The Cold War 1945-1991 World History Chapter 15
The Cold War Unfolds Two Sides Face Off in Europe NATO Warsaw Pact Iron Curtain A Wall Divides Berlin West Berlin becomes a showcase for western prosperity, East Berlin stagnates under communism. TO stop people from fleeing to the west, a wall is built between East and West Berlin. Eastern Europe Resists During the 50 s and 60, countries of Eastern Europe periodically resisted Soviet rule, but the Soviet Union was not afraid to use tanks on civilians.
Nuclear Weapons Threaten the World Arms race between East and West MAD Hydrogen Bomb (1953) Limiting Nuclear Weapons 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (Atmospheric testing) 1972 SALT I (Freeze number of weapons) 1972 SALT I (Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty) 1979 SALT II (Limit number of weapons) 1991 START (Reductions) Building Détente Relaxation of tensions Afghanistan problem Stopping the Spread of Nuclear Weapons In the 1960 s Britain, France, China build nuclear weapons 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Ohio class Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine 24 Trident II Missiles 8 W88 Nuclear MIRV Warhead (475kt) 192 Independent warheads, for a total of 91mt (Megatons) of destructive firepower A megaton is equivalent to a million tons (or 2 billion pounds) of TNT Adding up all of the firepower used in WWII, including the atomic weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was roughly equal to 3mt
The Cold War Goes Global China and Korea Spread of Communism (Truman Doctrine) Building Alliances and Bases Strategy to contain communism NATO, SEATO, CENTO, Japan Encircle Soviet Union When the Cold War Goes Hot Local conflict became proxies for superpowers Many former colonies gain independence Cuba Goes Communist Fidel Castro, 1959, takes control of Cuba, institutes a communist regime. Bay of Pigs Trade Embargo Cuban Missiles Spark a Crisis Soviet Union puts nuclear missiles in Cuba in response to American missiles in Turkey
The Soviet Union in the Cold War Soviet Communism In the years that followed WWII (The Great Patriotic War), Stalin continued purging enemies of the state Somewhere around 20 million people disappeared, were sent to gulags, or were executed. Stalin s Successors Hold the Line Nikita Khrushchev became premier after Stalin s death in 1953. Openly denounced Stalin s brutal regime in 1956, calling for peace with the west. Leonid Brezhnev overthrew Khrushchev in 1963, and resumed Stalin s tactics Some Soviets Bravely Resist Some Soviets tried to reform the system, including scientists and writers
The United States in the Cold War Free Markets The competition with the Soviet Union was not limited to military might, but extended to all aspects of government, philosophy, economics, and ideology. The Space Race, Sputnik, Mercury Program, Gemini Program, Apollo Program Containing the Soviet Union Stopping communism at virtually any cost Living With Nuclear Dangers Fallout shelters Crystal Palace, flying command centers, secret retreats, bombers, submarines, land based missiles, the football Psychological testing, spies, Manchurian Candidates, Seeking Enemies Within FBI House Un American Activities Committee (HUAC) and McCarthy, going after Hollywood writers, questioning patriotism, the list
The Industrialized Democracies America Prospers and Changes At the end of WWII, the US was the most powerful country in the world, both militarily and economically. America Plays a Central Role HQ of the United Nations NYC American goods, shipping, worldwide economic dominance World Bank and International Monetary Fund located in Washington D.C. The Postwar American Boom Moving to the suburbs Redistribution of population Veterans Programs Education Health Home buying An Oil Shock Brings Recession 1970 s America s support of Israel linked to oil embargo, price of oil spikes and supplies down. End of the postwar boom
