The Cold WarAmerican History

Introduction to The Cold War

• What is a Cold War?

• Who fights in a Cold War?

• How do you fight a Cold War?

What? and Who?• Battle of ideology

• Battle of culture

• Battle of values

• Democratic vs. Totalitarian

• Western vs. Eastern, American vs. Soviet

• Capitalist vs. Socialist

Weapons of a Cold War• Foreign Policy: Strategy

– Truman Doctrine

• Economic Aid: Loans, Investments– Marshall Plan

• Alliances: Security Pacts, Organizations– NATO, Warsaw Pact

• Technology: Military Weapons– Nuclear Weapons, Satellites

• Propaganda: Radio, TV, News

• Covert Warfare: Spies, Coups, Sabotage

US Cold War Foreign Policy

• Advisory Organizations

• Architects of Cold War Foreign Policy

• “On the Sources of Soviet Conduct”

• Containment

• The Truman Doctrine

Advisory Organizations• National Security Council – NSC -

Comprised of Secretaries of Military branches, and Department of State & Defense

• Department of Defense (1947) -- coordinates military & diplomatic activities.

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) -- coordinates intelligence gathering bodies & conducts covert operations.

Architects -- George Marshall

• Appointed Secretary

of State in 1947. Was

Army Chief of Staff

during WWII.

Driving force behind

the plan for the

economic recovery of

Europe.

Architects -- Dean Acheson

• Appointed

Undersecretary of

State by Marshall.

Would eventually

succeed Marshall as

Secretary of State.

Architects -- George Kennan

• Kennan was a career foreign service officer who

had become an expert on the Soviet Union.

• Deputy to George Marshall

• Wrote “On the Sources of Soviet Conduct,” under

the pen-name “X” which became the basis of the

US “Containment” strategy.

“On the Sources of Soviet Conduct”

• Soviet paranoia of foreign hostility• Need for unlimited domestic authority• Promotion of revolutions abroad to justify

Communist control of Soviet Union• Therefore, US Policy must be that of “long-

term, patient, but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansion.”

The “Truman Doctrine”

• “Containments” first test• Britain unable to support Greece & Turkey• USSR demands land concessions from

Turkey• US to fill British role• Truman requests $400 million & military

advisors towards defeating communist insurgents.

Containment -- CHINA

• Nationalist Chinese, led by Chiang Kai-

shek at war with Communist Chinese, led

by Mao Zedong.

• US supports Chiang

• Chiang’s corruption devastates economy

Containment -- CHINA

• People rally behind Mao, who promises an end to inflation

• Soviets back Mao• Chiang forced to

island of Taiwan in 1949

• People’s Republic of China is established

Containment -- CHINA

• US Response:

1) Refused to recognize the People’s

Republic

2) Signed peace treaty with Japan,

granting rights for US military bases in

Japan

Summary• A Cold War is a battle of ideologies, values,

and cultures fought with non-military weapons designed to undermine the enemy’s claims of legitimacy.

• US Cold War foreign policy is guided by the “Truman Doctrine” of containment

• Containment faced its first test in Greece, Turkey, and the Communist revolution in China

Quiz:1. The cold war was a battle of what three areas?

Ideology, culture, values

2. Name one of the weapons of the cold war

Foreign Policy, Economic Aid, Alliances, Technology,

Propaganda, Covert Warfare

3. Name one of the advisory organizations

NSC, Department of Defense, CIA

4. What was the name given to the foreign policy strategy

toward communism?

Containment

5. What the doctrine that was used first to enforce this policy?

Truman Doctrine