President Nixon - Foreign Policy

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A level History (AMERICA) Flashcards on President Nixon - Foreign Policy, created by Emily Bevis on 17/05/2018.
Emily Bevis
Flashcards by Emily Bevis, updated more than 1 year ago
Emily Bevis
Created by Emily Bevis over 6 years ago
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Nixon's view on foreign policy - advocated use of nuclear weapons at Diem Bien Phu - Say anti-war protesters as traitors in 1967 - BUT results of 1968 = turning point = call for end of Vietnam War - Believed South Vietnamese had to win war for themselves - Aware communist world no longer a solid bloc due to 1960 sino-soviet split - Nixon see opportunity to play communist powers against each other
Nixons approach to Vietnam - pledge 'peace with honour' - Talked of his secret plan throughout his campaign = NON-existance - e.g. threaten to mine Haiphong harbour, spoke of flooding North by destroying dikes - Tried to create image as 'mad bomber' to scare North into submission - In secret = Nixon moved US military to global war readiness - BUT North not give into threats
Vietnamisation - the Nixon Doctrine - believed imp. for Vietnamese to play bigger role in fighting for independence - Start to withdraw US troops in June - ARVN became best equipped army in world with US training, structure and weapons - BUT still desertion rate remained high as over 100,00 abandon a year
Cambodia 1970 - new pro-American military gov in power - Communists use Cambodia to attack South - Nixon order 30,000 US troops to support ARVN in invasion - Against promise to withdraw - BUT achieve success in destroying Ho Chi Minh trail = imp. - Domestic response :(
Why did Nixon not withdraw troops in 1971? - Sign of weakness before 1972 election - Faced difficulty in Laos in 1971 - forced to use US air support to fight Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos - Declared as success in 1971 speech = domestic success/strength - BUT part of trail back in use within weeks
Linebacker opperation - feared a North offensive after NVA infiltrate South boarder - Launch a massive bombing campaign - 1972 - lead by B-52s - Managed to slow communist advance - BUT still lost territory
1972 peace deal - North Vietnam propose peace deal to preserve their new territory - Nixon and Kissinger in favour - BUT South V :((( - North broadcast terms of peace deal to put pressure on South = successful - Nixon used this to promise peace in 1972 re-election campaign
How did Nixon finally end the Vietnam War? - Ultimatum issued to South = agree to settlement or lose US military aid - Did promise that if North go against agreement then US would support South - Operation Linebacker II = force North back into negotiations - SUCCESS but lost 15 planes @ $8m each - 1973 peace negotiations = ceasefire agreed, withdrawal of US troops, establishment of democratic elections
Kissinger - National security adviser - Felt important for US to allied self with strong foreign powers - China - If US use military and economic superiority then could force rivals into better agreements - Nixon agree BUT aware of need for more democratic approach to keep electorate :)
Improving relations with China - After 1960 Sino-Soviet split and consequential tension = opportunity for America to manipulate/benefit from both - Secret talks to improve relations - Symbolic gestures =US table-tennis team in China and Kissinger secret visit - 1971 C take seat on UN Security Council - 1972 = Nixon visit China * Discussed Taiwan, Vietnam W, trade - BUT Mao and China benefited more as continue to threat Taiwan
USA and South America - Thought to be loosing control of the Western hemisphere - USA start to support authoritarian govs - Chile = Nixon feared the election of socialist Allende as US companies = nationalised - CIA granted $10m to prevent his election = FAIL - Attempt to destabilise his gov by funding critics/opposition and stopped all US aid to Chile - 1973 General Pinochet = bloody coup to overthrow a democratically elected gov.
Success in Chile? - Success as achieved goal to overthrow socialist - Put US interests first in Gov - BUT overthrew demo elected gov = against democracy and "free-world" - Corrupt campaign - General Pinochet = brutal dictator
What was detente? - slow down arms race with USSR - Allow for cuts in US defense spending = :) economy - Supported by USSR as fear growing power/relations with China - "era of negotiations" - Also impacted policy in Germany and Vietnam :)
USSR arms race - "era of negotiations" = DETENTE - SALT I 1972 *Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty = only 2 sites * Interim Agreement on offensive Arms = 5 year freeze on ICBMs * Use of satellites to ensure other side weren't breaking treaty - Imp. step but USSR continue weapon testing
Detente in Germany - West Germany = keen to improve relations - 1971, Four-Power agreement = USA, USSR, Britain and France = Soviets recognised Western access to W. Berlin - 1972, Basic Treaty = West and East Germany recognise validity of each others frontier/boarder
Yom Kippur War, 1973 - Eygpt and Syria launched attack on Israel - Israel sought Soviet help in their counter attack - Nixon warned the Soviets not to use their conventional forces - US nuclear forces put on high alert - Exposed the weaknesses of detente - Americans able to restrain Israeli ambitions and improve US relations with Egypt = NO Soviet intervention - BUT Israel still occupy Senai Peninsula = territory of Egypt = future tensions :(((
Nixon's visit to Moscow - July 1974 - Strained relations after 1973 - BUT agreements made = remove danger of nuclear war = limit/end arms race = to develop broad/mutually beneficial co-operation in fields of science, technology, culture and economy
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