Korean War #1: America Dawns
Added 2018-01-15 00:01:59 +0000 UTC[PATRONS]
Episode 1: America Dawns, looks at the situation which greeted US policymakers between 1945-50. As an episode it serves as a good roundup of all we've learned in the Cold War Crash Course, but a simple summary episode THIS IS NOT!
We delve into the mindset behind the Truman Doctrine, ask what the goals of NATO were and investigate how Washington viewed Soviet moves by examining their additional policies and proclamations.
We also look at the problems which faced the US in the late 1940s, including the mindset which insisted that there was no money in the kitty to fight the Soviets, and that Washington would have to cut its cloth to suit its pocket. This attitude towards defence expenditure and confrontation with the forces of communism would change in time, but not yet. The three losses - of China, of its status as the sole nuclear power, and of Mao Zedong himself to the Soviet Union, after the Treaty of Friendship was signed in February 1950 - all influenced American policymakers to consider a radical change in policy, and they settled upon a blandly named report called NSC68.
What was meant by Chinese Titoism? And what had American policymakers hoped to achieve by cosying up to the Chinese communists? Could they really expect to change the perspective of the Chinese, when the Soviets loomed so large in Mao's estimation? Make sure you join us to find out the answer to this question as well as a host of others. Our first episode, at long last. I hope you enjoy it.
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Comments
Mike: if Berlin was in, say, sub-Saharan Africa, would the US have engaged? Would they have engaged to the extent they did? These people weren't doing this for humanitarian reasons. The calculus was political, and to deny it is to deny reality. No one acts out of "humanitarian" concerns, or for humanitarian concerns. We, the US, act out of political concerns. Who cares if Zack wants to meet Obama? I'm far from left wing, and I don't see why that is a problem? The idea that he is bashing the US is just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Get a grip man.
The American History Podcast
2018-01-15 21:25:15 +0000 UTC
