Author: Ole J. Forsberg

Foreign Policy
From Hot War to Cold War (1944-1950)
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
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?
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?
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
Eastern Europe
•	Direct Control (annexation)
–	Estonia
–	Latvia
–	Lithuania
•	Indirect Control (satellite)
–	Czechoslovakia
–	Hungary
–	Romania
–	Poland
–	Bulgaria
–	Yugoslavia
–	Albania
•	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
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?
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)
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)
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
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
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
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
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
–	
•	Kennan’s Long Telegram
–	Laid out the Soviet Union’s two policy foundations
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
Assignment
•	Read: 
–	Chapter 3 (Hook) 
–	Pages 133 – 143 (Chittick)
•	
•	Monday’s Topic: 
–	The Hopes and Failures of Containment