Cold War Essay Questions
Thesis: How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States following the second world war?
"...A fear of communists had existed since the Red Scare of 1919 when the U.S. government tried to repress left-wing communists. McCarthyism, a series of highly publicized investigations and a fear of communism, occurred in the early 1950s as a result of traditional hatred of Soviets, excuses for frustrations in China and Korea, and a general tension in the lives of Americans" ".....McCarthyism appealed to the citizens of the U.S. because their appetite for fear concerning communism had already been whetted during 1919 and the years following the 1st World War...." "McCarthyism represented the effects of the 'Second Red Scare' in the United States. It was the 1950's and the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Fear of communism and the Soviet Union, along with the natural characteristic of conformity in the 1950's are responsible for the appeal of McCarthyism following WWII"
Example Body paragraphs 2: How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States following the second world war?
"After WWI, starting in 1919, there arose a fear of communism. Many Americans looked to Communism with contempt and there also laid an underlying fear that communism would affect the U.S. The Communist party was already a presence in the U.S. Through the efforts of Comintern, the Communists held a favorable spot in America, aiding blacks and unions with their causes. However, once WW 1 came into place, it all ended. The Red Scare appeared in 1919, and in it people feared communism within the U.S. With the recent bomb threats and radicalism of such groups as the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World, A.K.A. The Wobblies), strong in the U.S. there came an urge in the public to the traditional, to the repeal of such radical tendencies. The Palmer raids, led by A. Mitchell Palmer, one of the victims of a bomb threat, worked to uncover thousands of communists on May Day. However it produced nothing but 3 pistols and no fire arms. After this incident, fears in America concerning slavery subsided. However, the seeds of communist fears were already planted within the hearts of Americans. After the 2nd World War, these fears were raised once more by the actions of the Soviets. A containment doctrine was implemented to contain communism and to disavow any further spread it might attempt. After the 2nd World War, the goal was to keep democracy alive and free from the grasp of communism. The American government felt that all communist expansions had to be stopped or else a domino effect might occur, that is, if one country fell to communism, then all the surrounding ones would be weak enough to fall. Truman advocated his doctrine, which allowed for the U.S. aid to Turkey and Greece, to aid them in fighting the communist uprisings. The majority of the Americans now felt that communism had to be stopped and democracy liberated. These strong and intense views only opened American hearts to welcome McCarthyism, which would soon follow. McCarthyism experienced its peak after the 2nd World War. The leader and instigator, McCarthy, would not have succeeded in absorbing the American people in such anticommunist passion if certain instances had not occurred. McCarthy advocated government inspection of government officials to get rid of any hidden communists. They complied, forcing hundreds of officials from their jobs. The McCarran Act also limited communists in the country, forcing them to register with the government, not permitting them to work in defense factories, and prohibiting their leaving the country. McCarthy fueled the American opinion through the publicized trials he held, where he emotionally and passionately accused people of being connected to the communist party. At times, this reached the point of absurdity, for anyone even friends with a communist or anyone having even a slight connection to communism held fears of being jailed. Such cases included the Rosenburg case. The Rosenburgs were a couple who were accused of giving the USSR information about the U.S. defense papers. The papers were supposedly hidden in a pumpkin, hence the name pumpkin papers. Through claiming their innocence, they were persecuted and electrocuted. Another case revolved around Alger Hiss, who was accused by Whitaker Chambers of being a spy for the U.S.S.R. After the trial Hiss admitted to perjury and was prosecuted. These trials only confirmed American suspicions of communism threats in the United States and helped account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the U.S."
Evidence 1: Evaluate the role of two of the late Cold War policies in bringing an end to the cold war
"Reagan wanted to create an impressive nuclear force so powerful that the Soviets would be forced to back down from any confrontation. In 1983, he announced his intention to build a high-tech missile defense system called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), more commonly referred to as "Star Wars." One version of the plan included stations in space that would use lasers to destroy intercontinental missiles as they were launched. While many politicians against the SDI strategy claimed it would be too costly to maintain, skeptics from the science and technology industry questioned whether it would work at all." "Gorbachev was more personable than prior Soviet leaders and supported radical reforms in the Soviet Union. He presented two revolutionary policies: Glasnost (openness) which aimed to end the secretive, suppressive Soviet society by allowing free speech and political liberty; and Perestroika (restructuring), which was designed to accept free-market practices to revitalize the sluggish Soviet economy. He also announced that the Soviet Union would not force communist governments in Eastern Europe to remain in power. Repressive regimes in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and East Germany collapsed, and in 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down. The notorious Iron Curtain that had divided Eastern Europe for decades was no more." "For Gorbachev's plan to work he had to reduce the size and funding for the nation's military and massive weapons stash, and concentrate on stabilizing the economy. The dismantling of the Soviet military effectively brought an end to the Cold War. In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty to ban all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe. The agreement was a victory for Reagan who maintained his rigid stand against communism, and for Gorbachev who proved to the world that he was serious about reform."
Example Body paragraphs 1: How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States following the second world war?
