The Cold War Cold War Europe The Rise

The Cold War

Cold War Europe

The Rise of the Superpowers w Before WWII there were a number of countries who could have claimed to be superpowers— United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Japan, Germany w The damage caused by the war to many of these countries left only two with the military strength and resources to be called superpowers—United States and USSR

What They Believed w They had allied themselves against Fascism… Now the common enemy was defeated and the reason for cooperation gone

United Nations w Dumbarton Oaks 1944 the basis for an international organization is proposed w San Francisco 1945 --50 countries sign charter creating UN w Military power, unlike League of Nations w Permanent Council members with veto power— US, Russia [USSR originally], France, Great Britain, China

Yalta w Feb 1945 w Big Three – FDR – Churchill – Stalin w Agreement to govern Germany jointly – Allied Control Council

Iron Curtain Speech “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. " w 1946 w Fulton, Missouri w Statement clearly describing existing situation

Truman Doctrine w March 12, 1947 w Greece and Turkey in danger of falling to communist insurgents w Truman requested $400 million from Congress in aid to both countries. w Successful effort w End of Isolationist era w Containment by force if necessary but mainly by making the neighbors of Communism economically strong

Marshall Plan w European Recovery Program w On June 5, U. S. Secretary of State George Marshall – proposes a massive aid program to rebuild Europe from the ravages of World War II. w Nearly $13 billion in U. S. aid was sent to Europe from 1948 to 1952. – – The Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe decline U. S. aid, citing "dollar enslavement. " The U. S. should provide aid to all European nations that need it. This move is not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.

Two Views of the Marshall Plan United States w Congress opposed plan until Czechoslovakia fell w US sent goods manufactured in the States which could help to prevent another depression in the US Soviet Union w Stalin forbade Eastern bloc countries from receiving aid w Anti-Communist w Feared it would weaken Soviet hold over the Eastern bloc

Communist Takeover in Czechoslovakia w February 1948 w Key members of Czech government die mysteriously w Pro-western President forced to resign, new constitution ratified – Complete takeover by Czech communists

Berlin Airlift w Blockade of Berlin began on June 24, 1948 w For 321 days from June 1948 to May 1949, U. S. and British planes airlift 1. 5 million tons of supplies to the residents of West Berlin. w After 200, 000 flights, the Soviet Union lifts the blockade in 1949.

Berlin Airlift w The airlift marked a rise in tensions between the West and the Soviets, but it also helped heal divisions left by World War II. w Almost immediately, The United States, Great Britain, and France shifted from Germany's conquerors to its protectors. w Allied cooperation paved way formation of new military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO w Soviets formed their own alliance called Warsaw Pact in 1955

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact w North Atlantic Treaty Organization— 1949 w Members agree that an attack on one of them is an attack against all w Warsaw Pact— 1955 w Response to military buildup in West Germany and perceived threat by NATO powers

COMECON w Soviet response to Marshall plan w Council for Mutual Economic Assistance w Established 1949

1949 – Fall of China w In June, Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai Shek) defeated by Mao – Fled to island of Taiwan – With his Nationalist (Kuomintang) forces w Oct 1, Mao proclaims People’s Republic of China (PRC) w Two months later, Mao travels to Moscow, – negotiates the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance.

Korean War, 1950 -1953 w On June 25, North Korean communist forces cross the 38 th parallel and invade South Korea. w On June 27, Truman orders U. S. forces to assist the South Koreans w The U. N. Security Council condemns the invasion and created a 15 -nation fighting force. w Chinese troops enter the conflict by year's end. w Cease fire eventually brings war to close by 1953

Demilitarized Zone [DMZ]

Vietnam becomes a Cold War limited war w After a long siege, Vietnamese communists under Ho Chi Minh defeat French colonial forces at Dien Bien Phu on May 7. w In July, the Geneva Accords divide the country at the 17 th parallel, creating a North and South Vietnam. w The United States assumes the chief responsibility of providing anti-communist aid to South Vietnam.

1956 - Khrushchev's 'secret speech' w In a speech, February 14, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounces the policies of Stalin. w He rejects the Leninist idea of the inevitability of war and calls for a doctrine of "peaceful coexistence" between capitalist and communist systems. 1959 Kitchen debate

The Arms Race: A “Missile Gap? ” Ø The Soviet Union exploded its first Abomb in 1949. Ø Now there were two nuclear superpowers!

Sputnik I (1957) The Russians have beaten America in space —they have the technological edge!

Sputnik w On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth. w What were the Cold War implications of this event? w In 1958, the U. S. creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the space race is in full gear.

1959 - Castro takes power w January 1, 1959 leftist forces under Fidel Castro overthrows Batista w Castro nationalizes the sugar industry and signs trade agreements with the Soviet Union. w The next year, Castro seizes U. S. assets on the island.

1960 - The U-2 Affair w On May 1, an American high -altitude U-2 spy plane is shot down on a mission over the Soviet Union. w After the Soviets announce the capture of pilot Francis Gary Powers, the United States recants earlier assertions that the plane was on a weather research mission.

The U-2 Affair • Suffering major embarrassment, Eisenhower was forced to admit the truth behind the mission and the U 2 program, although he refused to publicly apologize to Khrushchev. • This refusal caused the Paris Summit to collapse when Khrushchev stormed out of negotiations. w Powers was sentenced to ten years in prison, including seven years of hard labor, following an infamous show-trial. w He served less than two years, however, and was released in 1962 in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.

