Jfk/S Foreign Policy
Kennedy’s foreign policy
Overview: * Dominated by American Soviet relations * Revolved around interventions in the context of the stages of the cold war
Key features: * Anti-communist * Shifting policy from coexistence to containment * Strength via strategic alliances: NATO
The cold war: * Period of intense hostility, tensions and contest between USA and soviet union. Mainly due to conflicting ideologies, communist vs democratic capitalist. * Soviets created the Eastern Bloc and the US established containment of communism. * Periods of calm and periods of high tension. Examples of high tension periods include: * The berlin Blockade (1948) * Korean War (1950-1953) * Berlin Crisis of 1961 * Vietnam War (1959-1975) * Cuban Missile Crisis (1962 * Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979 – 1989) * Both sides sought an easing of strained relations to relieve poltical tensions and deter military attack. * Threat of nuclear war was real and alarming
Instead of an open war the USA and soviets: * Had a policy of trying to dominate parts of the world * Used spies, economic pressure and propaganda against each other * Built up all types of weapons * Threatened armed conflict, but always drew back at the last minute. E.g. Cuban Missile Crisis * “Helped” smaller nations being “threatened”
Kennedy and Krushchev: * Kennedy wanted to peacefully coexist with the Soviets. * Nikita Krushchev had been liberalising society and abandoned Stalinism. This made Kennedy believe peace would be possible * However, the Soviets saw Kennedy’s offer as weakness and began to behave aggressively * In 1961, Kennedy travelled to Vienna to meet with Krushchev who threatened to sign a peace treaty with East Germany. This would have cut off Allied access to West Berlin, which the “West” claimed as their right after WW2.
The Berlin Crisis: * Kennedy undercut his own bargaining position by
Overview: * Dominated by American Soviet relations * Revolved around interventions in the context of the stages of the cold war
Key features: * Anti-communist * Shifting policy from coexistence to containment * Strength via strategic alliances: NATO
The cold war: * Period of intense hostility, tensions and contest between USA and soviet union. Mainly due to conflicting ideologies, communist vs democratic capitalist. * Soviets created the Eastern Bloc and the US established containment of communism. * Periods of calm and periods of high tension. Examples of high tension periods include: * The berlin Blockade (1948) * Korean War (1950-1953) * Berlin Crisis of 1961 * Vietnam War (1959-1975) * Cuban Missile Crisis (1962 * Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979 – 1989) * Both sides sought an easing of strained relations to relieve poltical tensions and deter military attack. * Threat of nuclear war was real and alarming
Instead of an open war the USA and soviets: * Had a policy of trying to dominate parts of the world * Used spies, economic pressure and propaganda against each other * Built up all types of weapons * Threatened armed conflict, but always drew back at the last minute. E.g. Cuban Missile Crisis * “Helped” smaller nations being “threatened”
Kennedy and Krushchev: * Kennedy wanted to peacefully coexist with the Soviets. * Nikita Krushchev had been liberalising society and abandoned Stalinism. This made Kennedy believe peace would be possible * However, the Soviets saw Kennedy’s offer as weakness and began to behave aggressively * In 1961, Kennedy travelled to Vienna to meet with Krushchev who threatened to sign a peace treaty with East Germany. This would have cut off Allied access to West Berlin, which the “West” claimed as their right after WW2.
The Berlin Crisis: * Kennedy undercut his own bargaining position by