What was the significance of the role played by E. Howard Hunt during the Watergate Scandal?

E. Howard Hunt was a former C.I.A agent. It was found that Hunt was recruited by Kissinger to be the one in control of the plumbers, the burglars of Watergate, and that he organized the whole break in along with G. Gordon Liddy. Howard Hunt, Gordon Liddy and the rest of the group occupied the White House basement. Hunt was not only the leader of the break in at Watergate but he also was in charge of breaking into Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office to get personal information on Ellsberg. It was later found out that the burglars were operating under the orders of Hunt. Howard Hunt was also one of the man that made the Watergate scandal get connected to the President. Woodward found that a few of the burglars notebooks they Hunts name written down along with “W.H” or “White House.”1 This is what caused Howard Hunt to be arrested the weekend of the the Watergate break in, and prove that Howard Hunt and Gordon Liddy were communicating with the burglars. After he was arrested Hunt received 10,000 dollars in hush money to keep him quiet from revealing the connections between Watergate and President Nixon. In the end, Hunt was one of the twenty people that served prison time for the break in at Watergate.

1. Debra A. Miller, Living Through Watergate (Michigan:Greenhaven Press, 2006), 98

Bibliography

• Genovese, Michael A. The Watergate Crisis. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/15308570.
• Liebovich, Louis W. Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Press: A Historical Retrospective. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/117250842.
• Miller, Debra A. Living Through Watergate. Farmington Hills, MI

America Enters the Vietnam Conflict

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

Before World War II Vietnam, at the time it was called Indochina, was controlled by France. During World War II Vietnam was conquered and ruled by the Japanese. At the end of World War II Vietnam was controlled by Vit Minh, the Vietnamese Communist Party. 


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



3. Which country helped France keep Vietnam and why?       
The United States helped the French in trying to take Vietnam back because the Viet Minh was supported by the Chinese Communist and the Viet Minh were puppets of Mao Zedong. 



4. What is the Domino Theory?       
The Domino Theory was a theory created by President Eisenhower and his Secretary of State JF Dulles that China and the USSR were planning to spread Communism throughout Asia. There way of spreading communism through Asia was by getting one country at a time to turn communist and they will eventually all fall to communism just like a row of dominoes. 



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?           
The United States helped put Ngo Ding Diem into power as the leader of the Republic of South Vietnam because he was bitterly anti-communist and wanted to imprison and or exile the communists. 



6. What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail? How was it used?           
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a trail that ran through North and South Vietnam. It was used by the Viet Cong to send reinforcements and supplies to the guerrilla fighters that were attacking the South Vietnamese government forces. 



7. What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution? What powers did it give President Johnson? 
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was a resolution that gave President Johnson the power to 'take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression and achieve peace and security' in Vietnam. This Resolution was passed by the US Congress in reaction to the North Vietnamese patrol boats opening fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. 



8. Look at the timeline on page 256. Why is 1965 considered a "turning point" year for American involvement in Vietnam?               
It is considered a 'turning point' for America because before 1965 the United States was holding back because they did not want to get into a full on war with Vietnam. But in 1965 the United States decided to go on a full on war with Vietnam so they started getting the upper hand in the war since they were using all their war tactics inside of just sending in military 'advisers.'  



9. Why, according to Source 3 on page 255, were U.S. troops put into a difficult position in Vietnam?        
The U.S troops were put in a difficult position because in attempt to help the people in South Vietnam and to win over the people in Vietnam they were trying to give them money but this just caused the peasants to turn into Vietcong sympathizers. 

