Cold War Conflicts Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis
Cold War Conflicts Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War Cyrprus.
Cold War Terminology A Proxy War is where two powers use third parties as a substitute for fighting each other directly. Balance of Power, as it relates to the Cold War, is where the Soviets and the Americans would continue adding to their nuclear armaments in order to offset the other. MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) was a Cold War military strategy where both sides would be destroyed if one attacked the other.
Troubles In Europe Because of the effects of WWII on continental Europe they became very dependent on foreign investment, primarily from the US. As was mentioned before, it took the massive influx of cash into the European economy via the Marshall Plan to save places like France and Italy from ‘turning red. ’
Rationale for War Why did the USSR and the United States decide to involve themselves in global conflicts during the Cold War that were not taking place in their own countries? Specifically: Korea Suez Crisis - Egypt Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam Cyprus
Soviet Perspective 1. According to Karl Marx, the communist society is the highest level of an evolved society, and eventually all countries would desire this type of government 2. They believed that capitalism oppressed the poor and working classes and was an unjust system that should be overthrown 3. They were extremely defensive and believed that the Americans were likely to attack them
American Perspective 1. They believed in containment (stopping the spread of communism) because they believed in the importance of democracy and free elections 2. They felt threatened by the communist ideology and its rejection of organized religion. Saw it as “godless” 3. American society is based on the idea of a free market, pursuit of profit, and the ability to get rich. This went against communism 4. They believed that communist leaders oppressed their citizens
Lives of Others The reality was that life under the communist regimes in the Cold War was not a utopia, but rather were incredibly oppressive societies where individuals had very little freedom. Watch the scenes from the movie the Lives of Others and think about what it would have been like to live under a totalitarian dictator. Opening scene Surveillance
The Controversy When examining each Cold War conflict, the question you need to ask yourself is: Did the Soviets and Americans involve themselves in the conflict for their own selfish (ex. Pursuit of resources) OR Did they involve themselves in order to better the lives of the people they were trying to help How cynical are you…
Chairman Mao: 1945 -1976
China: The New Communist Front America had backed the Kuomintang regime in China since before the war. In 1949 Mao Zedong led his revolutionary against the Chinese regime and beat them in a bloody Civil War. He created the People’s republic of China which immediately allied with the Soviets.
Mao Zedong There were three main causes that led to the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The three causes were the Great Leap Forward, the Great Chinese Famine, and the Four Clean-Ups Movement. The Great Leap Forward was a five year social plan that was used to transform China’s economy from an agricultural one into a more modern and industrialized economy to keep up with the West The Great Famine- Peasants were ordered to make steel and using all of their resources to do so. The massive effort to produce for steal resulted in decreased crop production, which led to famine, and effectively no usable steel. Mao effectively led China into a famine and an estimated death toll of 20 to 30 million, resulting in an ultimate failure. Four Clean ups Movement- The goal of the movement was to cleanse the politics, economy, organization, and ideology of China, and it was to last until 1966. This resulted in many executions of political oponents
Research Time!
Hero or Tyrant? A controversial figure, Mao is regarded as one of the most important individuals in modern world history. [Supporters credit him with driving imperialism out of China, modernising China and building it into a world power, promoting the status of women, improving education and health care, and increasing life expectancy as China's population grew from around 550 to over 900 million during the period of his leadership. In contrast, critics consider him a dictator who severely damaged traditional Chinese culture, perpetrated systematic human rights abuses, and who is responsible for an estimated 40 to 70 million deaths through starvation, forced labour, and executions, ranking his tenure as the top incidence of democide in human history *Democide- "the murder of any person or people by their government, including genocide, politicide and mass murder. "
RESEARCH (1) Korean war (2) Suez Canal Crisis (3) Cuban Missle Crisis (4) Vietnam War (5) Avro Arrow (Bomarc Missle)
How you will be marked Pictures and Map Creativity/Neatness/ Names! /5 marks /10 marks TOTAL /30 marks All worksheet information included Summary of Canada’s involvement Class Presentation *Remember* Time is limited so each group member should have an assigned job.
Korean War
The Korean Conflict: 1950 -53 In 1950, North Korea (Communist) invades South Korean (Capitalist). The UN forces, mainly Americans, go to Korea to fight on the side of the South Koreans Soviet and Chinese forces support the North. For three years, the fighting goes back and forth, however neither side is able to gain an upper hand. The fighting ends in a ceasefire with neither side gaining ground and the country remains divided today.
The Korean Conflict WWII left Korea divided, the north was communist and the south was a fragile democracy. 1950: War broke out as North Korea tried to invade South Korea. A UN force tried to force the invaders to retreat. Canada offered 3 naval destroyers to the UN force. By the end of the Korean war, about 25 000 Canadians saw action in the conflict. 312 Canadians were killed Lester Pearson, Canada’s Minister of External Affairs urged all sides to agree to a ceasefire. It was reached in 1953.
