Atomic Bomb and Foreign Policy
Task:
- Describe how the atomic bomb influenced foreign policy decisions from the containment doctrine to the Vietnam War.
Paper Details :
- Provide a clear thesis statement that directly addresses the extended response question.
- Refer to at least three historical documents (from at least two different chapters of the Module Resource Book).
- Analyze those documents so as to support your thesis statement.
- Describe information from at least two different chapters of the Module Resource Book.
- Analyze that information so as to support your thesis statement.
- Answer all parts of the extended response question.
- Describe your evidence and arguments with detailed writing and few errors in grammar, punctuation, etc.
Thesis Statement: The development and use of the atomic bomb during World War II had a profound impact on U.S. foreign policy decisions, specifically shaping the containment doctrine and influencing the decision-making process leading up to the Vietnam War.
The atomic bomb’s development and deployment led to a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, as it granted the country a new level of power and influence on the global stage. This is evidenced in the “Long Telegram” by George Kennan, which served as the basis for the containment doctrine. In his telegram, Kennan argued that the U.S. must contain the spread of communism and Soviet influence in order to protect its own interests and the interests of its allies. The atomic bomb played a crucial role in supporting this argument, as it gave the U.S. a military advantage over the Soviet Union.
Additionally, the U.S.’s experience with the atomic bomb during World War II influenced its decision-making process leading up to the Vietnam War. The Pentagon Papers, which detailed the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam, reveal that policymakers were heavily influenced by the concept of “limited nuclear war,” in which nuclear weapons would be used in a more targeted manner than in World War II. The belief that nuclear weapons could be used in a “limited” way led to a sense of overconfidence in U.S. military capabilities and contributed to the U.S.’s decision to escalate the conflict in Vietnam.
Furthermore, the threat of nuclear war was a major factor in the U.S.’s decision to pursue a policy of détente with the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear war by limiting the number of nuclear weapons each country possessed. This is illustrated in the SALT I Agreement, which limited the number of ballistic missiles each country could possess and established a system for verifying compliance.
Overall, the atomic bomb played a significant role in shaping U.S. foreign policy decisions from the containment doctrine to the Vietnam War. Its development and deployment gave the U.S. a new level of power and influence, which policymakers were often eager to wield, leading to decisions with significant consequences for international relations and global security.