Conditions surrounding the Atomic bomb
The US asked Japan for unconditional surrender, but Japan wanted to keep some positions like the Emperor. Japanese would not allow the US to arrest the Emperor, wanted him to remain as a symbol of power. After the first test of the atomic weapon, Japan surrendered. The US allowed them to keep their Emperor
Why are nuclear weapons game changers?
- extreme destruction
- projected power
- ultimate deterent
Why was the nuclear weapon used when Japan was surrendering anyways?
- the official narrative was to avoid American deaths in battle
- the British had been decoding Japanese intel, and they informed the US that the Japanese were debating how to surrender.
- the nuclear weapon was a major sign to the Soviet Union.
What did Truman say to Stalin about the nuclear weapon?
We have a nuclear weapon, we are more powerful.
When did the Cold War arms race begin?
in the final phases of WWII
What was the state of the US during the beginnings of the Cold War?
- US had not suffered as badly as European countries in WWII, exports more than doubled pre war levels
- US had 3/4 share in the global invested capital
What arae the two main institutions of global capitalism established by the US in 1944?(Bretton Woods)
- IBRD
2. IMF
What are the two ways of life that Truman argued that the world had to choose between?
- based on majority, distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression
- Based on the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio; fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms
What is the Marshall Plan?
aimed at the economic recovery of Europe, US gave 12 bil to rebuild Western Europe
Why was the Marshall plan effective?
it would prevent another global economic crisis that had occurred in the 30s
- served American political and ideological interests as well as economic interests.
When was NATO created?
1949, 12 countries signed the north atlantic treaty
- the military alliance commits member states to mutual defense in case of an attack by external party
What was enacted in response to NATO?
The Warsaw Pact, 1955
What is the Domino theory?
In case of a communist revolution in one country, neighbouring countries would also become infected with the communist contagion
What was used to build public support for the Vietnam war?
An unprovoked act of aggression, the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Realists perspectives on the Cold war
Waltz and Mearsheimer: a time of stability, due to the bipolar structure. Gaddis called it the ‘long peace’ in 1987
Morgenthau: criticized US foreign policy for being too ideological
Kennon: criticized it for being too dependent on military containment
Who was responsible for the Cold War?
US foreign policy has been described as reactionary towards Soviet policy of aggression
Gaddis challenged this, arguing that Stalins actions were attempts to ensure basic security interests of the Soviet Union
Stalin’s moves were wrongly interpreted as aggressive expansion based on communist ideology.
What is a realist understanding of the Cold War?
- emphasizinv the role of material and geopolitical factors in the rivalry between the US and USSR
- Soviet presence in the East and Central Europe was a major concern for the US
- USSR’s growing geopolitical influence was call for alarm
Constructivist understanding of the Cold war
- focuses on the ideological character of the rivalry
- commitment to liberal democratic values
- American exceptionalism
- scholars in favour of such an approach argue that each of the two superpowers established institutions and systems in Europe based on their ideology
- hostility towards the communist ideology
Socio-economic Understanding of the Cold War
- US was concerned with the economic security and prosperity of the capitalist system
- the international capitalist system not only benefitted the elite of the US but also the state. As a result, the very foundation of the US was under threat.
- The war was not over ideas, but rather the fact that the expansion of the Soviet economic model eliminated areas of the globe which had the potential to become part of the capitalist system, and a market for US business and global capital
