The Super Summary of World History

by Alan Dale Daniel

  The fall of China to communism produced the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and a lot of international tension over Taiwan. The communists also conquered Tibet, oppressing and slaughtering its people by claiming it was part of China, and thereafter moved Chinese settlers into the region. In fact, Tibet was not and had not been part of China for centuries. The invasion went unnoticed by the West as Western media and governments ignored what was happening. Even today communist China is a major threat to the West. Red China opened its economy to some capitalist ways and it has prospered beyond all expectation; however, Red China and its leaders are still communist dictators who have taken the lives of millions in their quest for power. They will stop at nothing to keep themselves in power. Human life is not now, nor has it ever been, something to worry about for the communists. Human beings are alive to serve the state and no other reason. The sole purpose in life under a communist regime is service to the state. These malefic dictators are no different than Stalin or Hitler, except for their extreme subtleness in presenting themselves to the world.

  Truman did move dramatically in Europe in the aftermath of WWII. Europe was desolate, Germany was prostrate, and America was disarming rapidly. It was a recipe for disaster because the Soviet Union maintained its military power and Stalin awaited his chance to acquire the devastated area (he already had Eastern Europe). The communists could prevail by winning elections or subverting governments or waging guerrilla war. Stalin could “win” Western Europe without an invasion, and the attendant risk of a nuclear war, with subversive activities. Communist cells worked to convince the populace of Europe that capitalism had failed so they should turn to the East and communism to find a prosperous and peaceful future. The Americans sent General George Marshall to study the situation and he returned with a radical idea. The United States would have to rebuild Western Europe to save itself and democracy.

  Before the war’s end, America and England studied ways to de-industrialize Germany because it had started the two worst wars in history. They would turn the warlike nation into pastureland so it could never start another world conflagration.[336] After the war, both England and the United States realized that without West Germany the weakened states of Western Europe would crumble before a Soviet assault; thus, the decision was made to keep West Germany a strong industrialized nation to offset the impressive power of the USSR. If there was an invasion, fighting the Soviets from the moment they crossed the iron curtain was crucial; therefore, West Germany became the front line.[337]

  The United States initiated the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall (sec state 1947-1949; former general), giving Western Europe millions of US dollars to rebuild its infrastructure and military organizations. A similar effort was undertaken in Japan. This was an incredible break with history. Think of it, at the end of the Second World War, the worst war in human history, the United States of America rebuilt its friends and its enemies with millions of dollars that no one had to pay back. Never before in history had a nation fought a terrible war to a victorious end, rebuilt its enemies at its expense, and then left demanding nothing. The normal course of action was to conquer and stay or conquer and demand massive repatriations from the conquered people (WWI). The Marshall plan worked and Western Europe rose from the wreckage of war in a startling recovery that included West Germany becoming one of the world’s economic leaders. The United States and Western Europe formed NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) which was a mutual defense alliance for protection against the Soviets and their eastern bloc allies. Recall the US tried to stay out of the last two wars so Europe had trust issues about American entry if the Soviets invaded. To convince Western Europe the United States would fight upon a Soviet invasion US troops were stationed there so Americans would be dying the instant a war began guaranteeing an immediate US entry into the conflict.

  These plans worked and they worked very well. Truman and his administration performed admirably to secure the freedom of Western Europe won at such great cost during World War II. These administrative victories were critical in keeping Western Europe free from Soviet hegemony. Had even a few nations, such as Italy or Greece, gone communist and allied with the Soviets, the Cold War’s difficulties would multiply making victory problematical. Western Europe remained in democracy’s camp allowing the west to prevail in the Cold War.

  In Japan, General MacArthur ran the nation as a virtual dictator (right up his ally). He was assigned to oversee the occupation and rebuilding of Japan after the war, and in this role he was masterful. With help from the Americans, and the Korean War, Japan rebuilt in record time to become the second most prosperous nation on earth by 1980 or so. Truman’s policies helped immensely in rebuilding the Japanese nation. In drafting their postwar constitution the Japanese renounced war and decided to keep only a small national defense force for protection. Actually, the United States of America provided, and still provides, the military protection for Japan. This policy allowed Japan’s economy to expand without the expensive burden of a large military force to slow it down (Remember Sun Tzu?). Instead, America adopted the burden of protecting Japan and Europe, as well as a number of other areas. Today, the nations of Europe and the Japanese can well afford to protect themselves, but as of 2010, the United States continues to supply military protection for Europe, Japan, and much of the world.

  From 1945 to 1952, the Western Democracies made substantial economic progress. After WWII, the military downsized and the US economy began an expansion that was accompanied by low inflation and increasing trade with its old friends, England and its colonies, and its new friends, Germany and Japan. TV was just coming on the line and its impact would be massive. From the early start in black-and-white to the wide-screen color monsters of the 21st Century the influence of those blinking screens has been phenomenal.

