nature of the cold war do now: turn in political cartoon assignment kahoot review
TRANSCRIPT
Arms Race – decision by US to drop atomic bombs triggered the arms race
Both sides gained possession of A- Bomb by 1949 USA developed H – Bomb in 1952, USSR 1953 1957 USSR launched Sputnik (first satellite) &
developed long range inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – ’58 US
‘58 US claimed there was a missile gap and must rapidly buildup its stock of ICBMs
Eisenhower & Kennedy knew this to be untrue USA’s U-2 spy planes revealed real level of Soviet
nuclear weaponry
Arms Race cont.
1960 – US announced possession of submarine-launched ballistic missiles SLBMs …1968 the Soviets
Soviets not able to keep to as many nuclear submarines at sea because it lacked naval bases around the world
Anti-ballistic missile system (ABM) – ’68 the Soviets created system with US following suit in ‘ 72
Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry (MIRVs) – missiles with multiple warheads, each being able to be directed to a different target – ’72 US & ‘75 Soviets
Arms Race Cont. 1963 – A hotline was set up to facilitate
direct communication between the Kremlin and President
1980s US spurred on nuclear arms developing the stealth bomber, neutron bomb, and ‘first strike’ missiles
Soviet economy would not be able to withstand the costs of trying to match new nuclear technology
Space Race Mainly linked to military developments
(rockets & nuclear warheads) Scientific rivalry – each side was
determined to show that its social and economic system was superior
1957 – sputnik 1961 – Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth 1969 – US lands on the moon
What is the United Nations?
- an international organization designed to make the enforcement of international law, security, human rights, economic and social progress easier for countries around the world
- 192 member countries- headquarters in New York City
United Nations Had been agreed in the Atlantic Charter
Set up to replace the League of Nations
Allies would co-operate with each other to achieve stability, peace, and security
The UN Charter gave permanent seats on its Security Council to US, USSR, Britain, China, & France
Each member of Security Council could veto decisions
In event of veto, matter would be passed to General Assembly
Organization of the UN
- Purposes of the UN:- maintaining international peace and security
- developing friendly international relations among world nations
- solving international problems of any nature (economic, cultural, social, humanitarian…)
Organization of the UN
- principal organs of the UN:- the General Assembly
- the Secretariat
- the Security Council
- the International Court of Justice
- the Economic and Social Council
- the Trusteeship Council
The General Assembly
- main function: assessing member countries and deciding on the budget
- the only organ where every member state is represented
- consists of committees- convenes annually in September,
special sessions can also be held
The Security Council
- UN’s most powerful organ
- deals with threats to international peace and security
- has 15 members, 5 of which are permanent: the USA, China, Russia, Britain and France
- permanent members have veto power when the Council decides on important issues
The Secretariat
- includes the Secretary General and the Secretariat staff
- primarily has an administrative function
- the Secretary General holds office for five years per term
The ICJ- the principal judicial organ of the UN
- based in the Hague, Netherlands
- consists of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and Security Council
- applies international law
- not bound by precedents
- no appeals can be made by parties to its judgment
Realpolitik
Refers to politics and foreign diplomacy based on realities, strategic, or material needs
Rather on principles, ideology or morals
Tends to be goal oriented
Example ~ Richard Nixon in the 1970s working with the People’s Republic of China (communist country) going against the US policy of containment
The Riga Axioms (1920 – 1933)
Name given to views and policies of the US diplomatic experts
For a full generation American gov’t and diplomats over seas (1920s – 1930s) believed that Russia was committed to Marxist – Leninist ideology
In short a revolutionary state committed to unrelenting ideological warfare in its drive for world mastery
Believed that the west could never coexist with any success
Who is to blame for the Cold War?
Orthodox View Cold War resulted
from Soviet ideology based on Marxism – Leninism
Soviet Union was an expansionist state with ambitions of reaching beyond E. Europe
Revisionist View
1950s USA was to blame for the Cold War
Historian W.A. Williams argued 1945 Soviet Union was to weak in economic and human terms to pose any global expansionist threat
Stalin had concentrated on internal political and economic policies