Alliances And Shifts Flashcards
When did Eisenhower become president?
- January 1953
Why did Eisenhower place a larger emphasis on forming alliances?
- maybe as a form of compensation for a lack of development of US conventional forces
- Eisenhower aimed to create a global network of alliances in order to encircle the USSR and China with pro-US allies
- a consequence of this in the medium/long term would be the replacing of US forces with forces from US allies - which would reduce US military presence in Western Europe but still retaining fundamental objectives (containment)
What was is meant by a nuclear umbrella?
- a nuclear capacity that could be used to protect a range of allies ; ensure no ally is endangered + would act as a form of collective deterrence
When was SEATO formed?
- September 1954
What was SEATO?
- South East Asia collective defence strategy
- collective defence treaty
- included countries like New Zealand, France, Pakistan, Britain, Thailand etc
- many countries in this treaty were not south East Asian- only few countries had shared borders
Why was the sino-soviet alliance strengthened in may 1953?
- because the USSR agreed to provide defence related technology to china
- during September - November, Khrushchev visited china as a sign of reinforcement of sins-soviet links
- USSR provided a significant amount of economic aid and technological expertise to strengthen China’s economy and national security
When did west Germany join NATO?
- May 1955
Why did west Germany join NATO?
- Adenauer recognised that the best way to strengthen west Germany was to align it with western powers
- USA saw a strengthened Germany as a safeguard against communist expansionism - + a reliance on the USA would avoid the rise of a nationalism and militarism in Germany
- the FRG’s entry into NATO underlines the overall American commitment to a global alliance system - regional alliances designed to contain the spread of communism
What was the USSR’s response to the FRG’s entrance into NATO?
- immediately recognised the sovereignty of the GDR + created the Warsaw pact
When was the Warsaw pact created?
- May 1955
What was the Warsaw pact?
- west’s decision to allow west Germany to rearm and join NATO prompted the USSR to further consolidate their relations with the satellite communist states in Eastern Europe
-USSR viewed this was a means of legitimising its influence in Eastern Europe, just as as NATO had legitimised US influence in Western Europe - included countries such as Hungary, Romania, Albania , Poland
- collective security + non threatening - but the terms of the pact suggested differently
What was article 4 of the Warsaw pact?
-“in the event of an armed attack in Europe in one or several states […] each state that is a party to this treaty shall render the state or states so attacked immediate assistance by all the men’s it may consider necessary, including the use of armed force.”
What did Eisenhower continue from Truman’s policies?
- there was much continuity of policy when Eisenhower took over from Truman
- Eisenhower accepted much of what formed the basis of Truman’s national security policy :
1) the USA must retain sufficient influence in Western Europe and there should be a collective western defence strategy, which also included Germany and its economic and military potential
2) the USA must retain its influence in Asia
3) the containment of soviet expansionism should be a central aspect of US policy
4) USA must retain a strong nuclear arsenal and conventional forces, in order to deter soviet opportunism
What aspects of Truman’s defence strategy did Eisenhower reject?
- Truman’s commitment to a major expansion regardless of cost of the USA’s conventional forces
- believed that containment was limited and its effectiveness was insufficient as the basis of US foreign policy
- offered an alternative
What was Eisenhower’s alternative; Truman’s misinterpretation of the soviet threat and how to deal with it?
- unveiled in October 1953
- known as the “New Look Policy”
What was the new look policy ?
- Secretary of State, john foster Dulles wanted to “roll back” on communism, and believed containment had simply created a stalemate
- believed that the security of US national interests + guarantee of international peace were dependant upon reducing Soviet influence globally
- ended Truman’s restricted model of containment
- Eisenhower argued that this could only occur through peaceful means - also significant to remember that Eisenhower did not aim to undermine USSR’s sphere of influence or liberate any communist states
What was meant by massive retaliation?
- under Eisenhower, nuclear weapons assumed much reader significance as the basis for a US national security strategy
- increased reliance on nuclear weapons
- believed it was the most cost effective method in guaranteeing US security + most effective method to actually win the Cold War
When was the NSC 162/2 report released?
October 1953 - emphasised the view that the only way to deter aggression against Western Europe was for the USA to forcefully display its determination to use nuclear superiority against an aggressor
What was meant by brinkmanship ?
- a strategy designed to convince an opponent that there is a risk of war or actual conflict; one side shows no sign of backing down and this is used to force the other side into having to back down or face the prospect of actual conflict
Why was brinkmanship important?
- Dulles stressed that the US could begin to use its nuclear strength to attempt to force agreements from communist opponents, up to the very point where nuclear war could break out
- Dulles was convinced that this was an effective form of foreign policy - + believed that failure to do this would result in defeat
What was the domino theory?
- the belief that if a country is taken over by communism, countries surrounding/bordering it are vulnerable to face the same fate
Who was Ho Chi Minh?
- central in the foundation of the democratic republic of Vietnam in 1945
- communist and nationalist
- engineered the defeat of the french at Dien Bien Phu
What happened in Vietnam in 1950?
- Ho Chi Minh, supported by china + Stalin, proclaimed the existence of the democratic republic of Vietnam
How many casualties did the french suffer in their attempt to hold on to Vietnam?
- 90,000 by 1952
What was Eisenhower committed to do in Vietnam?
- support the french because Southeast Asia was seen as a region that was vulnerable to the spread of communism
- USA’s commitment to Vietnam as part of a wider Southeast Asia strategy based on containing communism by protecting japan, South Korea, and Taiwan - rather than just simply defending Vietnam
Why was Vietnam geographically important?
- useful market for Japanese’s goods + strengthening japans economy - application of domino theory
- raw materials eg tin, oil, rubber + rice to provide to Japan to aid Japanese manufacturing
How much of the cost of war was the USA paying to help the french in Vietnam by 1954?
- 75%
- Eisenhower however preferred a diplomatic solution - he refused to to commit the USA to unilateral military action, so he was left with minimal choice but to accept a diplomatic solution
- ussr also favoured a diplomatic solution rather than a military one
What was happening in Vietnam by April 1954?
- the french were on the point of military defeat at the hands of Viet Minh at Dien bien Phu - however this point gave rise to negotiations at Geneva
Why did the struggle for independence in Vietnam worsen?
-France had promised Vietnam their independence by 1949, but only offered limited independence, with range continuing to oversee defence and foreign policy
- to counter the growing influence of Ho Chi Minh, the french attempted to reinstate the former emperor bao dai but he wasn’t very popular
-the independence movement therefore grew
How long did the battle at Dien bien Phu last?
- between march-may 1954
- Eisenhower had no choice but to accept a diplomatic solution, given that members in NATO such as Britain’s refused to help as they regarded it as a lost cause
Why was the battle at Dien bien Phu significant?
- it was the first time that a non-European nationalist force had defeated elite troops from a European colonial power
When was the Geneva conference?
- July 1954
What did the Geneva conference establish?
- it paved the way for a ceasefire rather than a longterm solution to the question of Vietnamese independence
- it was agreed that 2 zones would be created ; with the 17th parallel serving as the diving line between the two
- french forces were to move out of the northern zone while the nationalist forced were to move out of the southern zone
- division was not intended to be permanent
How did the US respond to the terms at geneva?
- USA + regime in the southern zone refused to sign the agreements
- new president in south Vietnam ; Ngo Dinh Diem - USA rapidly pledged its support to his regime
