MWH – The Cold War
1. Nationalism and propaganda played a role in mobilizing civilian populations in
support of their nation’s goals.
2. Changes in the post-war world created a new world order and new world conflicts.
3. Industrialization has the capacity for both progress and destruction.
4. Improvements in technology created a paradox in which there existed the potential
for advancement and/or decline.
6. Global conflict leads to attempts at international cooperation and determining
accountability (League of Nations, U.N. Nuremburg Trials).
key events and policies in the early cold war –
End of WWII
Yalta Conference
Potsdam conference
Differing and competing goals of US and
USSR
Truman Doctrine and Containment
Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
NATO vs Warsaw Pact
Brinkmanship and the arms race
Chinese civil war - Use page 7 to take notes
Korean War - Use page 10 to take notes
Vietnam War – Use page 10 to take notes
Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge – Evil in
the Killing Fields
Cuban Missile Crisis - the world goes the
brink of war
Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra Affair
Iranian Revolution
Afghanistan – Soviets invade and find their
Vietnam
Arms Control Agreements
End of Communism in Eastern
Gorbachev’s reforms
Cold War Day 2 Agenda
EU - To understand that the Chinese Civil War had far reaching effects on
China and the world. It was part of the larger global Cold War struggle
between the economic and political differences between
Democracy/Capitalism and Communism
Warm-up – write a paragraph explaining why the Communists won the
Chinese Civil War, what happened to the Chinese nationalists and how
the 2 superpowers responded.
Agenda –
1. Finish Early Cold War – review day 1 packet pages – any questions?
2. Complete day 2 packet pages about Chinese Civil War
3. Complete day 2 packet pages to practice chart analysis and understand
differences and similarities between Taiwan and China
4. Read day 2 packet page 4 – No Tears for Mao – answer the questions.
How does this illustrate the methods and goals of the Cultural
Revolution?
5. Wrap-up – what are the problems with governing a country according
to a strict ideology?
Cold War Day 3 Agenda
EU - To understand that the Chinese Civil War had far reaching effects on
China and the world. This Civil War helps to lead to both the Korean and
Vietnam Wars and was part of the larger global Cold War struggle
between the economic and political differences between
Democracy/Capitalism and Communism
Agenda –
1. Complete page day 3 packet pages 1-2 about the Korean and Vietnam
Wars
2. Actively read day 3 packet pages 3 about how the war in Vietnam
affected Vietnamese.
3. Actively read day 3 packet pages 4 about Ho Chi Minh. With which
other historical figures is Ho most similar?
4. Complete geography activity on day 3 packet pages 5-6 about
5. Questions
6. Core 2 work
Cold War Day 4 Agenda
EU - To understand that the Chinese Civil War lead to both the
Korean and Vietnam Wars and was part of the larger global Cold
War struggle between the economic and political differences
between Democracy/Capitalism and Communism
Warm-up – write a paragraph explaining the similarities between the Wars
in Vietnam and Korea
Agenda –
1. Review day 3 packet pages about the Korean and Vietnam Wars –
questions?
2. Complete day 4 packet page 1about how the Cold War affected many
nations and continents throughout the world.
3. Read day 4 packet pages 2-3 about the Cuban Missile Crisis –
brinkmanship at work bringing the world very close to WWIII
4. Fill-in key events from Chinese Civil War through Détente on your
timeline
5. Core 2 work
Cold War Day 5 Agenda
EU - To understand that the global Cold War struggle between the
economic and political differences between Democracy/Capitalism and
Communism affected every continent in the world. That it ironically also
brought down the Soviet Union because the Soviets tried too hard to
keep the Communist Party in power.
Warm-up – write a paragraph explaining how the Cuban Missile Crisis is an
example of brinkmanship and how the events of Cuba, Iran, Afghanistan
affect us today
Agenda –
1. Review packet page day 4 about how the Cold War affected many
nations and continents throughout the world.
2. Review packet page day 4 about the Cuban Missile Crisis –
brinkmanship at work bringing the world very close to WWIII
3. Fill-in key events from Chinese Civil War through Détente on your
timeline
4. Complete day 5 Packet pages about how the 50s through 70s saw
the Cold War calm down a bit
5. Core work
Cold War Day 6 Agenda
EU - To understand that Soviet influence and political system had spread to
its neighbors but that its system had severe flaws. Further, that the
inherent nature of the repressive political system and command economy
created conditions that led to its ultimate failure.
