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QUESTION
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Sections 28.2, 29.1, 30.3, 31.3
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
Pick three (3) of the following American Foreign policies: (Pick 3(3) policies and write two pages of each.)
- Marshall Plan
- Berlin Airlift
- Containment
- Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters
- Vietnam (conflict) War
- Détente’
- SALT I & SALT II
- Camp David Accords
- Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars”)
Then, address the following for your selections:
- Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
- Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945-1991).
ANSWER
Option 1
Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
Marshall Plan
President Truman and State Secretary George Marshall proposed the Marshall plan to give monetary aid to European countries. The goal of the Marshall Plan was to prevent the countries from turning to communism by giving them financial aid. The economic situation in Europe was devastating after the war. The continent was on the brink of starvation because the war had disrupted agricultural and food production. Airstrikes also destroyed infrastructure, including ports, roads, and railways. Corbett et al. (2016) reveal that these conditions empowered the communists. They took advantage of the post-war conditions to make inroads in Italy and France, expanding the regime. The funds from the Marshall plan allowed these countries to rebuild their transportation systems, taking away communists’ leverage.
Marshall’s plan prevented the expansion of communism by solidifying the division between non-communist states and communist states. Marshall’s plan mandated the European nations to work together as a prerequisite for receiving aid. This requirement united the nations receiving the funds and reinforced division between those countries and the communist states. These divisions were already taking root in Europe, and Marshall’s plan solidified them by economically empowering the non-communist states.
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift happened between 1948 and 1949 after the Soviets blocked land routes into Berlin. Berlin was located in the Soviet region but under the protection of the United States. The Soviets denied the Allies surface access into Berlin, citing safety concerns. Consequently, the Allies had to establish air corridors to access Berlin. These air corridors allowed the US to airlift medical supplies, fuel, food, water, etc., to Berlin (Pruitt, 2018). The help from the US created an economic gap between East Berlin and West Berlin. West Berlin had higher wages and more employment opportunities than the East, causing East Germans to migrate in masses to the West. This migration revitalized the west and cemented the division between communist and anti-communist nations (Pruitt, 2018). When the Soviet Union blocked land routes, the Allies responded with their counter-blockade. This counter-blockade stopped rail traffic to East Germany. East Germans could not access coal or steel and their economy weakened. Coupled with mass migration, the weak economy disempowered the communist groups.
Containment
The Containment policy was effective because it ended the geographical expansion of communism. The policy dictated that communism would remain within its current borders and protected people or countries that resisted communism. This policy helped isolate communists in a specific region, preventing their expansion.
Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945-1991).
America should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era. According to Wiest (2003), the Soviet Union, despite being battered by war, posed a significant threat to America. While the war had worn down most European nations, the Soviet Union was still standing and expanding its ideology. This expansion demonstrated their power and might. Wiest (2003) also reports that the Soviet had overrun Eastern Europe and was quickly taking hold of colonial territories of weak European countries. American policymakers knew the chances of the world falling under communism, whether by revolution or direct attack, were high. Therefore, the containment policy, Marshall’s aid, and Berlin Airlift were justified because they economically empowered weak states, shielding them from Soviet influence.
Option 2
Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters
President Reagan provided military assistance to groups identified as “freedom fighters.” With US’s support, these freedom fighters managed to oust the communist authorities from various states, curtailing their expansion. Sandinistas was a Marxist-inspired group that governed Nicaragua. President Reagan believed the Soviet Union would easily influence and dominate Nicaragua if they allowed the Sandinistas to rule (Corbett et al., 2016, p.858). Therefore, President Reagan authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to train the Contras, an anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan group. The military support from the US helped the Contras drive the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. The Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters prevented the spread of communism by driving the Soviet Union from occupying and dominating new states or territories.
Vietnam (conflict) war
The Vietnam War started as an anti-colonial war but evolved into a cold war between anti-communist and communist forces. The Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam (a communist region), while the United States supported South Vietnamese (a non-communist region). The war erupted with one group seeking to unite Vietnam under communist leadership while the other tried to prevent communists from overrunning South Vietnam. The US retreated from the war after heightened opposition from the public. Consequently, North Vietnam accomplished its goals and united the country under a communist government.
However, communism did not prevail in Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti-communist nationalist, prevented South Vietnam from being unified with the communist region. According to Wiest (2003), American aid empowered Ngo Dinh Diem to hunt and eliminate all communist followers in the South. Wiest (2003) states,” Across South Vietnam Diem’s forces hunted down and destroyed the Viet Minh who had remained, and by 1958 the communist forces in the South had all but disappeared.” The communist regime in the north also weakened when the region implemented Stalinist economic reforms.