Second Communist System

China
In 1949 Mao Zedong, the leader of the communist party in China, won twenty year civil war against the Nationalist and he created The People's Republic of China, which was automatically accepted as a legitimate country to the Soviet Union. The next year, in 1950, China supported the communist party in North Korea during the Korean War and supplied them with tons of troops, which helped them fight off the United States and push them back to the border of North and South Korea when they entered the North. Mao believed that the poor people in China were the greatest supporters of the communist party. In 1958 he launched "The Great Leap Forward" which was a five year economic plan which created an intense labor intensive farming industry. After two years this economic plan was dropped because it caused an economic breakdown. They blamed the disruption to the agriculture for the millions of deaths due to starvation during the next harvest session. Later on in 1966, Mao created a political and ideological campaign called "Culture Revolution," it was a ten year plan to revive revolutionary spirits, but it causes massive social, economical, and political change. In 1976 Mao dies, and in 1977 Deng Xiaoping because the dominant leader, and he tried to put China through a far-reaching economic reform. From 1986 to 1990 China had a "Open-door policy" which opened China up to investments form other countries and promoted a market economy and private sectors. In 1989 troops opened fire on protesters who were camping out for weeks to try and get CCP General Secretary Hu Yaobang back, who was forced for resign in 1987. The total amount of deaths was 200, and it caused an international outrage. Jia Zemin takes over the Communist Party general secretary in 1989 and later becomes President of China in 1993. During this time China and Russia signed a declaration restoring friendly ties. China wanted to intimidate Taiwan during their presidential election during 1995, so China tested their missiles and held military exercises in the Taiwan Strait. In 1998 Li Peng announced reforms having to do with the financial crisis which made the economy to decelerate. Thousands of state owned companies were reconstructed which resulted in share flotations and bankruptcy, in the end about four million civil service jobs were cut. In 2000, China tried to crackdown on corruption, and they did this by executing   a former deputy chairman of the National People's Congress for bribes. In 2003 Hu Jinao, the leader of the communist party, was elected for the president. In 2006 18 million people in China were affected with seemed to be the worst drought in 50 years. Later on in 2006 the government announced that the pollution in China was at a critical level which threatened peoples health and social stability. The next year, in 2007 China tested a missile in space by hitting an old weather satellite, which caused the United States, Japan, and other countries concern for the military buildup in China. Also in 2007 new labor laws were created after finding men and boys working as slaves in a brick factory. In 2008, five months before Beijing hosted the Olympics, the anti-China protested got worse and even violent, and they even get attention on a global level by delaying the torch rely. Also in 2008, China and Russia have signed a treaty having to do with border disputed that started 40 years ago during the Cold War. In 2008 hundred were killed or injured due to ethnic violence that broke out in the Xingiang region, the next year in 2009 six men were put to death for having to due with the ethnic violence. In 2010 a there was a growing fear for the United States that China will have a cyber attack on the United States. In 2011 China passed Japan and became the second largest economy in the world. In 2012 Bio Xilai is expelled from the communist party for abuse of power and corruption, he created the biggest scandal in years, and he also was guilty for killing Neil Hollywood, a British Businessman. On November of 2012 Xi Jinping takes over the Communist Party chief and is expected to become the president in March of 2013. A Tibetan monk was sentenced to death, and his nephew 10 year in jail, in January 2013 for forcing eight people to burn themselves to death. About 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009, and it was in protest of the Chinese rule.

Communism in Cuba

A communist party was formed in Cuba in 1925 but didn't become the main power of Cuba till 1959 when it was taken by force. On January 1st 1959 Fidel Castro takes over the government. Eisenhower approved of a partial economic embargo on Cuba, with the exception of food and medicine in 1960 in hopes to get Castro out of office. Just a year later the U.S Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 which created a total embargo on Cuba so the United States wouldn't trade with them at all. Castro wanted to get independence from the United States, and the Cuban government found out about a invasion that the United States was planning before it happened, so Cuban exile troops were left on the beaches and shot and killed. The USSR used Cuba to their fullest advantage after the United States had no power over it. The Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba so if needed they could accurately attack populated areas of the United States with these missiles. This is what started the Cuban missile crisis. In the end a Kennedy- Kruschev pact was signed and it guaranteed Castro to have power for thirty years, and then in 1966 the Cuban Adjustment Act was signed, which causes one and a half Cubans to flee from Cuba and into the United States. After the Soviet Union fell in 1991, the economy went down more than 40% because Cuba no longer got money from the Soviet Union. During this time, Castro started a new motto of 'Socialism or Death.' Some of the people in Cuba took the risk of going in the high seas to the United States in order to get out, and others thought that socialism is death. In July of 1993 the Cuban coast guards found a group of mainly women and child trying to flee the country and the coast guards used high pressure hoses to force them into the sea to their deaths, when the women begged to not harm their children. In November of 2001 Hurricane Michelle hit Cuba and caused a lot of damage to the island, and it had destroyed sugar mills and tobacco fields, which was the main source of Cuba's income at that point. This caused even more stress on Cuba's economy, and the United State's gave Cuba aid after this hurricane for the first time in years. In 2006 Fidel Castro gave the Presidency to his brother Raul while he recovered from a surgery, but in 2008 Fidel Castro retired giving Raul the title of President of Cuba. To this day Raul is still the President of Cuba, but he recently announced that he believed that a President should only serve two terms, and therefore he will step down from being President in 2018. 

