Transcript POST-WWII DEVELOPMENTS - University of Arizona

Slide 1
POST-WWII
DEVELOPMENTS
Major Rascon
Slide 2
SOURCES
Jones, The Art of War in the Western World,
pp. 596-612
Preston and Wise, Men In Arms, pp. 331-354
Weigley, American Way of War, pp. 363-381
Slide 3
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
•
•
1. Comprehend the origins of the Cold
War and the emergence of the United
States as the Dominant military power.
2. Know the evolution of the National
•
Security Act of 1947.
Slide 4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Assess the impact of potential nuclear
proliferation on the U.S. defense
policy.

4. Explain the origins of the Truman
Doctrine and NSC-68.
Slide 5
END OF WWII

War becomes total and universal

War deaths total 22 million

New nations formed

Weapons developed require moral
considerations
Slide 6
SCIENTISTS ENGAGED

Many new developments occurred

Proximity fuse

RADAR

RDX (TNT x 2)
Slide 7
ATOMIC REVOLUTION

A-bomb marked a new
era

Exponential jump in
weapon’s killing
effectiveness

Catalyst of the cold war

Introduced the idea of
deterrence
Slide 8
ATOMIC REVOLUTION (cont)

Strategic bombing
became dominant form
of war

Target selection
became an issue

U.S. favored manned
bomber delivery

Offense had decisive
advantage
-first strike wins
Slide 9
RUSSIAN A-BOMB

Late 1949 – Citizen
Kurchatov

Caused U.S. to
develop a more
appropriate deterrence
policy

U.S. forced to take the
possibility of total war
seriously
Slide 10
COLD WAR BEGINS

Russian Deterrence-

American Deterrence

unwilling to live and let
live

Isolation and political
liberation

Russians ideology
consisted of one goal
-world domination

Let live as long as
security was not
threatened
Slide 11
Capitalism and Communism
Collide

After WWII, world was divided into two
camps….

World nations had no choice but to align with
one or the other

Eisenhower- “Two atomic powers eye each
other across a defenseless world.”
Slide 12
TENSION MOUNTS

Attitude between countries descriptive of the
term Cold War

War fought not directly with weapons

Indirectly with subversion and espionage

Robert Phillip Hansen
Slide 13
RUSSIAN ATTEMPTS

Soviet blockade of
West Berlin 1948

Russian suppression of
the Hungarian revolt
1958

Communist insurgents
attempt to overthrow
the Govt. in Greece
Slide 14
WESTERN RESPONSES

Allied planes fly over the blockade to supply
West Berlin by air

U.S. alerts world that Russia had not
abandoned Marxism

America advertises help to any nation that
faces communist aggression
Slide 15
TRUMAN DOCTRINE

Isolation policy
changed to
“containment”

President Truman
promises aid to any
country fighting
communism

Free states
want guarantees
Slide 16
NATO FORMED

Suggestion of
Canadian Prime
Minister Laurent

Nine like minded
countries

Mutual guarantees
against aggression
Slide 17
MARSHALL PLAN

1946 – Plan to
economically aid
countries devastated
by the war

Offered to Russia but
was refused

Arguably the most
effective weapon in the
Cold War
Slide 18
JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

Created by Roosevelt

Helped him direct the
war

Everyone soon realized
something else needed
to be done
Slide 19
NATIONAL SECURITY ACT 1947

War revealed that major revisions of the
armed forces were necessary for efficiency

Army and Navy functioned as separate
entities

Emergence of the Air Force as its own
service made restructuring vital
Slide 20
REASONS AGAINST
UNIFICATION

ARMY

NAVY
1.
Combat effectiveness
1.
Combat effectiveness
2.
Military Control
2.
Organizational
effectiveness
3.
COMPETITION OF
THE MARINE
CORPS
3.
NAVY/USMC must
remain paired
Slide 21
TRUMAN SETTLES DEBATE

Three departments headed by civilian
secretaries (Air, Navy, War)

Secretary of Defense to coordinate and
oversee

CIA and NSC were also created

Marine Corps receives it’s mission!
Slide 22
MORE SERVICE SQUABBLES

Conflicts arose among services and
government on how to prepare for the next
war

What weapons should be developed?

What is our overall military strategy?
Slide 23
FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Chinese communist
had defeated
Nationalists and
controlled the mainland

Soviets achieved
nuclear status

Fusion Bomb pursuit?

Navy-Air Force dispute
over carriers or
bombers

Survey of European
defenses showed
unprepared and weak
Slide 24
NSC-68

Stressed the need for
conventional military

Reasoned settlement
with Russia unlikely

Found U.S. could
spend nearly 20% of
the GNP on rearming

Predicted U.S.
deterrence would be
offset by Russian
capabilities

Implementation of
NSC-68 marked the
beginning of the
current U.S. military
strategy
Slide 25
SUMMARY

Atomic revolution

NATO

Cold War

JCS

Truman Doctrine

National Security Act

Marshall Plan

NSC-68
Slide 26
QUESTIONS?