Western Policies in Post-War Asia: 1945-1979
Western Policies
Key issues covered
Decisions on Asia at Yalta and Potsdam; US policies: Kennan’s Long Telegram 1946, the creation of Model States (occupation and reconstruction of Japan; independence in the Philippines and Roxas); defensive perimeter strategy 1949 and NSC-68 1950 (for pre-War Korea see the first part of the Korean War section)
Decisions on Asia at Yalta and Potsdam; US policies: Kennan’s Long Telegram 1946, the creation of Model States (occupation and reconstruction of Japan; independence in the Philippines and Roxas); defensive perimeter strategy 1949 and NSC-68 1950 (for pre-War Korea see the first part of the Korean War section)
Yalta and Potsdam
Keenan's Long Telegram Original text (US National Security Archive)
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Internet Resources Origins of the Cold War
Online bibliography Richard Immerman, US Foreign Relations Bibliography, 1917-1975 (Temple University). An exhaustive collection of references. Pay special attention to the following sections: 'The Cold War: Origin, Surveys, End, and After;' 'The Cold War in East Asia;' 'Southeast Asian Quagmire – or Whatever'. Books John Lewis Gaddis, Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of American National Security Policy During the Cold War (1982). A seminal text. Also reference his later books, which draw upon new archival sources from the former Soviet Bloc: We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History (1997) and The Cold War: A New History (2006). Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986), a captivating story of six friends and their influential roles in shaping US foreign policy in the early years of the Cold War. |
Internet Resources More about the modern history of the 'Model States' (Japan and the Philippines), beyond the established US policy-focused paradigm. Note that in both countries, the US tended to be lenient towards war criminals (in Japan) and collaborators (in the Philippines) in order to both pursue the nation's own strategic ambitions and to make these two Asian countries reliable allies. Japan
The Philippines
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NSC-68 & Defensive Perimeter Strategy
The original text (Federation of American Scientists) Reviews and analysis
Multimedia resources
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US and China
Key issues covered
US involvement with Jiang Jieshi, the reasons for the fall of China to Communism in 1949 and US reactions; US policy towards China and Taiwan 1949 to 1979 (including Nixon’s visit to China 1972 and the end of recognition for Taiwan 1979)
US involvement with Jiang Jieshi, the reasons for the fall of China to Communism in 1949 and US reactions; US policy towards China and Taiwan 1949 to 1979 (including Nixon’s visit to China 1972 and the end of recognition for Taiwan 1979)
This section focuses on Sino-American foreign relations from the 1940s to the late 1970s. Yet, to fully understand this relationship and its complexities, it is important to first approach this geopolitical development within broader Chinese historical trends. These trends include the general rise of Communism, alongside a few key events: beginning with the 1911 Xinhai Revolution--which overthrew the Qing Empire--and both the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) as well as the second wave of the Chinese Civil War (1945-1950). The resulting division of post-war China--between the Communist People's Republic of China in the mainland and the Nationalist party-led Republic of China in Taiwan--was at the core of the Sino-American Cold War policy, which shifted dramatically following Nixon's 1972 trip to Beijing.
Overview Major events from the 'Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations', Office of the Historian, Department of State, U.S.A The Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949 (a podcast by Rana Mitter). A series of podcasts on US-China History (Teacup Media). David White, Chiang Kai-Shek and the USA: Puppet and Puppeteer, but Which Was Which? (Open History Society). |
Internet Resources These are mainstream accounts of US-China relations, from both American and Chinese perspectives: U.S. Department of State
The Council on Foreign Relations (a Washington-based think tank) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China |
Internet Resources
Online bibliography
Books on modern Chinese history
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Primary Sources (U.S.) Wilson Centre Digital Archive collections:
CIA Reading Room: NIC China Collection Nixon's Trip to China, 1972
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British in Malaysia and USSR in Southeast Asia and China
Key issues covered
British policies in Malaysia: the Emergency 1948–1960 and independence 1963; the USSR’s influence in Southeast Asia and its attitudes towards China
British policies in Malaysia: the Emergency 1948–1960 and independence 1963; the USSR’s influence in Southeast Asia and its attitudes towards China
Malaya
Official accounts on the "bitter struggle of independence"; the "Formation of Malaysia:16 September 1963"; the "emergency brought by the Communist Party"; and the "end of the emergency"(Malaysia National Archives) Outlines
Audio and video
Academic Works
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Internet Resources Chin Peng was an ethnically Chinese political figure, born and raised in Malaya. He gained recognition as a war hero for his contributions to the anti-Japanese struggle in Malaya during WW2. He later became the head of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), leading insurgency campaigns both before and after the formation of Malaysia. After signing a peace accord with the Malaysian government in 1989, he and a small group of his followers moved to Thailand, where he passed away in 2013. A short biography of Chin Peng, and his obituary (Guardian, 2013) Chin Peng's autobiography, Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History (2003), was banned in Malaysia. Also see this 2003 report from a major Malaysian newspaper, The Star. Internet Resources Concerning several examples of British colonial violence, and their resonance today:
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Internet Resources Wilson Center Digital Archive has excellent collections tracing the post-war development of Sino-Soviet relations
Research Articles
On the Sino-Soviet Split
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USSR in Asia
In the years immediately following World War Two, Moscow made a concerted effort to create a buffer between the USSR and the rest of Europe, enacted through proactive geo-political and military manoeuvres. In contrast, Asia remained a peripheral concern, considered ostensibly alien to the Soviet Union both geographically and culturally. Active involvement in Asia meant over-stretching the USSR's already-limited resources, a clear strategic blunder in the eyes of the nation's leadership. Despite being regarded as the leader of the Communist world, in many Asian cases, the USSR abdicated its commitment to Internationalism and wavered in its support of nominally-leftist regimes. In other causes, the USSR did give limited moral and material support. Stalin was skeptical of Asian communist leaders' ability to achieve real success in building 'Socialism in One Country.' Many of those active in the early Cold War years, such as Kim Il Sung and Ho Chi Minh, were fighting against colonialism and imperialism and for national liberation and independence. Stalin found them difficult to direct and control, and as a result, the USSR's Asian policy appeared passive. This changed significantly from the mid-50s onwards, due to factors including the death of Stalin, the increasing number of independent countries in the Global South, and the Sino-Soviet split. From then on and especially in East and Southeast Asia, USSR often had to compete with People's Republic of China for influence and political supremacy. |