Cold War Heats up in Asia

1. Who was Chiang Kai-shek?         
Chiang Kia- shek was the leader of the nationalist party in China, who was trying to fight the communist party. The United States supported the nationalist government but the US officials that worked with him thought that his ideas were inefficient and hopelessly corrupt.

2. Who was Mao Zedong?      
Mao Zedong was the leader of the communist party in China.


3. How were the Communist able to take over China?     

The Communists were able to take over China by getting the support of the peasants. They did this by encouraging them to learn how to read they helped them to improve their food productions. After World War II ended the fighting between the nationalists and the communist broke up. The poor favored the Communist party and the nationalist had a weak military power and they were corrupt; therefore the communists won.

4. How did the State Department respond to critics that Truman's "Containment" policy didn't extend to Asia?               
The State Department was questioning why containment of the Communists party wasn't as important in Europe as it was in Asia. They believed that they should have given more aid to Chiang Kai-shek and helped him keep his supporters. If the United States gave more aid it would have causes a war that the United States was not prepared to fight; the State Department thought that was a lame excuse.


5. How did Korea become a divided nation after World War II?      
At the end of World War II the Japanese troops in North Korea surrendered to the Soviet Union, while the Japanese troops in Southern Korea surrendered to the United States therefore North Korea turned communist and south Korea turned democratic.


6. What is the importance of the Yalu River and what prompted the Chinese to enter the Korean War?     
The Yalu River was the river that divided Korea from China. the Chinese entered the Korean War because they wanted to keep North Korea communist so that there was a buffer zone between China and the democratic Southern Korea. Another reason that they fought back was becasue they felt threatened by the American fleet that was right off their coast.


7. Who is General Douglas MacArthur and what did he want to do against China?     
General Douglas MacArthur was the one who controlled the combined troops who were fighting with South Korea, and he was a World War II hero in the Pacific. MacArthur wanted to invade China and thought that it was necessary to drop a nuclear weapon on the Chinese capital.


8. Why did Truman relieve MacArthur from duty?       
Truman relieved MacArthur from duty because MacArthur felt too strongly about invading China and would not listen to Truman. Instead MacArthur went behind the presidents back and tried to promote the invasion of China therefore he relieved him from duty.


9. How did the war end?       
The war ended by the Soviet Union ceasing fire unexpectedly on June 23rd 1951. Truce talks started in July 1951 and they decided on a few things, which includes the location of the cease fire line at the existing battle line and a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. For the next couple of year the countries were negotiating on exchanging prisoners and in July 1953 the two sides signed an armistice which officially ended the war.


10. He is the current leader of North Korea and was also named the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2012.      
Kim Dae-jung. 

Origins of the Cold War Outline

Thesis: The United State's policies were responsible for the outbreak of the cold war because of the Potsdam Conference, the different aims between the United States and the Soviet Union, Truman's Doctrine and the Policy of Containment, the Marshall Plan and the formation of the NATO alliance; some people believe that Berlin Blockade was the leading cause of the Cold War.

