The Cold War

What is it? When was it?

Cold War = a period of confrontation and competition between the US and the Soviet Union

– Roughly 1945 to 1989 (some historians do ‘46-90, or ‘50-90)

– From the end of WWII until the collapse of the Soviet Union

– Democracy v. Communism

Cold War

• The term “Cold War” was first used by Walter Lippmann, a newspaper columnist. He used it to refer to a state of war that did not involve actual bloodshed, but an icy rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.– Did “heat up” with Korea & Vietnam Wars &

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cold War [1945-1991]: An Ideological Struggle

Soviet & Eastern Bloc

Nations[“Iron

Curtain”]

US & the Western

Democracies

GOAL spread world-wide Communism

GOAL “Containment” of Communism & the eventual collapse of the Communist world.[George Kennan]

METHODOLOGIES:1. Espionage [KGB vs. CIA]

2. Arms Race [nuclear escalation]

3. Ideological Competition for the minds and hearts of Third World peoples [Communist govt. & command economy vs. democratic govt. & capitalist economy] “proxy wars”

4. Bi-Polarization of Europe [NATO vs. Warsaw Pact]

1. Following World War II, Soviet forces occupied much of Eastern and

Central Europe and East Germany.

• We wanted a “Soviet Buffer”• Creation of Conflict/ Tension: different

interests = Economic vs. Security, Democracy vs. Communism

• Yalta Conference: Poland, Declaration of Liberated Europe, Divided Germany

We had been allies with Russia in WWII.

2. Following World War II, Germany was divided as follows:

-West Germany was occupied by United States, Britain, and France until the adoption of a democratic government, when it became independent again.

-East Germany was dominated by the Soviet Union.

• Occupation intended to be temporary, but Soviets saw it as permanent.

The Division of Berlin

Berlin Wall

(Continued)

-Berlin was occupied by all four powers. The Berlin Airlift brought supplies to Berlin when the Soviets blockaded routes from West Germany to West Berlin.

• Operation Vittles

3. Following its defeat, Japan was occupied by the United States until

the adoption of a democratic government & it became a strong ally

of the US.

• The US poured millions of aid into Japan.

4. In an attempt to prevent the spread of communism, the Marshall Plan provided assistance to European countries destroyed by the war.

• Marshall Plan = Loan money to war-torn countries in Europe, so they’re loyal to us (& stay democratic).

• Truman Doctrine = Contain communism. Will go to war if a country is threatened by communists.

The Marshall

Plan

5. The United Nations was formed near the end of World War II. Its purpose was to prevent future wars.

6. The Cold War was an economic and political power struggle from 1945 to 1989

between the democratic ideals of the United States and the communist government of the

Soviet Union.

• It was “the” political issue for the next 45 years. It decided foreign & domestic issues/ decisions.

National Defense Budget [1940-1964]

Causes of the Cold War• mistrust between the 2 superpowers – the

U.S. and the Soviet Union• Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe after

WWII• Iron Curtain – shutting Soviet-controlled

nations off from the rest of the world• American policy of containment (keep

communism from spreading)• NATO• Warsaw Pact

Mistrust between US & USSR

The Bipolarization of Europe

7. The Truman Doctrine was a United States pledge to resist the spread of communism worldwide.

• “Containment of communism” was a guiding principle of American foreign policy throughout the Cold War.

8. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed to provide a defensive alliance to

protect Western Europe against an invasion by the Soviet Union.

• Western Allies

9. The Warsaw Pact, an alliance of Soviet and East European countries,

was a response to NATO.

• All the communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe were members except Yugoslavia.

• Mutual noninterference, Attack One = Attack All• It was officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague on

July 1, 1991.

10. In 1949, the communists took over China. America feared the

spread of communism.• Rather than strong allies, however, the

communist nations of China and the Soviet Union eventually became rivals for territory and diplomatic influence, a split which American foreign policy under President Nixon in the 1970s exploited.

Nixon meeting Mao

The USSR spreading

Communism.

11. The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race

during the Cold War. • An arms race is a competition between two or more

countries for military supremacy. Each party competes to produce superior numbers of weapons, larger armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation.

• Americans prepared for possible nuclear war by conducting school drills, building bomb shelters, etc. A secret bomb shelter at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia was built to protect members of government.

12. Massive retaliation was a United States policy adopted during the

Eisenhower administration. It threatened the use of nuclear weapons in response to Soviet

aggression against another country.• After the Soviet Union matched the United States in

nuclear weaponry in the 1950s, the threat of a nuclear war that would destroy both countries was ever-present throughout the Cold War.

“Cold” War gets “Hot”

• The U. S. government’s anti-Communist strategy of containment in Asia led to America’s involvement in the Korean and Vietnamese Wars. The Vietnam War demonstrated the power of American public opinion in reversing foreign policy. It tested the democratic system to its limits, left scars on American society that have not yet been erased, and made many Americans deeply skeptical of future military.

