Monday, May 20, 2013

Pat Buchanan and Watergate


     Pat Buchanan was one of the first staffers to join the group of Nixon’s speech writers. He arrived shortly after Nixon settled into the firm's offices at twenty bond street. Buchanan joined Rose Woods in the small office adjoining Nixon’s and started to do all of the nascent campaign’s routine political writing- letters, speeches articles and memos to possible political allies. He was to become one-third of the presidential speech writing team. One of Pat Buchanan’s  jobs was to prepare president Nixon by telling him what to say for his daily news summary called news and comment. After Watergate one memo written by Buchanan was that “we ought to go down to the kennels and turn all the dogs loose on ecology Ed” He also said after that “The president is the only one who should stand clear while everybody else gets chewed up”. Showing his dedication to President Nixon. In November 1972, in a speech to the New England Society of Newspaper Editors Pat Buchanan attacked the Washington Post and CBS news for overplaying Watergate after what he termed an independent investigation in the white house corroborated the findings of the FBI that “no one in the white house was in any way involved in the Watergate affair.” 

                                                     Bibliography
Firestone, Bernard J., and Alexej Ugrinsky. Gerald R. Ford and the Politics of Post-Watergate America. Vol. 2. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/98642586.
Garment, Leonard. In Search of Deep Throat: The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time. New York: Basic Books, 2000. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85908427.
———. In Search of Deep Throat: The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time. New York: Basic Books, 2000. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85908454.
———. In Search of Deep Throat: The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time. New York: Basic Books, 2000. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85908635.
———. In Search of Deep Throat: The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time. New York: Basic Books, 2000. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85908636.
———. In Search of Deep Throat: The Greatest Political Mystery of Our Time. New York: Basic Books, 2000. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85908659.
Genovese, Michael A. The Watergate Crisis. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/15308410.
———. The Watergate Crisis. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/15308450.
Roberts, Robert N., and Marion T. Doss, Jr. From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1997. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/65482303.
_____Salant, Richard S. Salant, CBS, and the Battle for the Soul of Broadcast Journalism: The Memoirs of Richard S. Salant. Edited by Susan Buzenberg and Bill Buzenberg. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1999. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/85903823.


Sunday, April 7, 2013

America Enters the Vietnam Conflict


1. What European country controlled (ruled) Vietnam before, during and immediately following World War II?      
   Before, during and immediately following World War Two France controlled Vietnam.


2. Who led the Viet Minh (anti-Japanese resistance group)?       
 Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh.



3. Which country helped France keep Vietnam and why?       
   America attempted to help France keep Vietnam because they saw the Viet Minh as the puppets of Mao and the Chinese communists.



4. What is the Domino Theory?       
  The Domino Theory was that if Vietnam fell to communism then Loas, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and possibly even India might all fall to communism. 



5. In 1955 the United States installed this man as the leader of the Republic of South Vietnam. Who was he and why was he placed into power?           
 In 1955 the United States installed Ngo Dinh Diem as the leader of the Republic of South Vietnam because bitterly anti-communist and was prepared to imprison or exile communists. 




6. What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail? How was it used?           
  The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a trail that the Viet Cong used to send reinforcements and ferried supplies to guerrilla fighters. 



7. What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution? What powers did it give President Johnson? 
 The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a resolution that the US congress passed giving Lyndon Jackson the power to take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression and achieve peace and security. Also it meant that he could take the USA into a full-scale war if he felt that it was necessary.



8. Look at the timeline on page 256. Why is 1965 considered a "turning point" year for American involvement in Vietnam?               
  1965 is considered a "turning point" for American involvement in Vietnam because it was when the first American combat troops came ashore at Da Nang also there was a major Viet Cong offensive and the Battle in La Dreng valley were communists suffered a heavy loss.
 


9. Why, according to Source 3 on page 255, were U.S. troops put into a difficult position in Vietnam?        
 According to Source 3; U.S troops were put into a difficult position in Vietnam because many officials were pocketing the money that was meant for seed fertiliser and irrigation as well as medical care, education and other social benefits. 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

China during and after communism

China before and after Communism


  The Communist of China was formed in 1921, it was under the control of Mao Zedong in 1927. In 1947 Mao led a revolution and the communist party obtained control. Like the Soviet Union, China lead through with the same development with heavy industry and surpluses extracted from peasants. Consumer goods were left to secondary importance. In the Sino-Soviet split during the 1950's Mao split from traditional Marxism-Leninism and developed Maoism, the Chinese interpretation of communism. Mao was upset with the Soviet Leader Khrushchev's position of peaceful coexistence between the communists and the capitalists. The Maoists started a strong communist tradition, instituting the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The Great Leap forward was instituted to help transform China into a heavy industrialized society. However this was largely considered to be a failure and many Chinese starved to death. In the Cultural Revolution Mao overthrew his enemies and millions of people were killed or persecuted.    
  The current constitution of China was created in 1982 and has been continuously revised since. The Constitution includes many civil rights such as: free speech, press, worship, the right to trial and the right to own private property. However in practice the constitution has widely not been followed. There was very little done to ensure that the new laws instituted follow the constitution. Also the judicial system does not provide any particular method for review of new laws.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cold War Heats up in Asia


1. Who was Chiang Kai-shek?         
 Chiang Kai-shek was a nationalist who ruled Eastern and Southern China in 1945. He relied heavily on aid from the United States. He also struggled inflation and a failing economy and suffered from weak leadership and poor morale.  

2. Who was Mao Zedong?      
  Mao Zedong was a communist who ruled northern China in 1945. He relied heavily on aid from the Soviet Union and also attracted peasants with promises of land reform. Also he benefited from experienced guerrilla army and a highly motivated leadership. 


3. How were the Communist able to take over China?     
  The communist were able to take over China by the nationalists collected a grain tax from farmers even during the the famine of 1944. When city dwellers demonstrated against a 10,000 percent increase in the price of rice, Chiang's secret police opened fire on them. Which then allowed Mao Zedong to gain strength throughout the country by working to win peasant support. They encouraged peasants by encouraged them to learn how to read and write and they also helped to improve food production.  


4. How did the State Department respond to critics that Truman's "Containment" policy didn't extend to Asia?               
 The State Department responded by saying that what happened in China was a result of internal forces and that the United States had failed in it's attempts to influence these forces, such as Chiang's inability to retain the support of his people. 


5. How did Korea become a divided nation after World War II?      
 Korea became a divided nation after World War two by Japan was originally taken over by the Japanese  from 1910 until 1945 and when World War Two ended the top half of Korea surrendered to the Soviets while the bottom half surrendered to America. Which caused the two nation to divided into communists and democrats.


6. What is the importance of the Yalu River and what prompted the Chinese to enter the Korean War?     
 The importance of the Yalu River was that it was the "border" in the war and the Chinese were prompted to enter the Korean War by the fact that they wanted North Korea as a communist buffer state to protect their northeastern provinces that made up Manchuria. 

7. Who is General Douglas MacArthur and what did he want to do against China?     
 General Douglas MacArthur was an American general and he wanted an extension of the war into China being convinced that Korea was the place "where the communist conspirators have elected to make their play for global conquest." Also MacArthur called for the use of nuclear weapons against Chinese cities.


8. Why did Truman relieve MacArthur from duty?       
  Truman relieved MacArthur from duty because he spoke and wrote privately about the idea to newspapers , magazine publishers and especially Republican Leaders and he also continued to criticize the president.


9. How did the war end?       
 The war ended by the opposing sides reached agreement on two points: the location of the cease fire line at the existing battle line and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the two opposing sides. Negotiators spent another year wrangling over the exchange of prisoners and finally in July 1953 the two sides signed an armistice ending the war.
10. He is the current leader of North Korea and was also named the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2012.      

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Origins of the Cold War Outline


To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949?




 The United States was responsible for the outbreak of the development of the Cold War that was between 1945 and 1949 because of a numerous amount of reasons for example there was the Marshall Plan, The Truman Doctrine, Truman being an anti-communist, the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan and lastly the Nato Alliance. However some may argue that the U.S.S.R were responsible for the Cold War because of Stalin took over Eastern Europe.
 First the Marshall Plan was a huge reason for the the United States being apart of the Cold War to begin with; The Marshall plan changed the economic situation in the European continent as a result of freeing up trade policies within the continent. This created a situation in which trade could be conducted freely and this ended up boosting their economy. While the Marshall Plan may not have initiated the economic recovery it was important in helping it. Also the Marshall plan helped America by the fact that to supply Europe with goods American farms and factories raised production levels which as a result the American economy continued its wartime boom.
 Second the Truman Doctrine and Truman being an anti-communist was another reason why the United States was responsible. To begin with the Truman Doctrine  provided Turkey and Greece with economic and military aid after the Ottoman Empire's  collapse in World War II.Therefore it was an indirect way by the United States to promote their idea of democracy to these nations.The United States did this because the Soviet Union's idea of communism was fastly spreading throughout Europe and the United States saw it as a threat. Therefore, by supplying other countries with aid, they won them over.
  Third the bombs being dropped on Japan by the United States Harry Truman dropped the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima to end the war. At the time you could say that America was fighting two wars, one against Germany and one against Japan. Even though Japanese military supplies were very limited at this point in time of the war, Truman still enforced the Japanese to sign a treaty to surrender. After they failed to surrendered, America dropped 2 bombs on Japan. The effect was Japan surrendered the war immediately after the 2nd bombing. It also showed the military power America could potentially use to the world. The significance of it now is that the atomic bomb has basically created an arms race. The Cold War was a feud over not only communism but the fear of a nuclear war.
Fourth the NATO Alliance was another reason why the United States was responsible for the cold war NATO is an abbreviation for North Atlantic Treaty Organization the 12 members of NATO were the United States and Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. The twelve members of NATO pledged military support to each other in case any member was attacked.
Others may say that the U.S.S.R was to blame for the Cold War because of Stalin taking over Eastern Europe because the United States believed that Stalin was building up communism in the eastern European countries which the United States did not want. Some may say that  Soviet expansionism really did stem the whole cold war because it brought to the forefront the US's fear of communism and total hostility and the proxy war began over Marshall Aid, and the Berlin Airlift in 1948, which were as a result of soviet expansionism.
Hence the United States were responsible for the cold war because of The Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, Truman being an anti-communist, the bombs being dropped on Japan and lastly the NATO alliance however some may argue that the U.S.S.R was responsible for the Cold War because of Stalin taking over Eastern Europe.

