International Relations Unit 5 Beginnings of the Cold

International Relations Unit 5 Beginnings of the Cold War

Yalta Conference u War time meeting in February of 1945 between: • • • United States: Franklin Roosevelt United Kingdom: Winston Churchill Soviet Union: Josef Stalin

Yalta Conference (Con’t) Goal of the conference was to establish an agenda for post-war Germany u • • Soviet’s felt they held the upper hand in the conference because the Red Army was 65 miles from Berlin FDR hoped to gain Stalin’s commitment to the UN u • Also hoped to get Soviet assurance for support in the Pacific theater Churchill pushed for free democratic elections in eastern and central Europe u Stalin sought Soviet sphere of influence in those countries • Especially Poland

Yalta Conference (Con’t) u Poland • Stalin believed a strong Poland as the keystone to Soviet peace u Yet agreed to allow free-democratic elections • Later reneged and installed a communist puppet regime • u Red Army strongly held much of Eastern Europe at this time as well The Big Three reinforced the spheres-of-influence philosophy post-war

“A Novel Burden Far From Our Shores” Truman administration between 1945 and 1953 turned traditional U. S. foreign policy assumptions upside down u • • Unilateralism gave way to multilateralism Through the containment policy: u u u Signed a host of international commitments Mounted peacetime military buildup Created many new programs

Second World War u Left a broad swath of destruction and human misery through the world • • Nearly 60 Million people killed Cities lay in ruins, factories demolished or idle, roads and bridges destroyed, fields unplowed

Second World War (Con’t) Japan, Italy, Germany were defeated and reduced to second-rank powers u • Only the United States and the Soviet Union emerged from the war capable of wielding significant influence beyond their borders Middle East and South-SE Asia erupted into revolutions against their onetime colonial masters u • War created the rise and fall of new factions within many countries, increasing instability u Also allowing intervention from U. S. and Soviets

Additional Changes Advances in transportation drastically shrank distances u • Especially the expansion of aviation Atomic Bomb destabilized international relations u • Many feared that a new war using Nuclear Bombs could be more devastating than WWII Only the U. S. emerged stronger and richer at WWII’s end u • • It alone possessed atomic weapons UN was located in New York City A New Manifest Destiny u • “We are now concerned with the peace of the entire world” u To straighten out the mess made by the Europeans

Truman Became president following the death of FDR u • Which FDR had kept Truman in the dark in concerns to public and foreign policy Saw a complex world in black-and-white terms u • • Viewed people, races, and nations through stereotypes and sometimes ethnic slurs He preferred blunt talk to the silky tones of diplomacy u Also used his subordinates much more frequently than FDR

Truman (Con’t) u Sought to use James Byrnes who was FDR “Special Assistant” and had been present at Yalta • However used unilateralism, hurt him in the long run

U. S. Fears u • After V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day), the U. S. was at the pinnacle of power Yet felt insecure and threatened from events in “Korea to Timbuktu” Feared that an aggressive Stalin might exploit global instability Thus branding the one-time ally an enemy Americans felt that the atomic monopoly wielded them enormous power over other countries Yet the Soviets balked at threats to their own national interests

Soviet’s Power u Eastern Europe played a critical role in the postwar transformation of American attitudes toward the USSR • • u Moves to nationalize major industries was seen as a threat to a healthy world economy, according to the U. S. Political oppression and limited press increased U. S. fears Over western allies protests, the Soviets kept troops in Iran and Manchuria

Stalin u The Soviet dictator was a cruel tyrant who presided over a brutal police state • • He Ruthlessly promoted his own power and security of his state Determined to have friendly governments, or buffer zones u u To guard against German threat “He was devious yet cautious, opportunistic yet prudent, ideological yet pragmatic. ”

Council of Foreign Ministers u u u Met in Moscow in December of 1945 Reinforced sphere-of-influence principles in regards to East Asia and Eastern Europe Even developed a proposal for international control of atomic energy • Truman viewed this agreement as an “Appeasement Document”

Council of Foreign Ministers (Con’t) u Began a more hard-line foreign policy of tough talk and no concessions • Actions the following months only reinforced that U. S. -Soviet differences were irreconcilable

Long Telegram An eight-thousand word missive that assessed Soviet policies in the most gloomy and ominous fashion u • Written by George F. Kennan Stressed that Communist ideology reinforced traditional Russian expansionism u • Confirmed the futility and even danger of further negotiations and prepared the way for a policy called the “Containment Policy” u Using military, economic and political mechanisms to deter the spread of Communism

Sinews of Peace On March 5, 1945 Winston Churchill gave a speech in Fulton, Missouri at Westminster College Churchill warned that from “Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the (European) Continent” u u • u The coining of a phrase used during the rest of the Cold War Initially the speech was received very negatively by many in the U. S.

