The Cold War
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The United Nations

April 25, 1945
• Delegates from 50 countries meet in
San Francisco to work on charter for the U.N.

October 24, 1945
– U.N. comes into official existence.

Official Charter of U.N. is created.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

Purposes:
– Maintain peace
– Provide security
– Promote justice
– Provide general welfare
– Establish human rights
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

The Security Council
• The police authority of the world.
• Consist of 11 “big” members
• 5/11 members were to be permanent
–
–
–
–
–
Soviet Union
United States
Great Britain
China
France
• The other six members were to be elected for two
year terms
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Security Council

International Military Force
– Used to check aggression
– On matters of peace and security
• If any 1 of the permanent members voted
no, or vetoed a decision, they prevent the
action.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

The General Assembly
– The “town meeting” of the world.
– All U.N. members are EQUALLY represented
– JOB:
• To make suggestions on peaceful settlements of
disputes
• Elect all NON-permanent members of the Security
Council and members of other agencies.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

The Economic and Social Council
– Composed of 18 members (now 57)
– PURPOSE:
• To study world economic, social, cultural, and health
problems
• Make recommendations to the General Assembly, or
individual countries on a problem
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The International Court of Justice

Modeled after the World Court
– Purpose:
• To decide legal questions referred to it by
disputing nations
• It gives advisory opinions when asked to do
so, but does not enforce decisions.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

The Secretariat
– Handles administrative work of the U.N.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

The Trusteeship Council
– Purpose:
• To look after the welfare of peoples living in
colonial areas of the world
– Colonial area?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Early Years of the U.N.

Doomed to fail?
– No member nations give up their
sovereignty
• Sovereignty
– “points down the only road toward
enduring peace” - Truman
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United States

Helps Create:
– The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation
Administration
– The International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
– The International Monetary fund
• All aimed at supplying
– Food
– Shelter
– Medical Care
• To war damaged nations.
• U.S. provided lots of money for these acitivites
• AIM: war devastated areas
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Trygve Lee

First Secretary General
– Issued a warning
• “The trouble lies in the intense conflict over
the settlement of the last war… between the
two most powerful single nations in the
world today – the United States and the
Soviet Union
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Expanding Soviet Influence

U.S.S.R.
– Considered itself the leader of the
Communist Revolution
– Capitalist/Imperialist World
– Against Communist
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Two Worlds

United States
– Capitalism

Soviet Union
– Communism
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War

Between Soviet Union and United
States

COLD WAR
– A state of political tension and military
rivalry between nations that stops short
of full-scale war.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Soviet Union

Suspicious of U.S. and Allies in WWII
Took a while to get Lend Lease
supplies
 Opening of the second front of
Europe was “put off” which would
have alleviated (made less severe)
the loss of Soviet troops.

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Soviet Union

Believed war against Communism
and Capitalism was inevitable

Defensively, they took this land.

Believed the U.S. would lead an
attack on Communism
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Soviet Union

Nazi invasion cost them 21 million lives
 Destroyed towns and cities
 Soviets, therefore, wanted to minatain a
powerful military force, and wanted to
maintain “buffer zones” between where
attacks might be launched.
– A Defensive Action
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United States

Bitterly responds to the occupation of
Soviet Union’s weaker neighbors
– No free speech
– Crushed opposition
• U.S. detested these tactics used by the Soviet Union.
• Soviet Union radio (owned by who?)
– Broadcast anti-American propaganda
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Atomic Energy


U.S.
– Control be international
– Share secrets
– International Atomic
Energy Commission
• Can inspect nuclear
facilities
– All nation’s had to give
up their right on the
veto on Atomic Energy
Soviet Union
– Vetoes U.S. proposal
– Opposed international
inspection
– U.S. must destroy their
atomic weapons
– Make atomic warfare
illegal
– Manufacture of atomic
weapons illegal
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Truman Doctrine

Policy of containment
– Contain what?

Constrain/Restrict Soviet expansion.
– Greece/Turkey
• 1947
– Greek Communists about to seize control
– Turkey being forced by Soviets to give up the straight
between European and Asiatic Turkey
– Combination would allow USSR to control north eastern
Mediterranean and Suez Canal
– U.S. helps Greeks and Turks by providing $400 million tp
fight.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Soviet Union

Trying to gain Dardanelles
– Striaght of Dardanelles

Soviet control of Greece and the
Dardanelles would enable the USSR
to dominate the northeastern
Mediterranean AND the Suez Canal.
– Suez Canal
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Marshall Plan

Secretary of State George C.
Marshall
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Marshall Plan

Designed to solve Europe’s
economic problems
– What was the state of European
economies?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Marshall Plan

Help European:
– Factories
– Farms
– Transportation systems
• Get them operating effeciently
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
What did it do?

Provided
– Money
– Machinery
• To who?
– Any nation who would like to participate
– INCLUDING the Soviet Union
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Congressional Debate

Block communism
(contain it) by
strengthening
Europe’s
economies

U.S. can’t afford to
carry “Europe on
its back”
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Congress Approves the Plan
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
European Suspicions

Officially known as the European
Recovery Program

Aimed to help Europe
• BUT
• Europe is suspicious
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
European Concerns Over Plan
Yankee Imperialism?
 Trying to control Europe indirectly?
 Slowly accepted

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Important Point

Not JUST money!

Machines too!
– When Europe received the American machines
• They saw that the U.S. was trying to help them do it
on their own
• Saw that the U.S. was delivering on its promise
• Gained loyalty
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Berlin Airlift

Tension in Germany
– Joint occupation of Germany
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Berlin Airlift

June 24, 1948
– Soviets block all roads, canals,
railways, and means of transportation
between their side and the Western
side.
– Berlin under Soviet control
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Berlin Airlift
British and American Planes
 2 Million tons of food and supplies

– To Berlin
– Crisis resolved in 1949 with help of U.N.
• Example of U.N. doing what?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
N.A.T.O.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
– 9 Western European Nations
• U.S.
• Canada
• Iceland
• AN ALLIANCE
– Against who?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
N.A.T.O.

An attack against one or more of them
would be considered an attack against all.

Western Europe and U.S. Alliance
 A treaty
 Policy of Isolation?
 What part of Congress in the U.S. votes on
a treaty?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
N.A.T.O.

Should U.S. join for assistance of a
member company?

YES
– General Eisenhower named Supreme
Commander of NATO
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Creation Of Israel

U.N.
– Great Britain had ruled Palestine
• Ruled under a mandate by the League of
Nations
• Gave up mandate when U.N. asked for it.
– Jews declare Palestine as Israel
– All surrounding Middle Eastern
Countries were unhappy.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Communist Victory in China

Chinese Communists winning
control in China.
– Chiang Kai-Shek
• Leader of Chinese Nationalists
• China awarded a seat in U.N. because of
their courage in fighting the Japanese in
WWII
– Chinese Communists
• Led by Mao Tse-tung
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Mao Tse-tung

Head of Chinese Communists
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Chiang Kai-Shek

Head of Chinese Nationalists
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Who will the U.S. be in favor?

Mao Tse-tung

Chiang Kai-Shek
• Why are they in favor?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
1949

Civil War
– Communists vs. Nationalists
Communists force Nationalists out of
China
 Nationalists flee to Taiwan.

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Taiwan

U.S. refuses to recognize Communist
China

U.S. acknowledges the Chinese
Nationalists in Taiwan
– So when the U.S. refers to China
– To what is the U.S. referring?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Division of Korea

1910-1945
– Korea ruled by Japan
– Japanese pushed out of Korea in WWII
• General Douglas MacArthur
– Named Supreme Commander of the Allied
Powers and placed in charge of occupation
forces in Japan.
– Also in charge of South Korea.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
th
38

Parallel
American Occupation
– South Korea

Soviet Occupation
– North Korea
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Individual Governments

North Korea
– Sets up its own government

South Korea
– Sets up its own government

Both governments claim control of all of
Korea
– Problem?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Review

UN
– General Assembly
– Security Council
– Cold War
– Truman Doctrine
– Marshall Plan
– Berlin Airlift
– NATO
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Korean Challenge

June 25, 1950
– North Korea launches an invasion of
South Korea
• South Korea – recognized internationally as
legitimate government of the People’s
Republic of Korea
– United Nations
• Take steps to deal with problem
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Syngman Rhee

South Korea
– Leader of Gov.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

Security Council
– Votes unanimously for a cease fire
between the Koreas.
• Why would Soviet Union vote for this?
– Or do they?
– Soviet Union boycotting U.N. because:
• U.N. does not recognize Communist China.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

Classify North Korea
– An aggressor
– Meanwhile:
• President Truman pledges American Aid to
South Korea
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Korean War

Soviet Union
– Will use veto power to prevent use of
Security Council’s international military
force.