Main Point 1: Potsdam Conference
- Truman was the new President of the United States since Roosevelt died, and Truman was more of an anti-communist than Roosevelt meaning there was even more tension between Stalin and Truman. Truman was suspicious of Stalin and thought that Stalin's presence in Eastern Europe was his way of preparing to take over the rest of Europe
- The Potsdam conference was the day after the first atomic bomb was tested as a success, which meant that the United States no longer needed the Soviet Union's help in the war against Japan
- The Soviet Union's army was occupying Eastern Europe and would not leave even though Churchill and Truman did not want them in Eastern Europe in fear of communist take over, but Stalin persisted it was to prevent there from being another attack against the Soviet Union

Main Point 2: The different aims between the United States and the Soviet Union
- Germany:
           - The Soviet Union wanted to crush Germany so that they would stay weak and never be a threat to the Soviet Union again. In order to do this the Stalin wanted to keep Germany into four sections
          - The United States wanted to help rebuild Germany so that they were benefiting to Europe and make Germany more successful
- Truman wanted to spread democracy and create more free trade between Europe and the United States, and Stalin wanted to close the trading and spread communism
- Truman also wanted there to be more free trade with all of Europe in order to boost the United States' economy, while Stalin wanted to keep control of Eastern Europe to balance out the United States' influence in Western Europe

Main Point 3: Truman's Doctrine and the Policy of Containment
-  $400 million dollars was given to Greece and Turkey to help them economically and militarily in order to keep out communism and keep the communist party contained, which angered Stalin even more and made the relationship between Stalin and Truman worse.
- The United State's sent money, equipment, and advice to countries that threatened to have a communist takeover
- The point of the Truman Doctrine was to keep the Soviet influence from spreading
- Stalin was not pleased because he believed that the United States had no business in Europe because they were not a country in or near Europe. Stalin also believed that he had the right to have influence in Europe because the Soviet Union had borders with countries in Europe

Main Point 4: Marshall Plan 
-  the intention was to give aid to European countries that needed it
- over four years 13 billion dollars of aid was given to 16 European countries
- The Marshall Plan gave the United States more alliances because of their help, and it also helped get rid of the communist parties in those countries

Main Point 5: NATO alliance
- The NATO alliance was the first alliance which the United States had joined during the time of peace
- There was 12 countries that pledged military alliance if one of the countries was attacked
- The reason for the formation of this alliance was because after the Berlin blockade they feared even more that the Soviet Union would get more aggressive
- The NATO alliance kept a standing military of more than 500,000 troops along with planes and other supplied.
- The Cold War and the NATO alliance made it so there was no hope of the United States to return to isolationism

D/I Berlin Blockade 
- Stalin was not pleased that the United States, Great Britain, and France combined their three zones of Germany to create Western Germany in order to help Germany in recovering
- The USSR's zone included Berlin so Stalin stopped all goods from coming into part of Berlin so that Berlin would be completely dependent of the USSR. He did this by cutting off all roads and highways
- The United States was not pleased with this and tried to use break through the blockade, which they did by the Berlin Airlift which flew in supplied to Berlin, Stalin thought of this as an act of war against the USSR

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 the communist government by accepting money from America, who at that time was the enemy to the Soviet Union and the communist party. It shows Tito looking like a poor guilty man, meaning that he knows what he is doing is wrong and he shouldn't be betraying the Soviet Union but he is for his own benefit. 


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
Stalin was so hostile to Tito because not only is he going against the communist government and the influence that the Soviet Union has on Yugoslavia, but he is getting help from Stalin's number one enemy which is the United States. Yugoslavia is supposed to be apart of the Soviet Union's sphere of influence but instead the United States has penetrated the sphere of influence and got Tito to accept money from the United States and therefore Stalin is taking out his anger toward the United States on Tito. 


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?     
Stalin did not take any direct action against Tito because Yugoslavia does not have a border with the Soviet Union, and it is just apart of the sphere of influence. Stalin would have to bring the troops through other countries in order to get to Yugoslavia which would cause conflict in the countries which there no conflict in. 


4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
The Soviet Union's reason for cutting off West Berlin was that there was a shortage of coal, and therefore they cut off electricity from West Berlin. The Soviet Union's reason for stopping all traffic into West Berlin was that there were technical difficulties. 