Warm-up – Describe briefly the causes and events that have been occurring
in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain and now Syria.
Agenda –
1. Complete packet page day 5 about how the 50s through 70s saw the
Cold War calm down a bit
2. Complete packet page day 6 about how the 80s saw the Cold War
heat up and then communism fall in Europe
3. Describe 3 examples that support the above EU. How does the EU
relate to the warm-up?
4. Work on Core 2
MWH – The Cold War – Day 7
EU – The changes and conflicts following WWII that led to the Cold War
changed again as the Cold War ended and new areas of cooperation and
conflict occurred.
Warm-up – plot all of the key events from each section of this unit on your 6part timeline
1. Complete packet page day 7 about how the 90 saw the Cold War end
3. Work on core 2
End of WWII
Yalta Conference
Potsdam conference
Differing and competing goals of US and
USSR
Truman Doctrine and Containment
Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
NATO vs Warsaw Pact
Brinkmanship and the arms race
Chinese civil war –
Korean War -
Vietnam War –
Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge – Evil in
the Killing Fields
Cuban Missile Crisis - the world goes the
brink of war
Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra Affair
Iranian Revolution
Afghanistan – Soviets invade and find their
Vietnam
Arms Control Agreements
End of Communism in Eastern
Gorbachev’s reforms
Day 8 – Unit Review
Unit Enduring Understandings:
1. Nationalism and propaganda played a role in mobilizing civilian populations
in support of their nation’s goals.
2. Changes in the post-war world created a new world order and new world
conflicts.
3. Industrialization has the capacity for both progress and destruction.
4. Improvements in technology created a paradox in which there existed the
potential for advancement and/or decline.
6. Global conflict leads to attempts at international cooperation and
determining accountability (League of Nations, U.N. Nuremburg Trials).
1. Review Day 7 graphic organizer – questions?
2. Identify and describe at least two examples from WWII and 2
examples from the Cold War/Post-WWII world that illustrate one of
the above EUs
3. In groups – create a list of at least 4 examples of WWII and Post-WWII
illustrating the EU
4. Share examples with people from other groups
5. Questions about Unit?
6. Work on Core 2
What was the Cold War?
The Cold War was a 45 year period of conflict, competition and cooperation
between two global superpowers – the US and the USSR.
• This Cold War was characterized by
A. NO direct military fighting between the US and the USSR
B. An ARMS RACE to see who could get the most advanced, powerful and
dangerous military hardware – most specifically – NUCLEAR WEAPONS
C. A race to see who could develop the most advanced rocketry and take
control of space – a SPACE RACE
D. Competition for political/diplomatic/economic influence in
1. Europe – division of Europe by the “Iron Curtain”
NATO v Warsaw
Pact alliances
2. Then Asia – Chinese Civil War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Afghanistan
3. Then the oil-producing Middle East – overthrow of Iranian gov’t
4. Then South and Central America and Africa – Guatemala and
nicaragua
E. The competition SURROGATE WAR often involved arming smaller allies
to fight against the other superpower (USSR supplying the Vietcong
against the US in Vietnam, or the US supplying the Mujahedin in
Afghanistan against the USSR) –or- arming allies against the other’s
allies like US-Israel vs USSR-Syria.
Defeat of Germany
Stalingrad
Cold War Timeline
Mid-East
Events
US
Events
Western
Hemisphere
Events
Africa
Events
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
1950
USSR
Events
1945
East Asia
Events
Yalta Conference - Feb. 1945
–Stalin, FDR and Churchill met to discuss plans
for the end of WWII. Agreed:
•
•
•
•
Germany would be divided into 4 parts
USSR to enter war against Japan for some islands
create a UN
USSR will allow elections in E. Europe especially in
Poland
Potsdam (July 1945)
Truman, Stalin and Churchill (Atlee halfway through conference)
- division of Germany
- USSR to enter war against Japan
- disagreement over elections (Stalin essentially cancelled
elections)
- agreed that Germany would be demilitarized and its war
industries destroyed
- disagreement over war reparations from Germany and future of
Germany
- Stalin and Truman don’t like or trust each other
Communism
1. no private property
2. No political choice
3. Little personal choice
4. No god
American system
1. private property
2. Elections & free assembly
3. Personal choice
4. Freedom of religion (lots of
god)
5. Totalitarian gov’t
5. Limited gov’t
6. Worldwide revolution against
6. Spread “democracy” and
capitalism
capitalism
Europe After WWII: Competing Aims
US aims
1. Democracy and capitalism as
practiced by the US allows for
Where
is of property ownership
freedom
the Iron
and participation in government.
