Sem2.HW5

"How real was the threat of Communist spies within the US?"

The Algar Hiss Case in 1950 shows that the threat of Communist spies in the US was real. State Department official Algar Hiss was accused of passing information to the USSR. Although Hiss denied it, in 1995 documents were revealed, indicating that Hiss was indeed a Communist spy.

McCarthyism is an example of the unrealistic threat of Communist subversion within the US. From 1952 to 1954, McCarthy accused innocent people for supporting Communism, increasing the public's fear of Communist spies. But his charges were backed with no evidence, and he never made a solid case against anyone.

The threat of Communist spies was unreal because the US government was at fault for increasing the public's fear. Truman's Executive Order 9835 was a program designed to weed out any disloyal persons, but, sadly, it was "in large measure responsible for creating...hysteria" (Zinn 157).

"Is it fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to nuclear threat, was useful and 'healthy'?" (security of the nation = health)

It is not fair to say that the anxiety caused by nuclear threat in the US was useful and "healthy". The Federal Civil Defense Administration was established to prepare civilians to survive nuclear attacks, but as the arms race continued, the FCDA's methods turned out to be useless and ineffective.

The anxiety caused by nuclear threat was useful and healthy because it led to the growth of businesses in the 1950s. Atomic power fascinated people, and many businesses saw the potential of atomic power, as evident in the production of "fallout shelters", atomic tourism, and "atomic lunch-boxes".

Sem2.HW4

"How does the CIA's activities in Iran show that the US behaves undemocratically in its foreign policy?"

The CIA’s use of bribery and corruption in the 1950s is an example of the US behaving undemocratically in its foreign policy. Instead of respecting the Iranians’ support for Mossadeq, the CIA buys off influential Iranian officials, religious leaders, and local gangs to undermine Mossadeq’s support and his power.

In Eisenhower's "The Chance for Peace" speech, he states that "any nation's attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible." But in 1953, the CIA overthrows Mossadeq, the popular prime minister, reinstating the Iranian monarch. This shows the US's undemocratic behavior in its foreign policy.

SAVAK, an Iranian secret police trained and equipped by the CIA, is an example of the US's undemocratic behavior in its foreign policy. SAVAK consolidated and enforced the shah's rule. Instead of replacing Mossadeq with a democracy, the US had brought a dictator, an undemocratic demonstration during the Cold War.

Sem2.HW3

How convincing was America's attempts to influence other parts of the world to side with them in the Cold War?

US's attempt to use foreign aid to gain other nations' support in the Cold War, like in Nicaragua and Haiti, was ineffective. The US gave aid to anticommunist dictators which used it to consolidate their power, oppressing the people. This promoted resentment towards the US among citizens of those nations.

The US used radio broadcasts in Europe to gain people's support, but these attempts were unconvincing. The 1956 Hungarian revolt against the Soviets was inspired by US-sponsored Radio Free Europe broadcasts. Many Hungarians expected the US's help, but the US was "unwilling to risk war" over a satellite like Hungary.

The US's covert actions in Guatemala in 1954 were unconvincing attempts to gain the support of Third World Countries. With its own interests in mind, the US overthrew the elected Guatemalan president and replaced him with a repressive military dictator. This led many Latin Americans to resent the US.

How wise were America's decisions to produce advanced weapons during the Cold War's first 20 years?

The US's decisions to produce advanced weapons during the Cold War were not wise. In 1954, China shelled Quemoy and Matsu, and to protect its influence in Asia, the US threatened China with nuclear attacks. Mao backed down, but if China didn't, it would've triggered a nuclear war, affecting millions.

US's unwise decision to produce advanced weapons instigated the USSR to do the same, taking the two nations to the brink of nuclear war. The 1950 US National Security Policy in the Cold War even stated that "development of increasingly terrifying weapons of...destruction [poses] the...possibility of annihilation..."

The Role of Taiwan in the Early Cold War

Where are the islands of Quemoy and Matsu?

These islands are off the coast of mainland China.

Who is CKS and why did he come to Taiwan?

Chiang Kai-Shek is the leader of the Nationalists (KMT) who fought against the Communists led by Mao Ze-Dong. CKS fled mainland China after Mao and his Communists took over the nation in October of 1949, and he ended up here, in Taiwan.

Was CKS's move to Taiwan a sign that he and the KMT had decided to give up the fight against Mao and the Communists?

Why does the US change its mind about defending Taiwan?

Why doesn't Mao finish the Chinese Civil War by invading Taiwan in 1950?

Mao does not invade Taiwan and completely destroy any possibility of Nationalist uprisings on the island because his first priority was "to assist the [North] Koreans". Perhaps Mao believed that the issue of Taiwan could be dealt with later, since it really is a tiny island.

In what ways can we say that smaller allies like China and Taiwan were able to make the superpowers (the US and USSR) do things they did not want to?

Both China and Taiwan, represented respectively by Mao and Chiang, were using islands such as Quemoy and Matsu to manipulate the actions of the US and the USSR. Chiang was able to obtain a defense treaty which "bound the US to the defense of Taiwan", and later on, force the US to threaten Mao with the use of nuclear weapons to protect the offshore islands.

Sem2.HW2

Were the Methods the US used to contain the spread of Communism justified?

US's use of espionage to contain the spread of Communism is not justified. Instead of having official talks, the US resorted to spying, such as the U-2 incident in 1960, to gather information about the USSR to stop the spread of Soviet Communism. This method to contain Communism is unjustified.

US's political and economic isolation of China in 1950 to contain the spread of Communism is unjustified. The US saw China as wanting to spread Communism like the USSR, but China pursued its own interests and rejected Soviet control. This attempt to stop the spread of Communism is unjustified.

Sem2.HW1

"Could the US and the USSR have avoided the Cold War?"

The Cold War could have been avoided if the Truman administration didn't purposefully establish the USSR as an immediate threat, as evident in the 'Long Telegram', which states "there can be no ... peaceful coexistence [between the US and USSR]." The tension between the two nations could have been resolved.

(from the Cold War Files, George Kennan's Long Telegram)

The Cold War could have been avoided if the US gave up its nuclear weapons, instead of keeping them. According to Soviet delegate Andrei Gromyko, the USSR was willing to negotiate about arms control if the US's atomic weapons were destroyed. The arms race could have been avoided.

If the USSR kept its 1942 agreement to withdraw from Iran in the first place without US's pressure, the Cold War could have been avoided. The US's fear that the USSR was trying to expand its control beyond Eastern Europe would have lessened and the tension resolved.

The Cold War could have been avoided if the US and Britain didn't merge their occupation zones in Germany. This led to the Berlin Blockade in 1948, a high point in the Cold War. If the occupation zones remained separate, the tension between the US and USSR would have lessened.