5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           
The USA did not believe that the Soviet Union had genuine reasons. The reason for that is that the United State's knew that the Soviet Union should not be trusted because over the years the Soviet Union would say one thing and then do the opposite. Also by this point the Soviet Union was an enemy to the United State's therefore they could not be trusted, especially since the Soviet Union is known for doing things that only benefit themselves. 


6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
Source 41 claims that there was nothing gained nor lost in the Berlin blockade and all it did was make the United State's and Soviet Union more stubborn to their ways. Source 42, is a speech from President Truman, saying that there was nothing lost but it was a test to the United State's on whether they had the will to stay in Berlin, and that the United State's will not back down from helping the Europeans from having their power. Lastly, Source 43, written by someone in the Soviet Union, had a very different interpretation of the Berlin blockade. The source said that it was an act of war from the United State's and that in the process of the Berlin blockade all the United State's was doing was hurting the innocent people in Berlin and it caused them to starve. In the end the United State's act of war failed and they had to yield. This interpretation was very different from the ones in source 41 and 42.  


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
The most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin blockade would be source 41, because source 41 was not written at the time of the blockade and it does not seem to favor one side or the other, therefore it is most likely more accurate. Source 42 and 43 are also valuable because it was written from the point of views that the American's had during the time of the blockade, and the Soviet Union's point of view of the blockade after it happened. 


8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?      
Source 41 gives the most reliable point of view of the blockade. Source 43 is in favor of the Soviet Union because it was still during the Cold War, and therefore the Soviet who wrote it would want the Soviet Union to seem like the better country. Source 42 is not as reliable because it is President Truman talking after the Berlin blockade, meaning he would want to glorify his actions that he made in the Berlin blockade and give a morale boost to the people.

Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. 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?                

Source 26 expressed how Stalin is irrational because he will not, "co-operate with any non-communist controlled government." This means that Stalin is going to do as he wishes and not listen to anyone else in Europe because the Soviet Union and the countries which it influences is the only communist countries in Europe. Another impression from Source 26 is that the Soviet Union is an extreme threat because of the size of the army and the amount of power that the country has. The Soviet Union wanting to take over the world with a communist rule is an actual threat due to the power they have, which is shown by the title of the report, "The Threat to the Civilization." 


  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?    


Similar documents could have been made by the American government because the Soviet Union was also a big threat to the United States. One thing that might be different though is that the United States might not be as worried about the Soviet Union taking over the United States, like the British fear that they would do to Great Britain, because the United States is farther away from the Soviet Unions power. 


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.   \

- In Hungary the Communist party became the single biggest party in the country and then they imprisoned all politicians that weren't communist and Church leaders. This was a factor that helped the Communist in Hungary because there was no one to go against the Communist rule. 
-  Communists became the outright leaders of Poland in 1947 when they exiled all non- communist leaders. Once again this made it so there is no threat against the Communist leaders because all of the leaders in Poland are communists. 
-In Bulgaria the left wing coalition won the election and the Communist leaders executed all of the the leaders of the other political parties. This not only made it so there was no other threats to the communist rule but it also threatened the people because it showed that if they tried to go against the Communist party they would die. 

The Potsdam Conference

1. Read Source 17 (p 68). At Yalta, Churchill and Roosevelt had agreed with Stalin that eastern Europe would be a Soviet ‘sphere of influence’. Do you think Source 17 is what they had in mind?   

It is not what Churchill and Roosevelt originally had in mind. The original agreement was that Stalin would be able to control parts of eastern Europe if he gives the people the freedom of being able to vote. In source 17 it says that Stalin would be controlling the eastern European countries with a communist rule because that is his social system and he can't help but also rule the countries his way. 




2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.       

They would not agree with Stalin's views because Stalin is saying that because the Soviet Union borders with Poland he can represent Poland and have control over it, but Great Britain and the United States do not border Poland so they should not has so much say, which it says in source 18. Churchill and Roosevelt would not agree with this idea because they believed that because the United States and Great Britain fought in the war they should have a say in the government that is formed in Poland. 