Canada’s Role 25, 000 Canadian troops saw action as part of the UN forces Was one of Canada’s most popular wars ever fought – people were affected by the mood and paranoia of communism in the early 1950’s Our foreign policy was transformed, because instead of being connected to Britain as a military, we were now connected to the United States as our main ally. The war sparked an increase in military funding – was 6 times higher in 1953 than it had been in 1947
North & South Korea had been split into two halves much the same way Germany had been after the war. Japan gave the top half to the Soviets and the bottom to the Americans. In 1950 the Soviets backed the southern invasion by the north. China later joined in 1951. South Korea was under prepared and the Americans came to help out. Soon Canada and the UN arrived. Canada sent over 26, 000 troops to Korea. The conflict ended in 1953 with borders at the same place. A DMZ zone was created to ease tensions.
Significance of the War The first war fought under the United Nations flag Showed that the United Nations was willing to take action against aggressors – unlike the League of Nations which had been very weak The atomic bomb was very close to being used against North Korea and the Chinese Between 2. 5 and 3. 5 million people were killed in a war where no territory was gained for either side US dropped 50 million tonnes of bombs on Korea as well as Napalm Korea remains divided today with very little hope of reunification
Suez Canal Crisis Oct 1956
Suez Crisis - 1956
Suez Canal Crisis The Suez Canal is located in Egypt, and provides access from Europe to the Middle East – and oil For many years it was privately owned by Britain and France until 1956, when Egypt’s President, Gamal Nasser, took over the canal. Israel invaded and Britain and France supported the invasion after making a secret deal with Israel Soviet Union supported Egypt, while the Americans demanded that Britain and France withdraw their troops. Lester Pearson, a Canadian in the UN proposed a United Nations Emergency Force be sent to the region. Pearson did not support the actions of Britain and France, but wasn’t going to take a stand against their oldest allies.
Lester Pearson The UN agreed and the Emergency force went to the Suez region to separate and mediate between the two rivals. “We need action not only to end the fighting, but to make peace. ” Pearson This was the first use of official peacekeepers in world history, and Canadians are credited with this idea Pearson wins the Nobel peace prize, he would eventually become the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 -1968
Lester Pearson Greatest Canadian video clip: Lester Pearson (0 -10 minutes) How did Lester Pearson help Canadians to develop an independent and autonomous identity from Britain?
Canadians as Peacekeepers Canadians have been involved in many peacekeeping missions including: Suez Crisis - 1956 Congo – 1960 to present Cyprus - 1964 Former Yugoslavia – 1992 Rwanda – 1993 • This proved to be one of the most challenging peacekeeping missions – considered a disaster as peacekeepers were forced to watch as genocide took place • Romeo Dallaire was the Major. General in charge of this operation
The Peacekeepers (0 -7: 30) 1. What are some of the challenges peacekeepers face on their missions? 2. Would you volunteer to work as a peacekeeper?
Cuban Missile Crisis Oct 1962
The position of Cuba
The Cuban Missile Crisis Until 1959 Cuba had been an American colony. Castro and Che Guevara overthrew the Americans and made the country communist as it remains today. The Cubans received funding from the Soviets and in exchange the Cubans allowed the USSR to plant nuclear missiles on the island. The US demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles but they originally refused. As the threat of nuclear war grew increasingly close the Soviets offered to remove the missiles in exchange for America leaving Cuba alone and taking like missiles out of Turkey.
Détente/ The Thaw By 1970 the cost of building arms was spiralling out of control and both countries stopped building up their armaments as much. As other countries around the world had finished recovering from WWII they began stepping outside the US/Soviet spheres of influence. The war re-heated up with Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets backed the communist government in power while the US provided materials, guns and aid to the insurgents so that they could continue the war. The War ended 9 years later with the Soviets being kicked out of Afghanistan after losing 100, 000 troops and their puppet government failing.
End Of The Cold War By the end of the Cold War the Soviets were starving their own people to keep up their military and armaments. Mikhail Gorbachev, who had taken control of the USSR, decided to make peace with the US (George Bush Sr. ) and the Cold War officially ended in 1989. Following the peace, the Soviet empire would collapse both politically, economically and socially. That November the Berlin Wall (Built 1961) which had split Germany in two was torn down by the citizens of East Germany.
The Fog Of War Now we are going to watch part of The Fog of War. As we watch the movie I would like you to think about the value of empathy and after you will write a brief (1 -2 paragraphs) reflection on how Mc. Namara’s empathy could have helped to disarm the Cold War early on saving a risky and costly arms race. This particular chapter is great for widening the views on an otherwise polarized war.
