Topic:
Cold War Conflicts
Essential Question:
Why didn’t the Cold War cause
World War III?
 Chinese Revolution
 Communists vs. Nationalists
 Communist leader: Mao Tse-tung (Zedong)
 Communists vs. Nationalists
 Communist leader: Mao Tse-tung (Zedong)
 Communists defeated Nationalists (1949)
 People’s Republic of China
 Communists defeated Nationalists (1949)
 People’s Republic of China
 Nationalists fled to Taiwan
 Mao was dictator until his death (1976)
 Nationalists fled to Taiwan
 Mao was dictator until his death (1976)
 United Nations Security Council
 5 Permanent members
 United States, Britain, France, Soviet Union, China
10 current non-permanent:
Malaysia
Angola
New Zealand
Chad
Nigeria
Chile
Spain
Jordan
Venezuela
Lithuania
 5 Permanent members
 United States, Britain, France, Soviet Union, China
 Veto Powers
 United States, Britain, France, Soviet Union, China
 Veto Powers
 Korea
 Divided at the 38th parallel
 North Korea = communist
 South Korea = capitalist
 North Korea = communist
 South Korea = capitalist
 Korean War (1950-1953)
 North Korea invaded South Korea
 The UN (United Nations) declared a Police Action
 North Korea invaded South Korea
 The UN (United Nations) declared
a Police Action
 The US led UN forces
 Motivated by containment and
the domino theory
 The US led UN forces
 Motivated by containment and the domino theory
 Commander of UN forces
 MacArthur
 Commander of UN forces
 MacArthur
 China entered the war and helped North Korea
 MacArthur wanted to use atomic bombs
 China entered the war and helped North Korea
 MacArthur wanted to use atomic bombs
 Truman refused his request
 MacArthur publicly criticized Truman
 Truman fired MacArthur
Matthew
Ridgway
 MacArthur publicly criticized Truman
 Truman fired MacArthur
 Eisenhower was elected President in 1952
 Negotiated a peace settlement
 Eisenhower was elected President in 1952
 Negotiated a peace settlement
 Border almost identical to before the war
(38th parallel)
South Korea – North Korea
 Negotiated a peace settlement
 Border almost identical to before the war (38th
parallel)
Korean War Map (1950-53)
Korean War Map (1950-53)
 Negotiated a peace settlement
 Border almost identical to before the war (38th
parallel)
 Discuss
 Chinese Revolution
 UN Security Council
 Korean War
 Write a sentence explaining how
the Korean War ended.
 Negotiated a peace settlement
 Border almost identical to before
the war (38th parallel)
 Berlin Wall
 Built in 1961 by the Soviets
 Berlin Wall
 Built in 1961 by the Soviets
 Separated capitalist West Berlin from communist East
Germany
 Symbol of the divide between East (communist) and
West (capitalist) in the Cold War
“Death Strip”
 Separated capitalist West Berlin from communist East
Germany
 Symbol of the divide between East (communist) and
West (capitalist) in the Cold War
 Cuba
 Fidel Castro
 Cuba
 Fidel Castro
 Took control of Cuba in 1959
 Established a communist government
 Seized American-owned property and
businesses in Cuba
 Established a communist government
 Seized American-owned property and
businesses in Cuba
 Dictator until 2008
 Seized American-owned property and businesses in
Cuba
 Dictator until 2008
 U.S. trade embargo against Cuba began in 1960
 Dictator until 2008
 U.S. trade embargo against Cuba began in 1960
 Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)
 Failed attempt to overthrow Castro’s
communist regime
 Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)
 Failed attempt to overthrow Castro’s communist
regime
 Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962)
 Photographs from American U-2 spy planes showed
Soviet nuclear missiles being installed in Cuba
 90 miles from Florida
 Photographs from American U-2 spy planes showed
Soviet nuclear missiles being installed in Cuba
 90 miles from Florida
 Kennedy’s reaction:
 Naval blockade
 Secret negotiations with Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev
 Naval blockade
 Secret negotiations with Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev
 End to the crisis:
 Soviets agreed to pull missiles out of Cuba
 US agreed not to invade Cuba and to pull missiles
out of Turkey
 Prevented World War III
 US agreed not to invade Cuba and to pull missiles
out of Turkey
 Prevented World War III
 Many Cuban immigrants in the US (mostly Florida)
 Prevented World War III
 Many Cuban immigrants in the US (mostly Florida)
 Discuss
 Berlin Wall
 Fidel Castro
 Bay of Pigs
 Cuban Missile Crisis
 Write a sentence
explaining why the
Cuban Missile Crisis is
important.
