Lecture 2: Pax Americana + Cold
War Order
Washington Treaty System (1921-1931)
The Cold War + Pax Americana
1) 1945 The USA was both in absolute and relative terms the most powerful state in the history
of the world
2) The Establishment of the postwar orders was led by the USA
3) American policy-makers were initially focused on Europe, but their decisions affected the
entire world
4) States accepted American leadership or opposed it to various extents, but the initiative was
with Washington
5) Opposition was led by the Soviet Union and later China
- The USA had the greatest ability to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously during WWII.
- Moreover, the USA had a monopoly on Nuclear Arms
Origins of the Pax Americana
- Begins with the end of WWI
- Woodrow Wilson’s 14 point plan and drive for a forum to prevent further wars was widely
admired by many people.
- His idea to establish the League of Nations was intended to settle and adjudicate disputes
- Wilson lost the vote in Congress and therefore the League of Nations had no real impulse or
power backing its original charter.
- Washington Treaty Conference 1921-1922
- Rules based system to settle disputes
- Ended with the start of WWII
- April 25-July 26 1945 United Nations inaugurated in San Francisco under President Truman
Origins of the Cold War
- Breaking up of the Grand Alliance (USSR, USA, UK)
- East and West were very suspicious of each other to begin with
- A rotation of leaders meant any good will was lost between the disputing sides
- Siberian intervention 1919-1925
- Many of the western powers sent troops to fight the Soviets during the Russian Civil War
- Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Divide up Poland
- Soviets were complicit in the beginning of WWII
- Invasion of Poland was the final straw for the Western allies
- Poland was a major contributor to WWII
Airmen, soldiers, finding and breaking Enigma
- Soviets were meddling in many foreign countries to ensure Communism prevailed across the
Easter Bloc
- The Long Telegram: Must contain Soviet global aggression
- Marshall Plan: Europe needs a strong and resurgent Europe to ensure containment of Soviet
meddling.
- Winston Churchill’s speech (Sinues of Peace): Announces an “iron curtain” had befallen the
world.
- Truman Doctrine: USA would support legitimate governments against partisans
-
- NATO founded as a military organization to balance the scales in the West’s favor
- West Germany joins in 1955
- Warsaw Pact established to counter NATO
- Ends up as an ideological battle between Capitalist West and Communist East
The Cold War Comes to Asia
USA prioritized the Western front over the Pacific battlefront
USA Goals for a Japanese Peace
1) “To insure that Japan will not again become a menace to the US or to the peace and security
of the world”
2) Leave the rest to nationalist China under Chang Kai-Shek
- Japan did not surrender unconditionally, but rather under the terms of the Potsdam
Conference.
- Original intention was to divide Japan between Nationalist China, USSR, UK, and USA.
- Macarthur was given extraordinary power and refused to allow a Soviet occupation zone.
38th Parallel chosen basically as an afterthought by two coronels.
Ho Chi Minh announces Vietnamese Independence September 2 nd 1945
Using direct quotes from the American Declaration of Independence
Moreover, Ho Chi Minh fought on the same side as the Americans during WWII
Fall of the Japanese Empire
- Getting rid of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere left a massive power vacuum in
areas occupied by the Japanese Empire.
- MacArthur focused on insuring Japan could never threaten the USA
- Their tune changed when the Soviets became a nuclear power and a realistic threat to the
USA
- Mao Zedong wins and established the People’s Republic of China 1949
- North Korea invades South Korea 1950 (Beginning Korean War)
Drawing the Lines
- Much like in the West, Eastern/Pacific countries develop into opposing blocs
- However, in Europe many quite homogenous democracies already existed
- East Asia had no such unity nor democratic tradition
Pax Americana (Euro-Centric)
- No war in Europe from 1945-1990’s
- Korean war 1950-1953
- Vietnam war 1945-1975
- May Day riots among other popular uprisings showed how controversial it was to support
American domination