Curtain?
2. The US wanted freed trade such
Soviet aims
1. Communism under the USSR did
not allow for any of these things,
thus being complete opposites
and unable to work together.
2. The USSR wanted to take what it
that the US would BUY resources
wanted and generally did not sell
and then sell manufactured
anything. (It did sell things to its
products.
allies in some cases).
The two countries could not economically relate because the two systems
were entirely incompatible.
3. The US wanted other countries to
3. the USSR wanted its neighbors to
have freedom of action, and then
have no choice but to act as
choose to want to trade with the
defenders of the USSR territory
US,
4. USSR wanted to punish Germany
4. US wanted Germany to be strong
and keep it weak so it would not
so that it would not fall under
attack USSR again.
totalitarianism as it had after
WWI.
Who is at Fault for the Cold War?
USSR at fault
US at fault
-failed to live up to promises
-Truman did not live up
“understanding” of Soviet
sphere in E. Europe
-No free elections
-Used force to put “communist”
regimes in E. Europe
-Failed to remove troops from Iran
-Threatened to spread communism
-Civil war in Greece led by
communist rebels
-Threats to Turkey’s straits to Med.
-Spy ring found in Canada looking
for nuclear secrets
-Truman tried to
intimidate Stalin
-US was hypocritical in
keeping its Western Hemi.
Sphere of influence
-Truman declared the cold
war
Reasons Soviets can be blamed
1. Stalin broke his promise to hold Free elections in Poland and
established a communist government under his control there
instead.
2. Supported forces in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary and established
communist governments under Soviet control there, too.
3. Annexed the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia)
4. Refused, at first, to withdraw troops from Iran
5. Put pressure on Turkey to give USSR control of the straits leading
from Med to Black Sea
6. Set up Spy Rings in Canada in order to steal atomic secrets from the
west.
7. Communists were trying to overthrow the government in Greece
8. Stalin gave a threatening speech…Capitalism…weaponry
9. Soviet-backed communists seized control of Czechoslovakia
Reasons US can be blamed
1. Truman was deeply suspicious of the Soviets
2. Truman made a big deal out of Soviet control of Eastern
Europe after Churchill and Roosevelt had agreed it was
within the Soviet Sphere of Influence.
3. Truman tried to intimidate Stalin with Atomic Bomb
4. Truman made it appear that the Soviets were a threat to
the whole world. He declared the Cold War in his Truman
Doctrine
Truman Doctrine Transcript
Truman Doctrine – March 12, 1947
Containment
Policy – a statement of US foreign policy generally to oppose
the spread of Soviet influence. Specifically it was an
argument to Congress to scare them into approving spending
$400million to help Greece and Turkey in 1947.
Purpose – to stop the spread of Soviet influence in Greece
and Turkey, and then the rest of the world.
Soviet reaction – Soviets felt threatened and thus further
supported “Communist” governments throughout the world
including China and Korea.
Evaluation of success – the doctrine was successful in
Greece, Turkey, Western Europe, (Including Berlin) and
Korea. But failed in China, North Korea, Vietnam and Cuba
Economic cooperation Act – the Marshall
Plan
Post War Devastation
Post War Devastation
Marshall Plan rebuilds the
town
Marshall Plan – proposed 1947, passed
into law April 3, 1948
Policy – a Congressional law called the Foreign Assistance Act
that authorized the US government to spend up to $13billion
over 4 years in Europe.
Purpose – 1. to stop the spread of Soviet influence in Europe,
2. To help Europe rebuild after the devastation of WWII,
3.
To link countries together through trade to help prevent war,
4. To help the US economy grow.
Soviet reaction – Soviets felt threatened and thought the US
was trying to undermine their system and turned down the
aid for the USSR and Eastern Europe.
Evaluation of success – the most successful foreign policy
ever implemented by the US – all goals were achieved
A Divided Germany
Berlin Airlift
Berlin Airlift – June 1948-May 1949
Policy – 11 months of 277,000 flights into Templehof airport
containing supplies of oil, coal, food and clothing.
