Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy since 1938

Chapters 7, 8, and 9 address the developments in American foreign policy and international relations in the 1950s. They discuss the first major international “hot” conflict of the Cold War—the Korean War (1950-1953). This war signaled the extension of containment into Asia. The authors focus on the complex relationships between the United States, North and South Korea, the Soviet Union, and China. They also examine how the 1949 Revolution in China changed the dynamics in Asia. As with previous sections, personalities play a key role. Ambrose and Brinkley focus on President Eisenhower—and his experience in the Second World War—CIA director Allen Dulles, and General MacArthur’s insubordination in Korea. Finally, the book examines America’s global engagement in different parts of the world: Central Europe (Hungary), North Africa (Egypt’s Suez Canal), and the Caribbean (Cuba) in America’s so-called backyard.

At first, Korea was an issue where the Soviet Union and the United States cooperated despite ideological differences, each aiding the north and the south, respectively. However, their efforts failed. When the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel in 1950, Korea became the grounds for an international crisis. Truman avoided using American ground troops but sough to win against the North Koreans.