War+and+Diplomacy


 * EXPLORE THIS THEME BROADLY AND IN DEPTH, FROM THE COLONIAL PERIOD TO THE PRESENT, PULL IN SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, AND CREATE A STUDY GUIDE FOR YOUR CLASSMATES: **

**War and Diplomacy ** __Armed conflict__ from the precolonial period to the twenty-first century; __impact of war__ __on American foreign policy and on politics, economy, and society__.

** French & Indian War – Revolution - War of 1812 ** Jojo Kibble

** Mexican War – Spanish-American War – Civil War ** Katherine Johnson

** WWI ** CENTRAL POWERS: Austria, Germany, Ottoman Empire ALLIES POWERS: Serbia, Russia, Great Britain, France, Belgium The fuse launching the war: Archduke Ferdinand of Austria assassinated by a Serbian radical, upset over the Balkan domination of Serbia. Austria declares war on Serbia. Russia/ France ally with Serbia. Germany allies with Austria. Germany declares war on Allies. Germany invades Belgium. Britain (military ally with Belgium) declares war on Germany.

Belgian army DIDN’T defeat Germans, but stalled them long enough for France and Britain to set up defense on Western front, and for Russia to press forward on the Eastern front. 1914: The Battle of the Marne is an Allied victory against Germany in France (The first TRUE battle of WWI). 1916: The Battle of Verdun was a German plan to beat France’s forces so badly that France would surrender; the Front didn't move. [1917: Russia is now dominated by Lenin and the Communist Party.]

SO HOW DID THE AMERICANS COME INTO THE PICTURE? America stood neutral. Soon enough, US was booming from trade with the needy nations in war. Germany, nervous, starts unrestricted submarine warfare.

The Zimmerman Note is a telegraph sent from Germany to Mexico to promise that if Germany went to war with the US, and Mexico agreed to help the Central powers, Germany would help Mexico win back the territories it lost to the US in the Mexican War.

Congress declares war against Germany, and the US officially enters the war. Wilson sent out a draft for a giant amount of American soldiers, and encouraged the US to be for the war through a massive propaganda campaign.

1918: Battle of the Somme, where French and American forces successfully pushed Germany back to the Belgian lines to keep them from further raiding France.

The MASSIVE amount of American soldiers helped overwhelm the Central troops; soon enough, in 1918, the Central Powers surrendered

Totalitarian governments rising all over! USSR: Stalin and the Red Army Germany: Hitler and the Nazis Italy: Mussolini and the Facists
 * WWII **

Still sore from WWI, US didn’t want to get involved in another world conflict. The Johnson Debt Default Act: told debt-dodging nations that they couldn’t borrow any more money until they paid back their debts from WWI.

FDR places restrictions to further avoid the war, including violating the Americans’ right to Freedom of the Sea.

US proclaims ABSOLUTE neutrality: no helping either the Allies or the Axis powers, even during Spanish Civil War.

Munich Conference occurred in Europe to try to put Hitler’s aggressiveness to rest, but it couldn’t stop the Invasion of Poland in 1939, which OFFICIALLY started WWII.

America proclaimed Neutrality Act of 1939 which said it was neutral, BUT, it would give supplies to Allies if they came and got it themselves and paid UP FRONT.

France surrendered, Britain appeared to be the last democracy left standing. Sympathetic for a fellow democracy, FDR issued the Lend-Lease Law to give arsenal to Britain to help them fight, as well as old WWI fighter ships. This brotherhood between America and Britain caused the Atlantic Charter, a meeting between Churchill and FDR to discuss the future of democracy.

US also put harsh embargoes on Japan, and caused Japan to attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. US officially entered the war.

Stalin and Red Army turned back the German army in Stalingrad. US and Britain conquered North Africa and later Italy. Went up to conquer German-occupied France on D-Day, 1944 Hitler attempted a final attack, The Battle of the Bulge, to stop the Red Army from advancing to Berlin. Hitler kills himself, Germany surrenders (V-Day, 1945). NOW FOR THE PACIFIC Japan was conquering all over the Pacific, and it seemed impossible to defeat Japan. Battle of Midway, US defeated Japanese forces and continued “Island-hopping” towards the mainland. By 1944, the bomb was ready, and Truman bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Japan surrendered.