Purpose – to stop the spread of communist influence in
Berlin, to prevent the fall of Berlin to the communists, to
show the world our resolve in containing communism and to
keep a bastion of democracy behind the Iron curtain.
Soviet reaction – Soviets felt threatened but did not want war,
so finally backed down and let West Berlin stay connected to
West Germany
Evaluation of success – very successful, all goals achieved.
Led to strong economic, military and political ties with
Germany to this very day. US still has major military bases in
Germany
NATO
NATO Flag
Map of Expansion
of NATO –
US and Canada
were original
founding members
of the alliance not
depicted on map
Creation of NATO –1949
Policy – military alliance linking Canada and US to Western
Europe
Purpose – to stop the spread of communist influence in W.
Europe, to help prevent war in Europe, and to act as a
mutual defense arrangement, protecting its members from
Soviet aggression.
Soviet reaction – Soviets felt threatened and created the
Warsaw Pact in 1955
Evaluation of success – very successful, all goals achieved.
NATO still exists today, protecting the peace in Europe. No
NATO countries fell to communism. But helped to lead to the
arms race and the development and deployment of
dangerous weapons in Europe and the world.
Nuclear Arms Race
1. Reliance on nuclear weapons to keep the
peace (deter war) based on concept of MAD
(Mutual Assured Destruction).
2. If war came, both sides hoped to destroy
other side's nuclear weapons before they
could be used.
3. Neither side could allow the other to get
too far ahead - an arms race developed.
Bomb
’62 H-bomb test on Christmas Island
Picture
’52 H-bomb test Ivy King 2 – 550kt
12
million
tons of
earth
moved
by blast
’62 104 kt 635 ft underground test made this 1280ft wide 320ft deep crater
strategy of "Massive Retaliation"
1. Idea of John Foster Dulles (Sec. of State)
2. Implied U.S. would use nuclear weapons in response to any act of
communist aggression.
3. Was the U.S. bluffing?
4. Dulles said it was sometimes necessary to "go to the brink."
5. Critics called the idea brinkmanship” and said it was way too
dangerous.
6. Proved to be impractical.
John Foster Dulles – Secretary of State 1953-1959
Chinese Civil War
1946-1949
CCP – Chinese
Communist Party led by:
Mao Zedong – had
support of peasants,
motivated, battle-hardened
troops
Guo Mindong – Chinese
Nationalist Party led by:
US tried to mediate
war: but then
helped Jiang
Jiang Jieshi
Corrupt, large, wellfunded military with
no motivation
Support for Jiang Jieshi’s Guo Mindong
(the Nationalists) government in China
Policy – military and economic assistance to Chinese
government of President Jiang Jieshi
Purpose – to stop the spread of communist influence in China
by giving military hardware and training to the Nationalist
Army and to give economic aid so that Jiang’s government
would be successful in helping his people
Soviet reaction – Soviets and Chinese Communists felt
threatened Soviets briefly aided Mao Zedong’s Communists,
and helped to lead to Korean War
Evaluation of success – failed – the Communists under Mao
Zedong won the civil war in 1949 and kicked the Guo
Mindong to Taiwan.
USSR gave money and
weapons to PRC –
recognizes only the PRC
US gave
Jiang money
and weapons
US
recognizes
only Taiwan
as the official
gov’t of all of
China
1 country/
2 systems
PRC
Republic
of China
PRC
Great Leap Backward
Forward
Forces peasants to live on large communes and for
communes to be self-sufficient (backyard industries)
meeting centrally-set production quotas
Effects: no incentive to work hard
Resentment
Inefficiency
Destroyed economy
Famine – millions die of starvation
PRC
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution –
•Mao did not want to lose power
•Mao did not want to lose communist ideology
•Mao released the Red Guards – students – to
punish and resocialize Mao’s opponents to be
better peasant communists
Economy, education and
society was very damaged
– Mao brought in Deng
Xiaoping to rebuild the
economy and society after
the Army restored order.
Korean War - Active map of Korean War
Policy – military invasion by US and UN forces
Purpose – to stop the spread of communism into South Korea
by defending South Korea after it was attacked by North
Korea under the leadership Kim Il Sung
Soviet reaction – Soviets were happy that the US interest was
not solely focused on Europe. Chinese Communists felt
threatened and entered to war on NK side in November 1950.