Détente’
Détente’ ended communism by improving relations and reducing tension between countries. Détente relaxed tensions by increasing commerce, scientific and technological exchanges, and countries’ social contact. In 1972, the Chinese president, President Nixon, signed a friendship treaty with the Chinese communist president, Zhou Enlai. The two leaders agreed to respect each other’s differences and work together to establish friendly diplomatic relationships.
However, Corbett et al. (2016) indicate that Nixon’s move was to pit communists against each other. According to the authors, Nixon hoped his visit to China would push the Soviet Union to seek a productive relationship with the US. Nixon also hoped the diplomatic relationship would isolate North Vietnam and make peace settlement easier. China and the US also agreed that the Soviet Union would restrain from advancing in Asia. This agreement helped curtain the spread of communism in Asia. Another accomplishment of Détente is that China agreed to join the United Nations.
Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945-1991).
In 1949, communists invaded China, justifying why the US should have feared communist subversion. According to Wiest (2003), many theorists believe China would conspire with the Soviet Union due to the invasion of their land. Coupled with revolutionaries from South America and Africa, the theorists believed China and the Soviet Union were conspiring to destroy the US. Considering the conspiracy theories, America’s plot to pit the communist nations against each other is understandable.
Option 3
Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)
SALT I and SALT II resulted from the détente. US and Russia (a communist nation) agreed to reduce arms use and signed anti-nuclear agreements. The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) limited each country to deploying only two anti-ballistic missiles. Russia agreed to honor human rights.
Russia and America signed the SALT1 Treaty (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks), agreeing to limit their anti-ballistic missiles and bomber. The US recognized Soviet control over Eastern Europe and concluded a trade agreement. Unlike past treaties that forced countries to concede to popular opinion, détente and SALT1 & SALT II allowed rival countries to acknowledge and respect each other’s ideologies. For example, Russia promised to respect human rights, and the US acknowledged Soviet control over Eastern Europe. Corbett et al. (2016) report that the US and China agreed to disagree on specific issues when signing the friendship treaty (828). These agreements symbolized the commitment of communists and non-communists to restoring world peace. Détente, SALTI, and SALT II helped improve relations between countries and limit the number of nuclear weapons each country owned (Srivastava, n.d.). The countries were willing to make compromises, facilitating world peace. The US acknowledged Soviet control in Eastern Europe and agreed with China that communism would not advance in Asia. These agreements helped confine communism within its current boundaries and eased tensions.
Camp David Accords
America’s Vietnam mission failed, and the country committed itself to ground foreign policy on national values and moral policies. As part of this agenda, Carter ended the military support of Anastasio Somoza, a Nicaraguan dictator, and agreed to establish new peace talks with the Soviet Union (SALT II). Carter organized a meeting with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David. These peace talks resulted in the Camp David Accords’ signing, which promoted a peace treaty between the two countries.
Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars“)
President Reagan proposed the star wars initiative to protect the country from a Soviet missile strike. A study by Podvig (2016) revealed that the Soviet Union was concerned about the SDI defense program. The Soviet Union realized its social and economic systems could not sustain the SDI program, compelling the Soviet leadership to accept defeat and seek concessions. In 1987, the Soviet Union stopped objecting to SDI and signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty. This treaty marked the end of the cold war.
Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945-1991).
America should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its atomic bomb. This military move justifies the SDI project by the United States. Podvig (2016) reveals that the Soviet Union’s initial response to the SDI was to develop its anti-satellite systems to avoid an arms race with the US. Some of the programs developed by the Soviet Union are still present to date. The nuclear and arms control negotiations (SALT) and the peace negotiations make sense, considering that these military weapons posed a significant threat to world peace.
References
Corbett, P. S., Janseen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestiel, T., Vickery, P., & Waskiewicz, S. (2016). US History. OpenStax. https://assets.openstax.org/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/USHistory-WEB.pdf
Carpenter, T. G. (1986). US Aid to Anti-Communist Rebels: The” Reagan Doctrine” and its Pitfalls.
Fagan, K. (2015, September 10). ASU Insight: Should the United States be the World’s Policeman? ASU News. https://news.asu.edu/20160105-asu-insight-should-united-states-be-world%E2%80%99s-policeman
Podvig, P. (2017). Did Star Wars Help End the Cold War? Soviet Response to the SDI Program. Science & Global Security, 25(1), 3-27. https://russianforces.org/podvig/Podvig-Soviet_Response_to_SDI_Web2013.pdf
Pruitt, S. (2018, October 19). Why the Berlin Airlift Was the First Major Battle of the Cold War. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/berlin-airlift-wall-cold-war-blockade
Srivastava, S. (n.d.). Détente, its impact on Cold War politics. Academia. https://www.academia.edu/32138563/D%C3%A9tente_its_impact_on_Cold_War_politics
Wiest, A. (2003). The Vietnam War 1956-1975. Routledge. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/books/mono/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9780203500095&type=googlepdf
