Preview

Flexible Response To The Cold War

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
765 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Flexible Response To The Cold War
The First Presidents of the Cold War Did you know the Cold War was called the Cold War because of the “icy” relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union. Each president had to deal with the Cold War, but Truman and Eisenhower wanted Communism to be contained while Kennedy wanted flexible response. It all started out with Karl Marx. He created the idea of Communism, which is the theory of everything being publicly owned and workers get paid based off their abilities(Ayers 756). This led to the presidents having to use ideas like containment and flexible response. Containment is stopping the spread of a certain idea created by George F. Kennan(Ayers 819). Flexible response is defending without using nuclear missiles(Ayers 886). Kennedy …show more content…
Kennedy was the first president in the Cold War to use a new idea. He brought in the idea of flexible response. Kennedy didn’t want to contain Communism, wanted to get rid of it completely(Kennedy). Kennedy only helped non Communist countries and independent countries that didn’t want Communism to rule(Kennedy). Kennedy founded the Peace Corp to help other countries in any way possible(Kennedy). Kennedy also sent weapons and the ideals of democracy to countries that needed to defend their lands. Kennedy did have restrictions, but giving like this would give the US a good reputation and make countries think about converting to a democratic government(Kennedy). “Always seek peace, but never surrender”(Kennedy). This quote is Kenney’s whole idea of protecting his nation. This idea worked with the Cuban Missile Crisis, but didn’t with the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Cuban Missile Crisis was the conflict between the US and the USSR about nuclear warheads in Cuba(Kennedy). Bay of Pigs was the failed invasion of Cuba by the US(Kenney). Kennedy came up with another idea called Massive Retaliation, which is using overwhelming force by using nuclear weapons(Ayers 850). This idea brought the US and USSR to the brink of nuclear war, which is Brinkmanship(Ayers 850). Truman and Eisenhower wanted containment while Kennedy wanted flexible response, therefore, despite their differences, they all wanted to protect the USA from Communism. All the presidents had to use Economic Aid, Military Aid, and Military Use. Even the presidents after these three had to use the same ideals and are used even today. “We make war that we may live in
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Did The Cold War Determine President Kennedy's Foreign Policy
    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did The Cold War Determine President Kennedy's Foreign Policy

    The Cold War conflict determine President Kennedy's foreign policy by developing a new generation with his visionary and his say. Since The Eisenhower's movement was slow moving over the years. The war against Communism also known as the cold war generated revenue and created jobs that contributed to the economical success in the 60s. John F. Kennedy was this well liked man, he went into office in 1960s, and he was known to be the “New Generation of Americans”. He wanted to be begin to build up our nations defenses.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Reagan Administration's Foreign Policy During The Cold War
    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Reagan Administration's Foreign Policy During The Cold War

    The Cold War took off after the end of the Second World War when the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the two global dominant superpowers each grasping ideologies that were dichotomous from each other. This adverse relationship continued for half a century and the clash of two distinct and differing political ideologies of communism and capitalism saw no clear conclusion or victory for either side. The tense atmosphere resonated not only in the United States and the Soviet Union, but also around the world and into space. For most of the fifty years of the cold war, the ideological struggle and the many indirect physical conflicts between the West and the Soviet Union were in a deadlock with no visible success of either side. However,…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John F Kennedy Flexible Response Essay
    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages

    John F Kennedy Flexible Response Essay

    Kennedy was the third president to combat the Cold War, but used flexible response, unlike his precedents. One way President Kennedy helped economically was with the Peace Corps, who were volunteers who went to poor countries and helped as they were needed for two years (Ayers 886). “We send arms to other peoples- just as we send them the ideals of democracy in which we believe- but we cannot send them the will to use those arms or abide by those ideals,” said by Kennedy (Kennedy 1). The United States provided other countries help, but they could not force them to use it, so they helped combat communism by giving it to them. John F. Kennedy differed from the ideas of containment that Truman and Eisenhower used and instead used flexible response, having more options rather than just nuclear’s in a time of crisis (Ayers 886). The idea was that if we have a variety of options instead of one, we can prevent a nuclear war and total destruction. With flexible response, we can keep the world away from nuclear war. “Nor can ultimate weapons rightfully be employed, or the ultimate sacrifice rightfully demanded of our citizens, until every reasonable solution has been explored,” Kennedy explained (Kennedy 3). Kennedy is stating that with flexible response, we do not have to use nuclear weapons, but instead wait until we find a better solution unless we want the death of many innocent…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Truman Win The Cold War
    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did The Truman Win The Cold War

