Preview

Cold War Foreign Policy Notes

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3814 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cold War Foreign Policy Notes
Cold War Notes (Chapt. 26/27)
Pages 803-812 (Truman) Anti-communism and Containment, 1946-1952 late ‘46 tensions rose between U.S and USSR
‘shotgun wedding’ dissolved after defeat of Germany and Japan misunderstandings of gov’s→ powers sought greater security→ feeding fears→ Cold War
Polarization and Cold War
U.S and USSR fought over destiny of Eastern Europe
Stalin→ Soviet Sphere of Influence
Saw as crucial to Russian Society wanted to end USSR’s vulnerability to invasions from the West called for demilitarized Germany buffer zone of nations friendly to Russia in the West believed same as U.S influence in West Europe, Latin America, and Japan
FDR and Churchill agreed to Soviet Zone at Yalta
Red army occupied half of Europe after WWII put puppet gov’s→ Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania established commi regimes→ Albania and Yugoslavia nominally independent
Poland
barred free elections suppressed democratic parties ignored Declaration of Liberated Europe
USSR and US view’s of sphere of influence clashed
Truman
Saw USSR Sphere of Influence as
Violation of national self-determination
Betrayal of democracy
Cover for communist aggression believed spheres of influence precipitated both world wars only new world order based on self-determination of all nations cooperating peacefully in the United Nations could bring peace
Didn’t want to appear ‘soft on communism’ accepting ‘enforced sovietization’--> betray war aims put nations under another totalitarian dictatorship just after Hitler’s defeat hurt U.S businesses→ create lack of exports/access to raw materials
Democrats→ bring political disaster if he went back on Yalta agreements
Polish/ Eastern European-Americans keenly interested in fate of their homelands
Foreign Policy sought to ‘establish the kind of world we want to live in’
-November 1945 State Department doc encouraged by U.S monopoly of atomic weapons eager to demonstrate his command
The Iron
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Truman's Foreign Policy During The Cold War
    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page

    Truman's Foreign Policy During The Cold War

    Many Americans believed that Truman's foreign policy did not work. China had fallen to communist, and the American troops had been sent across the pacific to fight in the Korean War. During the cold war, it shaped the way Eisenhower's thinking from the moment he started office. He was convinced that the key to victory in the cold war was a strong economy, not just the army. Then, The Korean War had convinced Eisenhower that the US cold not contain communism by fighting a series of small wars. The best way to do prevent unpopular and expensive wars, was to threaten to use nuclear weapons if a communist state tried to seize territory by force. Which was known as Massive retaliation. He began to develop of intercontiental ballistic massiles that…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Reagan Administration's Foreign Policy During The Cold War
    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Reagan Administration's Foreign Policy During The Cold War

    The Cold War took off after the end of the Second World War when the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two global dominant superpowers each grasping ideologies that were dichotomous from each other. This adverse relationship continued for half a century and the clash of two distinct and differing political ideologies of communism and capitalism saw no clear conclusion or victory for either side. The tense atmosphere resonated not only in the United States and the Soviet Union, but also around the world and into space. For most of the fifty years of the cold war, the ideological struggle and the many indirect physical conflicts between the West and the Soviet Union were in a deadlock with no visible success of either side. However,…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Annotated Bibliography: New Cold War
    • 1864 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography: New Cold War

    1). Debose, C. & DeAngelo, E. (2015). New Cold War: Russia's Ban on Adoptions by U.S Citizens. Children's Issues, 28(1), 63-76. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org.ezproxy.scu.edu.au/HOL/Page?public=false&handle=hein.journals/jaaml28&page=51&collection=journals…

    • 1864 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    President Ronald Wilson Reagan's Cold War Policy
    • 5226 Words
    • 21 Pages

    President Ronald Wilson Reagan's Cold War Policy

    When President Ronald Wilson Reagan was elected in 1980 not many people would understand his significance as Reagan would be Re –elected again in 1984.Reagan would be remember for many thing during his eight years in the White House but most of all Reagan would be remembered for his cold war policy. Although critics of the President past and present have looked at Reagan as a figure head nothing could be further from the truth, especially in regards to his cold war policy and The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Critics have claimed Reagan had no intention of having such a missile defense system and that it was just floated out in a political move. Reagan was criticized by democrats, the press and even some of his party members. Though Reagan…

    • 5226 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cold War Coursework
    • 1908 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cold War Coursework

    Using these four passages and your own knowledge, assess the view that during the Second World War the relationship between the ussr and the west was characterised more by co-operation than by disagreement.…

    • 1908 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Geopolitical Containment During The Cold War
    • 1354 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Geopolitical Containment During The Cold War

    For more than two centuries, Russia and the United States have shared a diplomatic relationship. Whether that involved trading or the military. Foreign relations between the former Soviet Union and the United States were driven by a complex set of ideologies, political agendas, and economic factors, which led to the superpower rivalry that has been on display over the past two-hundred years. Presidents from both nations have been involved, from President Ronald Reagan to most recently, President Barack Obama. For Russia, the most well-known leader was Vladimir Putin, the “geopolitical wrecking ball.”…

    • 1354 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Containment Of US Policy After The Cold War
    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Containment Of US Policy After The Cold War