Burden of defending South Korea
– Falls on U.S.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Korean War

United States
– Ordered by Truman to
prevent attack on Formosa
by blockading the Korean
coast.
• U.S. air and ground forced
ordered to Korea.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Problems

South Koreans
– Outnumbered
– Soviet tanks given to North Korean
Army
– U.S. having trouble defending against
tanks
– Forced to southeast corner of South
Korea
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Korean War

General MacArthur
– In charge of U.S. forces in Korea
– Decides to launch a sea borne attack
against the west coast of Korea and
move eastward to take Seoul
Importance of Seoul?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Seuol

Capital of South Korea
– Recaptured by MacArthur and the U.S.
• Attack from Southeast
• North Koreans trapped
– MAP – page 712
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
MacArthur Advances

General MacArthur
– North Korean troops retreat (that can)
– Pushes North Koreans backward
– Moves all the way to the Yalu River
• Yalu river borders what country?
• What political philosophy does that country
use?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Tide Turns Against MacArthur

Chinese “Volunteers”
– Thousands help North Koreans
– U.N. and U.S. troops with lines extended
were outnumbered
– U.N. and U.S. forces pushed back to 38th
Parallel.
• So what has been accomplished?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Great Debate

War with China?
– Help Chaing Kai Shek invade China?
– Allow MacArthur to blockade China?
– Bomb Chinese mainland?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Threat of World War III

War with China
– Quick decisive action
would bring an end to the
conflict – according the
MacArthur
– OR
• Start of WWIII
– USSR openly would support
China and get involved.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Spread of Troops

Major war in Asia
– Would mean what for the Soviet Union
in Europe?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Stalemate in Korea

President Truman
– Orders MacArthur to establish a strong
defense line on 38th Parallel.
• Forbade blocking Chinese coast
• Bombing China
• Or helping Chinese Nationalists invade
China
• NO WAR with CHINA
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
MacArthur vs. Truman

MacArthur tries to appeal to
Congress
– MacArthur is removed
– Truman
• “I could do nothing else and still be
President”
• Matthew B. Ridgeway replaces MacArthur.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Point Four Program

Extend aid to all less fortunate countries.
– Underlying motive?
– Think of it as a less intense Marshall Plan for the world.
– Scientific Aid
– Industrial Aid
– Korean War demonstrates the serious threat of the
spread of Communism.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Elected President in 1952
 Promised to do everything in
his power to end the Korean
War

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Korea – Peace Talks

Panmunjom
– July 27, 1952
– Armistice
• Recognized division of two countries at 38th
Parallel
• U.S. promises, in a treaty, to defend South
Korea against any attack and to help S.
Korea improve its economic conditions.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Korean War End

33,629 American Lives
 1.5 Million Communist Casualties
 An unpopular war
– Evidence of this?

Increased prestige of U.N.
– How? Think in terms of aggression.
– Showed that the use of force COULD check
Communist aggression.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Indochina
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Indochina

French Colony
– VIETMINH
• Communist group fighting France to wing
control of country
• Fighting anti-Communist Vietnamese
• U.S. under Truman
– Sends military aid to help Vietnamese and
French
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Dienbienphu
Key French Fortress
 Falls to Vietminh

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
th
17

Parallel
Geneva Conference 1954
– 17th Parallel
• North of 17th Parallel would be Vietminh
• South of 17th Parallel would be Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
U.S. Foreign Policy Change

Secretary of State
– John Foster Dulles
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
John Foster Dulles

Brinkmanship
– Communists only understood force
– In order to maintain peace the United
States must be ready for war
• To be on the “brink” of war
– No longer contain, but push back
spread of Communism.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Arms Race

Hydrogen Bomb
– Vastly more powerful than atomic bomb
– Soviet Union test first nuclear bomb –
1949
– Stockpiling
• How is this dangerous?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Soviet Union

Nikita Khrushchev
– Publicly attacked his predecessor
• Joseph Stalin
• “a cruel tyrant”
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Nikita Khrushchev