    The Cold War was a rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States that lasted for about forty-five years. The war began as a distrust between the two nations involving the United States concern of Soviet Union communism spreading and their leader, Joseph Stalin’s, rule. Numerous European and Asian countries were struggling in their fight against Soviet Union communism, including Greece and Turkey. President Harry Truman feared that the fall of Greece and Turkey to communism would lead to the fall of other countries, so he urged Congress to aid the countries with money, known as the Truman Doctrine. In Western Europe, many were faced with shortages of food and medical supplies, so Congress approved the Marshall Plan, in which the U.S.…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Cold War Affect The Economy
    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages

    How Did The Cold War Affect The Economy

    The United States foreign policy during the Cold War was containment, specifically of communism since Americans were still afraid of another Red Scare. The Marshal Plan enacted by president Truman provided financial aid to European countries. Encompassing 16 countries, the marshal plan allocated $13 billion to support Europe, preventing economic depression or recession and ensuring that Europe would not turn to communism as a result. Truman’s Truman Doctrine also changed the way America acted with foreign countries and allowed America to assist free nations who are resisting communism. One example of this would be the Berlin Airlift as the Soviet Union sought repercussions from Germany and wanted to prevent them from gaining power, so the Soviets invaded Germany.…

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Truman's Foreign Policy During The Cold War
    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page

    Truman's Foreign Policy During The Cold War

    Many Americans believed that Truman's foreign policy did not work. China had fallen to communist, and the American troops had been sent across the pacific to fight in the Korean War. During the cold war, it shaped the way Eisenhower's thinking from the moment he started office. He was convinced that the key to victory in the cold war was a strong economy, not just the army. Then, The Korean War had convinced Eisenhower that the US cold not contain communism by fighting a series of small wars. The best way to do prevent unpopular and expensive wars, was to threaten to use nuclear weapons if a communist state tried to seize territory by force. Which was known as Massive retaliation. He began to develop of intercontiental ballistic massiles that…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Did The United States Prevent The Cold War?
    • 2434 Words
    • 10 Pages

    How Did The United States Prevent The Cold War?

    The United States’ alliance with the Soviet Union began to crumble throughout World War II. Fueled by ideological differences, this climate of mutual mistrust between the two nations became known as the Cold War. Conflicts over Poland, a symbol of WWII, continued to divide these two nations apart as Stalin wanted a buffer in Eastern Europe to prevent another invasion. This is best represented by the concept of the “Iron Curtain” dividing Eastern and Western Europe. As a result of being unable to remove the Soviets from areas already under their control, the US implemented the philosophy of containment, as developed by George F. Kennan, to prevent the spread of communism.…

    • 2434 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What were America's fears during the Cold War?
    • 697 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What were America's fears during the Cold War?

    There could have been no better way to handle communism than the way Eisenhower and his administration handled it. Eisenhower and his administration developed a new containment policy. These new policy was called massive retaliation. This policy was developed from Eisenhower's new program called the "New Look."…

    • 697 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Cold War Dbq
    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Cold War Dbq

    The Cold War was a “global; power struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from 1945 to 1991” (textbook page 511). In 1945 the United States and the Soviet Union defeated Germany in World War Two. After the war was over, both wanted to be the leader of the world. The two countries remained allies with each other until communism began to spread in Europe. The spread of communism caused Americans to fear communism which lead to problems that affected the United States domestic policy and their society. The Cold War affected the US educationally,…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Flexible Response To The Cold War Analysis
    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Flexible Response To The Cold War Analysis