Korean War1950 - 1953

Korean War

• Korea had belonged to Japan prior to WWI. The terms of Japan’s surrender at the end of WWII required Japan to give up control of Korea. Korea, left with no government, was temporarily divided. North Korea was occupied by the Soviets and South Korea was occupied by the U.S. A pro-American government emerged in South Korea and a pro-communist government emerged in North Korea. The occupation ended in 1949.

Korean War[1950-1953]

Syngman Rhee

Kim Il-Sung

“Domino Theory”

Korean War…

13. After communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, American military forces led a United Nations counterattack that drove deep into North Korea itself.

14. China entered the conflict on the side of North Korea, but resulted in a stalemate. A truce was signed in 1953. Korea remained divided along the 38th parallel.

The Shifting Map of Korea[1950-1953]

Policy of Containment

• The U.S. government’s anti-communist strategy of containment in Asia led to America’s involvement in the Korean and Vietnamese Wars. The Vietnam War demonstrated the power of American public opinion in reversing foreign policy. It tested the democratic system to its limits, left scars on American society that have not yet been erased, and made many Americans deeply skeptical of future military or even peacekeeping interventions.

15. The United States began providing economic aid to the

French in Vietnam as part of the American policy of containment.

• Vietnam was known as French Indochina. The French were defeated by the Vietminh in 1954.

• The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into two countries: the north was communist under Ho Chi Minh (ho chee min), and the south was anticommunist under Ngo Dinh Diem (no din dee ehm).

16. In the 1950s and 1960s, communist North Vietnam attempted to force a communist government in South Vietnam. The United

States provided assistance to South Vietnam.

• In 1961, many South Vietnamese joined the Vietcong (communist guerillas supported by the North Vietnamese – Our Enemies!).

• The domino theory

17. United States military buildup in Vietnam increased during the administrations of Kennedy and Johnson.“I’m not going to be the

President who saw Southeast Asia go the

way China went.”-LBJ

18. American military forces repeatedly defeated North Vietnam but were unable to force an end to

the war through a limited war.

• 1964: American ship torpedoed• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: allowed the

President to do whatever was necessary to prevent further attacks. The result was the bombing of North Vietnam and American soldiers being sent there.

U.S. Troop Deployments

in Vietnam

U.S. Troop Deployments

in Vietnam

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

1961 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968

U.S. Troops

19. America became divided over the Vietnam War. War protests took

place, especially on college campuses.

• 1968 – More than ½ million troops were fighting in the war. The fighting escalated and LBJ used the draft to raise troops.

• Hey, Hey LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?

Hell no, we won’t go!

Democratic Convention in Chicago, 1968

Student Protestors

at Univ. of CA in Berkeley, 1968

Anti-War Demonstrations

Anti-War Demonstrations

Anti-War Demonstrations

Anti-War Demonstrations

z May 4, 1970

z 4 students shot dead.

z 11 students wounded

Kent State University

z Jackson StateUniversity

z May 10, 1970

z 2 dead; 12 wounded

…I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for

another term as your President.

-LBJ March, 1968

Johnson’s popularity dropped in 1968 from 48% to 36%.

20. President Johnson decided not to run for re-election. Richard Nixon was elected president in

1968.

21. “Vietnamization” was Nixon’s plan to withdraw American troops and replace them with U.S.-supplied South Vietnamese forces. It was unsuccessful because South Vietnamese forces were unable to resist invasion from Soviet-supplied North Vietnam & due to Watergate.

Nixon’s 1968 Campaign promised an end to the war: Peace with Honor

22. A peace agreement was signed in 1973, and United States troops

left Vietnam. In 1975, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam,

which was unable to resist. Vietnam became a united country under a communist government.

The Ceasefire, 1973

The Ceasefire, 1973

z Conditions:1.U.S. to remove all troops2.North Vietnam could leave

troops already in S.V.3.North Vietnam would resume

war4.No provision for POWs or

MIAsz Last American troops left South

Vietnam on March 29, 1973z 1975: North Vietnam defeats South

Vietnamz Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City

Formerly Saigon

A United VietnamA United Vietnam

The CostsThe Costs

1. 3,000,000 Vietnamese killed2. 58,000 Americans killed;

300,000 wounded3. Under-funding of Great Society

programs4. $150,000,000,000 in U.S.

spending5. U.S. morale, self-confidence,

trust of government, decimated

The ImpactThe Impact

z 26th Amendment: 18-year-olds votez Nixon abolished the draft

all-volunteer armyz War Powers Act, 1973 ٭

P President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military force

P President must withdraw forces unless he gains Congressional approval within 90 days

z Disregard for Veterans seen as “baby killers”

z POW/MIA issue lingered

Cuba

• Only90 milesfrom the coast of Florida!

23. The United States engaged in Cold-War-related confrontations with Cuba.

24. Fidel Castro took over Cuba in a communist revolution in 1959. Many

Cubans then fled to Florida.