Continued animosity between US and China for 20 more
years.
Evaluation of success – a success when looking at main goal
of defending South Korea, which did not fall to communists
and is an independent successful democracy today. But a
failure if viewed as intending to rid all of Korea of communist
control.
Causes for War in ‘Nam
• For about 1000 yrs before the 8th
century C.E., Vietnam was ruled by
China: Vietnamese always rebelled
• From the 8th C until the 19th C
Vietnamese culture had a major
theme: repel invaders by guerilla
war
• France’s first attempt at
colonization was in 1802 then from
1858 they conducted wars of
conquest until France completely
controlled Nam by 1883 – But
there were always rebels trying to
oust France
Causes for War in ‘Nam
• When Japan conquered Nam in 1940, the French
administration there collaborated with Japan.
The only opposition to Japan was the Viet Minh
founded to gain independence for Vietnam) led
by Nguyen That Than (Ho Chi Minh)
• After March 9, 1945 Japan removed the French
administration; only then did France fight
against Japan
• On September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh declares the
independence of Vietnam
– US soldiers, the US flag, the US national
anthem and the US Declaration of
Independence play a prominent role in the
ceremony
Causes for War in ‘Nam
• Following WWII, at the beginning of the Cold
War, US needed France to be on its side against
the USSR. France wanted to be a world power –
France wanted to regain its colonies, especially –
Vietnam.
• The US agreed to allow France to retake Vietnam
How the Cold War helped cause ‘Nam
• France’s enemy in its attempt to retake Vietnam was
“Uncle” Ho Chi Minh and his League for Vietnamese
Independence (Viet Minh)
– he had communist leanings and got military
assistance from USSR
– Ho and the Viet Minh violently resist the
return of French colonization
• Therefore, helping France grew more important to
Truman and the US
• The US sent money and military supplies to the
French war effort in Vietnam
• Because The Cold War spread and communism seemed
to spread in Europe through the 1940s – then China, in
Asia, fell to communism in 1949 – the US could not see
both France in Europe and Vietnam in Asia fall to
communism – it would violate containment
Background
to the War
 The French lost the war to
Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh
forces in 1954 at Dien Bien
Phu
 President Eisenhower declined to intervene on
behalf of France, seeing it as a lost cause.
 France more or less surrendered and negotiated a
peace settlement called the Geneva Accords of
1954
Background to the War
 International Conference at Geneva
 Vietnam was divided at 17th parallel
O
O
Ho Chi Minh’s nationalist
forces controlled the North
Ngo Dinh Diem, a French and US-educated, Roman Catholic
claimed control of the
South
The two sides agreed that national
elections would occur in 1956
But this was during the Cold War and the
US and USSR are in conflict over influence
in the world
O
Background to the War
 Ike saw the southeast Asian nations as a row of dominos
that would fall to communism if Vietnam fell first.
 With Eisenhower’s approval, Diem backed out of the
elections, because:
Ho Chi Minh seemed like everyone’s Uncle in ‘Nam –
he is very popular
– Ho seems to Americans to be a communist
– Ho would win a nation-wide election
– Diem holds a mock-election where he wins through
voter fraud
– Vietnam remains split: North under Ho and South
under Diem with American financial support
Ho rules the North from his Capital of
Hanoi using the Viet Minh organization
Vietcong supplied by the North
NLF or Vietcong – an organization of
communist guerillas forms in the
South to overthrow Diem by using
small-unit hit and run, terrorist-type
tactics
Diem rules the South from his Capital
of Saigon
US does not want to see South Vietnam
(Republic of Vietnam) fall to commies.
US sends money and then men to
protect the South from the Vietcong
and their North Vietnam allies.
US fights in the South against the
Vietcong
After 8 years of fighting:
Vietcong were terribly weakened by their
1968 Tet Offensive but…
They were still supplied by the Ho Chi Minh
Trail and…
But the South Vietnamese government and army
were corrupt, brutal and not supported by their
people, whereas…
The Viet Cong had significant popular support.
US is still fighting the NVA and the VC, but its
people are tired of war and the soldiers are too.