Test
– Poland
• Poland wants freedom
• Soviet Union withdraws some troops
– Hungary
• Follows example of Poland
• Soviet troops are brought in and crush
revolution
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Suez Canal

Operated by and International
Company
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser
Leads revolution in Egypt
 New President
 Wants to build:

– A large irrigation dam
– Hydroelectric generating plant
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Importance of Suez Canal
Flow of oil from Middle East
 Nasser nationalized (takes over
control) of the Suez Canal

– Problem?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Israel

In a defensive strategy
– Invades southward toward the Suez Canal

Britain and France demand a cease fire between
the two
– U.S. and U.N. tell Britain and France not to get involved

Britain and France move in to protect the canal
– Soviet Union threatens to intervene with force on the
side of Egypt

Try and stop the fighting
– WWIII?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
United Nations

General Assembly (including U.S.)
vote for a resolution calling for an
immediate cease-fire and withdrawal
of troops.
– Great Britain
– France
– Israel
• Accepts terms
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Eisenhower Doctrine

Eisenhower will use U.S. force in the
Middle East to check the spread of
Communism (if asked by a Middle
Eastern country)
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Doctrine Tested

Egypt and Syria temporarily form a union
opposing Western influence
 Lebanon and Jordan – pro western
governments
 Concern that their governments may be
overthrown
– U.S. and G.B. move in
– As situation improved, U.S. and G.B. withdraw
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Space Race

Soviet Union launches Sputnik
– Sputnik – orbited first artificial satellite
– Showed that if capable to launch a
satellite into space, a rocket could
deliver a hydrogen bomb to the U.S.
• Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM)
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cuban Missile Crisis

Mutually Assured Destruction
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cuban Missile Crisis

Between U.S. and U.S.S.R.
– President Kennedy
– MAJOR conflict during Cold War
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
What was it?

October 15, 1962
– U-2 Spy plane photographs reveal:
•
•
•
•
Construction of missile silos in Cuba
Soviet Union behind the construction
Cuban 90 miles from Florida
What does this mean for U.S.?
• Crisis lasts for two weeks
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
John F. Kennedy

“It shall be the policy of this nation to
regard any nuclear missile launched
from Cuba against any nation in the
Western Hemisphere as an attack on
the United States, requiring a full
retaliatory response upon the Soviet
Union. “
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Kennedy’s Options
an air attack on the missiles
 a full military invasion
 the naval blockade of Cuba, which
was redefined as a more restrictive

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cuban Missile Crisis
Tension in the U.S.
 Option chosen:

– Naval blockade of Cuba
• Soviet Ships headed toward Cuba
• Meet the blockage
• Soviet Response
– Ships turn back
– A deal is struck
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cuban Missile Crises Ends
the Soviets dismantle the missiles in
Cuba
 Exchanged for a no invasion
agreement
 A secret removal of the Jupiter and
Thor missiles in Turkey.

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
U-2 Spy Plane Incident
Shot down over Soviet Union
 Over Soviet Territory
 Eisenhower “weather research”
 Khrushchev furious
 An act of aggression

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Vietnam

Where is it?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Background

French pull out of Vietnam
– 1950’s
– International Agreement divided country
at 17th Parallel
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
North Vietnam
Vietminh
 Capital –

– Hanoi

Leader –
– Ho Chi Minh
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
South Vietnam

Capital –
– Saigon
Republic
 President –

– Ngo Dinh Diem
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
South Vietnam

Strong backing by U.S.A.
– Why?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
North Vietnamese

Many Vietnamese wanted a united
Vietnam
– Vietnamese guerrillas
• Backed by North Vietnamese
• Fought to overthrow South Vietnam
• What is meant by guerrilla?
– Sabotage
– Harassment
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
National Liberation Front
Vietcong
 (NLF)

– Why called the Vietcong?
• Communist
• In favor of North Vietnam
• North Vietnam was backed by what
country?
• North Vietnam practiced what political
philosophy?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Communist Spread
China
 Korea
 Vietnam?

