The Cold War and containment in Europe and Asia – Truman clearly explained

During 1946, what several events signified the development of an American-Soviet Cold War? - ANSWERS1. In February 1946, Stalin made a speech on the inevitable of Communist-capitalist conflict 2. There were fierce Soviet - American agreemens over Germany because the Soviets made their zone Communist while democracy was developed in the three western zones. 3. The Truman administration gave a sympathetic hearing to US diplomat George Kennan's 'Long Telegram' which urged US 'containment' of Soviet expansionism What was containment? - ANSWERSContainment was the foreign policy adopted by the Truman administration, operating on the principle that communist governments would eventually collapse if unable to expand their influence. It represented a middle-ground position between detente and rollback. When did Truman introduce the Truman doctrine? - ANSWERSIn a speech to Congress in March 1947 How much did Truman ask for to support Greece and Turkey? - ANSWERS$400 million Why did Truman want to offer Greece and Turkey financial and economic support? - ANSWERSThey felt threatened by Communist expansion Why was the Truman Doctrine significant? - ANSWERS1. It was a virtual American declaration of the Cold War 2. Affected and dominated US foreign policy for the next fifty years How much criticism did the Doctrine arouse? - ANSWERSIt aroused minimal criticism, although some considered it too simplistic because it failed to question whether the threatened state was worth supporting and whether America had the capacity to support it. Demonstrated that gaining public support often required excessive simplicity in US foreign policy Who was the politican that proposed the Marshall plan? - ANSWERSThe Secretary of State, George Marshall Why was the Marshall plan proposed? - ANSWERSAmerica believed war-devastated Europe was vulnerable to Communist insurgency and Soviet expansion Who could access this aid? - ANSWERSWhen it was announced, it was not specified that this aid would be confined to Western Europe. The Soviet Union and Eastern European countries considered accepting the offer of aid but decided not to because it would mean revealing the extent of their economic devestation. If the USSR had applied for the aid offered by the Marshall plan, what would have happened? - ANSWERSIt was unlikely that Congress would have approved funding for the Marshall plan How much aid was given by the Marshall plan and to whom? - ANSWERS$13 billion Important trading partners and potential allies in Western Europe eg. Austria, Britain, Italy, France What was the impact of the Marshall plan? - ANSWERSHelped to seal the division of Europe into two antagonistic blocs. In response to the American aidm the USSR tightened its control over Eastern Europe, establishing full Communist party dominance in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Czechoslovakia. From the autumn of 1947, the Soviets ordered Western European communist parties to do all they could to bring down their national governments. When was the money needed for the plan granted by Congress? - ANSWERSApril 1948 Why was the Marshall plan domestically significant? - ANSWERSDemonstrated the bipartisan approach to the Cold War as the Republican controlled Congress granted the Democrat Truman even as a presidential election approached. When did Stalin blockade western Berlin? - ANSWERSJune 1948 What was America's response? - ANSWERSAirlifted millions of tonnes of supplies into West Berlin When did Stalin concede defeat and end the blockade? - ANSWERSMay 1949 Why was the blockade significant? - ANSWERSIt demonstrated that neither country wanted to risk war. Truman chose the least combatitve option available other than withdrawing (which would have humiliated America and made it appear an unreliable ally) while Stalin was passive in the face of the airlift. What were the consequences of the blockade? - ANSWERS1. Hastened the establishment of NATO 2. Resulted in the establishment of West Germany as a separate state. When was NATO formed? - ANSWERSApril 1949 What was the consequence of NATO's formation? - ANSWERSCompleted the division of Western and Eastern Europe for at first the division had been primarily political and economic but now it was military. When was West Germany established as a separate state? - ANSWERSMay 1949 Why did containment fail in Eastern Europe? - ANSWERSThe USSR had played a leading role in resisting the German occupation of eastern Europe during the war, which constructed a perception in eastern Europe that a communist regime would assure security. How successful was the containment of Communism in Europe? - ANSWERSTruman's policies had contained the Soviets in Europe, but that continent was divided and tense. Why did China become communist? - ANSWERSA lack of centralised control following the withdrawal of Japan in 1945 led to unrest, the CCP rapidly gained support Public support for CCP was so overwhelming that Zedong could not be defeated without deep American involvement When did China become a Communist nation? Who was its leader? - ANSWERS1949 Mao Zedong How did this damage Truman politically? - ANSWERSRepublicans claimed Truman and the Democrats had 'lost' China because they had given insufficient aid to Mao's opponent, the Chinese Nationalist Chiang Kai-shek. How much aid had been given to Chiang Kai-shek? - ANSWERS$2 billion What was Truman's response to this criticism? - ANSWERSEncouraged Truman to extend his containment policy to Asia. In 1950, he offered the French financial aid in their struggle against Communist nationalist insurgents in the French colony of Vietnam, then led the United States into the Korean War. When did French-Indochina gain independence? - ANSWERS1953, following the defeat of the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu When did North Korea, led by Kim Sung, invade South Korea? - ANSWERSJune 1950 Why did Truman offer support to Syngman Rhee's South Korea? - foreign policy reasons - ANSWERS1. A series of events during 1948-50 suggested Communism was dangerously expansionist - the Berlin Blockade, the Soviet atomic bomb test, the 'loss' of China, and Communist activity in Vietnam and Korea. 2. Korea was close to Japan, which was within what Truman's Secretary of State Dean Acheson called America's 'defence perimeter'. 3. Truman thought it would encourage other aggressors if the United Nations (UN) failed to support south Korea Why did Truman offer support to Syngman Rhee's South Korea? - domestic policy reasons - ANSWERS1. The American public was increasingly anxious about national safety due to Communist spy scandals (e.g. Alger Hiss in the State Department) and to Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy's accusation that Truman's State Department contained Communists. 2. Truman wanted to avoid Republican accusations that he had 'lost' Korea as well as China, especially with forthcoming congressional elections. When did the Korean War end? - ANSWERSJuly 1953 How successful was containment in relation to North Korea? - ANSWERSAmerican, UN and South Korean forces drove the North Koreans out of South Korea. However Truman's attempt to reunify the Korean peninsula failed when China intervened to protect North Korea. Why did containment fail in eastern Europe and Asia? - ANSWERSA desire to reject old regimes existed and Communism appeared to be the only viable alternative. Why did communism succeed in Europe? - ANSWERSWestern European nations wanted to maintain the political structures which existed prior to and during the war and preserve their long tradition of democracy so there wasn't the same desire for change