President Johnson does not seek reelection in
1968, the draft is unpopular and the TV shows
the deaths committed by US soldiers
US invades Cambodia, causing massive protests
in US
Therefore US pulls out its troops and South
Vietnam is taken over by the North – uniting all
of Vietnam
Cambodia and the Evils of the killing fields
1. The War in Vietnam spread to Cambodia because the North
Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh trail through Cambodia to
supply the Viet Cong in the South
2. The US invaded Cambodia in 1970 to cut the Trail
3. Both the Us and the North Vietnamese wanted a friendly
government in Cambodia, leading to Civil War in Cambodia
4. Pol Pot was the leader of the Communist Khmer Rouge – but
they were evil ideologues who hated modernity
5. The Khmer Rouge killed 25% of Cambodia’s population
Cuban Missile Crisis
1. Castro creates a communist government in January 1959
2. Eisenhower sets the CIA to plan to overthrow Castro
3. JFK implements the plan to overthrow Castro called
“Operation Zapata” – we know it as the Bay of Pigs Invasion
4. 1500 CIA-trained anti-Castro Cubans invaded Cuba and
overthrow Castro, the plan failed miserably.
5. JFK looked weak, the US looked powerless, the CIA looked
foolish.
6. Castro was scared and asked USSR for protection – USSR
began to install nukes in Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis
1. US spy planes see USSR
nukes
in Cuba
– very
threatening
Potential
nuclear
missile
targets
from
2. Soviets threaten Berlin in Germany with
building of Berlin
Cuba
Wall – the world is becoming more dangerous
3. The US threatens nuclear retaliation if missile are not
removed
4. The US also puts a blockade on Cuba to keep more nukes
from being brought in.
5. Brinkmanship in action
Nicaragua
1978 – the Sandinista guerilla movement – a left-wing group
opposed to right-wing dictator Luis Somoza Debayle (Somoza)
begins a violent revolution
1979 – Somoza resigns and the Sandinistas takes over.
1982 – President Reagan sends arms and money to a pro-Somoza
right-wing group, the Contras, to overthrow the Sandinistas
1982 – Civil war between the Contras and the Sandinista
government continues to rage in Nicaragua leading to tens of
thousands of deaths
1984 Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinistas, is elected President
1990 Civil War ends and Violetta Chomorro is elected President in
free elections and the Sandinistas become an opposition party
Iran
1. The US had installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the King in
Iran – Because the alternative, the elected Mohammad Mossadeq,
was seen to be a communist stooge allied with the Soviet Union.
2. The US supplied him with weapons, CIA training of his secret police
SAVAK.
3. The Shah wanted to modernize and westernize Iran as Kemal
Mustafa Ataturk had done in Turkey. He came down hard on
religious muslims
4. Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini helped to lead a broadly popular
revolution against the Shah and the US.
5. Khomeini helped to create a complex Islamic democratic theocracy
in Iran. It did not like the US or the Soviets but it had oil
$
$
Locations of CIA covert operations to overthrow unwanted
leftist governments
The Iran Contra affair
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
2. Soviets had supported a communist dictatorship in Afghanistan. When an
Islamic uprising threatened the Afghan Commies, the Soviets invaded like in
Czechoslovakia in ‘48 and ‘68 and Hungary in ‘56
Because USSR invaded Afghanistan, US President Carter had to revert to the
policies of previous Cold War presidents like Truman and take a hard line on the
USSR. But to avoid war, the US response was diplomatic and economic.
President Reagan, his CIA and Congress, spent money to buy weapons to give
to the Mujahedin (one of whom was a Saudi named Osama bin-Laden) –
especially the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. This was the Soviet’s version of our
Vietnam War and the Mujahedin were their Viet Cong.
The Soviets had to withdraw, leaving Afghanistan in the hands of tribal
warlords and the ultra-religious Islamists called the Taliban.
Eastern Europe moves away from Soviets
• 1948 – Czechoslovakia attempted to create a socialist democracy
and get out from under Soviet influence.
– Soviet Union orchestrates a coup to guarantee a Soviet-friendly
government in Prague, Czechoslovakia
• 1956 – Imre Nagy – Hungarian Socialist leader proposed free
elections to create a socialist democracy in Hungary.
