The USA and the Cold War 1952-60 Flashcards
What was Eisenhower’s foreign policy called?
New Look
Why was it important that Eisenhower presented his policies as “new”?
To separate him from Truman’s presidency which ended with a 22% approval rating due to failures in foreign policy
Why did Eisenhower’s background affect his foreign policy?
- He was a WW2 military hero, especially in Europe
- He was the first republican in the White House since 1932
- Criticised Democrat foreign policy in his election campaign, suggested change was going to be made
Who was John Foster Dulles?
The Secretary of State under Eisenhower
What views did Foster Dulles have?
he was a staunch anit communist and wanted to be hard on communism
What were the key principles of Eisenhower’s new Look policy?
- Use of negotiations
- Massive Retaliation (nuclear weapon)
- Rollback
- Use of CIA
- Setting up anti-communist alliances
What were Eisenhower’s thoughts on the nuclear weapon?
Placed it as a weapon of first resort and not last resort. He also placed emphasis on nuclear weapons so he could cut costs with conventional forces
Who was John Foster Dulles’s brother?
Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA
How did Dulles influence Eisnehower’s presidency?
He saw the fight against communism as good vs. evil and preferred rollback than containment. Spoke a lot about massive retaliation
How did Dulles and Eisenhower get on?
They frequently disagreed but Dulles still had a lot of influence over foreign policy
Riots in which country inspired the people of Hungary to stand up against the USSR?
Poland
Who was the leader of Hungary under which reforms were made in 1956?
Imre Nagy
Which announcement caused the Soviet soldiers to invade Hungary?
They announced they would leave the Warsaw pact
When was the Hungarian Uprising?
Reforms were made from late Oct-Nov 1956
The Soviets invaded on 4th Nov 1956
How many tanks did Khrushchev send into Hungary?
200,000
Up to how many Hungarians were killed in the Uprising?
40,000
What did Eisenhower do in response to Hungary?
He condemned the Soviet invasion but nothing more
Why didn’t the USA do more to help Hungary?
- They couldn’t start WW3
- They were more concerned about events unfolding in the Suez Crisis
Do the events in Hungary fit with the “New Look” policy?
No, they had all the talk of rollback and separating from truman’s policies only to act in an almost identical way.
What was the Atoms for Peace proposal?
An idea to share uranium with a United Nations agency so it could be used to generate energy?
When was “Atom’s for peace” proposed?
December 1952
What was the response to the Atoms For Peace proposal?
It was warmly recieved but no one wanted to share uranium with the affiliation. Eventually The International Energy Agency was created in 1957 for peaceful uses of uranium
Where and When did the first meeting since 1945 take place between Khrushchev and Eisenhower?
Geneva, 1955
Explain Eisenhower’s “Open Skies” proposal?
It was an idea that they would accept both superpowers to spy on one another to make sure they weren’t up to no good. Eisenhower knew Khrushchev would reject it (and he did) but wanted to seem like the peacemaker
What happened in 1959 which suggested a “thaw” in the cold war?
Khrushchev visited America
Where did the two leaders plan to meet in May 1960?
Paris
When did flights of U2 spy planes begin?
1956
What action did Eisenhower want to take regarding the spy planes before the peace summit?
He suspended them, but his advisors pushed hi for a few more flights
How much did the soviets know about the U2 planes?
They knew full well about them but were just unable to shoot them down
When was a U2 airplane shot down?
1 May 1960
Why was the U2 crisis so bad for America in particular?
They had called the plane a weather plane but the USSR were able to bring forward the pilot and evidence so that the USA was caught lying red-handed to the world
Why was the U2 crisis so bad for the Cold War?
it marked the end of the ideas of peaceful coexistence and also meant that Khrushchev walked out of the Paris Peace Summit where issues such as Berlin and long lasting peace were due to be discussed
What did Eisenhower refuse to do at the Paris Peace Summit in 1960?
Apologise to Khrushchev
Where did the U2 crisis fit into the “new look” policy?
Definitely new and separate from Truman, but a total and utter failure
When did Khrushchev issue an ultimatum to the Western Powers to leave Berlin?
1958
How did Eisenhower react to the ultimatum given by Khrushchev about Berlin?
He didn’t do anything and the deadline passed but Khrushchev didn’t act on it, Eisenhower had called his bluff
Why was the Middle East an important place for America and USSR following WWII?