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The “Domino Effect”
President Eisenhower
 One government in Southeast Asia
fell
 Neighboring governments would fall

– Cambodia
– Laos
– Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
South Vietnam
Millions of dollars
 800 Military advisors

– U.S. did not want all of Southeast Asia
to fall.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Kennedy

(1961)
Also upholds “Domino Effect
Theory”
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Diem Regime Threatened

U.S. increases aid
– Problems:
•
•
•
•
•
Diem Regime was corrupt
Grew unpopular with South Vietnamese
Repressed Buddhists
Repressed Political Opponents
Diem failed to control the NLF
– Military leaders of S. Vietnam unhappy with him
– Kennedy pressures Diem to change his ways, he
refuses.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
1963

Diem Assassinated
– South Vietnamese planned to seize
power from him.
– New government:
• Just as unsuccessful as Diem’s
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
November 22, 1963

Dallas, Texas
– President Kennedy Assassinated
– Lee Harvey Oswald - assassin
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Lyndon B. Johnson

Assumed Presidency following
assassination.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Johnson

“I am not going to be the President
who saw Vietnam go the way China
went”
– What did he mean by this?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Aid to Vietnam Expanded

By Late 1964
– 23,000 American Advisers in South
Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
U.S.S. Turner Joy attacked
 U.S.S. Maddox attacked
 Both by Vietnamese


Concerns over incident
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Congress grants President Johnson
authority to take action against North
Vietnam
– August 4, 1964
• Two American destroyers had been attacked by North
Vietnamese gun boats with torpedoes.
– Map page 783
– President ordered attacks on North Vietnamese torpedo
bases and oil refineries.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Why attacked?
– Assisting South Vietnamese gunboats
• Gunboats making raids against North
Vietnam’s coast.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Johnson

“We are not about to send American boys
nine or ten thousand miles away from
home to do what Asian boys ought to be
doing for themselves.”

Continual bombing of North Vietnam
– Viet Cong attacks in South Vietnam continued.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
March 1965

President Johnson
– Orders ground forces to South Vietnam
• What has the U.S. not declared?
• Marines – March 1965
• 1966 – 190,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
U.S. Troops

1965
– 190,000

1966
– 265,000

1967
– 500,000
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Ho Chi Minh Trail

How was South Vietnamese rebels getting
supplies?

Viet Cong
 North Vietnamese
– President Johnson offers:
$1 Billion aid to Southeast Asia
Halted bombing raids for brief periods
N. Vietnamese said U.S. must leave before peace talks
could begin.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Strategies

U.S.A. and South Vietnamese
– Air force was KEY!
•
•
•
•
Bombs
Napalm
Rockets
Machine gun fire
– On Vietcong villages; hideouts, supply routes
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Napalm Attack
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
North Vietnam Targets
Supply depots
 Roads
 Bridges
 Industrial Plants

• More bombs used in North Vietnam alone
than in all of WWII
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Search and Destroy
Against Vietcong
 Done by U.S. and S. Vietnamese

– Burnt villages
– With help of air
– Moved civilians to refugee centers
• Mostly if they could not defend the area.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Viet Cong / N. Vietnamese

Terrorism / Guerilla Tactics
– Planted bombs in market places
– On streets of busy cities
– Torture
– Assassination of village leaders
– “Hit and run” warfare
• Strike swiftly then run into the jungle
• NO LARGE SCALE FIGHTING
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Effects of War

South Vietnam
– 1.6 Million troops were fighting
• American casualties – 27,000 killed
– Civilians bore the highest burden
• 150,000 casualties by the end of 1967

2/16 million South Vietnamese were
refugees (displaced from their homes)
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Elections in South Vietnam
South Vietnamese needed faith in
their government
 Corrupt Government


Elections held in 1967
– Vietcong tried to sabotage elections

51% of eligible voters voted
– General Nguyen Van Thieu as President
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
General Nguyen Van Thieu
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Optimistic turn?

Democracy

Positive military reports on progress of
fighting

Are things going well?
 Finally starting to turn around?

Military leaders claimed the war would be
over soon!
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Tet Offensive
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Tet Offensive

Vietcong / N. Vietnamese
– Surprise attacks across South Vietnam
– Tet – Lunar New Year Holidays
– Partial Control / Terrorized 26 Provincial
capitals of South Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Tet Offensive

South Vietnamese / U.S.A
– Fight back and push back offensive
– HIGH cost of victory
• Large sections of several cities blasted to
rubble
• Thousands of soldiers killed
• Vietcong gained large parts of countryside
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Aftereffects of the Tet