Democracy Expands Opportunities Segregation and Discrimination Challenges to segregation and discrimination Brown v Board of Education of Topeka 1954 Separate is not equal segregated schools needed to integrate Use of Airborne troops to protect Little Rock 9 Americans Demand Civil Rights 1956 Montgomery bus boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. emerges as a civil rights leader 1963 I Have a Dream speech in DC Women Demand Equality Women also demanded more, challenging assumptions (male doctors, bra burning, glass ceiling) The Government s Role Grows Government expands social programs to help the poor and disadvantaged The Great Society Medicare Subsidized housing Civil Rights Acts Republicans Respond Ronald Regan Cut taxes greatly Increased military spending Cut social services (closed mental institutions) Greatly increased deficits
Western Europe Rebuilds Germany Divided and Reunited West and East Germany Berlin Wall 1961-1989 West Germany s Economic Miracle West Germany enjoyed Marshall Plan support and rebuilt into a modern industrial power Britain s Narrowed Horizons Collapse of overseas empire, slower recovery Other European Nations Prosper Other European countries also lost their empires, but the Marshall Plan accomplished it s goals in terms of helping Europe recover economically. Building the Welfare State Market economies with increased government involvement in social spending. Universal medical care Pensions Unemployment programs Higher Taxes Limiting the Welfare State 1979, Britain, Margaret Thatcher, limiting social payments, more privatization Toward European Unity Economic cooperation between European countries, reduced tariffs, European community, eventually to European Union
Japan is Transformed American Occupiers Bring Changes General MacArthur became the military governor of Japan during it s transition Created a new constitution for Japan The Emperor, while allowed to remain emperor, lost all political power Many social reforms Education for all Equality for women Land-reform American military bases Japanese military limited to self defense force Japan Develops a Democracy Political parties begin to develop The Liberal Democratic Party dominated government from the 1950 s to the 1990 s An Economic Miracle Relies on Exports Japanese industry responded well to the Marshall Plan In the 1970 s and 1980 s, Japanese electronics and automobiles began to dominate foreign markets Money was saved by not spending on military
Communism Spreads in East Asia China s Communist Revolution How the Communists Won Changing Chinese Society The Great Leap Forward Fails The Cultural Revolution Disrupts Life China, The Cold War s Wild Card Split with the Soviet Union Washington Plays the China Card Taiwan and the Nationalists
War Comes to Korea A Divided Nation North Korean Attack Brings a United Nations Response China Reverses United Nations Gains Two Koreas South Korea Recovers North Korea Digs In
War in Southeast Asia Indochina After WWII French 1946-1954 U.S. 1955-1975 Indochina Under Foreign Rule French Colonialism from 1800 Japanese Invasion During WWII Return of the French after the War Ho Chi Minh Fights the French Communist influence grows Vietnamese wanted independence, created Declaration based of the American Declaration of Independence, asked U.S. for help against the French French want their colony back, fight insurgents Insurgents led by Ho Chi Minh conduct guerrilla war against the French, defeat French forces at the battle of Dienbienphu (dien bien foo) Vietnam is Divided After 1954, the struggle for Vietnam became a part of the Cold War. Western and Communist powers agreed to a separation of North and South Vietnam, the North being Communist, the South under (un-elected) leader Ngo Dihn Diem, supported by the U.S. Elections that might have reunited Vietnam were not held in the South, because the U.S. believed the Communists might win the election as not many South Vietnamese trusted the new government because of corruption. Diem s dictatorship grew worse, and many South Vietnamese who regarded Ho Chi Minh (leader of the North) as a war hero (against the Japanese and the French), turned against the Diem government, and in the 1960 s, started a guerrilla campaign against the government, supported by communists in the North.