Many countries had gained independence after the war, this meant that the future governments were seen as opportunities for the two superpowers to spread their influence and gain allies
Why is the Middle East geographically vital?
It held about two-thrids of the world’s known oil reserves
What were the causes of US involvement in Iran?
in 1951 the nationalist Mossadeq became PM and nationalised a half-British owned oil company
What happened in Iran?
In July 1953, the CIA had decided to overthrow Mossadeq but things went off course. The CIA eventually played on the fear of communism to launch a coup and encourage huge anti-communist demonstrations
What were the consequences of US involvement in Iran?
The US gained a stake in the distribution of Iranian oil and now Iran was very clearly aligned with the US
Explain what the Baghdad Pact was?
A measure to exclude Soviet influence in the Middle East, originally formed in 1955 with Britain and Iraq. By 1959 it had become CENTO and Pakistan and Iran were also a part of it
What were US opinions on the Baghdad Pact?
they supported it but didn’t join out of fear of antagonising other Arab states
What support did the Americans give to Egypt and the Aswan Dam?
They offered to partly fund it
Why did the US support on the Egyptian Dam stop?
In 1956, Nasser recognised the People’s Republic of China
What military action happened in Egypt?
Britain and France had secretly planned a military operation with Israel. It included British bombing of Egyptian airfields, British/French paratroopers being deployed and Israel invading the Sinai desert
How did the Americans respond to the Suez crisis?
They rejected the idea of a Soviet-American military operation (couldnt side with the enemy against allies) and put huge amounts of pressure on Britain and France to withdraw
What were the consequences of the Suez Crisis?
it pushed Nasser closer to Moscow and a Soviet-Egyptian alliance emerged.
When was the Suez Crisis?
November 1956
What was announced in January 1957?
The Eisenhower Doctrine
What was the name of the leader in Guatemala who undertook reform?
Arbenz
What lead the US to believe that Guatemala might turn to communism?
Arbenz seized unused land owned by an American company to undergo land reform
What was the CIA operation to overthrow Arbenc called?
Operation PB Success
What part of New Look policy played a huge role in Guatemala?
CIA involvement
Who replaced Arbenz as the leader of Guatemala?
Armas
Why was the American involvement in Guatemala particularly controversial?
Armas had used the coup to order the murder of hundreds of political opponents and American involvement had led to another country having a harsh military dictator instead of a liberal reformer
Why would it be a huge problem for the USA if Cuba turned to communism?
They were only 90 miles from US mainland
Who was the leader of Cuba from 1934 to 1959?
Batista
When was there a revolution in Cuba?
1956 but Fidel Castro didnt become the leader until 1959
What was the American views of Castro before 1960/61?
They thought he was not a communist and Richard Nixon had met him and not thought him to be a threat
What actions did Castro take that made the US suspicious?
He confiscated US assets and recognised the People’s Republic of China. He also signed trade agreements with the USSR
How did Eisnehower respond to the trade with the USSR from Cuba?
He placed an embargo on Cuba’s sugar and instructed the CIA to train Cuban exiles for an invasion
What happened in January 1961?
Both countries had continued to seize or block assets and then in Jan 1961, the two countries completely severed diplomatic relations
What kicked off the space race in 1957?
The USSR sending the first ever man-made object into space: Sputnik
How did the Space Race continue in 1958?
The USSR put the first ever animal in space, a dog called Laika
Why was the Space Race becoming an increasing problem for the USA under Eisenhower?
They were falling behind and fast. The US rocket satellite blew up on launch and was nicknamed “Kaputnik”
Who was Werner von Braun?
A brilliant German aerospace engineer who became an American citizen and led the develo`pment of several NASA projects
What weapons had both superpowers got by 1953?
H-Bombs
Give three examples of the Arms race continuing throughout Eisenhower’s presidency?
- Ivy Mike (USA) first thermonuclear weapon in 1952
- Castle Bravo (USA) largest nuclear
detonation conducted by USA - Tsar Bomba (USSR) largest thermonuclear weapon ever tested, over 6 times more powerful than Castle bravo
What was a growing fear in the USA in 1958 to do with the arms race?
They belived there was a missile gap where the USSR had surpassed the USA in nuclear stockpiles