  The United States and its old allies (minus the USSR and China) tried to keep free trade alive, and tried to use the United Nations to advance a new view of the world which included collective security and a march toward the eradication of ignorance, discrimination, disease, and hunger. The UN was much like the post WWI League of Nations, but its charter gave it a bit more clout. Still, the Security Council was required to approve any action using force and one no vote could kill taking action. During the Truman and Eisenhower years the world acted as if it was on the side of the West, when in fact this was only a tactic to keep the might of the Western Democracies off the backs of the petty dictators and warlords who wanted the world to go on as it always had, leaving them with absolute power over their populations. As time moved forward, the petty nations of the world began to vote in favor of the communist super states turning the idea of an international organization for peace and progress on its head. The dream of world cooperation actually died with the League, but somehow its demanding corpse staggers on. Originally an American idea, it was an idealistic concept by President Wilson who failed in selling it to his own countrymen. Reviving it after WW II was probably a quixotic error, pushed by an optimistic concept that the world was becoming a new place. It did not become a new place after WWII, just a different place with the same problems of greed and desperation. Human nature remains forever the same.

  Eisenhower: Careful Cold Warrior

  1952 to 1960

  Truman left office with the Cold War, the arms race, and the Korean War boiling on. Eisenhower, the general leading the Allied forces in Europe during WWII, became president of the United States in 1952. He inherited a nearly worthless, out-of-control intelligence community. Eisenhower thought his failure to reign in the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) was one of his most significant defeats while in office. Under Eisenhower, the United States assured the world it would use the atomic bomb to deter aggression; however, this was a false promise and the communist world knew it. In many areas of the world the United States, through the CIA, supported petty murdering dictators for whom honest elections were an anathema. The CIA was afraid the communist, or at leas
t left-wing radicals, would win an election and anything was better than an anti-USA communist government. During the Cold War, the United States sent millions of dollars to support oppressive right-wing military dictatorships solely because they opposed communism.

  The US commitment to Europe by Truman under the Marshall Plan prevented a potential communist takeover. Eisenhower continued all these policies and encouraged NATO to remain strong in its opposition to communism. The growth of European economies helped the US economy stay strong through the Eisenhower years. Eisenhower tried to reduce government spending, and he tried to reduce government’s size. In this he was somewhat successful.

  Nonetheless, the communists were very good at starting guerrilla wars and overthrowing governments, especially in nations made up of peasants. The communist promise of free land and a non-corrupt government struck a chord with many peasants throughout the world. Communist revolutionaries are generally fanatics, but have good rapport with villagers and rural groups supporting a revolutionary movement. As long as the population supported the communists no total victory was likely by the national government, and defeat was always a possibility as the insurgents gained backing and power. Where villages refused to support the revolution the village elders were murdered and replaced by communist revolutionaries. It was a simple equation to the communist fanatics, join the revolution or die. Most governments in rural farming nations had problems controlling outlying areas in the best of circumstances, and, as the villagers turned communist, control became impossible. The fact that America’s CIA, usually without the knowledge of the State Department, paid off right-wing thugs to stave off communists was an evil necessity to the intelligence community trying to thwart world communism. Besides, the communists were murdering people and it was necessary to strike back.

  Because of the deep penetration of US and British intelligence services by the Soviets (and probably others), using humans to spy for the US proved impossible. Accordingly, the Americans turned to their trump card: technology. By combining outstanding cameras with a high-flying aircraft the United States fabricated the U-2, one of the most successful spy aircraft in history. With this aircraft the United States could overfly the Soviet Union and photograph their military installations at will. Initially, the Soviets possessed no aircraft or missiles capable of reaching the high-flying U-2. These flights worked very well for a few years, but as time went on the missions became increasingly dangerous. In 1960, the Soviets shot down a U-2 and captured its pilot Gary F. Powers. It was another costly defeat for US intelligence services.[338]

  Technology continued to be the American’s best option for intelligence, although it was poor second to human information gathering. The Americans developed spy satellites with cameras that had the phenomenal ability to see enemy activity in great detail from outer space. Eisenhower demanded that the United States develop spy satellites. Before he left office the first spy satellite was put into orbit, code named Corona. The Corona spy satellite’s first film drop gave the United States more intelligence on the Soviet Union than all the U-2 flights combined. The first satellites dropped film back to Earth to be developed; however, the Americans soon constructed satellites that would beam the information back to Earth in digital form with as much detail as before. It was a stupendous achievement, but it was top secret. Later, the United States developed the SR-71, another spy aircraft, that flew so fast and high the Soviets never found an effective countermeasure. America’s undersea operations also produced wonderful results as US submarines managed to tap into Soviet undersea communication cables. As the United States could not break Soviet or Chinese codes they had to achieve a connection to a communication source thought to be safe by their antagonist so information would be transmitted in the clear (no code). The US submarine force’s achievement was near unbelievable, and it gleaned information for years, but it was discovered by yet another Soviet spy in one of the most top-secret posts of the US Naval Service.