Why were Cuba and USA at odds with each other? Because in 1959, Cuban rebels under the leadership of Fidel Castro overthrow Cuba’s pro-U. S leader in a revolution. The US reacted angrily by imposing trade and economic sanctions on Cuba.
Who did Cuba turn to for support? USSR
What did planes flying over Cuba take pictures of ? Why was this significant Because US took photos of showing that the USSR was installing nuclear missile（base in Cuba. Missiles launched from these sites were a direct threat to US security.
The Cuban Missile Crisis These missiles were a direct threat to the US. President Kennedy announced a naval and air blockade of Cuba. The US demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles but they originally refused. As the threat of nuclear war grew increasingly close, the Soviets offered to remove the missiles in exchange for America leaving Cuba alone and taking like missiles out of Turkey.
How did the USA respond ? USA President Kennedy announced a naval and air blockade of Cuba. USA forces and NORAD were constantly in the air.
How did the Soviets respond ？ Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at first refused to remove the missiles. The armed forces of the USSR were put on full alert. Soviet ship steamed towards the US ships that were blockading the island.
How did the crisis end ? At last, Khrushchev agree to dismantle the missile vases in exchange for a promise that the US would not invade Cuba.
What was the significance of this event for Canada ？ The Prime Minister Diefenbaker, Diefenbaker refused to place Canada’s NORAD forces on alert. Nor did it allow us planes with atomic weapons to land at Canadian bases. The Americans were furious. Eventually, Diefenbaker did put Canadian troops on alert, but damage to Canada-US relations had already been done. The Cuban missile crisis caused a debate about Canada defense policy and the country’s stand on nuclear weapons.
SUM UP ! ………… The US announced that it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the Soviets dismantle the missile bases already under construction or completed in Cuba and remove all offensive weapons.
The Cuban Missile Crisis In 1959, Cuban rebels (under the leadership of Fidel Castro) overthrew Cuba’s pro-US leader in a revolution. The US was angry, they imposed trade and economic sanctions on Cuba. 1961: US backed an invasion of the island by a group of anti-Castro Cubans. The invasion was a failure. (Bay of Pigs) This invasion encouraged Cuba to turn to the USSR for support. They received funding from the Soviets, and in exchange the Cubans allowed the USSR to plant nuclear missiles on the island.
The Nuclear issue in Canada Many people were beginning to realize that nuclear war amounted to global suicide. Many thought that Canada should be a non-nuclear nation, while others thought that nuclear weapons were essential in protecting Canada from communist aggression.
Assassination of Kennedy (Nov 22) 1963 • Why did the assassination have such an impact on the world? • Its because the coverage of the assassination was constantly on television sets around the world • Pushing the boundaries of media and journalism
Vietnam War 1957 -1975
The Vietnam War Like Korea, Vietnam was divided into two: North: communist controlled South: dictatorship/democracy The Americans supported the South, and wanted to prevent them from falling to communism. At first, the US sent military advice and economic help, but by the 1960 s they were sending troops.
Vietnam War By 1966, there was a growing 190 000 US soldiers in Vietnam. USSR and China were supplying weapons to North Vietnam. Anti-war protests were being held all over the US, and despite their superior weapons, the US troops were unable to win the war.
Vietnam War In 1969, the new US President Richard Nixon took office, pledging that he would pull US troops out of Vietnam. US forces left South Vietnam in 1973. Less than two years later, Northern Vietnam took over the South. Vietnam was unified under communist rule. Many anti-communist Vietnamese fled their country, to Malaysia, Hong-Kong, and many came to Canada.
Battle In The ‘Nam’ In 1953 Eisenhower replaced Truman (US Pres. ) and Khrushchev replaced the recently deceased Stalin. As the Korean War wound down Vietnam began heating up. War between North and South Vietnam broke out in 1956 originally with the French. The Americans came in to help and Vietnam became the second major proxy war in the Cold War era.
Battle In The ‘Nam’ Continued The Americans were attempting to help the south withstand guerrilla attacks by the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam. The US enacted a conscription policy and as a result 90, 000 people fled to Canada who became known as Draft Dodgers. By now it was apparent that the US was staying involved in these national conflicts in order to protect governments against the threat of communism. The South impressively drove away the American forces by 1975. This was a huge embarrassment to the American government.
Vietnam Today
Cyprus 1964 -1993
Cyprus
What happened? 1964 Civil war break out on the island nation Power Struggle between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Made more complicated with the Soviet/American tensions Canadian troops stationed there from 1964 -1993
Canada’s role Canadian troops sent and remain until 1993 -600 million spent on operation -30 Canadians died Successful? Except for a coup d'etat in 1974, the peacekeeping force in Cyprus has been mostly successful in keeping the peace, but largely unsuccessful in reconciling the combatants.
The End
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