Germany Throughout 1945 -46 the former allies attempted to negotiate a peace treaty u • However their actions spoke louder than words u u u Soviet vengeful treatment of Germans, promotion of leftist political parties, incessant demand for additional reparations, all reinforced U. S. suspicions The western occupation zones merged, among loud Soviet protests Byrnes gave speech in September 1946 stating U. S. intentions to preserve and protect a democratic Germany

Achieving Grand Goals u Unprecedented economic aid programs were developed to combat ongoing insurgencies and clear up breeding grounds of economic want in which they believed Communism would flourish • Formed an alliance with Western European nations that involved a binding commitment to intervene militarily u U. S. canceled some of the UK war debt

The Cold Warriors Byrnes retired as Secretary of State and was replaced by George C. Marshall u • Greatly supported by Dean Acheson and Kennan u • Known as the Wise Elihu Root They were appalled by Marxist Dogma and Soviet totalitarianism New task was to restructure government for a new era of global involvement u • Organize its institutions and mobilize its resources to wage the Cold War Passed the National Security Act of July 1947 u • Created the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency

A Containment Policy u u Economic and military aid were given to Greece and Turkey A Leftist victory could have a bandwagon effect on the already fragile political institutions in France and Italy as well • Could create a Domino Effect u U. S. assumption in all the revolutions, that the Soviets had a hand in the rise of leftist groups

A Containment Policy (Con’t) u Became known as the Truman Doctrine • The U. S. needed to “Support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures. ” u Became the foundation for interventionism throughout the Cold War

Marshall Plan u United States, unlike the years following WWI, gave in huge sums, money to help stabilize Europe • • Viewed Germany as most vital to European recovery Americans pushed European countries to integrate their economies and to create multilateral trade

Marshall Plan (Con’t) u The Marshall Plan was passed in April 1948, with the price tag of $13 Billion • • u Provided capital to Western Europe without sparking inflation Started the process of integration that led to the Common Market and ultimately the European Union One of the Most successful 20 th century initiatives

Covert Operations u • Truman Administration employed many of its new national security mechanism, including CIA covert operations, in order to prevent Communist victories Successful initially during the Italian election of 1948, producing an inflated faith in the utility of covert operations Operation Rollback sought to use sabotage, guerrilla operations and propaganda to stir up rebellion in Soviet Bloc countries Results were disastrous u Either spies were captured or rebellions did not receive the type of support they anticipated from the U. S.

Berlin Airlift u • In July 1948, when U. S. began moving western Germany toward a nation, the Soviets sealed access to the city of Berlin by highway, rail and water Blockade posed a major challenge for the U. S. and its allies u • Created a volatile situation in which the slightest misstep could provoke conflict U. S. for eleven months flew 250 missions a day around the clock in order to maintain some semblance of a functioning economy in west Berlin u This action greatly backfired on Stalin and backed down from the blockade

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Started after Britain and four European nations formed the Brussels Pact u • A mutual defense treaty Europeans feared Soviet intimidation and subversion more than its military power, thus seeking support from U. S. and Canada u • Nations would join together to protect one another from Communist intervention, using force if necessary u U. S. Senate approved the treaty in July 1949

Cold War Policies in Latin America U. S. shifted from neglect to concern to active involvement centered around Anti -Communism u • • However initially gave limited technical assistance, loans, private capital, and increased trade Created the Organization of American States to enforce regional security u u Passed an anti-Communist resolution sponsored by the U. S. delegation U. S. viewed Latin America as especially susceptible to Communist penetration

Cold War Policies in the Middle East u • • In dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict, the U. S. was in a difficult position Recognize an independent Israel in the Palestinian territory Refuse Recognition of an independent Israel u u • Either way isolate a either group and allow the Soviets an opportunity to gain more supporters Ultimately the U. S. recognized the new Jewish government within eleven minutes of it’s establishment Infuriated the Arabs and represented the first step in building what would be the U. S. Israelis special relationship

