(8) The Alliances and Shifts Flashcards
What was the New Look Policy and what were Eisenhower’s intentions?
✩ A strategic shift in U.S. military strategy introduced by Eisenhower in the 1950s during the Cold War
✩ Eisenhower aimed to place greater emphasis on the importance of forging alliances than Truman did.
✩ His strategy was to create a global network of alliances to surround the USSR and China with US allies.
✩ Eisenhower’s foreign policy relied heavily on nuclear weapons rather than conventional troops and so America’s allies could provide these instead and thus in the long term, the burden of policing the globe would be shared among US allies.
What was SEATO and who were its members? (1954)
✩ SEATO was a treaty for collective defence in Southeast Asia, created by Dulles in 1954 in response to the growing strength of the Chinese and Soviet alliance.
✩ It was a defensive alliance designed to protect newly independent Southeast Asian states from falling under communist control.
✩ Britain, America, France and Australia all joined SEATO
Why was SEATO significant?
✩ Reflected the USA’s fierce anti-communist policy in Asia.
Why was NATO significant?
✩ Reduced the French and British fear over a strong West Germany with US involvement.
✩ The USA gained military bases throughout Europe from which air attacks against the Soviets could potentially be launched.
✩ Allowed for future military participation of West Germany in defending Europe.
What was the Warsaw Pact and who were its members?(1955)
✩ In response to the West’s decision to allow West Germany to rearm and join NATO, the USSR created the Warsaw Pact in 1955. Its members included Czechoslovakia, Hungary, USSR, Bulgaria, Poland, the GDR, Albania and Romania.
✩ This consolidated the Soviet political and economic control over eastern Europe but also provided collective security.
What was NSC 162/2 and when was it?
✩ October 30, 1953
✩ It emphasised the importance of the USA displaying their use of their superior nuclear weapons against any aggressor.
Similarities with Truman’s containment
- A continued belief in containment.
- The cultivation of anti-communist global alliances although this extended under Eisenhower.
- The American military was still stationed around the globe.
- Financial aid was still used to prop up anti-communist governments, e.g. Diem’s Government in South Vietnam after 1954.
- Even ‘roll back’ of communism turned out to be not that dissimilar. Eisenhower stated that liberation should be achieved through peaceful means. Dulles was considering sending Chiang Kai-shek to mainland China to ‘liberate’ it but Eisenhower rejected this.
What was Ansus & why and when was it formed?
✩ Formed in 1951
✩ Countries such as New Zealand and Australia saw the reconstruction of Japan as creating an economic rival and potential aggressor. The Pact allowed the US to get both countries behind the reconstruction of Japan by guaranteeing collective security.
✩ This was also advantageous to the Americans because it guaranteed help from Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific against communist aggression.
Differences with Truman’s containment
- Eisenhower relied heavily on nuclear weapons in an attempt to reduce the costs of the Cold War.
- Dulles advocated ‘massive retaliation’. This meant that in the event of a communist attack, the US Government should use all means, including nuclear weapons, to destroy their enemy.
- Dulles also advocated for ‘brinkmanship’/ The idea was that the USA would go to the ‘brink of war without being scared’, convincing his opponent of the risk of war occuring.
- Eisenhower believed in the ‘domino theory’ where if one country fell to communism then their neighbouring countries would topple.
Who was Dulles?
✩ The Secretary of State when Eisenhower had been president.
What did he advocated for?
✩ As Eisenhower relied heavily on nuclear weapons in an attempt to reduce the costs of the Cold War, he ensured that his secretary of state that he chose would advocate for these policies:
✩ Dulles advocated ‘massive retaliation’. This meant that in the event of a communist attack, the US Government should use all means, including nuclear weapons, to destroy their enemy.
✩ Dulles also advocated for ‘brinkmanship’/ The idea was that the USA would go to the ‘brink of war without being scared’.
What did theory did Eisenhower believe in and when had this coin officially been termed?
✩ In 1954, Eisenhower believed in the ‘domino theory’ where if one country fell to communism then their neighbouring countries would topple.