 Prevented World War III
 Many Cuban immigrants in the
US (mostly Florida)
 Vietnam War (1965-73)
 Vietnam War (1965-73)
 North Vietnam = communist
 Led by Ho Chi Minh
 South Vietnam = capitalist
Ngo Dinh Diem
 Led by Ho Chi Minh
 South Vietnam = capitalist
 US supported South Vietnam because of Containment and
the Domino Theory
 South Vietnam = capitalist
 US supported South Vietnam because of
Containment and the Domino Theory
 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) gave
President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ)
authority to send troops
 US supported South Vietnam
because of Containment and
the Domino Theory
 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)
gave President Lyndon Johnson
(LBJ) authority to send troops
 Communists used guerilla
warfare
 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) gave President Lyndon
Johnson (LBJ) authority to send troops
 Communists used guerilla warfare
 Americans were young and inexperienced
 Communists used guerilla warfare
 Americans were young and inexperienced
 Tet Offensive (1968)
 Surprise attack by the communists during the New
Year celebration
 Tet Offensive (1968)
 Surprise attack by the communists during the New
Year celebration
 Communists proved that US was not winning the war
 Americans began to mistrust the government’s claims
about the war
 Communists proved that US was not winning the war
 Americans began to mistrust the government’s claims
about the war
 Home Front
 Television helped turn public opinion against the war
“If I’ve lost
Cronkite,
I’ve lost the
war.”
Walter Cronkite
 Home Front
 Television helped turn public opinion against the war
 Many protested the war and the draft
 Television helped turn public opinion
against the war
 Many protested the war and the draft
 Kent State University (1970)
 4 students were killed during a
protest
 Kent State University (1970)
 4 students were killed during a
protest
 26th Amendment
 Voting age changed from 21 to 18
 26th Amendment
 Voting age changed from 21 to 18
 Paris Peace Accords (1973)
 The US agreed to withdraw all troops from Vietnam
 Paris Peace Accords (1973)
 The US agreed to withdraw all troops from Vietnam
 In 1975 North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam
 All of Vietnam became a single, communist nation
Ho Chi Minh died in 1969
Ton Duc Thang
 In 1975 North Vietnam invaded
South Vietnam
 All of Vietnam became a single,
communist nation
 Many Vietnamese fled the country
and came to the US
Tet Celebration in
Orange County, CA
 All of Vietnam became a single, communist nation
 Many Vietnamese fled the country and came to the US
 President Bill Clinton normalized US relations with
Vietnam in 1995
 Many Vietnamese fled the country and came to the US
 President Bill Clinton normalized US relations with
Vietnam in 1995
 Discuss
 North Vietnam
 South Vietnam
 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
 Tet Offensive
 Home Front
 Paris Peace Accords
 Write a sentence explaining
how the Vietnam War ended.
 Many Vietnamese fled the country and came to the US
 President Bill Clinton normalized US relations with
Vietnam in 1995
 The Cold War Ends
 Ronald Reagan
 The Cold War Ends
 Ronald Reagan
 The Cold War Ends
 Ronald Reagan
 Supervised the most expensive arms
buildup in history ($2 trillion)
 Ronald Reagan
 Supervised the most expensive arms buildup in
history ($2 trillion)
 The Soviet economy was unable to keep up with
Reagan’s arms race
 Supervised the most expensive arms
buildup in history ($2 trillion)
 The Soviet economy was unable to keep
up with Reagan’s arms race
 Speech in Berlin (1987)
 “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
 Speech in Berlin (1987)
 “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
 Mikhail Gorbachev
 “Mr. Gorbachev, tear
down this wall!”
 Mikhail Gorbachev
 Last leader of the Soviet
Union (1985-1991)
 Mikhail Gorbachev
 Last leader of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)
 Glasnost and Perestroika
 Reforms that brought about the [unintended] fall of
communism and the end to the Cold War
 Glasnost and Perestroika
 Reforms that brought about the [unintended] fall of
communism and the end to the Cold War
 Berlin Wall
 Reforms that brought about the [unintended] fall
of communism and the end to the Cold War
 Berlin Wall
 Anti-communist protests in October 1989 in East
Germany
 Berlin Wall
 Anti-communist protests in October 1989 in East
Germany
 Wall opened and dismantling began on November 9
 Anti-communist protests in October 1989 in East
Germany
 Wall opened and dismantling began on November 9
 Symbolic end to the Cold War
 Wall opened and dismantling began on
November 9
 Symbolic end to the Cold War
 Germany reunified into a single nation in
October 1990
Helmut Kohl
 Symbolic end to the Cold War
 Germany reunified into a single nation in October
1990
 Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)
 Germany reunified into a single nation in October
1990
 Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)
 Broken up into 15 independent nations
 Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)
 Broken up into 15
independent nations
 Official end of the Cold War
 Broken up into 15 independent nations
 Official end of the Cold War
 Discuss
 Ronald Reagan
 Mikhail Gorbachev
 Fall of the Berlin Wall
 Fall of the Soviet
Union
 Write a sentence
explaining how Reagan
and Gorbachev helped
end the Cold War.