"The trial of Alger Hiss did precipitate McCarthyism because the investigation of this suspected communist provided a basis for Senator Joe McCarthy's view of communist infiltration in the government. HUAC investigations went underway as a result of the Hiss trial and the McCarran Security Act stated that communists must reveal their activities before entering a government job. Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower served to support these investigations with their "loyalty" investigations to determine if government officials were treasonous or faithful. Americans were appealed to by McCarthyism in the 1950s because the Cold War produced a tense fear inside the American spirit, a fear of the Soviet Union and Communism in the United States. This fear brainwashed Americans into thinking that there were so many Communists planning to take over the government. McCarthyism also took America's mind off the frustrations in Asia for a while. The Korean War had begun in 1950, and a military stalemate continued to plague America's limited war efforts. The pro-communist North Koreans were not being defeated by American forces and other small UN forces. Senator McCarthy funneled these frustrations into a type of hysteria in the United States. He held highly publicized government investigations and ruined political careers. He would have gone on a rampage in the 1950s if it hadn't been for the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954. People in America, although initially attracted to and absorbed by McCarthy's investigations, began to think of McCarthy as a villain who had excessive powers in government. In the hearings in 1954 McCarthy could not get around prosecutions (accusations) of his notorious political excesses"
Evidence 1: Evaluate the role of two of the late Cold War policies in bringing an end to the cold war
- External pressure from the United States: Breaking the policy of "détente" and restarting the arms race. This would force the Soviets into doing the same - something their economy could not afford to do. -Mikhail Gorbachev took over the Communist party in the USSR in 1985, and he recognized the need for reform. His main two policies were... o Glasnost - this meant openness o Perestroika - this meant economic restructuring He also met with Reagan in 1985 to ease tensions between the two world powers. By 1987, they agreed to eliminate all intermediate-range nuclear missiles based in Europe. In 1988, Gorbachev ordered troops out of Afghanistan. As Gorbachev began his reform of the Soviet system, the entire system of the Soviet Union began to collapse
Evidence: How successful was the Eisenhower administration in addressing those Cold War confrontations and Fears
AP Central: Outside Information COLD WAR FEARS Fears of communists at home: -Joseph McCarthy -HUAC/Richard Nixon, Hollywood Ten, FBI/Hoover -Loyalty Program (Truman and Eisenhower) -Communist Party USA -Rosenbergs/ Alger Hiss -McCarran Act -Arthur Miller, Crucible -Censorship Fears spread abroad: -"iron curtain" -Korean War (1950-1953) -Soviet masterminding of global communist aggression: China, Korea, etc. -domino theory (Laos and Vietnam) -Vietnam and Dien Bien Phu and Diem in S. -Vietnam -NATO -The Berlin Crisis -Nuclear weapons and the missile/space race -The Soviet Union has the A Bomb (1949) -H Bomb (1950) -Sputnik I and II EISENHOWER ADMINISTRATION RESPONSES -To fears of communists at home: Eisenhower privately critical, did little openly to destroy McCarthy -McCarthy brought down by own flaws and Army-McCarthy hearings -Nixon, HUAC member, VP and strong anti Communist -Continued Loyalty programs To fears of the spread abroad: -Eisenhower Doctrine (used in Jordan w/ attempted coup, not successful w/ Syria, Lebanon 14,000 troops then withdrew with UN Arab resolution) and shift focus from Europe to Middle East/Latin America/Asia - Massive retaliation -A bigger bang for the buck -Brinkmanship -Domino theory (Laos, Vietnam) -Negotiated peace in Korea -supporter of NATO -CIA w/Guatamala and Iran Suez crisis- pressure France and Britain to withdraw -Inaction during the Hungarian crisis Cuba: Castro vs. Batista- authorizes Bay of Pigs plan by CIA -Formosa resolution-Ike requested of Congress -power to protect Formosa (Taiwan) -Stopped Chinese assault 1954 and mutual defense treaty with Chinese Nationalists on Taiwan -Refusal to admit China to the UN or trade -Better relations w/ Khrushchev (1955+) -Khrushchev visit 1959 warms relations (Camp David) -U-2 incident harms relations (1960) -To nuclear weapons and the missile/space race: Ike moderate support for space race -Huge impact of Sputnik forced hand -Federal program to build bomb shelters/ Duck and Cover program for schools -US supplying missiles to Britain and NATO allies
Evidence: "The Cold War hostility between the US and the Soviet Union was inevitable: Assess the validity of this statement.
Evidence: America is democratic and capitalistic. • America had multiple political parties and ideologies. • Believed in four fundamental freedoms vs. The Soviet Union was a communist dictatorship • The Soviets believed in total authoritarian government. Total state control over all forms of life. • For two such superpowers that had control over two different sectors of the globe, and that practiced two such different forms of government, conflict was of course going to be inevitable. US/Russia Confrontation: After the division of Germany and the capital of Berlin into a communist east and democratic west was the beginning of tensions that would eventually boil to a breaking point. • The basic differences that are rooted int the two systems would of eventually lead to the breaking point even if the Cold War did not happen when it did, because both of the ideologies wanted to expand their system world wide. • The confrontations that in Eastern Europe that lead to the Cold War was the Berlin Wall and America not being allowed access into Berlin
Thesis: How successful was the Eisenhower administration in addressing those Cold War confrontations and Fears?