3.  Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
The three developments described in the text is that the Soviet Union controlled most of Eastern Europe, the USA had a new President, and the United States has just formed a successful atomic bomb. Stalin wanted to keep control over the countries he has control over in Eastern Europe because it is also part of the land which the Soviet Union lost after World War I, this affects the relationships during the Potsdam conference because Stalin wants to fight for the land, which Truman and Attlee do not want the Soviet Union to have so much control. Truman was the new President in the United States, and Truman was more of an anti-communist than Roosevelt meaning that he is a lot more harsher on Stalin which causes more disagreement. Lastly the United States just found out that the Trinity Test was a success, meaning that the United States no longer needed the Soviet Unions to help them win the Pacific War against Japan, which means that Truman can be a lot more harsh on the Soviet Union because they no longer need them for anything. 

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

Questions


1. What month and year did the Yalta Conference place?      

The Yalta conference took place in February 1945. 



2. While the conference was taking place who were the Allies (Big Three) still fighting? Be specific.(Consider as well, what hadn't taken place yet that you've already studied.)        

The Allies were still fighting in World War II against Germany because Germany did not official surrender till May of 1945. The United States was also fighting Japan in the War in the Pacific. 
 

3. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?        

Roosevelt had a fear that if they did not come to agreement to the fate of postwar Germany that the Soviet Union will take it over and give the Germans a harsh payment for the war and make the Eastern part of Germany communist. Most of the Yalta conference was about the fate of postwar Germany but in the end they could not come to a final decisions about what to do.  
 

4. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?      
A few decisions were made during the Yalta conference. For one it was decided that Germany would temporarily be divide into four parts, one for each of of the countries of Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union in order that each country would get the war debt back from Germany. Another decision made was that the Soviet Union would help the United States fight against Japan after Germany surrendered. Stalin said that the Soviet Union would declare war on Japan 90 days after Germany surrendered. Lastly, they decided to have a meeting later on in San Francisco to establish the United Nations. 

Nuclear Arms Race Since 1945 - part 2

1. Summarize the basic argument for and the basic argument against nuclear weapons.     
Some people are for having nuclear weapons because it helps preserve the peaces and U.S security. Another reason that people are for nuclear weapons and deterrence is that it is moral to protect one's country against possible destruction. Others believe that the very existence of these nuclear weapons threatens all of humanity. Another reason that people are against it is because the idea of deterrence is immoral because it involves threatening hundreds of millions of lives in a nation. 
      

2. What is the difference between a strategic and a tactical nuclear weapon?       
Tactical nuclear weapons are made to be used on the battlefield in military situations. Strategic nuclear weapons, on the other hand, have a target for a military base or heavily populated area in order to prevent the other side to wage war. In 2002, President Bush and Putin signed a treaty which included reducing the operational, ready to use, strategic warehouse to between 1,700 and 2,200 by 2012, but the tactical nuclear weapons which are not operational did not have to be destroyed. 

3. What is nuclear proliferation?       
Nuclear proliferation is the spreading of nuclear weapons to other countries. 
       

4. What role has the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty played in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons?           
The NPT helped preventing the spreading of nuclear weapons. For one that countries that do have nuclear weapons are not to give nuclear weapons or any form of nuclear weapon technology to countries that do not have nuclear weapons. Also the places that do have nuclear weapons reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The countries that are apart of the treaty and do not have nuclear weapons agree not to try and acquire nuclear weapons, if they are given the equipment, materials, and knowledge needed in order to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The supporters of the treaty prevented President Kennedy's worry of twenty five nuclear weapon states by 1970s. 


5. Explain Secretary of State Rice's high level of concern about the Russian nuclear arsenal. (See her quote on page 16 of your reading.)       
Due to the fact, that the Russian society has undergone a huge transformation since the Cold War has ended their society is now more free, but has a higher criminal rate and it is more chaotic. The United States feared that Moscow is losing it's grip on keeping their nuclear material safe while they were having economic troubles. The Secretary of State Rice, was one of these people that had a great fear that the Russians were not able to handle their nuclear weapons properly, and that nuclear material was left unsecured; which is not acceptable. Rice believed that there should have been a safe dismantlement of the Soviet parental, which had nuclear safeguards to make sure that some of the nuclear weapon facilities were secured properly. 

