Foreign Policy
From Hot War to Cold War
(1944-1950)
PLS 341: American Foreign Policy
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
2 / 17
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?
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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?
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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
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Eastern Europe
• Direct Control (annexation)
– Estonia
– Latvia
– Lithuania
• Indirect Control (satellite)
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Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Romania
Poland
Bulgaria
Yugoslavia
Albania
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Eastern Europe
• 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
7 / 17
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?
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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)
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The Soviet Underbelly
• Soviet Union also hemmed in
along the south
• Russia had sought a free warmwater 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)
10 / 17
The Underbelly in Greece
• During WWII, most of the
fighting in Greece was between
the communists and anticommunists
• The Soviets were unable to
make significant inroads in
Greece
– Marshall Plan helped
– Truman Doctrine helped
– Direct CIA support helped
11 / 17
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
12 / 17
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
13 / 17
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
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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
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Soviet Foreign Policy Prongs
• Realist
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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
16 / 17
Assignment
• Read:
– Chapter 3 (Hook)
– Pages 133 – 143 (Chittick)
• Monday’s Topic:
– The Hopes and Failures of
Containment
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