THE COLD WAR

Essential Questions

• What events led to the Cold War?
• What was the impact of nuclear weapons?
• Where were some hot-spots of the Cold War?
• How did the Cold War influence policies and conflicts around the world?

Background

• The U.S. and the Soviet Union united to defeat Hitler in WWII
• Once the war ended, differences became more apparent
• The Soviets lost 27 million people and saw mass devastation
• Americans lost just over 400,000

RIVALRY!

• Competing political ideologies
• Strategic military interests in Europe
• Desire to be the dominant power in the world
• Viewed each other with increasing suspicion

Compare the U.S. to the U.S.S.R.

'Merica!

• Democracy-many political parties, elected governments
• Capitalism- free enterprise, privately owned businesses, "land of opportunity"
• Freedom-government exists to protect personal liberty, little media censorship, acceptance of differences in society

The Hammer and Sickle

• Communism- the only party allowed, no genuinely elected governments
• All industry is owned by the government, equality between rich and poor
• Extreme censorship. No individual freedom before the interests of the state.
• Encourages world revolution

Yalta Conference

Potsdam Conference

"It is enough that the people KNOW there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide NOTHING. The people who COUNT the votes decide EVERYTHING."

More Stalin Quotes

• "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem."
• "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."
• "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic. "

Soviet Satellite Nations

• Stalin NEVER allowed truly free elections
• Instead, communist governments were installed in many Eastern European nations.
• Main purpose? Protect USSR from the West - Buffer Zone

Iron Curtain- A term used to describe the division of Europe between the western nations supported by the U.S. and the eastern nations supported by the USSR

Containment

TRuman Doctrine

• 1946-Turkey and Greece faced Soviet-backed Communist revolutions
• Truman asks Congress and receives $400 million to aid the fight against communism
• Beginning of containment policy
• Becomes guiding U.S. policy into 1970s

Problems in Berlin

The Berlin BLockade

• Stalin wanted to make Berlin entirely dependent on the USSR
• June 1948, Stalin attempts to starve West Berliners into submission
• All rail and street access was blocked
• One of the first major crises of Cold War

The Berlin Airlift

Berlin Airlift

• American and British planes flew food and supplies into Berlin for 327 days.
• The Soviets did not attack humanitarian airlifts to the Western held sector of Berlin.
• 5000 tons delivered
• Planes took off every 3 minutes
• In May 1949, the Soviets gave up and allowed ground access to W. Berlin

THE BERLIN WALL

The berlin Wall

• In May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (W. Germany) was created
• In October, the Soviet Zone declared itself East Germany
• After the split of Germany and Berlin, thousands of Germans fled to W. Berlin to escape communism
• In 1961, E. Germany built a wall to stop the flow of emmigrants

SHOCK!

What was the cold war?

• The tension and rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (1945-1991)
• The two countries' militaries never actually fought
• Instead, the Cold War saw "hot spots" of violence play out
• War "by proxy" in places around the world (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan)

NATO vs. the Warsaw Pact

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Cold War Conflicts

The United States feared the "domino theory" -that if one nation fell to communism, its neighbors would soon fall too.

The Korean Conflict

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Background

• Japan had taken over Korea in 1910 and ruled it until August 1945
• As WWII ended, Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Soviets
• Japanese soldiers south of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Americans
• As in Germany, two nations developed.

North Korea Attacks South Korea

• On June 5, 1950 North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel in a suprise attack on South Korea
• With only 500 troops in S. Korea, the Soviets figured the Americans would not fight to save S. Korea
• Instead, America sent troops, planes and ships to South Korea

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Macarthur's Counter Attack

• At first, North Korean communist forces looked unstoppable
• General MacArthur launched a counterattack (naval invasion) with tanks, heavy artillery, and troops
• U.S. efforts were successful until the communist Chinese sent forces to join the North Koreans

