Lecture notes, The Master List of Key Players in the Cold War PDF

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The Master List of Key Players in the Cold War United States:  Harry Truman- president from 1945-1953; ordered that the atomic bombs be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; present at the Potsdam conference of 1945  George Kennan- junior foreign service officer in the American embassy in Moscow; 1946 sent the famous Long Telegram which outlined the psychology behind Soviet foreign policy (said that the intractability was not just external but internal as well); became the father of containment theory; his writing influenced the Truman Doctrine  Dean Acheson- Truman’s secretary of state who revealed that America wouldn’t concern itself too much with Taiwan and Korea; helped design the Marshall plan; architect of the “defensive perimeter” which includes Indochina but not Korea or Taiwan, trying to avoid a land war with Asia  Oppenheimer- chief scientist on the Manhattan project; became a vocal critic of the atomic bomb; heavily lobbied for its non-use  General Douglas MacArthur- the former commander of the American forces in the Pacific theater, essentially took over American occupation of Japan, ordered around Hirohito, promotes land reforms, unions, women’s rights, etc.; becomes general in charge of forces in Korea and manages incredible amphibious attack of Inchon; has a falling out with Truman because he wants to use nuclear weapons  Lucius Clay- US general in charge of West berlin; orchestrates the Berlin airlift and institutes liberal democratic reform; deals with the Berlin wall far too extremely, causes the scare at checkpoint Charlie, Kennedy asks him to resign  Stimson- secretary of war under FDR, had hypothesized enormous casualties were the US to invade the Japanese mainland  Ted Hall- US technician at Los Alamos; passed on critical information about the bomb to the USSR because he thought that they were an ally and nuclear monopoly was a bad thing  Dwight Eisenhower- although initially gung-ho about the nuclear weapon, became more cautious; advocated a “new look,” in which he built up defense; summit blowup because of U2 spy plane 1960; “open skies;” massive retaliation  John Foster Dulles- Eisenhower’s secretary of state and the author of Massive Retaliation- idea that state will launch all out response should it be attacked; part of the reason the administration continued pushing to acquire thermonuclear bomb (1952)  Robert McNamara- Kennedy’s secretary of defense; initially supported the policy of flexible response, which would have been a complete reversal of massive retaliation; turned this over and became a proponent of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)- if one side initiates, other will respond with an annihilating force; thought that this was the only wan to ensure deterrence  Dean Rusk- secretary of state for Kennedy and then Johnson; Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was his jammmm

George Wallace- Alabama governor who saw Civil Rights as a communist conspiracy  Bobby Kennedy- Kennedy’s attorney general; convinced the president to not bomb Cuba  Francis Gary Powers- American pilot of the U2 plane shot down in 1960 that inspired the rupture at the Paris Summit; survived the crash  Lyndon Johnson- became president after Kennedy was shot in Dallas in 1963, also won in 1964 by landslide, running as a peace candidate, LOL; Great Society- period of reform comparable to the New Deal, war on segregation and poverty, might have worked better if not for Vietnam; puts first troops on the ground in Vietnam in 1965  Zbigniew Brzesinski- national security advisor to Jimmy Carter; SALT II and Camp David Accords; against détente  Cyrus Vance- the pro-détente secretary of state for Carter; opposed to back channel negotiations, Carter demanded that all foreign policy be conducted in a transparent way Czechoslovakia  Jan Masaryk- last Eastern European democratic leader; deposed by the Czech coup of 1948, body found shattered on the ground of a courtyard  Alexander Dubcek- Slovak who came to power in Prague in 1968; tried to respond to popular pressure by relaxing some control over freedom expression but reforms went beyond what Soviet Union was comfortable with; envisioned “socialism with a human face;” ended censorship, growing trust between people and their leaders; 1968- soviets dramatically intervene, overthrow him; he was present during the Velvet Revolution in 1989  Plastic People of the Universe- anti-establishment Czech rock band that was arrested in 1976; this inspired a number of intellectuals including Vaclav Haval to sign Charter 77 (’77) which was based upon the Helsinki accords and called for freedom of speech  Vaclav Haval- had signed Charter 77, takes power following the Velvet Revolution Yugoslavia  Tito- leader of victorious Yugoslav guerillas who took over the country in the 40’s; successfully defied Soviet hegemony and one of the chief proponents of the non-aligned movement; his presence broke the idea of communist solidarity for the first time, revealed divisions within the camp Poland  Gomulka- patriotic communist who had been imprisoned by Stalin; brought back during the Pozan Rebellion in 1956 without Stalin’s permission; managed to negotiate by agreeing not to leave the Warsaw pact; promised a more free and democratic Poland; inspiration to other countries  Lech Walesa- co-founder and leader of the solidarity movement; returned to the Gdanst shipyards for protests in 1980; awarded the nobel peace prize in 1983; trying to establish greater freedoms for his people o Solidarity- movement founded in 1980; anti-communist; won an overwhelming victory in the democratic elections of 1989 