    In efforts to contain communism, the United States created the Containment Policy. This US Policy was put into effect as response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to expand and spread throughout Eastern Europe, China, Korea and Vietnam. The doctrine was written by George F. Kennan an American diplomat, in the year 1946. The idea was that if superpower Soviet Union can be contained, Soviet troops would be forced to push back in effort to update their priorities. Four “tools” made the Containment Policy strong enough to prevail and push Soviet troops back, avoiding a third world war and soon ending the Cold War.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Flexible Response To The Cold War
    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Flexible Response To The Cold War

    Did you know the Cold War was called the Cold War because of the “icy” relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union. Each president had to deal with the Cold War, but Truman and Eisenhower wanted Communism to be contained while Kennedy wanted flexible response. It all started out with Karl Marx. He created the idea of Communism, which is the theory of everything being publicly owned and workers get paid based off their abilities(Ayers 756). This led to the presidents having to use ideas like containment and flexible response. Containment is stopping the spread of a certain idea created by George F. Kennan(Ayers 819). Flexible response is defending without using nuclear missiles(Ayers 886). Kennedy…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Us Involvement In The Cold War Essay
    • 2575 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Us Involvement In The Cold War Essay

    Throughout its history, the United States has consistently illustrated valiant efforts to circumvent powers of evil, as well as mistakes that the US must learn from to prevent themselves from being deceived by enemies, both foreign and domestic. For example, during the Cold War, the United States wanted to “contain” communism to the regimes that had initially declared it as their standard of government, which is why the United States pleaded to the United Nations to intervene in the Korean War. Initially the United States was only to intervene under the containment doctrine which provided a limit as to how far the United States could push the North Korean forces back (which would be back to the 38th parallel, the initial border). Under these…

    • 2575 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cold War American Involvement
    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cold War American Involvement

    Before the Cold War occurred, the United States relations with U.S.S.R was peaceful and both considered each other an ally after the end of World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States during WWII (1933-1945), was aware that it was only a matter of time the U.S. would enter the war. As a form of involvement, Roosevelt aided Great Britain who happened to be bankrupt and was suffering from Germany’s attacks, while not directly declaring in joining the war (Fogarty). Before the U.S. officially declares to join fight against Germany and its allies in Europe complications arose in the Pacific (Japan and Pearl Harbor). After Japan launched an air attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States (Congress) formally declared war on…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Containment During The Cold War
    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Containment During The Cold War

    The Cold war has been done and dusted for a little more than two decades, however, its reminiscents are still very active. The attempt to spread communism worldwide was an attempt made during the cold war; Joseph Stalin made that call, America answered. The policy of containment is the reason that communism did not spread and Democracy and Capitalism are still high functioning government systems. Containment is the action of keeping something harmful under control or in check. This is what went on during the Wold War, keeping Communism within limits. The Cold War was essentially democracy and communism at odds. Democracy being free, free trade will and the U.S, and communism being oppressive,lack of private ownership, and the Soviet Union. The United States Portrayed containment through the Korean War, the Long Telegram, and the Berlin Airlift.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Struggle Of The United States During The Cold War
    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Struggle Of The United States During The Cold War

    setting up in that part of the world was something the United States could live with.” The US was rather more concerned for a mutual benefit and wanted a working relation with the USSR. The U.S. were most interested in the west Europe, they wanted to introduce there ideology, demarcation, by trying not to collaborate, “,” Roosevelt-style—that is, by trying to work hand-in-hand with each other on whatever problems turned up. Instead, they could get along by pulling apart.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    World Order Legal Studies
    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages

    World Order Legal Studies

    World order is fundamentally just world peace. A world full of peace would mean that each individual would have a fair go at life and have a potential to have success. Throughout history, war and conflict have denied the world of its peace between nations. The rise in terrorism around the world, the inequality between the rich and the poor within and between nations, the push for globalisation and free trade, and the growing awareness of human rights globally have all stimulated the need for world order.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Cold War Influence Kennedy's Foreign Policy
    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did The Cold War Influence Kennedy's Foreign Policy

    The cold war was a time of political and economic confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War 2 that lead to fear on both sides, specifically Americans wanting anti-communism influence in the world (Goldfield, The American Journey, 783). The United States presidents all were cautious with foreign policy decisions that could influence the effects of the Cold War (Goldfield, 822). A president who was greatly under control with his foreign policy being shaped by the cold war conflict was John Kennedy. Kennedy’s foreign policy was shaped by the cold war with the actions of communist control in Europe, Asia, and Cuba.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cold War Impact on Us Foriegn Policy
    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cold War Impact on Us Foriegn Policy

    The mentality of the Cold War greatly affected the decisions made by the Presidents that held the office from 1950 to 1974. The main thought that prevailed from the beginning of the Cold War was containment. It was the main goal of the United States to contain the spread of Communism whenever possible. “Brinkmanship” was the first major policy that was employed by the United States in the effort to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world. President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State John Foster Dulles coined the term “Brinkmanship”, which simply stated means using the military to push things to the brink of war without actually going to war. This was often used to intimidate the Soviet Union into backing down during the early part of the Cold War era. President Kennedy would take a slightly more flexible stance in terms of retaliation should an attack occur. However, it wouldn’t be until President Nixon took office that the metaphorical waters between the US and the Soviet Union would begin to calm.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics