Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?Do Now: o Get into the groups from

yesterdayo Share your portion of the

organizer with your group.

Brinkmanship & MADAt the start of the Cold War, American presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson) practiced ‘Brinkmanship’ or the policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster

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Reduction in Arms•In 1969 Nixon began negotiations with USSR on SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty Agreement.) and Detente•SALT II was a second round of US/USSR talks (1972-1979), which sought to reduce manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Carter and Brezhnev sign the SALT II treaty.

Nixon and Brezhnev toast the SALT I treaty.

President Reagan

Iran-Contra Affair• Beginning in 1979, Nicaragua faced a revolution

between the “Sandinistas” and Contras.• Beginning in 1982, Hezbollah a terrorist organization

from Iran kidnapped several Americans living in Lebanon.

The Iran-Contra affair was a secret deal not approved of by the US Congress that began in 1985, when President Reagan supplied weapons to Iran— a US enemy— in hopes of securing the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah terrorists. At the same time, the US supplied the Contras who were radical guerrillas who became terrorists in Nicaragua.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan– The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support

the Afghan communist party. The US supported the anti-communist party.

– In 1989, the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan – The Soviet economy and those of its eastern and

central European satellites were in serious trouble after a long war/intervention in Afghanistan.

Gorbachev• With economic and political

reforms obviously needed, Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev initiated perestroika (the “restructuring” or decentralizing of the economy) and glasnost (an “opening” of the Soviet society to freedom of speech)

• Gorbachev’s reforms proved difficult to implement and led to conflicts within the USSR

Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989

Collapse of the USSR• Revolutions broke out

throughout eastern Europe as people overthrow communist dictators in places like Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania and countries such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia broke apart

• When the Berlin Wall came down East and West Germany united in 1990 The 1989 Romanian Revolution was a violent

overthrow of the communist regime.

Collapse of the Soviet Empire

• Beginning in August 1991, Soviet republics began declaring their independence from the USSR

• Also in August, a group of conspirators representing dissatisfied members of the Communist Party, the KGB, and the military attempted to seize power while Gorbachev was on vacation

• Gorbachev was replaced• By the end of 1991, the USSR

had ceased to exist

Who died????

The USSR Dissolves•On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev yielded as the president of the USSR, declaring the office extinct.

Rocky beats Ivan Drago.

“If I can change, you can change, everyone

can change!!”

Effect of the Cold War on the U.S.• The demise of the Soviet

Union left the US as the world’s sole superpower

• Without the danger of a superpower confrontation, the US was now more free to use its military power

• This was tested when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990

Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?Task:

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, protecting United States national interests was a major goal of US foreign policy. This goal led the United States to fight wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf (1990–1991). These wars had a significant impact on the United States and on other countries.

Write a paragraph detailing US involvement in the Persian Gulf War where you •Describe the historical circumstances that led to United States involvement in that war•Discuss the impact of the war on the United States and/or on another country or region

The 1st Gulf War

Background• Long-standing disputes between Iraq and Kuwait.

– Iraq argues Kuwait is an Iraqi province.• Iraq mobilized and prepared for invasion in

1961 immediately after Kuwait was granted independence by Britain.

– Iraq accuses Kuwait of overproduction of oil/theft of Iraqi oil.

•On Aug 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait

Operation Desert Storm• The objective of Desert

Storm was to liberate Kuwait, not to destroy the Iraqi army or remove Saddam

• Even though the coalition experienced amazing military success, Saddam remained in power

Legacy of Desert Storm• In 100 hours of

combat, American forces destroyed or captured more than 3,000 tanks, 1,400 armored carriers, and 2,200 artillery pieces

• Only about 140 soldiers died in direct combat

• Erased the “Vietnam Syndrome”

Success!!! The US can win a war again!Goodbye Vietnam….

Aim: How did the Persian Gulf War end the “Vietnam Syndrome”?Task:

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, protecting United States national interests was a major goal of US foreign policy. This goal led the United States to fight wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf (1990–1991). These wars had a significant impact on the United States and on other countries.

Write a paragraph detailing US involvement in the Persian Gulf War where you •Describe the historical circumstances that led to United States involvement in that war•Discuss the impact of the war on the United States and/or on another country or region