    

6. How as the threat of terrorism changed thinking about nuclear weapons?          
In May 2003 the United States introduced the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an effort to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and materials to make nuclear weapons; in the fear that terrorist will get a hold of them. Countries have put a high priority on efforts to stop shipments of nuclear- related materials. In November 2004, the UN Security Council passed the Resolution 1540, which applied to all states. It was very important in recent international measure dealing with nuclear proliferation; it calls on states to take specific steps to institute controls to prevent terrorist from getting nuclear material. Another thing that the United States is doing to help prevent terrorist in gaining a nuclear weapon is, tracking one thousand cargo containers coming into the United States, in fifteen major ports worldwide, because the way which a terrorist would most likely smuggle a nuclear weapon into America is on a cargo container. 

Nuclear Arms Race Since 1945

1. Explain how Dragonfire's report on October 11, 2001 highlighted a new threat from nuclear weapons.                 
It highlighted a new threat because it was a growing fear of falling into nuclear war and it was questionable whether or not it is ethical to have them in order to protect the country, but it can also kill millions of people at once. The idea of terrorist getting their hands on a nuclear weapon was very frightening and if people knew that they had a nuclear weapon it would cause people to panic. 

2. Why is proliferation such a strong concern for the United States?              
Proliferation is the spreading of nuclear weapons in other countries, and the United States wants to prevent it at all costs. The reason is that the United States doesn't want other countries to be able to threaten them with the nuclear weapons, and nuclear war would just destroy humanity so the United States wants to prevent a nuclear war from happening. Having countries such as North Korea and Iraq having nuclear weapons would be extremely dangerous for the United States because of all of the tension between the two countries, which was created because of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are a part of the most complex and challenging foreign policy problems. 

3. What is deterrence?                   
Deterrence is the treat to retaliate with nuclear weapons, if a nuclear war is started, which was suppose to prevent them from starting a nuclear war. 


4. Explain the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.                   
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the Soviet Union tried to store nuclear weapons in Cuba which was only 90 miles away from Florida. This caused America to worry and considered invading Cuba, but ultimately invading Cuba would cause a full out nuclear war to happen. After being on the border line of nuclear war for thirteen days the Soviet Union and the United States made a deal that if the Soviet Union took their missiles out of Cuba then the United States wouldn't invade Cuba and they would take their missiles out of Turkey. 


5. President John F. Kennedy worried that twenty-five nations would have nuclear weapons by the 1970s. Why do you think his worry did not come to pass?                           
The reason that it didn't happen is because a lot of other countries also did not want tons of countries having nuclear weapons. Some countries signed a treaty called Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is that it prevents other countries than the five that already have them, to have nuclear weapons but all of the countries could peaceful use nuclear energy. Both the United States and the Soviet Union cooperated to prevent proliferation because neither of them thought it was good for a lot of countries to have nuclear weapons. Since the power houses of the world agreed to stop proliferation, it did not happen. 


6. What was the Cold War? How long did it last?            
The Cold War was a stand off between the United States and the Soviet Union where both of them feared a nuclear attack from the other, therefore they kept building up the amount of nuclear weapons in case one country attacks the other. The Cold War started in 1946 and ended in December of 1990 when the Soviet Union ceased to exist.           

Mobilizing for Defense

1. How did the American response to the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor differ from Japanese expectations?      
The Japanese thought that the Americans were afraid of the Japanese and the power that they had. They thought that they made the United States a third-rate power. When in reality that it gave the Americans motivation to fight and to get revenge. The Americans were not afraid, but they were furious. 


2. What difficulties did women and minorities face in the wartime work force?     

African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans were very discriminated during the war. There were racial segregated neighborhoods, and they were denied basic rights of a citizens. Some of the minorities were wondering why they should fight for a country that looked down upon them. The African Americans that were in the war had noncombat jobs for the most of the war, until they fought for their right to be in combat, which was only for the last year of the war. Even though all of the minorities were discriminated against, a lot of them still fought in the war. During the war woman worked in factories and did stereotypical man jobs. At first places were reluctant about hiring woman because they did not think they had as much stamina in them, but once they realized how woman can work as well as men they kept hiring them. Woman would also get paid sixty percent of what the men would get paid for the same job. 