Proved the war was far from over
– Johnson responds
• U.S. will limit bombing to invasion routes to area
immediately north of the Demilitarized Zone
• DMZ – a neutral strip of land seperating North and
South Vietnam
– Hanoi government responds
– MAY 1968 – OFFERS PEACE TALKS
• PARIS – MAY 1968 : U.S. and North Vietnamese
begin talks.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Criticism of War

Vietnam War
– A grave mistake?
– 2 MAIN CRITICISMS:
• A civil war the U.S. should not be involved
in.
• U.S. was saving South Vietnam from
communism while destroying it.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Vietnam Criticisms

A Civil War
– Why is the U.S. involved in a civil war in
Vietnam?
– DESTROYING South Vietnam while
trying to “save” it from communism.
– Critics: end bombing, end war, end it
soon.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
A Constitutional Question

Congress
– Had Constitutional powers been violated?
• President is Commander in Chief of armed forces.
• Power to declare war is reserved for Congress
– U.S.A. engaged in an undeclared war
– Congress had little power over war in Vietnam
– How did this happen?
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Costs of Commitment

American Foreign Policy
– American commitment to stop what?
• This effort had become enormous
– 1969 – Formal aid to 70 nations
– Formal commitment to defend 42 nations from
aggression
– 3.5 million men and women in armed forces
– 1.2 million civilian employees supported these troops
– 1968 – Military expenses: $87.6 Billion
• Cost per American : $439
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Further Criticism

Military expenses : $ 87.6 billion a year

$24 billion went toward:
– Health
– Education
– Welfare
• In the same year
• Raised inflation
• More difficult to sell U.S. products abroad
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Johnson

March 1968
– Announces he will not run for reelection
in 1968
• Why?
–
–
–
–
Growing criticism of the war
Strengthening political opposition
A victory would be doubtful
Doctors recommended against it
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
President Richard M. Nixon
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Election Campaign

Nixon said he would:
– “bring an honorable end to the war.”
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Nixon’s Plan

Gradual withdrawl of American
troops
– South Vietnamese must show they can
defend themselves.
– “Search and Destroy” replaced with
“Protective Reaction”
– Did not bring quick end to the war.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Protective Reaction
Engage enemy only when attacked.
 Only when threatened by attack.

– Why new policy?
• Thought it would quiet opposition to war.
• Reduce American casualties.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Invasion of Cambodia
1970
 South Vietnamese / U.S.A.

– Cross border into “neutral” Cambodia
• Why?
– Destroy North Vietnamese and Vietcong supply
centers.
– Once supply centers destroyed (or by early June
of 1970)
– Troops would be withdrawn
• Nixon keeps his word.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cease-Fire Agreement
A result of
 Protective Reaction Policy
 Withdrawal of some American
ground troops

– Air force continued fury of war on N.
Vietnam and Vietcong
– Bombing Laos and Cambodia
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cease Fire Agreement
Reached in Paris
 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

– January 1973
• Cease fire agreement reached
• 3 key terms
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
3 Key Terms of Cease Fire
1) Continued presence of North Vietnamese
military forces in South Vietnam was
agreed to.
2) South Vietnam was assured it was to have
a government of its choosing
3) The U.S. guaranteed continued economic
and military aid to South Vietnam.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Troops Withdrawn

1973
– Troops withdrawn from South Vietnam
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cost of War
$137 Billion
 45,729 U.S.A. Killed
 300,000 wounded
 South Vietnamese Deaths – 160,903
 Vietcong/N. Vietnamese – 922,295

The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Congress fixes mistake

War Powers Resolution
– No President could send American
troops into combat for longer than 60
days unless Congress approved.
– Congress could also order removal of
troops from an area of combat
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
South Vietnam Falls





March 1975
South Vietnamese troops were in retreat.
April 1975
Saigon surrounded
Any remaining Americans, 100,000 South
Vietnamese evacuated to U.S.A.
COMMUNISISTS TAKE OVER SOUTH VIETNAM
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Policy of Detente

relaxing or easing of tension

President Nixon
– Tried to relax, ease tension between:
• U.S. and China
• U.S. and Soviet Union
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Nixon visits China

February 1972
 Each Government Agreed
– Not to seek dominance in Asia Pacific region
– Cooperate to keep other powers from doing so
•
•
•
•
Develop trade
Increase cultural relations
Scientific relations
Restore full diplomatic relations
– Nixon promises eventual withdrawal of troops from
Taiwan and Indochina
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Nixon visits Soviet Union
May 1972
 Secretary Leonid Brezhnev

– Agree to:
• Cooperate in improving trade
• Tackle world problems involving space,
health and environment.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
S.A.L.T.

