Eisenhower’s Adventures
in the Cold War
Your task today…
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This is a timeline of foreign affairs events and policies of the
Eisenhower administration. Next week, the test you will take on Ike
will include a number of items from this PowerPoint.
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Your job is to open this PowerPoint presentation and carefully read
through each slide. If you have a question or need clarification on a
particular slide, it is your job to do Google searches to educate
yourself further. If you have additional questions, you must ask
them tomorrow. Also, there are several slides that have questions
(in YELLOW text) or blank spots left open for you to fill- make sure
you do so- you may be called to the front of the room to show what
you came up with.
Eisenhower ends The Korean War
(finally)
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Soviet leader Joseph Stalin dies in March, 1953 creating
lots of uncertainty in the Communist world- will the
Soviet Union be there to support North Korea and other
nations?
Eisenhower’s seizes on this uncertainty (and threatens
to use nuclear weapons) to kick-start negotiations; his
diplomacy leads to a ceasefire
July 23, 1953:
An agreement made to return POWs
US-South Korea Security Treaty (1953): U.S. troops
remain stationed in South Korea to help them defend
themselves (to this day)
John Foster Dulles and “The New Look”
foreign policy
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Ike’s Secretary of State
“The New Look” relied on:
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A smaller army
A greater reliance on nuclear weapons, bombers, missiles
Use nuclear deterrence instead of fighting small limited wars
Threaten the Soviet Union with “massive retaliation” with nukes
in order to maintain the peace
“Mutual Assured Destruction” MAD
Avoid smaller wars and conflicts like Korea; keep the peace
through the threat of overwhelming force and destruction
No more wars to enforce Truman’s “containment” policy
Result:
The H-Bomb
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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bo
mb/
Why was the “Castle Bravo” test in
1954 infamous?
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How much more powerful were Hbombs than atomic bombs?
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How were they different in design?
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Where were H-bomb tests
conducted?
Eisenhower and Dulles’ diplomatic strategy
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Eisenhower and Dulles sign treaties with 43
countries, surrounding the Soviet Union with
military bases in friendly countries
“A ring around the Soviet Union”
Examples:
A thaw in the Cold War?
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Ike believed that friendlier relations were
possible after Stalin’s death
At the same time the U.S. builds up nuclear
arsenal, he works for disarmament
“Atoms for Peace” plan, 1953:
Geneva Summit, 1955: Eisenhower meets Nikita
Khruschev
“Open Skies” plan, 1955:
This temporary improvement ends when the
Soviet army invades Hungary, 1956
The Growing Power of the CIA
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The CIA was seen by many as the “good way” to fight
Communism: avoid direct conflict and war
The agency was created by 1947 National Security Act
Conducted spying and “covert ops” in other countries
Given permission to spend unlimited amounts of money
in 1949 without Congressional supervision
The CIA bribed overseas politicians, hired secret armies,
and plotted assassinations in “developing nations” to
stop Communism and support our allies; read this for
more incredible details:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/22/usa
.simontisdall
The CIA in Iran
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The oil-rich nation of Iran was ruled by an
elected Parliament and a Shah (king).
The oil fields were controlled by British and
American oil companies
The newly elected Prime Minister, Mohammad
Mossadeg nationalizes the oil and kicks out
foreign companies!
What was Operation AJAX (1953)? What was
the end result?
Mossadeq vs. The CIA
Prime Minister Mossadeq and CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt… yes that same family!
Vietnam
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French Indochina had been a
colony since the 1880s
Communist leader Ho Chi Minh
fights for independence from the
French in the years after WWII.
U.S. paid for 75% of France’s
military effort
French surrendered at
Dienbienphu on May 7, 1954
1954 Geneva Peace Accords:
Vietnam divided into two countries
at 17th parallel; elections later to
be held in 1956 to reunify the
country
Ho Chi Minh: leader of North
Vietnam
The Domino Theory takes hold.
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Eisenhower and his advisors
believed that if one Asian
nation falls to Communism,
they all will!
The CIA installs Ngo Dinh
Diem as President of South
Vietnam; gives him billions of
dollars and American military
advisors
The National Liberation Front
(NLF) organizes to defeat
Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem: The CIA’s chosen leader
for South Vietnam
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Conduct a Google search for details
about Diem’s life. Why was he
selected to be the leader of South
Vietnam? What was his religion, and
why was this problematic?
The Suez Crisis- 1956
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Egypt declared itself independent
in 1953
Gen. Gamal Abdel Nasser
demanded that Britain give up the
Suez Canal
75% of Western Europe’s oil
traveled through the Canal; $25
million in tolls every year
Eisenhower offered Nasser a loan
to build a dam, but he made an
arms deal with the Soviets
instead, and then seized the canal
Suez Crisis (cont.)
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October, 1956: Britain, Israel, and France invaded Egypt; the Soviet
Union threatened to intervene- very close to nuclear war!
The UN and US condemn the three allies, they pull out, and the
canal was given to Egypt
Eisenhower Doctrine:
For more info:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5195068.
stm
The Space Race Begins!!!
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Soviets launch 184 pound satellite
Sputnik into orbit on October 4, 1957
“A technological Pearl Harbor!”
Sputnik II launched on November 3,
1957… with a dog!!!
NASA (National Aeronautics and
Space Administration) created in 1958
Massive spending on education,
emphasis on science, math, foreign
languages
1/3 of all scientists on college
campuses were doing work for the
Pentagon
* Find a picture of Sputnik and put it
over here ->
The Kitchen Debate
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When did this event (pictured to the right)
take place? Who are these two men, and
what were they arguing about?
Revolution in Cuba: January 1, 1959
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Who is this man? What happened in
Cuba, and why was it problematic for
America?
The U-2 Incident: May 1, 1960
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What happened to this airplane,
and what was its historical
significance?
Ike’s Farewell Address
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What did he warn about in this famous
farewell address?
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Was he right to be concerned?
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/spee
ches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html
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