The Korean Conflict Cont'd

• Despite MacArthur's requests to Truman to take the war to the Chinese (including dropping nuclear bombs), the U.S. sought a settlement
• In July 1953, an agreement was signed that ended the war in a stalemate at the 38th parallel
• North and South Korea remain divided to this day at the 38th parallel (war never technically ended)

Casualties of War

• 1 million military and civilians in N. Korea
• 1.2 million military and civilians in S. Korea
• 600,000 Chinese military
• 36,000 US military

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The Vietnam War

Vietnam background

• Vietnam was a French colony that was conquered by the Japanese
• After WWII, the French tried to reassert their rule, but the Vietnamese resisted
• Ho Chi Minh emerges as a communist leader and gains Soviet and Chinese support
• US tried to support their French allies and get sucked in

Vietnam divided

• Vietnam was divided (similar to Korea) along the 17th parallel
• North=Communist / South=Pro-West
• The Northern Army and Southern Communist guerrillas attacked South Vietnam + US troops
• Containment=battle

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Increasing U.S. involvement

• At first, U.S. sent advisers to S. Vietnam Army
• By 1964, the U.S. had escalated its involvement with troops
• The Tet Offensive of 1968: A strong attack by Vietcong forces turned many Americans against the war

Air force captain, Brian Wilson, who carried out bomb-damage assessments in free-fire zones throughout the delta, saw the results firsthand. "It was the epitome of immorality...One of the times I counted bodies after an air strike—which always ended with two napalm bombs which would just fry everything that was left—I counted sixty-two bodies. In my report I described them as so many women between fifteen and twenty-five and so many children—usually in their mothers' arms or very close to them—and so many old people." When he later read the official tally of dead, he found that it listed them as 130 VC killed.

Containment fails

• The U.S. chose to fight a "limited" war
• U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1973
• By 1975, S. Vietnam falls and is reunited under Communist rule
• Cambodia and Laos also fell victim to communism in the 1970s
• Was the domino theory right?

The Cuban Missile Crisis

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Background

• Cuba, small island 160 km from coast of Florida
• US ally, US businesses, and US military base (Guantanamo Bay)
• 1959, Fidel Castro overthrows Batista (U.S. backed) and establishes communist government

Containment in the Caribbean?

• Castro takes over US businesses
• January 1961, US breaks off diplomatic relations
• April 1961, Bay of Pigs- 1,400 anti-Cuban American-backed exiles attempted to overthrow Castro- FAILED
• October 1962-Cuba has received shipments of nuclear missiles

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Nikita Khrushchev

Why was the USSR INterested in Cuba?

• Cuba was a new Communist state
• Cuba provided a launch base for intercontinental missiles
• Khruschchev wanted to force President JFK into bargaining over US missiles in Europe

President John F. Kennedy

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13 DAys in October

• October 14th, 1962- US U2 spy plane takes photos of suspected USSR missile sites in Cuba
• Sites nearing completion, experts believed could be ready in 7 days
• US spy planes identify 20 Soviet ships bound for Cuba carrying missiles

President John F. Kennedy was faced with a number of difficult decisions that could decide the fate of the world! Which option would you choose?

Options

• A naval blockade of Cuba to prevent ships from bringing more supplies to the island
• A full-scale invasion of Cuba
• A conventional air strike against the missile sites

What happened during the October crisis?

Face-OFF

• October 20- Kennedy decides to blockade Cuba
• Oct. 22- Kennedy calls on Khrushchev to remove weapons
• Oct. 23- Khruschev refuses to acknowledge the missiles or blockade
• Oct. 24- 1st Soviet ships approach 800km exclusion zone

October 24th- Soviet ships stop and turn around

October 28th- Khrushchev agrees to dismantle Soviet missiles in Cuba.

MAD

• Mutually
• Assured
• Destruction
• Kennedy's theory of deterrence against nuclear war

Competition between the United States

and the U.S.S.R. laid the foundation for

the Cold War.

The Cold War influenced the policies of

the United States and the U.S.S.R.

towards other nations and conflicts

around the world.

The presence of nuclear weapons has

influenced patterns of conflict and

cooperation since 1945.