(1973)
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
– Froze offensive missiles at existing
levels for a five year period
– Limited each nation to two anti ballistic
missile sites in its territory.
– Limited land based/ Submarine based
missile forces
• A move away from the Cold war
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
December 1979

Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
U.S. boycotts summer Olympics (1980)
Held in Moscow
President Carter
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Afghanistan and the Cold War

Throughout the 1980’s the United States supplied weapons
and aid to Afghans, including the Taliban and Osama Bin
Laden, in an effort to defend against Soviets Union.

The Soviet equivalent to Vietnam
 1989 – Soviets withdraw.
– Osama Bin Laden
• One of the few “freedom fighters”
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Iran Hostage Crisis

1950’s
– U.S. helped overthrow Iran’s leader and restore Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power.
– Ayatollah Kjomeini
– Militant Islamic Leader
• The U.S. allowed the Shah to enter the U.S. for medical
treatment
• This outraged many Iranians.
– November 4, 1979
• 53 American hostages are taken hostage in the U.S.
Embassy in Tehran, Iran.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Iran Hostage Crisis

April 1980
– Rescue mission fails
– 8 Americans die in Iranian Desert in a
helicopter accident.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Ronald Reagan

Reagan
– Attacked Carter for being a weak leader
– Accused Carter of presiding over the
decline of the U.S. as a superpower.

Reagan defeats Carter in the 1980
Presidential Election
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
End of the Crises

Carter continued to negotiate for the
hostages.
– January 20, 1981
• Hostages freed
– 444 Days in captivity
– Moments before Reagan was sworn in as
President.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Reagan and New Weapons

Reagan
– Strong anti-communist
– Military spending demonstrated this.
– New Weapons/Military Spending
1981 – $150 Billion
1985 – $250 Billion
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
M.A.D.

Mutually Assured Destruction
– If either the Soviet Union of U.S. attacked one
another, it was assurred that each side would
completely annihilate one another.
– Nuclear Holocaust
• nearly complete annihilation of human civilization by
nuclear warfare.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
(S.D.I.) Strategic Defense Initiative

Space based missile defense
program
– “Star Wars”
• Shoot down missiles headed toward the
United States
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Iran – Contra Affair

Nicaragua

Contras – Fighting against the Sandanistas.

Sandinistas – in favor of socialism.
– Reagan accused the Sandinistas of importing Cuban-style socialism.
– Congress cut-off funding for the Contras
– White House Officials allowed the sale of weapons (anti-tank missiles)
to Iran in exchange for money and return of U.S. hostages held by proIranian groups in Lebanon.
• Reagan was investigated and cleared of any
involvement
– Most serious crisis of Reagan Administration
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Cold War Tensions Ease
Mikhail Gorbachev
 Ronald Reagan


Reasons for Soviet Collapse:
• The Soviet Union could not keep pace with
U.S. military spending
• Repressive Political System
• Failing Economy
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Gorbachev’s Initiatives

Glasnost
• policy of openness that promised more freedom for the Soviet
people.

Perestroika
•

Plan to restructure the Soviet economy and government.
Importance:
– A movement toward capitalism
• First time since the Bolshevik Revolution
• Economy
– Increase foreign trade
– Decrease military spending
• Political System
– Increased democracy
– Freedom of speech
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Eliminated all medium-range nuclear
weapons from Europe.

Gorbachev agreed to remove Soviet
troops from Afghanistan.

Reagan
– Travels to Moscow and meets with Gorbachev.
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Break-Up of the Soviet Union

The Policy of Non-Intervention
• Unwilling to bare the costs of propping up other
communist governments, in 1989 the Soviet Union
announces its policy of Non-Intervention in
eastern Europe.
– Countries that fall:
• Poland
• Hungary
• Czechoslovakia
• Romania
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Berlin Wall Falls

November 9, 1989
– Germany is once again united.
• (Recall Berlin Airlift)
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
Satellite Nations of U.S.S.R.








Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Moldova
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
The Cold War 1946 - 1991
The Cold War Ends 1991

Boris Yelstin

George H.W. Bush
The Cold War 1946 - 1991