Early Cold War1945-1968

The Cold War EmergesWHAT was the Cold War?

Competition for world influence

Colored politics for 40+ years after World War II

Divided the world into the Eastern Bloc & Western Bloc

WHY was the Cold War?

U.S. & Soviet Union emerged as “super powers”

U.S.-U.S.S.R. aims clashed at the Yalta Conference over:

Status of post-war Germany

Fate of Soviet-occupied territories

HOW was the Cold War waged? Military build-up

Post-WWII, U.S. held an atomic monopoly, continued nuclear testing, & targeted Russian cities

Soviets had the largest army in the world, occupied Eastern Europe, & developed atomic weapons

The policy of deterrence led to an escalating arms race & Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

HOW was the Cold War waged? Containment policies sought to end the spread of communism

Truman Doctrine aided nations fighting communist aggression

Marshall Plan provided aid to war-torn Europe

Brinkmanship as a policy meant meeting threats with a willingness to go to war (at least in theory)

HOW was the Cold War waged? Early conflicts

Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) – Allied nations defied Soviet blockade of East Germany

U.S. provided aid to Greece & Turkey to assist in containment

Alliance systems were built around Cold War lines

NATO – U.S., Canada, and most of Western Europe

Warsaw Pact – Soviet Union & its satellites

OAS – U.S. and Latin American allies work to create a “”security zone”

The Iron Curtain

Churchill used the term Iron Curtain to describe the divisions between Communist and capitalist nations in Europe.

The Second Red Scare Truman created a federal employee Loyalty Program in 1947.

The National Security Act created the National Security Council and the CIA

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated suspected communists in the U.S., including those in Hollywood. Studios compiled a blacklist of those with “Communist leanings.”

Alger Hiss and Julius & Ethel Rosenberg spy cases reinforced fears that Soviet spies were stealing secrets.

The threat of nuclear war led to Civil Defense initiatives like “Duck and Cover”

The Chinese Civil War Mao Zedong won support for the Communists by

improving land distribution, schooling & healthcare.

Jiang Jieshi’s Nationalist Party lost support because of harsh treatment, high taxes, & corruption.

When the Communists took power in 1949, the Nationalists fled to Taiwan.

The Korean Conflict In June 1950, the Korean War broke out when

North Korean troops invaded South Korea.

The United Nations sent forces to defend South Korea and restore peace.

General MacArthur pushed north, but a stalemate developed after China intervened.

A truce signed in 1953 left Korea again divided near the 38th parallel.

The McCarthy Era Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a

list of 250 Communist government employees.

Few were willing to speak out against him.

In early 1954, McCarthy’s crusade turned on the army.

The Army hearings on TV turned McCarthy’s supporters against him.

The Arms Race Takes to the Skies To carry bombs to their targets, the Soviet Union

developed long-range rockets (ICBMs).

In 1957, one of these was used to launch Sputnik, the 1st artificial satellite to orbit Earth.

The U-2 incident prompted a desire to match—and surpass—Soviet weapons technology.

The massive expenditures for weapons technology & arms dealers’ access to the U.S. government led President Eisenhower to warn about the influence of the “military-industrial complex.”

The Cold War in the Middle East The Baghdad Pact (1955) was signed in response to U.S. pressure

1958 – Iraq withdrew & began negotiations with the Soviet Union

American actions in the Suez Crisis revealed the complex nature of Cold War politics & led to the issuance of the Eisenhower Doctrine

The Space Program Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite (1957) inspired the U.S. to work toward

placing a manned spacecraft in orbit.

April 1961 – Soviet Yuri Gagarin became the 1st human in space.

Funding for NASA was increased & American astronauts made initial space flights in 1961 & 1962.

July 20, 1969 – American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the 1st to walk on the moon.

Cold War Under JFKBay of Pigs Invasion

When Fidel Castro took over Cuba in 1959 & developed ties to the Soviet Union, the CIA trained a group of Cubans to invade Cuba.

JFK approved the resulting April 17, 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, a military & diplomatic disaster. The U.S. lost credibility.

Berlin Wall

The Soviets built the Berlin Wall to separate the Communist and non-Communist sections of Berlin in August 1961.

The Cuban Missile Crisis October 16, 1962 – American spy plane photos showed construction of

Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the superpowers to the brink of nuclear war.

JFK authorized a naval “quarantine” around Cuba.

In the end, Khruschev agreed to remove missiles from Cuba. The U.S. agreed to end the quarantine, stay out of Cuba, & remove missiles from Turkey.

In addition, the U.S. & Soviet Union signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963) banning nuclear testing above the ground.

Background of the War Domino theory – If one country fell, others would follow

1954 – Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into:

Communist North (Ho Chi Minh)

Anti-Communist South Vietnam (Ngo Dinh Diem)

November 1963 – Military leaders seized control of South Vietnam & assassinated Diem

Viet Cong, communist guerrillas, made gains

Intensifying the War Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) granted the President broad powers

After 1964, LBJ began a gradual escalation of the war

1965 – 25,000 U.S. soldiers --> 1968 – 536,000

Split public opinion:

Hawks vs. Doves

Battlefield ConditionsAmerican Troops

Superior weapons

Unprepared for heat, terrain, or guerrilla tactics

Lacked support

Viet Cong Troops

Fought as guerrillas

“Home field advantage”

Built & hid in underground tunnels

Weaponry Land Mines

Saturation Bombing

Fragmentation Bombs

Agent Orange

Napalm

The Ho Chi Minh TrailTroops & supplies entered South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which passed through Laos & Cambodia

The Tet Offensive: A Turning Point VC & North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive (January-September 1968)

Both sides were guilty of brutal atrocities:

My Lai – U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds of civilians

Major psychological victory/turning point for the Viet Cong

Youth Reactions to the War Teach-ins became a popular means of expressing antiwar sentiment

Draft resistance rose – Conscientious objectors opposed fighting on moral or religious grounds

At first, college students could receive a deferment – eliminated in response to complaints that they were unfair

The Election of 1968 Support for war decreased & Johnson chose not to

run for reelection

Candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated before the convention

1968 Democratic Convention – police attack on protesters televised

VP Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination

Republican Richard Nixon won the election in a close race