Milestones of the US History - Coursework Example

It pledged to involve them in war if one of its allies was attacked (James et al., 15).

Strengthening Friendly Countries by approving $1 billion of military aid to its NATO allies, and the government assisting nations in other parts of the world economically.

Improving espionage capabilities; creating the Central Intelligence Agency to be gathering intelligence and performing sabotage, propaganda, and other anti-Communist activities that would violate US citizens’ rights.

The government intensifying propaganda efforts to win hearts and minds throughout the world.

Effects of superpower rivalry on US foreign policy.

Chinese Civil War; as the communists led by Mao Zedong fought the corrupt and incompetent official Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek and the US withdrew its financial aid to the Nationalists.

By 1948, US policy had shifted from decentralizing Japan’s economy to focusing on reindustrializing it.

President Truman’s Fair Deal program and why the Fair Deal did not completely succeed.

Truman’s approved key proposal was “full-employment legislation” which was also watered down since; Inflation, not unemployment, turned out to be the most severe problem in the early postwar years; Truman failed to turn his election victory into success for his Fair Deal agenda; His civil rights measures and proposals were rejected by the congress; Truman blamed political opponents for defeating his Fair Deal. The program also suffered from a wave of anti-Communist hysteria that weakened both left and liberal forces; Republicans who had attacked the New Deal as a plot radical now jumped on revelations of Soviet espionage Cold War setbacks to accuse Democrats of fostering internal subversion.

Eisenhower pledged to end the Korean War, and he made good of his pledge as he left Korea divided at the thirty-eighth parallel, with the North and south separated by 2.5 mile-wide demilitarized zone; The Truman administration judged the war a success for containment as the United States had supported its promise in aiding the resisting communism countries; The war had an enormous effect on defence policy and spending; the National Security Council Report, NSC 68, warned that the survival of the nation required military buildup, steered a huge increase in defence spending and a tripling of the armed forces; The war also convinced the Truman administration to expand its role in Asia by increasing help to the French (James et al., 23).

The general dissatisfaction with Truman’s involvement in the war gave Republicans a decided edge in 1952’s election. Truman decided not to run for reelection. Voters enumerated their confidence in Eisenhower’s ability to end the war and this gave him a 55 percent win of the popular vote. Read More