Cold War And Containment Analysis

Question1
Containment was the foreign policy put forth by the United States to challenge Russia during the Cold War (Kennan and Containment, n.d.).
This Policy was based on a letter written by George Kennan called the X Article (Jones, 2008). The letter called for the United States to contain communism from any further expansion. Under President Truman, this became policy and would continue for many years and Presidents after him. Since the letter did not define the terms on how to contain communism, every administration implemented their own form of containment. This would vary from military interference to economic aid and trade agreements.
The Russians were determined to set their influence through the world. They were determined to stop
capitalism, thinking it was an evil and corrupt plague on society. America felt the same about communism and did not like the fact that it was a repressive form of government that denied basic freedoms to individuals. These difference in ideals would lead to the Cold War between the United States and Russia. With Russia trying to spread their influence and ideals to poor countries or those in turmoil, the United States felt it needed to step in to stop this.
In Kennan’s article, he explained the United States would need patients in conducting containment. He knew it would be a long process that called for communism to collapse on itself. This is how the Cold War began and why it lasted so long. From 1947 when the policy started to the 1960s is when much of the containment policy was enacted. It was not until the 1980s when Russia finally felt the effects of their communist ideals and collapsed.
It was the policy of containment that aided in the collapse of Soviet Russia. A policy created in the late 1940s took decades to work. It led to the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Russia. By containing the spread of communism the United States’ policy on containment, in its many forms, was the result of Soviet collapse.
References:
Jones, H. (2008). Crucible of Power, A History of American Foreign Relations from 1897, Second Edition. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham, Kennan and Containment, 1947. Retrieved from: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/kennan

Question 2
In July 1962, U2 spy planes have discovered a growing number of Soviet ships in Cuba (Jones, 2008).
Also U2 planes discovered the construction of a missile site in August. On October 14th another U2 fly over discovered medium range ballistic missiles being assembled (Cuban Missile Crisis, n.d.). This has led to a series of events, including the establishment of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm) on October 22nd (World on the Brink, n.d.) who’s job is to resolve this situation.
All of these series of events that would be known as the Cuban Missile crisis. For 13 days in October 1962 the United States and soviet Russia were at the brink of war because of the nuclear missiles in Cuba. A lot of time was spent determining how to get Russia to admit the missiles were there and how to get them to remove the missiles and stop more from coming in. After many discussions, it was determined a blockade of Cuba would be the best action to take. The blockade of Cuba and diplomacy from the United States finally worked and Russia admitted to the presence of the missiles. Eventually through negotiations, the missiles were removed from
Cuba.
This was a very significant event in the Cold War. It showed that the United States was determined it its policy of containment and as protector of the Western Hemisphere. It also showed Russia that America could not be bullied. It also helped ease some tensions of a possible nuclear war after it was over. This showed that neither country really wanted to conduct nuclear strikes on each other.
Russia was putting nuclear weapons right at America’s doorstep in Cuba. Fearing Russia’s intent, President Kennedy had to react. Through non-aggressive actions and diplomacy the United States prevailed. This would show that both countries were not truly intent on destroying each other through nuclear means.

References:
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/topics/cold- war/cuban-missile-crisis
Jones, H. (2008). Crucible of Power, A History of American Foreign Relations from 1897, Second Edition. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham, Maryland. World on the Brink, John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Thirteen Days in October 1962. Retrieved from: http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/

Question 3
In the 1960s communist insurgent (Vietcong) activity picked up in South Vietnam.
President Kennedy was advised that a communist takeover of South Vietnam would lead to a fall in the defense of the Pacific by the United States (Jones, 2008). He was also advised to create a counterinsurgency force to stop the Vietcong. Soon the United States would find itself fighting the forces of communism in Vietnam.
This started with Kennedy sending American military forces there in an advisory role, to train the South Vietnamese Army to fight and defend itself from a communists take over. Kennedy would increase the number of U.S. forces there but never to the extent of President Johnson. After Kennedy’s assignation Johnson would take over as president of the United States. He feared that China was involved in with communist North Vietnam and if allowed to take the South, they would not stop there. Because of this he committed more troops to combat communism in Vietnam.
The Vietnam War was not very popular to the American public. Because of media reports depicting many atrocities of war and the loss of American lives, American society no longer wanted any involvement in the country of the Vietnam. Nixon’s promise to end the conflict in Vietnam would help him win the next presidential
elections.
He promised to remove American forces honorably from Vietnam. The process of détente would help in this. Détente was the ease of tensions between the United States and the countries of Russia and communist China. Nixon believed between détente and the Vietnamization process, America could end its conflicts in Indochina.
Although détente did not truly work and the Vietnamization process was not allowed to take full process, this was due to a corrupt South Vietnamese government and Congress not authorizing the aid Nixon promised, America did leave Vietnam. Weeks later South Vietnam fell to the communist North.

References:
Jones, H. (2008). Crucible of Power, A History of American Foreign Relations from 1897, Second Edition. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham, Maryland.