    Kennedy and he used the idea of flexible response to ruin communism. Flexible response is strengthening conventional American forces, a basic defense strategy (Ayers 886). Military use, military aid, and economic aid were three other strategies that he used with flexible response (Ayers 886). Flexible response was part of his military use (Ayers 886). and was also force of right and reason. “In short, we are neither “warmongers” nor “appeasers,” neither “hard” nor “soft.” We are Americans, determined to defend the frontiers of freedom, by an honorable peace if peace is possible, but by arms if arms are used against us” (Kennedy 24). This was stated for Kennedy’s favor of flexible response. A sum of most of it was stated as to work for peace, but willing to defend freedom with military use. That is also a sum of the statement before that. “But while we shall negotiate freely, we shall not negotiate freedom. Our answer to the classic question of Patrick Henry is still no-life is not so dear, and peace is not so precious, “as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery.” And that is our answer even though, for the first time since the ancient battles between Greek city-states, war entails the threat of total annihilation, of everything we know, of society itself. For to save mankind’s future freedom, we must face up to any risk that is necessary. We always seek peace-but we will never surrender” (Kennedy 23). Kennedy was very big on peace seeking, and never giving up. He seemed willing to defend his country even while searching for peace. Massive retaliation, which is overwhelming force against the Soviet Union was mentioned by Kennedy also (Ayers 850) (Kennedy…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Conformity in the 1950s
    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Conformity in the 1950s

    When WWII ended, Americans were left in the hands of Harry Truman. Known as an aggressive Cold War fighter, he led Americans against the rise of Communism. Spurred by McCarthyism, he initially began to discharge suspected Communists within the government. Due to fear of being blacklisted, Eisenhower, the proceeding president, was reluctant to confront McCarthy. The Red Scare of the 1950s was thriving and the presidents waged war against foreign Communist powers in order not to be accused of being sympathetic towards the opposition. They conformed to public opinion and shaped politics in America into a Cold War.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cold War Impact on Us Foriegn Policy
    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cold War Impact on Us Foriegn Policy

    The mentality of the Cold War greatly affected the decisions made by the Presidents that held the office from 1950 to 1974. The main thought that prevailed from the beginning of the Cold War was containment. It was the main goal of the United States to contain the spread of Communism whenever possible. “Brinkmanship” was the first major policy that was employed by the United States in the effort to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world. President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State John Foster Dulles coined the term “Brinkmanship”, which simply stated means using the military to push things to the brink of war without actually going to war. This was often used to intimidate the Soviet Union into backing down during the early part of the Cold War era. President Kennedy would take a slightly more flexible stance in terms of retaliation should an attack occur. However, it wouldn’t be until President Nixon took office that the metaphorical waters between the US and the Soviet Union would begin to calm.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Apush Containment Essay
    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Apush Containment Essay

    The year of 1945 was a time of relief for America and its people. That year was the end of World War II. Germany had lost and the time for rebuilding was near. However, the peace did not last long between the Soviet Union and the United States. A difference in political and economic views caused a rift in the Soviet Union and United States relationship of convenience. The Soviet Union was running on a system of government called communism. Communism's theory of a government run by the economy was the complete opposite of America's dedication to independence. This difference caused great tension between the two nations and became a Cold War. The Soviet Union believed that communism was going to overcome capitalism and that they will win the Cold War. America's retaliation to the Soviet Union's spreading of communism was containment. Containment is the attempt to stop the spread of communism. The Cold War split the world into two large groups, those who were under communist rule and those who were against it. The United States was dedicated in their fight against communism with instances like the Truman Doctrine, which vowed to support anyone who was being threatened by communist rule, and The Marshall Plan, which gave over 10 billion dollars to European countries in the effort to rebuild the damage done during World War II. By 1947, the United States and Soviet Union were constantly on their toes and pushing boundaries to see who would gain the upper hand in the Cold War.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Atomic Bombs During The Cold War
    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Atomic Bombs During The Cold War

    The first obvious movement in the Cold War was when President Truman announced the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine was a policy to stop Soviet Expansion in Europe. By establishing this policy it became obvious that the United States would have a major role in stopping Russia’s communism. Russia’s ruler Stalin was starting to take control of Eastern Europe and the US intended to help these countries. A few months later President Monroe also established the Marshal Plan or the European Recovery Program: a policy offering economic help to all European countries including Russia.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Policy Of Containment Analysis
    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Policy Of Containment Analysis

    In president Eisenhower’s speech he stated that “The free nations of the mid east need, and for the most part want, added strength to assure their continued independence." on January 5, 1957. While all presidents wanted to stop communism, they all had different ideas on how to accomplish that. President Truman used economic aid while president Eisenhower focused on military aid. President Kennedy focused on military use and Flexible Response. During the cold war, which was a period in time when the U.S. and soviet union didn’t get along so, the two presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower were in control in that period of time(Ayers 817). The Policy of Containment was when the U.S. used many strategies to try and prevent the spread of communism. As…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More