– November 1956 the Soviets rolled in the Red Army, fought with
Hungarian reformers and freedom fighters
– 30,000 Hungarians die and Hungary stays under Soviet influence
• 1961 – Berlin – Eastern Europeans are leaving through Weat
Berlin – East Germans and Soviets build the symbol of the Cold
War – the Berlin Wall
• 1968 – Alexander Dubcek in Czechoslovakia attempts to liberalize
Czech communism – proposing a looser form of socialism – a
period called Prague Spring
– August 20, 1968 – Soviets roll in the tanks to overthrow Dubcek’s
government and install a Soviet-friendly government in Prague yet
again
China and USSR stop getting along
• As Khruschev warm relations with the US during the 50s and repudiates
Stalin’s excesses, China is moving in the other direction with the Great Leap
Forward.
• As China was improving and modernizing by 1957 it began to exert its own
influence in Asia and Africa
• Even worse from Mao's point-of-view was Khrushchev's proclamation of the
idea of "peaceful coexistence," that the tenet of inevitable armed conflict
between the capitalist and communist "camps," a basic tenet of MarxismLeninism-Stalinism-Maoism, was not inevitable. Khrushchev felt that nuclear
weapons had changed the equation, and that because of those weapons,
communism and capitalism would avoid armed conflict. Mao felt that
Khrushchev was retreating from an active, violent struggle for the triumph of
communism.
• With the Great Leap Forward rapidly going backward, and with slightly
improved relations with the United States, symbolized by Khrushchev's
meeting with President Eisenhower in 1959, the Soviet Union again
postponed the promise to help the Chinese develop nuclear
weapons. Khrushchev also did not offer enough support--from the Chinese
point-of-view--to China in a border dispute with India.
• Soviets were unhappy that China was going its own way, so it refused to
help the Chinese develop their nuclear program
Kennedy and the Cold War – P 4
1960
Kennedy was elected because of: youth and vigor, TV
debates, positive and sunny public outlook
- Flexible Response Foreign Policy – economic aid to
collect friends, build up nukes for deterrence, and create
special forces (Green Berets)
1961 – Bay of
pigs (initially
authorized by
Ike)
When JFK implemented Ike’s plan “Operation Zapata” to
use 1500 anti-Castro Cubans to invade Cuba and
overthrow Castro, the plan failed miserably. JFK looked
weak, the US looked powerless, the CIA looked foolish.
Castro was scared and asked USSR for protection –
USSR began to install nukes in Cuba
1961 - Berlin
crisis leading
to wall
construction
East Germany and USSR did not want to continue to
lose people through West Berlin. Appeared as if
another blockade or threat would occur, but they built
the Berlin Wall instead. 1963 JFK goes to Berlin to
show his full support for continuing to protect W. Berlin
from communists.
Kennedy and the Cold War
1962 – Cuban
Missile Crisis
US finds out USSR nukes are in Cuba. US blockades Cuba,
prevent USSR ships from sailing in. US and USSR mobilize
forces in Europe and Western hemisphere – close to war.
USSR backs down, removes missiles, US promises to remove
missiles from Turkey. A direct line of communication installed
(the hotline) so Pres can talk directly to Soviet leader.
Khruschev is replaced and Cubans in Miami become staunch
Republicans
1963
Installation of
“Hotline”
Kennedy and Khruschev realized that much of the Cuban
Missile Crisis may have been avoided if they were able to talk
to each other directly and immediately. Therefore they
installed a direct cable line from Washington to the Kremlin.
1963 – Limited
Nuclear Test
Ban Treaty
US and USSR had conducted actual nuclear bomb explosion
to see how well they worked. This was dangerous on many
levels – risk of one side misreading a launch and mistakenly
retaliating; radiation released into the atmosphere or killing
marine-life underwater.
LNTBT outlaws atmospheric, underwater and space nuclear
testing. Testing only allowed underground.
The Nixon Administration
Problems
Nixon’s Policies
7. US- China
Relations
Détente – Nixon becomes first President to go to China – opens China to
US trade, signed agreements to cooperate to end Vietnam War,
recognized Taiwan as a part of China, began process to recognize PRC
officially, promised to withdraw US forces from Taiwan, relates with CPRC
to try to separate PRC and USSR
Realpolitik – balance of power politics - relate to other nations
based the goal of national interests: cooperating where we can,
avoiding force when possible, ignore weak countries, but deal with
strong countries flexibly, directly and with strength – no ideology
Détente – Nixon goes to Moscow – signs Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty,
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty 1 (halts production of new nukes for 5
years, agrees to Berlin-Germany plan)
8. US-Soviet
relation
The Nixon Doctrine
•
•
The Nixon Doctrine was put forth in a press conference in Guam
on July 25, 1969 by Richard Nixon. He stated that the United States
henceforth expected its allies to take care of their own military
defense. The Doctrine argued for the pursuit of peace through a
partnership with American allies.