America Enters the Vietnam War American foreign policy regarded the Vietnam War as a part of a larger conflict against Communism. Policy makers believed that if any country falls to communism, then it makes it more likely that the next country will fall, and so on, until communism takes over the U.S. This was called the Domino Theory. The War Intensifies Ho Chi Minh (leader of the North) wanted to unite Vietnam under communism, and aided the National Liberation Front (NLF) also known as the Viet Cong, or VC, or Victor Charlie (based on the NATO phonetic alphabet) which is why they were often called Charlie by the troops. North Vietnamese troops were called Viet Minh (or North Vietnamese Army NVA) The U.S. at first sent supplies and advisors, but later sent hundreds of thousands of troops to support the corrupt Southern Vietnamese government. On 1 Aug 1964, South Vietnamese commandos raided North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. A U.S. destroyer in the Gulf thought it was being attacked three days later, though this was likely an error in using their radar during rough seas. This was used as an excuse for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (7 Aug 64) authorizing President Lyndon Johnson to use all measures to support South Vietnam, and prevent further aggression in Southeast Asia. After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed, the U.S. started bombing targets in North Vietnam. The North was not without superpower support, and Soviet weapons, ammo, fighter jets, missiles, tanks, and other equipment was given to the North. Jungle fighting Agent Orange Helicopter Gunships My Lai Massacre Napalm The Press Body Counts The Draft During Vietnam, the U.S. military needed to use the draft to field the required number of troops (upwards of 500,000). The draft at first had many exemptions that allowed college men, married men, men with children, or who had fathers with influence, to avoid the war. Some entered the National Guard to avoid being drafted, others joined Champagne Units such as the Texas Air National Guard, where most of the members were sons of rich and powerful men. As the war dragged on, the rules changed, exemptions were removed, and the draft became more democratic. Once this happened, and more middle class and upper class sons were drafted, the opposition to the war reached a fever pitch. Guerrilla War The South Vietnamese rebels tended to be peasants, and familiar with the land, which neither the French nor the Americans could claim. Villagers often would hide rebels, or caches of weapons. The VC and the NVA built large tunnel complexes to avoid American bombing and surveillance. Getting from North to South was difficult for the VC and the NVA, so they used trails that crossed the borders of Cambodia and Laos, called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. American attacks on the Trail caused the conflict to widen, The Tet Offensive By 1968, the South Vietnamese Army and the U.S. failed to suppress the insurgency, or prevent aid from the North, though the VC and the NVA could not make headway against the South s defenses. The North Vietnamese decided to mount a major offensive, and attacked targets all across the country during the Vietnamese New Year, or Tet. This became known as the Tet Offensive. Though the North Vietnamese and the VC were driven back, the Offensive shook the confidence of Americans who thought the war was being won, and public opinion turned against the war.
The Vietnam War Ends Casualties, KIA, MIA, as the numbers grew, American s saw Vietnam as a quagmire. More Americans Oppose the War As the war dragged on, longer than WWII, Americans began to doubt whether the war could be won. Though most wanted to leave, should we ignore the sacrifices already made? Massive protests Kent State America Withdraws The Vietnam War destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson, and he decided not to run for a second term. Lyndon s successor, President Nixon, ended the war with North Vietnam at peace talks in Paris, January 1973. North Vietnam Wins the War After the Americans withdrew forces, the South tried to resist, but two years later, the North Vietnamese entered the capital Saigon, which would be renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Many South Vietnamese panicked at the departure of American forces, and some were able to transported to the U.S. on navy ships, but most were left behind, a tragic reminder.
Southeast Asia After the War After the fall of Vietnam to communists, the countries of Laos and Cambodia also fell under communist influence, but the dominoes stopped there, and other countries in Southeast Asia remained capitalistic. Tragedy in Cambodia During the Vietnam War, the U.S. bombed supply routes through Cambodia, and even invaded the country briefly, but this proved largely ineffective, and a local group of Cambodian communist guerrillas called the Khmer Rouge sprung up. By 1975, the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, had overthrown the government of Cambodia, and created a humanitarian disaster by killing over a third of it s own population, over a million people. Vietnam Under the Communists The new Vietnamese government was not sympathetic to those who supported the Americans or the South Vietnamese government (even by default) and many fled the country by boat. These boat people fled the country in the hundreds of thousands, landing in neighboring countries when allowed, and some made it to the U.S., though many drowned in overcrowded boats. Vietnam suffered for a long time, as a U.S. led embargo prevented many goods from entering the country, and poverty remained high for decades.