Cold War Policies in East Asia Marshall, before being tapped to Secretary of State, was sent to negotiate a truce between Nationalist Chiang Kai. Shek and Communist Mao Zedong u • Tried to create a “U. S. styled Democracy, ” with Chiang Kai-Shek having the upper hand u Considered by many the most thankless missions every undertaken by a U. S. diplomat

Cold War Policies in East Asia (Con’t) u • • u • Nationalist began collapsing, creating a difficult situation for U. S. officials Intervene to prevent the spread of Communism? Ultimately they viewed that Chiang was insufficient as leader and that China was a “Secondary Theater” Japan gained even more importance following the demise of the Nationalist within China U. S. General Douglas Mac. Arthur was given the task of creating a “Switzerland of the Pacific” in Japan

Cold War Policies in East Asia (Con’t) u Vietnam Revolution against France • 1949 U. S. recognized the French puppet government headed by emperor Bao Dai u Vietnamese independence movement was headed by longtime Communist operative Ho Chi Minh • U. S. viewed Ho as a puppet of the Kremlin

The Tumultuous Years from 1949 -1950 A series of stunning events sharply escalated Soviet-American tensions u • Truman administration officials globalize the containment policy u • Assumed commitments in the world wide struggle against Communism and increased full-scale, peacetime rearmament Soviet explosion of an atomic bomb in September 1949 challenged the U. S. superiority u U. S. began development of the Hydrogen Bomb, even more powerful than the Atomic Bomb

The Tumultuous Years from 1949 -1950 (Con’t) u A series of stunning events sharply escalated Soviet-American tensions (Con’t) • Fall of China seemed to shift power struggle toward Communism u Began creating domestic turmoil in U. S. over “Communist sympathizers… undermined efforts… within the State Department • Began the Red Scare by Joseph R. Mc. Carthy

The Tumultuous Years from 1949 -1950 (Con’t) u NSC-68 • Drafted in late 1949 that proclaimed defending freedom across the world in order to save it at home u Painted a zero-sum world in which any gain for Communism was automatically a loss for the “Free World” • Pressed for shoring up Western European countries • Huge boost to defense spending

Korean War Conflict began from occupation zones hastily carved out at WWII’s end u • • Divided between U. S. and Soviet at 38 th parallel Regimes emerged in each zone bearing the distinct imprint of the occupying power u u • U. S. backed Syngman Rhee Soviets supported Communist zealot Kim Il-Sung Initially U. S. left South Korea out of its “Defense Perimeter” u However Communist victory in China reinforced necessity in a buffer through Korea

Korean War (Con’t) u Kim Il-Sung pressed Stalin for the go-ahead to invade the South • u Stalin approved it provided that Kim got a quick victory To Soviet surprise, the Truman administration responded promptly • Received UN support to back the military of the South Koreans

Korean War (Con’t) Though the South was initially losing, UN commander General Mac. Arthur devised a plan for an amphibious assault on the northern coastline u • An incredibly dangerous plan, that was extremely successful u • However Chinese intervention by 1950 ultimately helped stall the war near the 38 th parallel u • u The South pushed the North Koreans back to the 38 th Parallel Ultimately the fighting ended under Eisenhower Mac. Arthur was suspended for insubordination before wars end Major victory for Chinese Communist party

Coexistence and Crises, 19531961 u By March 6, 1953 Joseph Stalin was pronounced dead • His death, along with the development of nuclear weapons, fundamentally changed the Cold War u New leaders on both sides struggled to cope with a more complex and menacing world

Coexistence and Crises, 19531961 (Con’t) By 1950’s, the Cold War was prominently between the U. S. and Soviet Union u • Each side saw each other as completely hostile u • They used imaginable weapons, alliances, economic and military aid, espionage, proxy wars, targeted assassinations and arms race Both sides primarily chose to wage conflict through client states, diplomacy, propaganda, and threats of force

Coexistence and Crises, 19531961 (Con’t) u During this time nearly 100 new nations were created • Created a fertile breeding ground for great power competition u • These countries were labeled “Third World” Countries Areas were used for proxy wars

