Eisenhower's Foreign Policies

Question 1

What was the space race?

Answer 1

• 1957: Soviets put first man made object on the moon - Sputnik
• Eisenhower underestimated the blow of being beaten by the Soviets: US position as world technological leader looked shaky
• US sent up a rocket satellite but it blew up: newspapers called it ‘Kaputnik’
• forced Eisenhower administration to rely more on Werner von Braun (ex-Nazi) to develop more reliable technology

Question 2

What was the arms race?

Answer 2

• US and USSR racing to develop more powerful bombs with greater range and accuracy
• by 1953, hydrogen bombs with destructive power 7x what had been dropped on Hiroshima had been developed by both sides
• by 1957, USA had 5543 nuclear weapons whilst the USSR had 650 (made Kennedy’s missile gap suggestion seem ludicrous)

Question 3

How did Hungary react to Khrushchev coming to power in the USSR?

Answer 3

• news of Khrushchev’s speech leaked, supposedly by the CIA, in which he denounced Stalin’s methods
• people realised they were potentially free of Stalinist oppression leading to riots
• riots led to Nagy coming to power in Hungary, promising free elections, the restoration of farmland to private property and neutrality in the cold war
• also declared that Hungary would leave the Warsaw pact

Question 4

How did Khrushchev respond to the riots in Hungary?

Answer 4

• found the prospect of a hole in the iron curtain due to withdrawal from the Warsaw pact too much
• sent troops and tanks to Budapest in November 1956: 3000 Hungarians killed and 200,000 fled to Austria
• Eisenhower claimed that nothing in the Truman doctrine warranted going to war over a state rebelling against communist control

Question 5

How did Khrushchev deal with Berlin when he came to power?

Answer 5

• in 1958, demanded that the West pull their forces out of West Berlin within 6 months
• for Khrushchev, the lack of border meant that 20% had escaped to the West by 1961
• Eisenhower determined not to give in, so the pair met for a conference in Geneva
• followed by Khrushchev arriving in the US for an 11 day tour, the two agreeing that there would be no deadline to solve the issue

Question 6

What was the U2 crisis?

Answer 6

• USSR shot down an American U2 spy plane in May 1960
• Khrushchev assumed that Allen Dulles was responsible, as the US had announced that a weather plane had been lost near the Soviet border, assuming their pilot dead
• when pilot Gary Powers produced alive, Eisenhower forced to admit that he had ordered the spying missions, calling them a ‘distasteful necessity’
• proposed conference in Paris broke down when Khrushchev suggested they wait six months instead (so Eisenhower would be gone)

Question 7

What happened with Taiwan under Eisenhower?

Answer 7

• Jiang Jieshi allowed Taiwan to be used as a base for US naval operations, ensuring a degree of protection for the island
• in 1954, Mao ordered the shelling of two islands
• Eisenhower secured the Formosa Resolution, providing for the defence of Taiwan
• Dulles suggested the US was seriously considering a nuclear attack on China, leading to them ceasing shelling

Question 8

How did the situation in Vietnam develop under Eisenhower?

Answer 8

• French public support was slipping against the war
• Ho Chi Minh was in a strong position when peace talks began in Geneva after a crushing French defeat
• decision made to split country into North and South
• when Ngo Dinh Diem took power in a fraudulent election, the USA supported his regime despite his injustices towards the Buddhist population

Question 9

What was the Suez Crisis?

Answer 9

• in 1956, Egyptian leader Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal, the key waterway built and run by the British and the French
• wanted to take money raised by canal to fund the Aswan Dam - part of his plan to further industrialise Egypt
• France and Britain retaliated by making deal whereby Israel would attack Egypt, European powers would call for a ceasefire, and when it didn’t occur they would bomb Cairo under the pretext of trying to force peace
• Eisenhower didn’t want to be seen supporting imperialism with an upcoming election, so used financial pressures to force the British and French into withdrawal