The End of the Cold War The Soviet Union Declines A Hollow Victory What did the Soviet Union really accomplish, even with victory in WWII and a eastern European sphere of influence? Reforms Give Way to Repression Though Stalinist pogroms were reduced under Khrushchev and Brezhnev, the Soviet Union was still more than willing to use military force to keep European countries under their thumb. The Command Economy Stagnates Though the Soviet Union was able to accomplish incredible things, their economy was not able to deliver to it s citizens the benefits of a creative society. Cracking Under the Burden of Military Commitments The massive military budgets of the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the cold war fueled conflict around the world and maintained large fleets of ships, submarines, aircraft, and nuclear weapons. Though the Soviets did not spend as much as the U.S. in absolute terms, the Soviet military budget consumed a much larger portion of their total budget, and because of this, the Soviet Union literally could not spend enough to match U.S. military spending, and attempting to do so broke the Soviet economy. Soviets Have Their Own Vietnam in Afghanistan In 1979 the Soviet Union became involved in an internal conflict between government and local warlords in Afghanistan. Soviet forces came in to support the government, but the warlords fought the redistribution of power. Also, religious fighters, or mujahedeen came to Afghanistan to fight to Soviets. Also, the CIA funded the anti-soviet forces, as well as gave them weapons and logistical support. This is also where the U.S. recruited and trained Osama Bin Laden to fight the Soviets, and where he started his terrorist organization. Gorbachev Tries Reform After Brezhnev, the Soviet Union went through a couple more old hard liners, but their time was ending. A new face of Soviet Politics had emerged, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev tried valiantly to save the economy with reforms called Perestroika, and by reducing tensions with the west with openness, or Glasnost. An Empire Crumbles While these reforms were needed, they also exposed the fundamental problems with the system, and the system fell apart. The Republics broke away and declared independence, and the government fell, bringing about a new Russian state.
Changes Transform Eastern Europe Demands for Freedom Increase Though Eastern European countries had opposed since Soviet occupation started at the end of WWII, with glasnost and perestroika these countries once again called for independence from Moscow. Hungary Quietly Reforms From 1968 on, Hungary used modest reforms to slowly transform the country. Because it remained loyal to the Warsaw Pact and communist rule, these reforms were allowed. By the last 1980 s, these changes transformed into open criticism of the government. This eventually led to increased freedoms and even an open border with Austria. Poland Embraces Solidarity Economic hardships in the 1980 s led to massive challenges to Soviet authority from Polish workers under the Solidarity labor union leader Lech Walesa. Though he was arrested, he became a national hero and eventually the government released him and Lech became a leader once again for political change. East Germans Demand Change The Soviet thumb had fallen hardest on East Germany, and one of the consequences was that many East Germans were more thoroughly indoctrinated into communism that their Soviet rulers. But there were also those who yearned for more freedom as they could see the television broadcasts and were aware of how much more prosperous and free people were in the west. When Hungary opened it s border with Austria, thousands of East Germans fled to the west. Thousands more demanded reform. Communist Governments Fall By 1989, Gorbachev declared he would not interfere with Eastern European reforms, and people in Eastern Europe called for national elections and democracy. One by one, communist governments fell, though democracy was not the panacea many thought it would be. Czechoslovakia Splits 1992, split into Czech Republic and Slovakia
Communist Declines Around the World China Builds on Deng s Reforms The fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European communities embracing democracy and market reforms, this affected the other communist nations of China, Cuba and North Korea. China s government changed slowly over time away from Mao s vision of communism. Though the government continued to be dominated by the communist party, the government began to allow for reforms under Deng Xiaoping, creating small enclaves of market activity, and reforming rules for farmers to allow them to sell their produce at market. Also, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control after the 99 year lease by the British government expired. The party moved quickly to establish control, but enacted few laws, hoping to take advantage of the massive Hong Kong markets. Vietnam and North Korea Differ Vietnam opened up to market reforms in the early 1990 s, and was welcomed by the U.S. and the west. North Korea on the other hand remained not only a one party state, but also a family dictatorship under Kim Jong Il, son of Kim Il-Sung. North Korea remains one of the worlds poorest countries though it boasts a massive military and now nuclear weapons. Cuba Declines Without support from the Soviet Union, Cuba declined, and many believed that once Fidel Castro died, communism would die as well.
United States as Sole Superpower America emerged as the winner of the cold war, with the most powerful economy and military in the world, the world s sole superpower. But what did this mean? Military budget increased Military interventions increased Military bases increased Expansion of NATO Should the U.S. be the world policeman? What is our role?