foreign policy under Eisenhower 1953-61

Question 1

how was Eisenhowers policy approach different to Trumans?

Answer 1

the Eisenhower administration a more aggressive stance was adopted against communism and Dulles talked about “rolling back” the frontiers of communism and “liberating” people from communist rule.

Question 2

who was Eisenhowers secretary of state?

Answer 2

John Foster Dulles from 1953 to 1959

Question 3

what was John Foster Dulles (Eisenhowers secretary of state) stance on the Cold war?

Answer 3

• aggressive stance against communism
• Dulles was against Containment as he felt it abandoned people to “Godless terrorism”.
• believed that the USA should attempt to “roll back” the frontiers of communism in Europe and he felt that the people living in Eastern Europe wanted to be “liberated” from communism rule.

Question 4

what was Eisenhowers new look policy?

Answer 4

more money would be spent on developing nuclear weapons and conventional military forces would be decreased.

Question 5

what were the negatives of Eisenhowers new look?

Answer 5

the USA would have to threaten nuclear war on a regular basis and made every conflict a potential nuclear conflict.

Question 6

how did the US and USSR try to decrease tensions in response to his new look policy 1950s?

Answer 6

• Nikita Khrushchev (replaces Starlin in 1953) called for a “peaceful coexistence” with the West.
• summit in Geneva in 1955, grand alliance met
• Khrushchev became the first Soviet
  Premier to visit the US in September 1959.

Question 7

how did tensions increase in the 1950s?

Answer 7

• the USSR signed the Warsaw Pact in 1955, which was a military alliance of 8 nations
• November 1958, Khrushchev gave the USA, along with the British and the French, an
  ultimatum to withdraw their forces from Berlin within six months but when it became clear that the Western powers would stand
  firm Khrushchev backed down.

Question 8

what were tensions like with China during Eisenhower’s administration?

Answer 8

• US continued to give aid to the Chinese Nationalists, who were now based in Taiwan.
• 1954, Dulles signed a treaty promising US protection to defend Taiwan and its islands.
• the US threatened to use the atomic bomb to protect Taiwan and Mao Zedong was forced to back down.