Koral Wojtyla- became Pope John Paul II; had been a very very long time since there was a non-Italian pope; gave people hope; inspirational; anti-communist, staunch defender of human rights  Wojciech Jaruselski- becomes leader of Poland in 1981; pressured by the USSR to attempt to crush solidarity; suspended civil rights (mockery of the Helsinki accords) and imposed martial law, outlawing Solidarity though he later reopened elections to them and was forced to resign when solidarity swept the seats of parliament by a landslide in 1989 Hungary  Rakosi- Hungarian dictator, had undermined Nagy the prime minister  Imre Nagy- at first a reluctant revolutionary but eventually threw his support behind the populaist revolutionaries; had been forced to resign as prime minister under Rakosi but called back when Rakosi was deposed; withdrew Hungary from the Warsaw pact in 1956, part of the Hungarian uprising; provokes extreme soviet military aggression, flees to Yugoslavia where Tito gives him refuge, found and murdered by Soviet agents  Janos Kadar- dictator; forced to resign during Hungary’s 1989 uprising  Nemeth- led hungary after Kadar, presided over reburial of Nagy, takes down fence on the Hungarian-Austrian border Romania  Ceausescu- dictator of Romania from 1965-1989; ended Romanian participation in the Warsaw pact; ran a totalitarian regime; cracked down hard on protestors in 89, backfired, he and his wife were captured, tried, and executed (only leader to be executed in the 1989 revolutions) West Germany  Konrad Adenauer- democratic chancellor of West Germany; dedicated to restoring West Germany to a place of world prominence; doesn’t want a unified Germany because he thinks it’ll entail a withdraw from NATO (nuclear protection); catholic, intense natural dislike for Eastern Germans anyways  Willy Brandt- became chancellor in 1969; championed the idea of ostpolitikpushing for new agreements among world leaders that would replace cold war competition with economic and social collaboration; tried to make Germany’s division appear more normal by facilitating cross-wall interaction, did slightly improve faltering Eastern economies  Gunter Schabowski- made the blunder about when the gates would open, resulting in people rushing out to get to the gates, panics the guards but eventually they cave and open  Helmut Kohl- becomes chancellor of West Germany in 1982, pushing for a unified Germany that is also part of NATO East Germany  Walter Ulbricht- east German leader from 1949 onwards; provided the basis for the Berlin Crises (1953, 1958); proposed that Khrushchev impose an ultimatum; weak but used his weakness to manipulate stronger leaders  Erich Honecker- hard-lined ruler of Eastern Germany; embarrassed by the embassy scandal of 1989, resignation was another sign of the collapse of socialist regimes 

Important Chinese People  Zhou Enlai- the Chinese foreign minister from 1949-1958; made important rounds through Eastern Europe, met about Hungarian crises; opposed the personality of Mao, made the chairman more effective; lectured Khrushchev for lack of sophistication and political maturity  Li Saoqui- sent to Moscow to promote non-intervention in Poland  Peng Duhai- China’s defense minister who in 1959 wrote a private letter to Mao criticizing the policies of the Great Leap Forward; Mao made letter public and challenged him to defend claims; people realized it’s best to side with Mao, further increased in cult; Peng gets ostracized from Chinese leadership  Deng Xiaoping- took over China following Mao’s death in 1976; country was in very very bad shape; accomplished the most remarkable ideological transformation any country has ever undergone; remedied ills through capitalism which he called “socialism with Chinese characteristics;” American welcomes these reforms, revitalized Chinese economy; did suppress the Tiananmen Square uprisings in 1989 pretty brutally USSR  Lavrenti Beria- head of the secret police under Stalin; hoped to emerge as his successor, worried about the stability of East Germany, suggested make it capitalist; later arrested and executed (last soviet leader to be executed)  Georgy Malenkov- the favorite to take over after Stalin’s death, instituted policies designed to raise the standard of living; almost doubled the disposable income of the peasantry in one year; announced Soviet possession of the atomic bomb; Khrushchev pushed him out by making him appear spineless  Molotov- done  Khurchatov- the father of the Soviet a-bomb project  Shepilov- became central committee secretary under Khruschev; had the education and erudition that Khrushchev lacked, encouraged more dialogue, compromise, and relaxation in foreign affairs; went in too moderate in middle eastern crisis, pissed Kremlin off  Zhukov- minister of defense 1955-57; responsible for the crushing of the Hungarian uprising in 1956; most decorated general in Russian history; disagreed with Khruschev’s policies so expelled from his position  Gromyko- minister of foreign affairs during the Cuban missile crisis  Anatolii Dobrynin- long standing ambassador to the US; negotiated with Bobby Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Kissinger also communicated with him through back channels, the two fostered a degree of closeness that would become part of the backbone for détente, spirit furthered by the perception of China as a common enemy  Alexsander Solzhenitsyn- author of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the Gulag Arhipelego; exposing to the world the atrocities of Stalin; undermined authority of the USSR and provided a language/reason for dissenters  Free University- the Berkley of the Soviet Union;  Andropov- barely alive anymore; had masterminded the invasion of Afghanistan