Paris, 1961 Khrushchev & JFK meet to discuss Berlin and nuclear proliferation. Khrushchev thinks that JFK is young, inexperienced, and can be rolled.

Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961)

1961 - Bay of Pigs w U. S. -organized invasion force of 1, 400 Cuban exiles is defeated by Castro's government forces on Cuba's south coast at the Bay of Pigs. w Launched from Guatemala in ships and planes provided by the United States, the invaders surrender on April 20 after three days of fighting. w Kennedy takes full responsibility for the disaster. Captured Cuban exiles

Khrushchev Embraces Castro, 1961

The Berlin Wall Goes Up (1961) Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin Wall 1961 -1989 w On August 12 communist authorities begin to construct wall to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin w 2 million escape to West Berlin 19491961 w “Brain Drain”

JFK in Berlin http: //www. npr. org/templates/story. php? story. Id=5359589

1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis w After Bay of Pigs invasion, the Soviet Union began to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. w After U-2 flights revealed the construction, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba on October 22 until the Soviet Union removed its missiles. w On October 28, the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles, defusing one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War. w The U. S. secretly agreed to remove U. S. missiles from Turkey.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

1964 - Gulf of Tonkin Resolution w North Vietnamese patrol boats fired on the USS Mattox in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2. w On August 7, the U. S. Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Johnson authority respond. He responded with bombing North Vietnam.

1968 - Tet Offensive w Viet Cong guerrillas and North Vietnamese Army troops launched attacks across South Vietnam on January 30, the start of the lunar new year Tet. w In Saigon, guerrillas battle Marines at the U. S. Embassy. w In March, Johnson orders a halt to the U. S. bombing of North Vietnam and offers peace talks.

1968 - Prague Spring w On January 5, reformer Alexander Dubcek came to power as general secretary of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia, pledging reforms and democratization w The Prague Spring movement swept across the country. w Soviet and Warsaw Pact leaders sent 650, 000 troops in August. w Dubcek arrested and hardliners restored to power.

1969 - Vietnamization w 1968, Richard Nixon elected President, defeating Hubert Humphrey w On June 8, 1969 U. S. President Nixon announced his "Vietnamization" plan, designed to withdraw U. S ground forces from Vietnam and turn control of the war over to South Vietnamese forces.

1969 -- SALT w On November 17, the 1 st phase of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks began in Helsinki, Finland. w The finished agreement, signed in Moscow on May 26, 1972, placed limits on both submarinelaunched and intercontinental nuclear missiles.

1972 –Nixon visits China w Nixon becomes the first U. S. president to visit China, meeting with Mao Zedong on February 21. w The two countries issue a communiqué recognizing their "essential differences" while making it clear that "normalization of relations" was in all nations' best interests. w This changes the balance of power with the Soviets.

1973 - Vietnam War agreement (Paris Accords) w January 27, 1973, the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong sign the Paris Peace Treaty, establishing a cease-fire. Henry Kissinger was the U. S. negotiator w The United States is allowed to continue providing aid to South Vietnam. w Saigon falls in April 1975.

1975 - Cambodia “The Killing Fields” w Communist Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia, April 16 1975. w Cambodia's educated and urban population forced into the countryside as part of a state experiment in agrarian communism. w Under the regime of Pol Pot, as many as 3 million Cambodians died from 1975 - 1979.

1979 - Afghanistan w December 25, 100, 000 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan as communist Babrak Karmal seized control of the government. w U. S. -backed Muslim guerrilla fighters waged a costly war against the Soviets for nearly a decade before Soviet troops withdraw in 1988. w Afghanistan—the Soviet “Vietnam”

1980 - Solidarity w On August 14, Lech Walesa led massive strikes at the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk, Poland. w The strikes soon spread to other cities and formed the nucleus of the Solidarity movement. w The communist government conceded to worker demands on August 31, and recognized their right to form unions and strike.

1983 - Star Wars w March 23, Reagan outlined his Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars, " a space-based defensive shield that would use lasers and other advanced technology to destroy attacking missiles far above the Earth's surface. w Soviets accuse the U. S of violating the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. w Soviets forced to spend heavily to match the program causing near economic collapse.

1985 - Gorbachev comes to power w On March 11, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union. w Gorbachev ushered in an era of reform. – perestroika • Economic reform- restructuring – glasnost • means openness, allowed greater free expression and criticism of Soviet policies

1989 - Berlin Wall falls w Gorbachev renounced the Brezhnev Doctrine, which pledged to use Soviet force to protect its interests in Eastern Europe. w On September 10, Hungary opened its border with Austria, allowing East Germans to flee to the West.

Fall of Berlin Wall

1990 – German reunification w At a September 12 meeting in Moscow, the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and the two Germanys agreed to end Allied occupation rights in Germany. w On October 3, East and West Germany united as the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Soviets Disintegrate w Three Baltic states announce their exit from the U. S. S. R. w Gorbachev does not use force to keep them in the nation. w CIS Confederation of Independent States tries to keep the U. S. S. R. together. w Ultimately, all former republics announce their independence.

U. S. – Soviet Leaders w Truman [April 19451953] w Eisenhower [1953 -1961 w Kennedy [1961 -1963] w Johnson [1963 -1969] w Nixon [1969 -1974] w Ford [1974 -1977] w Carter [1977 -1981] w w Lenin [1917 -1923] Stalin [1924 -1953] Khrushchev [1953 -1964] Brezhnev [ 1964 -1982] w Gorbachev [1985 -1991] w Yeltsin [1991 -1999] of Russia w Putin [2000 -2008]