25. The United States trained a group of Cubans to invade Cuba. The invasion took place in 1961

and failed. “Bay of Pigs”

The Cuban Missile Crisis

26. In 1962, the Soviet Union began to build missile launchers in

Cuba. The United States protested, and for several days,

the world worried that a nuclear war would erupt. The Soviet Union decided to remove the

missiles. This event is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis…

Had a longrange as to where theycould hit

Impact of the Cold Waron the Homefront

27. Fear of communism and threat of nuclear war affected life in the UnitedStates during the Cold War.

– Both sides stockpile weapons– 1957 = Sputnik– During the 1950s and 1960s, American schools

regularly held drills to train children what to do in case of a nuclear attack, and American citizens were urged by the government to build bomb shelters in their own basements.

Stockpiling weapons &

soldiers in an arms race

Spies among US?

28. Alger Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of spying.– The construction of nuclear weapons by the

Soviets using technical secrets obtained through spying increased domestic fears of communism.

29. Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans of spying.

-McCarthy Trials• McCarthyism, or the making of false accusations based on rumoror guilt by association. He saidhe had a list of communist partymembers. His claim was never proved but many

people were forced to testify before Congress. Many people, especially in the movie industry, were “blacklisted” (kept from working).

McCarthy Trials…

• In 1954 he continued his witch-hunting activities in nationally televised Senate hearings; his formal censure and condemnation by the Senate followed.

30. Foreign policy became a major issue in presidential campaigns.

• 1948 Truman– Korean War- 1950 to 1953

• 1952 Eisenhower– Massive Retaliation- threatened use of nukes on USSR

• 1956 Eisenhower– Vietnam War- 1959 to 1975

• 1960 Kennedy– Bay of Pigs – Cuban Missile Crisis

Foreign policy…

• 1964 Johnson– Lack of success in Asia

• 1968 Nixon– Vietnamization– Tet Offensive- peak of Vietnam War (1968)– Kent State Protest in 1970- 4 students died,

National Guard• 1972 Nixon

– Watergate Scandal- Resigned from Office

Foreign policy…

• 1976 Carter• 1980 Reagan• 1984 Reagan

– 1989- Fall of the Berlin Wall• “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down That Wall!!!”

• 1988 Bush

31. Cold War military contracts benefited Virginia’s economy.

• Especially in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia

• Benefited more than any other state.

32. President Kennedy’s inaugural address became famous for this quote: “Ask not what your country can

do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

• “Let every country know, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty…”

33. Many Americans served in the military during the Cold War; the United States prevailed over the

Soviet Union.

• A strong military was the key to America’s victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

34. President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

• Shook the nation’s confidence and began a period of internal strife and divisiveness, especially spurred by divisions over U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

• Lee Harvey Oswald, Grassy Knoll?

– Jack Ruby

35. Vietnam War veterans returned home to encounter much indifference and hostility. It was several years before Vietnam veterans were honored.-Baby Killers

36. The Soviet Union’s Cold War military buildup took a toll on their

command economy.• Command economy: What are some problems with

this type of economic system? What hardships might the Soviet people have suffered during this time period?– They were not permitted to leave the country except

under very tight restrictions. Even athletes such as Mikhail Baryshnikov (a dancer) or Katerina Witt (Olympic gold medalist in ice skating from East Germany) were strictly supervised when competing.

37. Soviet Republics began to push for independence.

-They wanted out of the USSR.

• Would that be the end of the USSR?• Would they grant independence?

The End?Both internal and external pressures caused the collapse of the

Soviet Union.

Internal problems of the Soviet Union:• Increasing Soviet military expenses to compete with the United States• Rising nationalism in Soviet republics• Fast-paced reforms (market economy)• Economic inefficiency• Gorbachev (leader of the Soviet Union) “glasnost” and

“perestroika” (openness and economic restructuring)

The End???38. Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to save the

Soviet Union through “glasnost” and “perestroika.” -Was he successful?

39. President Reagan demanded “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down thatwall.” The United States increasedeconomic and military pressure of the Soviet Union during this time.

• The Soviets built the wall in 1961 to keep East Germans from defecting to the West. It was torn down in 1989.

After the Cold War was Over

With the end of the Cold War, the United States changed its goals and policies. Involvement in conflicts in other areas of the world has been an integral part of United States foreign policy in the modern era.

40. Selected post-Cold War era goals & policies: – Foreign aid– Humanitarian aid– Support Human rights

Presidential Policies

• George H.W. Bush, 1989 – 1993– Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe

• Reunification of Germany• Collapse of Yugoslavia• Breakup of the Soviet State

– Persian Gulf War, 1990 - 1991

Presidential Policies…

• William J. Clinton, 1993 – 2001– North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)– Full Diplomatic relations with Vietnam– Lifted economic sanctions against South Africa

when its government ended the policy of apartheid

– NATO action in former Yugoslavia.

Presidential Policies…

• George W. Bush, 2001 – 2009– Terrorists attacks on United States soil (9/11)– War in Afghanistan– War in Iraq