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Yeltsin- made the decision in 1991 to disband the soviet union; grand strategic goal was to abolish the communist party, dismantle the soviet union,a nd make Russia an independent democratic capitalist state

Cuba  Fidel Castro- revolutionary who took over Cuba in 1959; ousts Battista; instituted heavy reforms and nationalized US property and economic centers; not initially communist but announced his allegiance following the Bay of Pigs fiasco (1961)  National Security Doctrine- came about post the Cuban revolution; dominated Latin American politics; based on the premise that LA needed a centralized and integrated way of fighting subversion; inspired military coups and led to series of authoritative military regimes Colombia  Gaitan- Colombian populist; assassination in 1948 led to La Violencia, period of extreme instability and the installation of a military dictatorship Peru  Juan Velasco- Peruvian left leaning general who ruled from 1968-1975; economic difficulties fostered situation that led to his overthrow in 1975 Guatemala  Arbenz- done already  Rios Montt- example of a typical regime run under the banner of the National Security Doctrine; comes to power in 1982, creates a widespread terror in attempt to destroy the guereillas Chile  Allende- democratically elected president in 1970, not supported by the US who covertly had worked against his election and to undermine his regime (which would make plausible deniability harder for Nixon); sparked American fears that he would ally with Moscow and that he had started a chain of events that would turn South Ameica communist; sought to make idealistic reforms, nationalized copper, failed miserably; overthrown in 1973 by the brutal military dictator, Pinochet  Pinochet- brutal right wing military dictator who overthrew Allende in 1973 in a military coup prompting him to commit suicide; despite egregious human rights violations, did much to modernize Chile, turning it into today’s most thriving South American economy Argentina  Juan Peron- Argentinian who led a corrupt and unscrupulous government but nevertheless brought about political and economic advances for the middle class; fell victim to military coup in 1955- indicating increasing conservatism in Latin American governments; brought back in 1973 but then died in 1974 El Salvador  Archbishop Romero- cautious leader of the Salvadorian revolution; shot by a sniper in 1980 while he was saying the mass  Jose Napoleon Duarte- el Salvadorian leader, promises to curb the death squads and negotiate with the FMLN Nicaragua

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Pedro Chamorro- popular newspaper man; murdered; resulted in protests and reduced respect for the Somoza regime Sandanistas/FSLN- national sandanista liberation front; Nicaraguan nationalist vanguard party that sparked popular uprising against the American-installed dictator in 1979; promised land redistribution, social programs, and freedom from US imperialism to their poor people; Marxist ideology though no actual tie to Moscow Daniel Orgeta- former Sandanista who became president of Nicaragua in 1985; land reform, wealth redistribution, etc.; socialist/communist

Egypt  Nasser- leader of Egypt; nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956 following US refusal to participate in building of the Aswan Dam; playing the US and USSR off each other; involved in the non-alignment movement  Anwar Sadat- most notable for playing off superpowers in Yom Kippur War of 1973; attacked Israel knowing that he wouldn’t succeed; switched from siding with USSR to US, inspired fear in Russians that would compel them to be more reactive to Amin Afghanistan  Taraki- leader of Afghanistan’s new socialist government; buddy buddy with Brezhnev; encouraged more liberal reforms such as allowing women to dress however they wished and encouraging female literacy; greatly angered the mullahs (religious priests/traditionalists)  Amin- had been the strongman of the Taraki regime, launched a reign of terror to continue reforms; found out that Brezhnev and Taraki were plotting against him, killed Taraki; he in turn was killed when Russians invaded Afghanistan taking over his favorite vacation spot and murdering him  Karmal- soviet replacement for Amin, more amenable to their policies Iran  Shah Pahlavi- had been instituted by the Americans following the overthrow of Mossadeq; authoritarian and corrupt; he in turn was deposed, meant that the Americans lost their most valuable ally in the middle east Alliance for Progress- like the Marshall plan for Latin America, Kennedy administration, mean to stimulate economic growth Tupamaros- urban revolutionaries and guerilla fighters in Uruguay; initially pointed out flaws in Panchecho administration; by 70’s just throwing the country into chaos Montoneros- guerilla revolutionaries in Argentina ERP- guerilla revolutionaries in Paraguay Guerillas lost sympathy of the people eventually, tactics were too bloody, by 1970’s authoritarian regimes almost everywhere Dependency Theory- argument about external sources of Latin American undervelopment as well as the notion that LA governments were complicit in impoverishing their own people; led to the Andean Pact of 1960 trying to combine industrial power; also led to liberation theology- new vocabulary to discuss dissatisfaction...