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
  Source 37 is saying that Josip Tito is betraying Yugoslavia by accepting money from Americans. However when he is accepting the money he is under a cloak because does not want to be seen by anybody from Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union because he is not supposed to be taking money from Americans so he is therefore betraying Stalin and the Soviet Union.


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
 I think that Stalin was so hostile to Tito because he was suspicious that Tito would not follow his ways and that he knew that he would do anything for his country even if it meant betraying Stalin by taking money from America. 


3. Look back at the map in Source 27 on page 71. How does the geographical position of Yugoslavia help to explain why Stalin did not take any direct action (such as sending in troops) against Tito?     
 The geographical position of Yugoslavia helps to explain why Stalin did not take any direct actions towards Tito because right next to Yugoslavia is Albania and he knew that Albania would help Yugoslavia if they needed it and also Yugoslavia is right near the ocean so if they had to the people of Yugoslavia could run away on boats.
 


4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
 The reasons that the Soviet Union gave for cutting off West Berlin were that they it was deep in the Soviet zone and was linked to the Soviet zones of western Germany by vital roads, canals and railroads.
5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           
 The U.S did not believe that they were genuine reasons because they saw it as a test case and if they gave in to Stalin on this issue western Germany might of been next and Truman wanted to show that he was serious about his policy of containment.
 


6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
 Sources 41-43 differ in the interpretation of the blockade by source 41 says that the blockade was considerable achievement but that neither side gained. Source 42 says that it brought the people of western Europe closer to the Americans and that it was a move to test our ability and our will to resist. Also source 43 says that the blockade the U.S was forced to yield and that their war plans had come to nothing because of the U.S.S.R.


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
 I think that source 43 is the most useful source because it showed both the U.S.S.R and the U.S view on the blockade.



8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?   
 I think that source 42 gives us the most reliable view of the blockade because it shows how the blockade gave Western Europe and America a closer relationship.   

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Iron Curtain Separates Europe

What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)      

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?               
  My overall impressions is that this report from the British foreign secretary is an overreaction to Stalin's actions because the source clearly states that "The Soviet Government is not prepared to co-operate with any non-communist government in eastern Europe" and also that "Physical control of Europe and Asia and eventual control of the whole world is what Stalin is aiming at". I think that this is a overreaction because I do not believe that Stalin's true intentions were to take over and control the whole world like how the British foreign secretary post says that it was.   



  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?  
 Yes I believe that it does seem likely that similar documents like document 26 were being posted by the American Government because it was very clear during most of the Potsdam Conference and the Yalta conference that America and Britain were a team and were very suspicious of Stalin and his actions.   





3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. AND Explain how each factor helped.   

Three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe were that after the war the communists joined a coalition government then became outright leaders in 1947 when they forced the non-communist leader into exile. This is a significant factor that helped because it forced other countries to join Stalin's ways and join the coalition government. Another action that the communist took was that they became the largest single party in the 1947 elections. They imprisoned opposition politicians and attacked church leaders. This is important factor because they were imprisoning other countries politicians that did not believe in the Soviet ways and that they also were attacking other countries religions and their church leaders.
Lastly another actions that the Communists took were that they in 1945 a communist was elected prime minister within a left-wing coalition and in 1947 the communists also abolished monarchy. This is also an important factor because countries that were controlled by Stalin and his communists could no longer have a monarchy government.