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Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Curt-Engelhorn Chair in American History
Prof. Dr. Manfred Berg
Winter Term 2008/2009
The Reluctant Empire?
U.S. Foreign Relations in the
20th Century
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
1
The Origins of the Cold War
Containment and the Division of Europe
The “Loss of China” and the Soviet Bomb
The Cold War at Home
The Historiographical Debate
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
George F. Kennan,
1904-2005
Deputy head of the U.S. mission
in Moscow, 1944-1946
Director of the State Department
Policy Planning Staff, 1947-1949
U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet
Union, 1952
U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia,
1961-1963
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Kennan’s “Long Telegram,”
Feb. 1946
“In summary we have here a political foe
committed fanatically to the belief that with
U.S. there can be no permanent modus
vivendi, that it is desirable and necessary
that the internal harmony of our society be
disrupted, our traditional way of life be
destroyed, the international authority of our
state be broken, if Soviet power is to be
secure.”
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech,”
March 5, 1946
“From Stettin in the
Baltic to Trieste in
the Adriatic, an iron
curtain has
descended across
the Continent.”
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
The Truman Doctrine,
March 1947
“It must be the
policy of the United
States to support
free peoples who are
resisting attempted
subjugation by
armed minorities or
outside pressures.”
President Truman and newly appointed
Sec.of Def., James Forrestal, 1947
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
George C. Marshall,
1880-1959
US Army General, Chief of
Staff, 1939-1945
US Sec. of State,
1947-1949
US Sec. of Defense,
1950-1951
Nobel Peace Prize Winner,
1953
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Lucius D. Clay, 1897-1978
Deputy Governor of
Germany, 1945-1947
Theater Commander and
Governor of Germany,
1947-1949
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
The Berlin Air Lift, 1948/49
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Founding of NATO, 1949
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Chiang Kai-shek,
1887-1975
Assumed the leadership of the
Kuomintang (KMT), 1925
Generalissimo of all Chinese forces
& Chairman of the National
Government, 1928-1932/1943-1948
President of the ROC (Taiwan),
1950-1975
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Mao Zedong, 1893-1976
Chairman of the Politburo of the
Communist Party of China,
1943-1976
Chairman of the Central
Committee of the Communist
Party of China, 1945-1976.
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
NSC 68, 1950
Militarization of Containment
Global definition of U.S. security
interests
Call for tripling U.S. military budget
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
House Un-American
Activities Committee, 1947
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg,
(J.)1917-1953 (E.)1916-1953
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Joseph S. McCarthy,
1908-1957
U.S. Senator 1947-1957
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
The Historiographical Debate
Who was responsible for the Cold War?
What were the key motives and
interests driving U.S. and Soviet
policy, respectively?
Was the Cold War inevitable or were
there alternatives, and if so, why were
they not taken?
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
The “Traditionalists”
Soviet aggression started the Cold
War!
U.S. action was defensive and largely
appropriate!
It was an inevitable conflict of
systems and ideologies which began
in 1917/18!
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
The “Revisionists”
The driving force of the Cold War was
the expansion of American capitalism!
The Soviet Union wanted most of all
security!
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the first
salvos of the Cold War!
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Post-revisionism
The Cold War was a process shaped
by mutual misperceptions and the
security dilemma!
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg
Post-Cold War Approaches
The National Security State in the U.S.
The Soviet Perspective
Allies, client states, neutrals
Historisches Seminar der Universität Heidelberg