In Nixon's own words (Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam
November 3, 1969):[1]
1. First, the United States will keep all of its treaty commitments.
2. Second, we shall provide a shield if a nuclear power threatens
the freedom of a nation allied with us or of a nation whose
survival we consider vital to our security.
3. Third, in cases involving other types of aggression, we shall
furnish military and economic assistance when requested in
accordance with our treaty commitments. But we shall look to
the nation directly threatened to assume the primary
responsibility of providing the manpower for its defense.
US - Defense Spending under Reagan
Huge increase leading to huge deficits
Results – Reagan supporters claim that the US outspent the
USSR and thus they spent themselves out of existence. Most
historians today believe that this was not the case.
Missile Defense
SDI – the Strategic Defense Initiative, aka “Star Wars” was begun
in 1983 and cost $17b between ’83 and ’89.
Results – US allies and the USSR were both made nervous that a
working missile defense shield would undermine the stability of
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) that was the basis of nuclear
deterrence.
Arms Control– ’85-’89
Reagan believed now that we could negotiate because we could
“trust” USSR but we still needed to “verify”
INF treaty signed in 1987 and ratified in June 1988
START I negotiated under Reagan
START II negotiations begun under Reagan
Results
INF – Soviet SS 20s and US Pershing II missiles were completely
removed from Europe with on-site inspections
START I signed in July 31, 1991, ratified 1994 – reducing nuclear
warheads on each side to under 6000 with under 1600 delivery
vehicles.
START II signed in ’93 and ratified in by US in ’96 and the new
Russian Federation in 2000. Russia does not ratify treaty
The Cold War Ends
• 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Communist
Party in the Soviet Union
• Soviet economy under a great amount of stress; Reagan added pressure by
increasing U.S. defense spending
• Gorbachev advocated a policy known as glasnost (Russian for “openness”).
He allowed open criticism of the Soviet government, some freedom of press
• Plans for perestroika a restructuring of Soviet society, some private
enterprise, move to democracy - demokratizatsia
• better relations with the US would allow the Soviets to reduce their military
spending and reform their economy
– Initiated a series of arms-control meetings that led to the INF Treaty
(Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty)
– Eliminated two classes of weapons systems in Europe and allowed each nation to
make on-site inspections of the other’s military installations.
Mikhail Gorbachev
• With his policies of glasnost and perestroika, Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to democratize his country's
political system in the 1980s. Though he was ultimately forced
to resign from office, his programs led to the downfall of
communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Cold War Ends
• The Collapse of Communist Regimes - Gorbachev reduces Soviet control of
Eastern Europe because the USSR could not afford to prop them up.
– 1980 - In Poland, Lech Walesa’s Solidarity labor union protests and works
for improved economic situation in the depressed economy created by
communism (a bit of an irony from the foundations of communism
– The labor strikes helped to lead to democracy
– 1989 - In Hungary, the economy was bad, so market-based economic
policies were proposed – the Hungarian Communists dissolve themselves
– 1989, Berlin Wall torn down; 1990, 2 Germanys reunited
– 1989 Czechoslovakia – hundreds of thousands protest against brutality and
for a change to democracy
– 1989 – the brutal Romanian dictator Nicolai Ceausescu attempted one last
abuse of power by killing protestors in Timisoara – the brutality was the last
straw, and huge popular uprising occurred, and this time the army backed
the protestors - Ceausescu was captured and executed – democracy begins
– Ethnic civil war breaks out in Yugoslavia between Muslims, Orthodox Serbs,
and Roman Catholic Croats
The Cold War Ends
• The Soviet Union Declines (map)
– December 1991, 14 non-Russian republics declared their
independence from the Soviet Union, Gorbachev resigned as Soviet
president
– Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took the place of the
Soviet Union.
– President Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin issued a formal
statement declaring an end to the Cold War
– Yeltsin and Bush signed the START II pact, designed to cut both
nation’s nuclear arsenals by two-thirds