Chapter 17-Section 4 Notes A New Battleground Chapter 17-Section 4 Notes

New Worlds to Conquer After World War II, emerging nations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa shook off colonial rule and became a cold war battleground. The United States depended on developing nations for raw materials and markets. These nations also provided a line of defense, if allied with the United States, against the expansion of communism.

New Worlds to Conquer Many emerging nations, however, did not want to exchange domination by a colonial power for domination by a cold war superpower. Facing resistance from emerging nations, the United States used many methods to win friends and wage cold war, including massive amounts of foreign aid and covert operations by the CIA.

The CIA Joins the Fight In 1947 Congress passed the National Security Act, which streamlined the defense system and created the CIA and the National Security Council (NSC). The two agencies reported to the President. With increased power and funding, CIA agents worked behind the scene worldwide to overthrow neutral or pro-Soviet governments and to prop up pro-Western ones. This resource gave the White House virtual control over foreign policy.

The CIA and the Shah In 1951 efforts by Iranian prime minister Dr. Mohammad Mossadeg to nationalize British oil fields led the British to organize an international boycott of Iranian oil. Eisenhower saw Iran’s economic chaos as a breeding ground for communism. He authorized CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt to engineer Mossadeg’s overthrow, while leaving the young Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in place

After a series of blunders, Iranian agents for the CIA ousted Mossadeg After a series of blunders, Iranian agents for the CIA ousted Mossadeg.With the Shah in power, Western oil companies signed an oil agreement with Iran. The deal enriched the Shah, ensured the future of the CIA, and planted the seeds of Iranian hatred of the United States.

War in Egypt In 1956 the newly independent nation of Egypt seized the Suez Canal—a vital link between oil ports along the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. Great Britain, which had controlled the canal, invaded Egypt along with France and Israel.

War in Egypt Fearing that the action would drive the Middle East into the Soviet camp, Eisenhower called for a UN resolution condemning the invasion. Without United States support, the three American allies pulled out and the canal was turned over to Egypt. Afraid of growing Soviet influence in the oil-rich Middle East, Congress approved the so-called Eisenhower Doctrine—a policy that promised economic and military aid to any pro-Western governments in the region.

Latin America In Latin America nationalists began a struggle to loosen the grip of United States firms on their economics. In 1958 Fidel Castro ousted the pro-United States dictator, Fulgencio Batista. He then seized American businesses and signed a trade agreement with Moscow. Eisenhower approved a CIA-backed invasion of Cuba, which fell to Kennedy to complete. The Bay of Pigs invasion failed miserably and exposed an American plot to overthrow a neighbor’s government.

The Cuban Missile Crisis Castro and Khrushchev confronted the United States by installing Soviet nuclear missiles and bombers near Havana. In October 1962 a United States spy plane discovered the installations.

The Cuban Missile Crisis The so-called Cuban missile crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of war. Kennedy blocked Cuban shipping lanes and pushed Khrushchev to remove the missiles. After a tense week, Khrushchev stepped back. \ The standoff forced the United States and the Soviet Union to accept each other’s power and to admit the importance of negotiation. The two nations installed a hot line to avert future crises, but neither nation slowed down the arms race.