[PS: Any questions about WWI / WWII? Contact AllisonH@gps.edu :D]


 * COLD WAR **

1945-1960 over E. Europe and Germany causes tension between the USSR and the USA [wants autonomy for Europe] -- Stalin wants to expand communism while Truman wants to expand democracy -Marshall Plan: stabilized Wester Europe -Truman Doctrine: gave $400 million for military assistance in Greece/Turkey 1950: National Security Council Paper 68-- communism is a monolithic force/ called for quadrupling of defense spending

KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 post WWII- Korea= divided into communist North Korea and independent South Korea. 1950- North Korean Communists invaded the south and almost took it ^--US gov’t believed that Stalin was behind this offensive -American troops pushed North Koreans back across the dividing line but 3 years of guerilla-type warfare followed -peninsula= re-divided in almost the same place [peace has never been formally declared]

1954- Eisenhower’s secretary of state John Dulles articulates idea of containment [reclaim conquered areas from Russian control.]-- called for a fleet of superbombers loaded with nuclear weapons [massive retaliation/brinkmanship]

In Latin America: US backed **anyone ** as long as they weren’t communist

1957- Eisenhower Doctrine: offered financial/military assistance to ME countries protecting their borders from communism

domestically: public credo= strong anticommunism -abused liberties of american people in the name of security -news organizations collaborated with gov’t to shape public perceptions -the House Un-American Activities Committee -1950 Internal Security Act [passed over Truman’s veto]--called for communist organizations to register with the government and authorized the arrest of suspected individuals during a national emergency -McCarthyism [ended with the army-mcCarthy hearings]

1957- Sputnik: rattled American self confidence; started the space race 1960- U-2 incident- further deteriorated relations with the Soviet Union

**VIETNAM ** 1946-1954: French fought to control Vietnam against Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh [we support by paying almost 80% of the cost of the French fight] after French win at Dien Bien Phu.. Vietnam= temporarily divided US announces that it will treat S. Vietnam as a second country so Eisenhower sends military and economic aid to dictator Ngo Dinh Diem JFK sends money, artillery, and American advisors to Vietnam 1963- Diem= assassinated and S. VN gov’t depended completely on American military and economic aid JFK= assassinated 3 weeks later and LBJ becomes president [looking for excuse to attack N. VN]

1964- Tonkin Gulf Crisis -- US navy= assisting S. VN in making raids on N. VN-- after one raid N. VN sent ships to US destroyer. unsure who fired first but LBJ called N VN’s actions “unprovoked aggression” and got ability to act in N VN

1965- US bombed N VN: -guerilla warfare-- made is difficult for US officers -as US increased soldiers-- so did Viet Cong -37 day pause in bombing and LBJ offered “terms” to N VN [refused to give up] Americans had a hard time inflicting meaningful damage on N VN -civilian war -back woods supply line/trail -drug problem -not much support for war back home -draft

Jan 29, 1968-- Tet= Vietnamese New Year-- Viet Cong attacked Saigon/ other cities -General Westmoreland had recently announced that we were “on our way to winning the war” -gov’t in lying to country; the media turns skeptical

1968: LBJ announces that he won’t run for President-- Nixon won election saying he would do phased withdrawals to allows Vietnamization of conflict-- “peace with honor”

1969- Nixon began withdrawing troops from Vietnam -established the lottery system -ordered air bombing raids in Cambodia/Laos 1972- US launched heaviest bombing campaign ever against the North

1973- peace agreement= finally reached: US oks N VN troops remaining in the South, American economic aid to Saigon would continue, US pulls out from S VN

1975- Ford becomes president- instability in S VN continues- N offensive takes south in 55 days-- May 1: Viet Cong/N. soldiers captured Saigon VIETNAM IS STILL A “UNIFIED”/COMMUNIST COUNTRY.