Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Cold War Heats up in Asia



1. Who was Chiang Kai-shek?        
Chaing Kai-shek was the nationalist leader of southern and eastern China.

2. Who was Mao Zedong?     
Mao Zedong was the communist leader of Northern China.


3. How were the Communist able to take over China?    
The Communist were able to take of China with the Aid of the Soviet Union, and the support of the peasants in the country. Chiang couldn't get the support of the peasant (a large part of the population in China) so that is mostly why he couldn't retain the control.


4. How did the State Department respond to critics that Truman's "Containment" policy didn't extend to Asia?              
The State Department responded to the critics by saying that the United States had failed in trying to  influence these forces, such as Chiang’s inability to retain the support of his people, and that only doing more would start a war. A war the United States was not ready to fight.


5. How did Korea become a divided nation after World War II?     
Korea became a divided nation after World War II because when Japan had to surrender in Korea, which they had taken over in 1910, they surrendered on which side of the 38th parallel they were on. The ones on the south were with the United States and the ones of the North were will the Soviets and thus another Germany, half of them were Communist and half of them were democratic.


6. What is the importance of the Yalu River and what prompted the Chinese to enter the Korean War?    
The Yalu River is on the border of North Korea and China. The Chinese didn't want the United States to be on their border. He then sent 300,000 troops to get them back further away from their border.


7. Who is General Douglas MacArthur and what did he want to do against China?    
General Douglas MacArthur was a high ranked general for the United States Military. Against China he launched an amphibious attack behind enemy lines. He made it so that they had nowhere to move, half of them surrendered and the other half were chased back by the United Nations military forces.


8. Why did Truman relieve MacArthur from duty?      
Truman relieved MacArthur from duty because Truman felt that MacArthur was sabotaging his policy, because he was trying to get Truman to start a nuclear war against China and Russia.


9. How did the war end?      
The war ended with the Soviet Union suggesting a cease-fire. Although both sides agreed it was at best a stalemate.


10. He is the current leader of North Korea and was also named the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2012.    
Kim Jong Un.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Origins of the Cold War Outline

To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?

Thesis statement: 
 The policies of the United States between 1945 and 1949 where the reason for the outbreak and development of the Cold War. They were the reason because of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) making an alliance "against" the soviets, the Truman Doctrine containing communism to just the Soviet Union, The atomic weapons race, the Marshall Plan giving aid to Europe, and the race to see who was the better country out of the two.

Main Points-
1. NATO alliance
  • the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an organization that was only limited to the North Atlantic, not the Soviets
  • They created there own alliance, leaving the Soviets behind. 
  • Shows American trust of the UK not of the Soviets
2.Truman Doctrine
  •  gave money to countries who, the Americans felt, were in jeopardy of being taken over by communists.
  • Trying to stop what the Soviets were doing, making them mad
  • Containing the problem, communism.
3. Atomic Bombs
  • A race between the two countries to get the most weapons 
  • Either side had to show that they were the better nation
  • Who has the more power is who has the more weapons
4. American Intervention (Marshall Plan)
  • Soviets did not like it at all, they forbade any Eastern European states to apply for it
  • Stalin felt that it would weaken his grip on the Eastern European states
  • He felt that the United States was trying to dominate as many states as possible by making them dependent on money
5. They were the two nations to come out of the war the most succesful
  • They didn't like each others political views so they couldn't have an alliance 
  • No alliance so one has to lead the world
  • So "fight" to whose the best

D/I- 
Others may argue that the Soviet Union was the reason for the Cold War because of Stalins takeover of some of Eastern Europes countries, He was trying to spread communism throughout the world, and the Berlin Blockade. 


Disagreement- 

Main Point 1- Stalins demands at Yalta
  • demanded the satellite countries because of their significant lose of lives during the war.  
  • He wanted to move the border of Soviet Russia into western Poland
  • He got what he wanted, cause he promised to join in the war effort in Japan within 90 days.

Maint Point 2- USSR's response to Marshall Plan
  • He forbade any Western European country to apply for it
  • He tightened his grip on Eastern European states, setting up new organizations to keep control on them. 
  • Was against all of the United States intervention, he felt that they were just trying get allies to try and get them 

Main Point 3- Berlin Blockade

Main Point 4- Potsdam 

Main Point 5- Yugoslavia

D/I-

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
Source 37 is saying that Josip Tito is accepting money from the Americans. That he is so poor that he will take money from anyone and do anything for the money.


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
Stalin was so hostile towards Tito because of what he did when he was elected in 1945. When he was elected he wanted to put in his own brand of Communism not the one that Stalin had liked. So he was expelled from the country for doing that.


3. Look back at the map in Source 27 on page 71. How does the geographical position of Yugoslavia help to explain why Stalin did not take any direct action (such as sending in troops) against Tito?     
The geographical position of Yugoslavia helped explain why they didn't go in there because it was the farthest of the satellite countries away from the Soviet Union. He would have to send in troops through a bunch of different countries just to get to him, it would have been a waste of resources and time.


4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
The Soviet Union cut off the power to West Berlin because of "technical difficulties". They actually cut the power from their power plants to West Berlin but they gave them coal instead, so much help!


5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           
I think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons because it just sounds so fake. They lost all their power just to West Berlin and then they stopped all their traffic into the city, it would have to be a huge coincidence that, that happened at the same time.


6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
The three sources differ a lot, the first source is saying that it was a considerable achievement but that neither side had gotten anything out of it. The second source is saying that it was both an achievement and that they got something out of it because it "brought the people closer to us...". The third source is saying that it was a stupid move, there was a threat of a war and they intrude onto their land. He is saying that they were calling for a war.


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
I think that the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade is a textbook. That has all the facts on what happened during that time period, it isn't just one persons view right then.



8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?
I think a view from the people who had to deal with the blockade. They were the ones who were in there, they lived through it.