  During the Eisenhower administration a new world threat was incubating. Radical Muslim groups committed to an ideology of hate developed by Parisian Muslims before World War II began attracting converts. These Muslims absorbed Hitler’s ideas and fascism, especially his hatred of Jews. The fanatics thought a fascist style government operated to spread fundamentalist Islamic ideology was perfect for reuniting Muslims around the world and forming a caliphate to control the Middle East. All this Muslim fundamental philosophy and theology was given a big push with the creation of Israel in 1948. The Islamic world exploded, and war was immediately declared on the new Jewish state. Israel beat its Muslim opponents rather soundly and established its new nation with additional territory won in wars against its aggressive neighbors. Many Palestinians left the state of Israel, becoming a homeless mob of seething hatred spreading throughout the adjoining states of Trans Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

  This Palestinian question still haunts the world, and calls for an independent Palestinian state will continue; however, the Muslim nations surrounding Israel have never offered these refugees a national home. It appears they are political pawns in a much larger game being played out on the world stage. The Muslim elites seem to think this human vat of boiling revulsion for Israel is something to be used for political advantage rather than a group of human beings needing a place to live, a place easily provided by Saudi Arabia or Syria, but which has not and will not be offered. Having the international community in an uproar over the Palestinians helps with the condemnation of Israel, thus, the Palestinians stay homeless.

  The establishment of Israel and the rise of fundamentalist Islam is a formula ensuring eternal religious conflict. When Muslim nations failed militarily against Israel, the fundamentalists Muslims argued that their god (Allah) was against them and only by following his express commands with fervor could the Muslims attain “victory.” This fundamentalist thinking struck a chord with many Muslims, and a radical form of the Muslim religion was embraced. It would take a while, but the Islamic fundamentalist would eventually fly aircraft into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. This thinking spawned terrorism and the immoral attacks on anyone not part of the terrorists’ religious group, including other Muslims. The main target was Israel and its supporters, the United States and Britain. Hijacking cruise ships and airliners enabled the terrorists to achieve many of their goals: world recognition of their cause, release of captured comrades, and money. Since murder, bombings, kidnapping, and hijacking worked the terrorist kept using terrorism.

  But in 1950, terrorism’s irrational and asymmetrical threat was down the line, many years away. Until then, the main goal of the West in the Cold War was stopping the communists from conquering the world.

  Eisenhower left office in 1960, warning about the military industrial complex, but his warning went unheeded. As the new president, John F. Kennedy came into office, new programs and weapons were coming off the assembly line of the military industrial complex that kept the United States militarily ahead of the communist nations. Kennedy won a critical 1960 debate with his opponent Richard Nixon, and one point concerned where the United States should fight for freedom. Kennedy stated that every inch of “free” soil must be defended. This led Kennedy into Vietnam and later—under his successor Lyndon Johnson—a complete commitment to Vietnam. History seems to say that the better argument was made by Nixon who had stated that the United States must choose its conflicts carefully, and not every inch of free soil needed defending (see the Vietnam War for more information). Nixon was giving the world a seasoned diplomat’s view of foreign policy which focused on vital national interests and not on an ideology of defending everywhere all the time.

  During the Truman and Eisenhower years the United States, Western Europe, and the Western Democracies had good economic times. After a slight recession in 1948, the advance to economic prosperity began. In the 1950’s the GDP (Gross Domestic Product—the measure of a nation’s economic vigor) doubled, and it doubled again in the 1960
’s. Eisenhower established NASA (National Aeronautical and Space Administration) and the Federal Housing Administration to help people purchase new homes. The US Military was guarding Europe and Japan, and the United States was developing the first ICBMs to guard the West from Soviet intimidation. With inflation rates of 2 or 3 percent, low oil prices, and a growing economy with Europe and Japan as major trading partners, and massive spending on improving the infrastructure of the nation, the US Economy continued to expand in spite of rather large military expenditures. It was during the 1950’s that megacities began to form. The urban mass of New York, Boston, and Washington DC joined together to form one continuous city. Of course, no one joined the governments, which caused a lot of problems, but there was no doubt the phenomenon would be repeated in the US and throughout the world. As the megacities rose up so did the complexity of governing such a vast urban area that crossed jurisdictional lines. The problems created by this mass amalgamation have not yet been solved. Perhaps no solution exists.

  While Eisenhower did try to reduce the size of the US government he was only partially successful. By the time Ike left office in 1960, TV was commonplace in the United States and Western European homes, the interstate highway system was being planned in the United States, and Europe itself was growing ever more economically and militarily powerful. France declared its independence from the United States and Britain by leaving NATO in 1966, developing its own atomic bomb and building up its military capabilities while struggling to maintain its old empire. Britain realized the days of empire were over and started a precipitous dismantling of its ancient empire, abandoning its control over millions of people worldwide.