NATO/Warsaw Pact
- Created by: louderthanbombzz
- Created on: 19-04-17 19:02
Propaganda was used as ideological warfare with Amerika Hauser in West Germany and the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia. C D Jackson argued that it reflected on country ideals. The USSR promoted its own history and argued that the US lacked the same culture and history.
Trials took place, such as the Slansky Trial of Czechoslovakia, where 14 doctors were on trial, with 11 executed for being cosmopolitan zionists who were unfaithful to their fatherland. This led to the Doctors Plot, where Pravda described the 9 doctors accused of harming members of the Politburo such as Zhdanov as 'monsters in living form' on January 13, 1953. Stalin's death prevented succession of the trial, and Jews feared being deported to Yiddish speaking homeland.
Paul Nitze would review America's foreign policy and goals with NSC 68, taking charge of the Policy Planning Staff on request by Dean Acheson. He described how while Stalin was not aggressive, he showed intentions of spreading influence, and this needed to be countered, with America military influence and nuclear arsenal.
The International Book Company was established in 1923, Mezhnuga, alongside the All Union Association for Cultural Relations, and Cominterm was dissolved. Moscow's Department of Propaganda and Agitation controlled propaganda spreading. In 1956 Khrushchev commenced cultural offensives, and SSODS replaced VOKs to maintain relations with foreign countries. The KPD subsidised friendly newspapers across the world, alongside Novosti being established in 1961.
SSODS and Novosti were to develop Radio Peace and Progress. Moscow held cheap shoes, ballet performances which were sombre, alongside air shows and export of prestige motion pictures. In 1961 the KPD paid people to act impressed about the first manned space flight. Few attended New York and London Soviet expeditions.
NSC 68 was approved by Truman in May 1950, but the cost wasn't discussed. Truman knew he would receive criticism from Joseph McCarthy, who claimed he did too little to stop China's fall.
The Smith Mundt Act aimed to promote propaganda, with the CIA deploying radio programmes in Eastern Europe such as Radio Free Europe. Eisenhower set up the USIA in 1953 to teach English, represent the civil rights movement, produce TV shows which were anti-communist in nature, and hold jazz tours. Alternative Press opposed these actions and Hollywood distanced itself from this.
Matyas Rakosi had a cult following, with iconography, and in Hungary on 4 April, Day of Liberation was dedicated to him, and 1 May Celebration on Heroes' Square. Alongside this, Ceausescu and Hoxha, resisting de-Stalinisation, had similar cult followings.
The US hoped to integrate Europe politically and economically to:
- Deter Communist government.
- Enhance trade worldwide and provide market for US exports.
- Draw states out of the Soviet bloc.
France and the smaller European states saw Western political and economic integration as the key to harness industrial resources of the FRG without it regaining power.
The US hopes to establish the United States of Europe which would become wealthy.
Britain was focused on improving relations with the US and Common Wealth. They…
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