Examples: "........The Eisenhower administration managed to soothe American hysteria somewhat, but failed to either make peace with the Soviets or contain communism, which lay at the heart of Americans' Cold War fears." ".....The Eisenhower administration was unsuccessful as a whole in addressing these fears of the American people as they were still living in fear of communism and nuclear bombs......" "........The Truman administration allowed this mania to increase without actually resulting in nuclear warfare or mass destruction, but it was Eisenhower who successfully managed to begin alleviating the insanity"
Evidence part 1 : Assess the success of the United States Policy of containment in Asia between 1945-1975
Korean War: -usually considered a win because communism was kept above the 38th parallel -but, General MacArthur coming close to the Chinese despite warning and making them think we were coming at them caused a dispatch of Chinese soldiers. -This resulted in huge losses in the UN Forces and Korean Civilians. -Communism was contained but at a great human and economic loss. Taiwan: -considered as success - North Korea attacked South Korea -Truman ordered US fleet to keep peace in the Taiwan Straits -from that point on, US gave lots of military and economic aid to them to contain Chinese communal -Eisenhower came in and withdrew fleet, allowing the Taiwan leader to "unleash" -Chiang kai-shek, leader of Taiwan, attacked mainland china -china used this as excuse to bomb Tachen Islands -US congress passed the Formosa resolution, allowing Eisenhower to take whatever action is needed to protect Taiwan -Eisenhower threatened china with nuclear weapons if they were to take over Taiwan -US got USSR to also put pressure on China -China backed down
Thesis: "The Cold War hostility between the US and the Soviet Union was inevitable: Assess the validity of this statement.
Possible thesis: • The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet union was inevitable because both countries were world powers, the clashing forms of government, and the U.S.-Russian confrontation in Europe. Thesis can vary
Thesis: Evaluate the role of two of the late Cold War policies in bringing an end to the cold war
This essay question's thesis can be answered in two ways: 1. Arguing Regan was the one who ended the Cold War 2. Arguing Regan was more of a side show and that Gorbachev (new leader who brought about major change and openness) was the true barrier of peace
Evidence part 2 : Assess the success of the United States Policy of containment in Asia between 1945-1975
Vietnam: -faLiure of US policy of containment -we lost hundreds of thousands of American lives, billions of dollars, and caused division of US public opinion -all this causes us to pull out of the war in 1973 -Domino theory: if one Asian country fell to communism so would the others -Eisenhower didn't directly intervene at first -A man named Diem established republic of Vietnam -US sent millions to him + had military involvement -US wanted Diem to do reforms but he was a cruel leader who crushed opposition and promoted catholic religion despite Buddhism being the main religion there. He did his with his brother. Nhu -US supported Diem's decision to not do elections because they both feared the reuniting of a Communist Vietnam -Vietnamese people resisted this with military force (named Vietcong) along with North Vietnam's support -Kennedy elected and introduce "flexible response" -^included: -^increasing military advisors in the South -^Search and destroy missions of Vietcongs, spraying stuff like agent orange, resettlement of villagers after getting out the communism -^new US military force called "Green Berets" -^encouraged Diem to introduce social and political reform -none were successful -Johnson takes over and continues the war and continues the idea of beating communism and the the domino theory -Johnson wanted to increase US commitment in war and so he used the Gulf of Tonkin incident where several US ships were fired upon, even though there was confusion and uncertainty of actual threats. He called this attack "Open aggression on the high seas." So US bombed north Vietnam installations. He also went to congress right after for the "Golf of Tonkin resolutions" which authorized him to take any action of repel attacks on US -for next 6 years, this resolution was used as a legal basis for the continued war in Vietnam -after G.O.T resolution passed, US launched binning in north Vietnam known as "operation rolling thunder", we sent more troops on search and destroy missions, began using napalm, bombs and more in south Vietnam -war reached turning point in 1968. We were not winning more and anti war feelings increased in US -Johnson tried to convince US that we were winning -communist surprise attack was hard for US and took 11 days to regain control; major shock; tet offensive was failing -Nixon came in and wanted to end war -wanted "peace with honour" rather than complete peace because didn't want US to seem like it was defeated and wanted South Vietnam to have a chance of survival -^caused the war to be 4 years longer -Nixon introduced Vietnamization which took out American troops and replaced them with Vietnamese troops -Nixon doctrine that said nations were responsible for own defense -Paris peace talks ended it -in the same year, Cambodia and Laos also fell to communism alongside Vietnam
Thesis: Assess the success of the United States Policy of containment in Asia between 1945-1975
one possible (Shortened) thesis: ".... American policy of containment during the Korean War and the Vietnam War did manage to contain the expansion of Communism to a certain extent" the thesis can vary due to your choice of which events to include and your stance
