Eisenhower Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy under Eisenhower 1953-61

• Eisenhower - the first Republican president since 1920s
• He wanted to continue Truman's way - also added some of his own style

End of Korean War

• Number of developments in 1953 - war came to an end
• Election of Eisenhower in 1953
• Won power stating he would bring war to an end
• Reputation - supreme commander of allied forces in WW2
• threats to use nuclear weapons and involve Chiang in war (links to attitude of North Koreans)
• 2. US Public Opinion
• Anti-War
• It was made clear it was economically important to end any military involvement
• Unwise to get bogged down in Korea
• Europe more important
• 3. Death of Stalin in 1953
• New collective leadership
• Period known as 'Thaw' in Cold War
• Wanted to improve relations - by ending war in Korea this would help
• Focus on Domestic Issues
• 4. Attitude of the Chinese
• War was expensive
• Wanted to focus on domestic problems
• War was using more money than they thought
• 5. Attitude of North Koreans
• US bombing brought country to breaking point
• Dam destruction led to agriculture damage and the country close to famine

The 'New Look' Policy

• Eisenhower was to cut back on federal spending - $40 billion a year
• Korean War showed that US military was not strong - Eisenhower was to fight effective and cheaply
• The new look plan was ;
• - Cut back on conventional forces
• - US to be more dependant on nuclear forces
• - This would be as threatening to enemies - cause retaliation
• - 'More bang for your buck'
• Eisenhower's republicans were more anti-communist than Truman's Democrats
• Eisenhower was a moderate - shared the same views as Truman - he wanted to continue 'containment'
• 'Domino theory' - if one country falls the others fall too
• America to confront communist expansion
• Mao and Ho forced closer to USSR
• John Foster Dulles - hater of communism - appointed Eisenhower's secretary of state
• US knew communism was spreading but wouldn't do anything to help this - did not want to get in direct conflict with China or USSR
• Cutting defence spending could make US look weak
• Dulles warned if anyone attacked the US they would face 'massive retaliation'
• - this led to the Cold War almost becoming a nuclear war and the continuation of nuclear war

1950s ARMS RACE

• THE USA TAKES THE LEAD
• 1951 - US Strategic Air Command (SAC) - policy of constant readiness
• Nov 1952 - USA detonates first hydrogen bomb
• Mar 1954 - USA develops H bomb
• Jul 1956 - USA develops U2 spy plane
• Jan 1958 - USA catch up with Soviets to launch own satellite into space
• THE USSR TAKES THE LEAD
• Aug 1953 - USSR detonates their own H bomb
• Sep 1954 - USSR develop similar bomb to US
• May 1957 - USSR develop first ICBM
• Oct 1957 - USSR launch 'Sputnik' Satellite into Orbit

Improving relations?

• 'Thaw' was what this period of time was referred to as - number of reasons for this -
• - Stalin's death changed soviet leadership - Khrushchev spoke of 'peaceful co-existence'
• - End of Korean War
• - End of mcCarthyism in US
• - Economic Considerations
• 1955 can be seen as a highpoint of improved relations -
• *Soviets made some important concessions in 1955 -
• -Agreed to give up military bases in Finland
• -Lifted the veto on admission of 16 new countries to UN
• -Argument with Yugoslavia healed when Khrushchev visited Tito
• -Cominform - abandoned
• * Agreement over future of Austria
• -signing of Austrian State treaty in May 1955 was the most important sign of the thaw

Geneva Summit 1955

• July 1955
• Achieved little concrete - Big success for Eisenhower
• Still tension between Superpowers
• - No agreement over future of Germany - Khrushchev suggested to allow a united Germany, this would not be neutral
• - Eisenhower suggested an arms control - spy planes to fly over each others territory to verify agreements - Khrushchev rejected

Hungary 1956

• Dulles spoke of 'roll back' in Europe - people didn't support communist governments
• Events in Hungary allowed him to put these words in to action
• October 1956 - revolt broke out against the communist government - sparked by a speech made by Khrushchev earlier in the year and his policy of 'desalinisation'
• The revolt led to the withdrawal of the Red Army
• New government under Nagy started
• November - Hungarians spoke about leaving Warsaw Pact - soviet crushed revolt, killing around 30,000
• Hungarians pleaded for help, US did nothing;
• -Geographically there is nothing they can do
• -They accepted that Eastern Europe was soviet sphere of influence
• -Military action could start WW3 and a nuclear holocaust

Issue of Berlin

• Thaw was a short lived period - late 1950s relations were worsening
• Situation with Germany was the same as it was at the end of Berlin Blockade in 1949 as peace treaty not signed
• Western sectors developed and grew thanks to US aid - Soviet sector was slow - Made Soviets look weak
• Many people left - desperately needed in the East
• Khrushchev issued an ultimatum to US in 1958 - peace treaty and US troops should leave Berlin by May 1959 - if not the USSR would sign its own peace treaty with East Germany - nothing happened
• Eisenhower didn't want to abandon Berlin and didn't want to recognise east Germany
• September 1959 they agreed to a Summit in Paris to discuss Berlin - failure -soviets shot down U2 spy plane belonging to USA

Eisenhower and China

• Nationalist forces Feld to Taiwan - Us still supported them and support was increased after Korean War
• 1954 - treaty was signed promising US protection of Taiwan
• Republicans wanted to show support for Chiang and not Mao - 1953 events - Eisenhower removed fleet and threatened to 'unleash' Chiang to end Korean War
• Nationalists raided China's coast
• China keen to challenge how strong US containment to Taiwan was
• Taiwan was important to US policy
• Unlimited power to use forces - January 1955 - 'Formosa Resolution'
• Eisenhower threatened China with the use of Nuclear Weapons
• Also got USSR to put pressure on China to stop
• Problems arose again in 1958 when Chiang increased his army to 100,000 - Eisenhower had to make it clear to Chiang that support from America was there but not all the time

Eisenhower and Vietnam

• Vietnamese national army created to help French - didn't want to fight for them
• Eisenhower found it clear that French were close to a complete defeat in Vietnam
• French had one last go at trying to defeat the Vietminh
• New invasion led to talks to whether America should get involved with Vietnam or not
• Eisenhower rejected -
• -Only just gained popularity by ending the Korean War
• -Britain would not get involved (key alli)
• -Difficult to get involved
• French left on their own

Diem's rule in South Vietnam

• Diem had a dictatorial manner
• US aid went in to building Army and developing consumer goods
• Diem however, was deeply unpopular -
• -Ignored advice from US to reform Vietnam
• -Disliked meeting 'normal' people
• -Laws passed to crackdown on communists
• -Alienated rural peasants