Life Post-WWII U. S. citizens were accustomed to conscription u • Through a global network of alliances, the U. S. was committed to defend forty-two nations Intelligence agencies used any means to monitor USSR actions u u • u Nearly 3. 5 million people were serving through the draft To win global competition for hearts and minds, Americans stationed abroad helped grow crops, build schools, train military personnel, and manipulate the outcome of elections Public relations firms sought to boost their U. S. images and secure maximum economic and military assistance

Communist Hysteria Communist threat created a near hysterical fear and suspicion that “…Communist were everywhere…” u • “Busy undermining your government, plotting to destroy your liberties and try to aid the Soviet Union U. S. government deported real and suspected Communists and even encouraged citizens to spy on each other u • Church membership soared during this period as well u Dwight D. Eisenhower had “In God We Trust” added to coins

Communist Hysteria (Con’t) Some U. S. officials viewed the Cold war as equivalent to a holy war Republican Joseph R. Mc. Carthy wreaked havoc through investigations of alleged Communist influence in the government u u • Claimed to have the names of known communist operatives within the U. S. government other influential positions u • Ultimately became so ridiculous that Congress censured him Ultimately ruining the lives of many dedicated public servants and eliminated much of its expertise on East Asia

A New U. S. Cast u Dwight D. Eisenhower • • Personified the values the nation clung to under external threat Also had a lifetime of experience in the national security matters that now held top priority u • He kept his military advisers at arm’s length Had the NSC meet weekly or more

A New U. S. Cast (Con’t) u John Foster Dulles • Became the nation’s Secretary of State u • Related to previous famous secretary of states A cool pragmatist with a sophisticated view of the world and ample tactical skills

Handling Post-Stalin USSR u • • New leaders Molotov, Beria and Malenkov attempted to shift toward a less confrontational mode with the U. S. However coolly received by U. S. officials viewed the peace overtures by USSR as designed to undermine Western morale and hold back Western rearmament Yet U. S. officials began moving away from NSC-68 toward The NEW LOOK strategy Relied more heavily on nuclear weapons and collective security to maintain the containment policy Also believed even greater in propaganda and psychological warfare

East Asian Success and New Problems Eisenhower was able to negotiate an end to fighting on the Korean peninsula u • Yet there has never been an actual peace treaty Indochina became the new hotspot for the Cold War u • • In 1954 France’s 8 year war against the Communist-led Vietminh seemed to be tipping away from France U. S. sought to help due to the famous domino theory, u Warning that if Vietnam should fall to the Communist, the rest of SE Asia might soon follow • Possibly leaving affects in Middle East and Japan

East Asian Success and New Problems (Con’t) u Indochina became the new hotspot for the Cold War (Con’t) • Despite agreements reached at Geneva to allow free elections, the U. S. the non-communist leaders refusal to participate in the national elections u • Fear that he would lose to Ho Chi Minh Dulles negotiated the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) u Similar in design and purpose to NATO

East Asian Success and New Problems (Con’t) China-Taiwan u • • U. S. in 1955, fearful of Chinese intentions, recognized Chiang Kai-Shek’s establishment of an independent country on the island of Taiwan With yet another country, we signed a mutual-protection agreement u • Today still a hot-bed issue Possibly the start of Chinese desire for Nuclear weapons

Eastern Europe u Even more fervently, Eisenhower used psychological warfare to win hearts and minds in Eastern Europe • • Used the Radio Free European radio station, despite jamming by the Soviet Union These actions encouraged the Eastern Europeans countries to revolt, ultimately unsuccessfully u Sobered U. S. expectations for quick uprisings in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe (Con’t) The United States during the 1950’s even initiated cultural exchanges with the Soviet Union and blocs u • Music and especially jazz became a powerful weapon in the new arsenal of liberation u • 1955, Voice of America’s “Music of America, ” reached an estimated thirty million people in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe Became a very powerful tool to gain positive recognition of the U. S. throughout Eastern Europe

Arab-Israeli Conflict u By 1955, Krushchev had struck an arms deal with Egypt • Helped increase the West’s fear of Arab nationalism might veer to the left and that the West must work to keep them from Soviet influence u In return, U. S. signed an arms deal with Israel

Arab-Israeli Conflict (Con’t) u Eisenhower and Dulles deepened U. S. involvement in the Middle East • Military bases, lines of communication and huge reservoirs of oil u u Mounted covert operations to overthrow unfriendly governments However not realizing the amount of hate throughout the Middle East

