Foreign Policy

1
Foreign Policy

• From Hot War to Cold War(1944-1950)

2
Thus Far

• Chittick created a framework with which we can
  analyze and better understand foreign policies.
• M/M
• Multilateral/Unilateral
• C/C
• Coercive/Non-Coercive
• A/A
• Active/Reactive

3
Today

• Today we will examine the history of the United
  States immediately after the Second World War
• How did events and reigning theories of
  government shape our foreign policy?
• How did the president influence the foreign
  policy followed?
• What factors are important in determining foreign
  policy?

4
The Setting

• Europe lay in ruin
• Including European Russia
• The Japanese Empire, likewise
• China was experiencing a civil war
• The United States was the only major power
• It was to be the new American century
• No one could challenge us
• What should we do?

5
The Soviet Union

• Millions of Soviets died defending their homeland
  from German incursion
• Luckily, even with its military and population
  devastated, it was still the only power on the
  European landmass
• The Red Army liberated eastern Europe from German
  control
• The newly-freed eastern European states owed a
  debt of thanks to the Soviets
• The Soviets felt that this debt could be repaid
  by being buffer states for protection

6
Eastern Europe

• Direct Control (annexation)
• Estonia
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Indirect Control (satellite)
• Czechoslovakia
• Hungary
• Romania
• Poland
• Bulgaria
• Yugoslavia
• Albania

7
Eastern Europe

• Indirect Control (political)
• Finland
• Hoped-for Control (failed)
• Greece
• Turkey
• Quadripartite Control
• Germany
• DDR formed in 1949
• response to economic changes in western zones
• Austria
• Seen as invaded by Germany
• Declared itself neutral 1955

8
The Iron Curtain Speech

• From Stettin on the Baltic to Trieste on the
  Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across
  the continent
• Westminster College (Missouri) Commencement
• Why would the Soviet Union want these states to
  be steady allies?
• Were we in their place, would we have attempted
  something similar?

9
Personalities

• Stalin did not trust Roosevelt
• Felt he was a tool of Wall Street
• As such, Stalin felt Roosevelt would implement
  foreign policy designed to help US businesses
• Accurate?
• Roosevelt was typical American idealist
• Truman less so
• Churchill decidedly not
• But, tossed from power shortly after the war (27
  July 1945)

10
The Soviet Underbelly

• Soviet Union also hemmed in along the south
• Russia had sought a free warm-water port for
  centuries
• The ports along the north were useless in winter
• The eastern ports held little value because of
  ice and distance from Europe
• The Black Sea was insecure
• The Baltic Sea was a help, but was still insecure
  (Britain, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, West
  Germany, Denmark controlled it)

11
The Underbelly in Greece

• During WWII, most of the fighting in Greece was
  between the communists and anti-communists
• The Soviets were unable to make significant
  inroads in Greece
• Marshall Plan helped
• Truman Doctrine helped
• Direct CIA support helped

12
The Underbelly in Turkey

• The Black Sea
• The ports on the Black Sea are warm water ports
• Odessa
• Sevastopol
• Stalingrad (Volgograd)
• But, these Black Sea ports could be eliminated if
  Turkey allowed the Bosporus and/or Dardanelles to
  be closed
• Russia and Turkey never allies because of these
  waterways
• Soviet Union tried to gain control in Turkey and
  failed

13
The Underbelly in Iran

• Warm Water Ports on the Persian Gulf and Indian
  Ocean!
• Very warm water
• During the war
• Soviets annexed parts of northern Iran
• After the war
• They attempted to turn the democratically-elected
  government of Mossadegh into a Soviet client
  government
• CIA-backed coup strengthened the Shah, who
  removed Mossadegh

14
Foreign Policy Strategy

• None
• Well, none until US minds sat down and looked at
  Soviet actions as a whole, and in relation to its
  history
• Once that was done, it became obvious to the
  geopolitical strategists what they were doing and
  why
• Containment became our response

15
Containment

• Containment was the primary strategy throughout
  the Cold War
• It did have its ups and downs, however
• If we keep the Soviets where they are, then they
  will die out
• A policy of firmness and patience
• Kennans Long Telegram
• Laid out the Soviet Unions two policy foundations

16
Soviet Foreign Policy Prongs

• Realist
• Geopolitics
• Immediate wins in the world
• Increase allies increase strength
• Act to speed along the coming communist
  revolution by showing the failures of capitalism
• Idealist
• Marxism taught that capitalism will eventually
  because of the many contradictions within
  capitalism
• Thus, success (eventual) was guaranteed

17
Assignment

• Read
• Chapter 3 (Hook)
• Pages 133 143 (Chittick)
• Mondays Topic
• The Hopes and Failures of Containment