment or roll back policy?

roll back

[Geneva Conference] When was it?

April - July 1954

[Geneva Conference] Who met?

• USA

• USSR

• Britain

• France

[Geneva Conference] Why was it held?

to discuss Korea and Indochina

[Geneva Conference] What was agreed re. French troops?

ceasefire declared and french troops withdrawn

[Geneva Conference] What was agreed re. Laos and Cambodia?

established as independent states

[Geneva Conference] What was agreed re. Vietnam?

Divided into communist North and Capitalist South (Bac Oai’s regime in the south)

[Geneva Conference] What was the reaction?

Eisenhower provided aid to south while battling the communist North

[Geneva Summit] When was it?

1955

[Geneva Summit] What was its significance?

First east-west summit of the cold war that helped to shape superpower relations

[Geneva Summit] What was NOT agreed re. Germany?

Soviets plans to neutralise germany rejected

[Geneva Summit] What was NOT agreed re. European security?

replacing NATO and Warsaw agreement with collective security agreements

When was the Warsaw Agreement?

May 14, 1955

Why was the Warsaw agreement made?

created in response to the West German entry into NATO, aiming to create a counterbalance to the Western alliance. 

What was the Warsaw Agreement?

A military alliance of communist states in Eastern Europe

[Geneva Summit] What was NOT agreed re. Open Skies?

Eisenhower wanted to be allowed to take pictures of each other’s bases but this was rejected

[Geneva Summit] How significant was the ‘Geneva’ Spirirt

changed relations between superpowers and which allowed them to discuss issues without war

Who succeeded Stalin as leader of the Soviet union and when did this happen?

Nikita Khrushchev - 1955

What was the Eisenhower doctrine and when was it written?

1957 - stated that the USA would intervene in the Middle East if any govt. threatened by a communist takeover asked for help

What was the The New Look? (also known as ‘more bangs for the buck’)

• the reliance on superior air power and nuclear weapons for use in limited wards thus making a sting on the cost of conventional forces

• threat of nuclear weapons would be sufficient to deter aggression

• if nuclear threat could not be carried out then grounds forces would have to be used

[Eisenhower and Khrushchev] What did Khrushchev do in May 1955?

Signed the Austrian Peace Treaty under which the four occupying powers at last got out of Austria, which became an independent and neutral state

[Eisenhower and Khrushchev] What was the significance of the Austrian Peace Treaty?

The Soviet Union surrendered territory for the first time since WW2

[Eisenhower and Khrushchev] What did Eisenhower think about Khrushchev’s peace treaties?

was not convinced - confirmed by events in hungary

[Hungary] What did Khrushchev begin in 1956?

a policy of relaxing the controls stalin had imposed on eastern europe

[Hungary] What did Khrushchev do when moderate communists in Hungary threatened to leave the warsaw pact?

sent in tanks to quell the rebellion and replaced the leader with a more acceptable one

[Hungary] Did america intervene and why?

no - risks of intervention were thought to be too high. Moreover, the USA was preoccupied with the Suez crisis

[Berlin] What problems was Khrushchev facing in Germany?

• west refused to recognise the legitimacy of the east german state

• america, britain, and france used west berlin for espionage and sabotage

[Berlin] How did Khrushchev try to force the west to recognise east germany?

• by threatening to give east germany control of the west’s access routes to west berlin

• gave the west an ultimatum that they must do something about west berlin within six months or face dire consequences (backed down when it became clear the west would stand firm)

[Berlin] When did Khrushchev and Eisenhower have their first ever summit meeting and what did they make no progress on?

September 1959 - made no progress on Berlin

[Berlin] Khrushchev hoped for a Berlin agreement at the Paris Summit in 1960 however this failed. Why?

• just before the meeting, the soviet union shot down a U-2 American spy-plane and captured the pilot, Gary powers.

• Eisenhower was forced to admit the planes intent

• Khrushchev refused to attend the summit.

[Suez] When did Egyptian leader Gamal Nasser take control of the Suez canal?

July 1956

[Suez] Why is the suez important?

important trade waterway that gave a quicker route from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean

[Suez] What did Britain and France do in response to Nasser taking control of the canal?

invaded the Canal Zone with the help of israel

[Suez] How did Eisenhower feel about the French/British invasion?

• he was furious they had acted without keeping him informed

• he wanted to keep in with the Arab nations, believing the western world needed their oil and friendship against the communist bloc/

[Suez - results of the crisis] What did the crisis illustrate?

Britain and France were no longer world powers and were heavily dependent on the USA

[Suez - results of the crisis] What involvement did the crisis increase?

American involvement in the Middle East

[Suez - results of the crisis] What doctrine came about as a result of the crisis and what did it say?

• Jan 1957 - Eisenhower doctrine

• asked congress for military and economic aid for any Middle East country that was threatened by aggression or subversion

[Suez - results of the crisis] What countries turned increasingly to the USSR and why?

Egypt and Syria - due to anglo-french actions reminding them of the western colonial mentality

[China] When was the US involved in the Chinese Civil War?

1945-49

[China] How were the US involved in the war?

gave aid to Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalists in their struggle against Mao and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

[China] What did the US refuse to do and what did they do instead?

• formally recognise the People’s Republic of China

• instead, the US maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China government in Taiwan, recognising it as the sole legitimate govt of China.

[China] What did Dulles insist under Eisenhower?

• The Chinese Communism was more threatening than Soviet Communism.

• China had more people and greater cultural influence and prestige in Asia

[China] Who ran the Chinese Communist Party?

Mao

[China] What did Mao think about capitalism and America?

hated capitalism and felt that America was imperialistic and resented American aid to Chiang during and after the Civil War

[China] How did the US interpret the Korean war in relation to china?

• Interpreted it as a sign that Chinese-sponsored Communism was expansionist and threatened US security.

• It convinced America that China was determined to aid revolutions throughout the world.

[China] How did China interpret the korean war?

a sign that the US was aggressive, wanted to get a foothold on the Asian mainland and was likely to attack china itself

[China] What happened to American relations with China after the Korean war?

continued to deteriorate

[China] How did relations with China worsen after the Korean war?

• US put a trade embargo on China and kept it out of the United Nations

• established military bases in Taiwan

• US-Taiwan Defence Treaty (1954)

[China] What did Mao think of the US-Taiwan Defence Treaty

infuriated by it - Eisenhower hinted in public that he was considering the use of atomic weapons to protect Taiwan. Mao backed down.