3. Why did President Roosevelt create the OSRD, and what did it do?           
President Roosevelt created the OSRD to bring scientist into the war effort. The OSRD created many things that helped the war, such as the creation of penicillin, which save many lives, and sonar for boats and plants to spot other boats and planes that might be a threat to them. The biggest thing that the OSRD did was the Manhattan Project, which was the creation of the atomic bomb. 


4. What basic problems were the OPA and WPB created to solve?           

The OPA was created to solve the threat of inflation by freezing the prices of goods, and by raising the amount of income taxes so that people had less money to send so there was less of a demand of certain goods. The WPA was created to decide which factories changed from peacetime factories to wartime factories; this made it so there were enough supplies for the war effort.

5. What type of items were rationed and why were they limited?       
Some of the typed of goods that were rationed were meat, gasoline, shoes, sugar, and coffee. These items were limited because they were deeded as goods that were essential for the military. It was hard for the people to deal with the rationing, but some people thought of it as their personal way of contributing to the war effort; while others were buy the goods off of a black market.


6. What is the message of the World War II poster on this assignment's blog posting? Why was this message important?   
The message of the World War II poster was to carpool to save gas so that the soldiers could use the gas that the citizens weren't using. The point was to tell everyone to ration out the goods that they have and to make the most of it so that there is enough supplies for the war. The message was important because it was a very convincing poster to get people to carpool and the soldiers needed the gas and the supplies for the war effort more than the citizens. 

War in the Pacific

1. In what ways were the American victory at Midway and the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor alike?      
They were a like because they both involved destroying the other sides ships and planes. Both of them were also triumphs where one sides completely destroyed the other side. One of the Japanese officials that was at Midway said that the United States got its revenge on Pearl Harbor, but it was worse for the Japanese because in the Battle of Midway the Americans destroyed some of the Japanese's aircraft carriers. 


2. Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies?      
It was crucial for the Allies because the Japanese lost so much during the Battle of Leyte. In the battle the Japanese threw their entire fleet into it and they tried a new tactic called kamikaze which were suicide planes that crashed into the Allied ships. The battle ended in just three days, and the Japanese lost 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 13 cruisers and almost 500 planes. After this battle the Japanese Navy just played a minor role in defense of Japan.  


3. Why was Okinawa a significant island in the war in the Pacific?      
Okainawa was a significant island in the war because the Allies were able to bomb the mainland of Japan from there. Also it was a place that would open their way in invading the mainland of Japan. 


4. What was the Manhattan Project? And who was J. Robert Oppenheimer?        
The Manhattan Project was a project led by General Leslie Grove, which was the creation of the atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the man that developed the atomic bomb. At the peak of created it more than 600,000 Americans were working on it, and it was the best kept secret of the war. 


5. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?      
Roosevelt had two reasons to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany. One reason was that he had hoped that Stalin would keep his commitment and help fight against Japan in the Pacific war once Germany was defeated. Second, Roosevelt wanted Stalin to support for a new world peace organization, called the United Nations. 


6. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?        
The decisions that were made during the Yalta Conference were the Germany would temporarily be four zones; one for each country, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and the United States. Another decision made was that Stalin agreed to attend an international conference in April in San Francisco, where the United Nations would be formed. Stalin also promised a 'free and fettered' election in Poland and other Soviet occupied Eastern Europe counties. Lastly, Stalin agreed to help in the war against the Japanese in the Pacific. 


7. At the trials, many Nazis defended themselves by saying they were only following orders. What does this rationale tell you about the German military? Why was it important to negate this justification?   
The German military was very loyal to Hitler and would do whatever he asked of them, even the cruel things like working at the death camps. They tried to get out of getting charged for their crimes by saying that they were just taking orders, even though some of the people on trial were very close to Hitler, but once he is gone they turn on him. It is important to negate this justification because the individuals were responsible for their actions, even in the time of war.