Arab-Israeli Conflict (Con’t) u Iranian nationalist took control of British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company • • U. S. officials used interventionism, yet blurring the lines between local nationalism and communism Eisenhower called for CIA to overthrow the Prime Minister of Iran u Replaced him with the Shah • A friendly government, yet ended up becoming a brutal dictatorship u Tried same thing in Syria, however unsuccessfully

Arab-Israeli Conflict (Con’t) u In 1954, signed the Baghdad Pact with Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan • • Viewed by some as the West’s new form of imperialism Yet, most Arabian countries viewed Israel as a “cancer, ” and must be removed u The more the U. S. pressed for peace, the more strained Arab-Israeli relations became

Suez Canal of 1956 u In 1952, Nasser overthrew British puppet King Farouk in Egypt • U. S. sought to win him over by giving $400 million to help build a dam at Aswan on the Nile u u U. S. reneged due to Nasser seeking Soviet support as well Nasser then in 1956 overthrew British controllers of the Suez Canal

Suez Canal of 1956 (Con’t) In 1952, Nasser overthrew British puppet King Farouk in Egypt (Con’t) u • On October 29, 1956 (Supported, but not by France and the U. S. ) Israel attacked and seize the Sinai and Gaza without significant opposition u u The West threatened to use sanctions against Israel and Soviet threatened to unleash rockets against London and Paris Through the Eisenhower doctrine, interventionism, Nasser became the “Champion of Arabs”

Latin America U. S. rebuffed Latin American pleas for a hemispheric Marshall plan u • Insisted instead that modest loans and private investment were the correct path to economic development u Also warned about the dangers of Communism U. S. also continued to support dictators, as long as they were friendly u • Continued the practicing dating back to the 1920’s

Latin America (Con’t) u Operation PBSUCCESS in 1954 was used to overthrow the Guatemalan government • • Mainly successful due to Arbenz resigning, fearful of U. S. doing anything to get rid of him The success of this operation created complacency and confidence in overthrowing unfriendly governments

Cuban Relations The rise of Fidel Castro, and his lean toward Soviet Union, brought the Cold War into the U. S. backyard u • With U. S. support, Fulgencio Batista governed oppressively in Cuba u • Fidel had tried in both 1953 and 1956 to overthrow U. S. dominance u • The Platt amendment had been reneged by 1934, however the U. S. domination continued Ended disastrously Finally on January 1, 1959, Fidel rode triumphantly into Havana on a tank given to Batista by the U. S.

Cuban Relations (Con’t) Castro sought to free Cuba from U. S. domination and eventually saw the Soviet Union as a means to that end u • • He legalized the Communist Party, executed Batista supporters, purchased weapons from the Soviet Union In response the U. S. began the Social Progress Trust Fund to help stabilize Latin America u However U. S. launched a full-scale economic warfare, including trade embargo, broke relations, and sought to mobilize opposition groups

Beginnings of a Cooling, or Détente At the end of Eisenhower’s 2 nd term, politicians began questioning his foreign policy, specifically the New Look Program u • October 4, 1957 Soviet Union launched Sputnik u u • It created a sense of profound vulnerability Also used by Democrats like JFK, who said the U. S. was dangerously behind the Soviet Union in weapons of mass destruction In response he created NASA, and ordered the construction of super-secret underground bunker complexes

Beginnings of a Cooling, or Détente (Con’t) u Both Khrushchev and Eisenhower began to come to agreements on nuclear disarmament and inspection • Khrushchev was invited to the U. S. in the fall of 1959 u • Ended at Camp David (Named after Eisenhower’s grandson) Meetings brought forth worldwide hope for peace

Beginnings of a Cooling, or Détente (Con’t) u On May 1, 1960 all hopes for quick peace were destroyed when a U. S. spy plane (U-2) was shot down over the Soviet Union • • Constituted an act of war Ultimately each side hardened their stance toward the other, substantially ending negotiations u Used, among other things, to usher in JFK to office

Consequences of the Actions From 1950 u u While covert actions seemed necessary and sometimes successful, it left longterm negative feelings throughout the world The Eisenhower administration left massive problems for the Kennedy and Johnson administration, that would lead to the most dangerous period of the Cold War