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Chapter 33 (962-993)
Opposing Goals
UNITED STATES
 Encourage democracy/prevent rise of
communist governments
 Gain access to raw materials and
markets
 Rebuild European governments
 Reunite Germany and stabilize it
Opposing Goals
SOVIET UNION
 Encourage communism in other
countries
 Rebuild economy using Eastern
Europe’s industrial equipment and raw
materials
 Control Eastern Europe
 Keep Germany divided
Yalta Conference
Who: FDR (US),
Churchill (GB), Stalin
(SU)
Where: Soviet Black
Sea resort of Yalta
When: February 1945
(prior to the end of the
war)
Outcomes of the Yalta
Conference
Divide Germany into zones of
occupation
 Germany pays Soviet Union to
compensate for loss of life and property
 Soviet Union joins war against Japan
 Stalin assures Eastern Europe will have
free elections

United Nations
What: U.S.,
Soviet Union, and
48 other
countries
organized
together to
protect members
against
aggression
United Nations- Structure


General Assembly
Security Council
 11 members
 5 permanent- can
veto any Security
Council Actions
○ U.S.
○ G.B.
○ S.U.
○ China
○ France
Iron Curtain



Countries along
Soviet Western
border
Stalin sees as a
necessary buffer
against foreign
invasion
Installs/secures
communist
governments
Potsdam Conference
Who: Truman, Stalin,
Churchill
Where: Potsdam,
Germany
When: July 1945
Outcome: Truman
pressed for free
elections… Stalin
refused
Europe Divided
East Germany and half
of Berlin- Controlled by
Soviets- German
Democratic Republic
West Germany and
half of BerlinControlled by AlliesFederal Republic of
Germany
Berlin Airlift
The Problem: Soviets
blockaded E. Berlin in
response to Allies’ plan
for reunification
The Solution: Berlin
Airlift- U.S. and G.B. flew
food and supplies for 11
months
Effect: Soviet’s admitted
defeat and lifted
blockade
Cold War
What: Struggle over political differences
carried on by means short of military
action or war
Who: U.S. and Soviet Union
How: Spying, propaganda, diplomacy,
secret operations
Containment

Policy directed at blocking Soviet
influence and stopping spread of
communism
 Forming Alliances
 Helping weak countries resist communism
Truman Doctrine
 Foreign aid ($) for
countries that reject
communism
 Controversial
Marshall Plan
 Provide food,
machinery & other
materials to rebuild
Western Europe
 Huge SuccessCountries broke from
Soviet Union
Rival Alliances
NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
 10 Western European nations, Canada,
U.S.
 Formed in 1949
Rival Alliances
Warsaw Pact
 Soviet Union, East Germany,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria, Albania
 Formed in 1955
Berlin Wall- symbolized a world
divided
Threat of Nuclear War
Event: Soviet Union
explodes atomic
weapon in 1949
Reaction: U.S.
develops the H Bomb
in 1952
Reaction to THAT:
Soviets develop H
Bomb in 1953
Brinkmanship:
willingness to go to the
brink (edge) of war
Requires: reliable
source of nuclear
weapons and planes to
deliver them
Result: Arms Race for
decades
Event: Soviets launch Sputnik in 1957
Reaction: Americans felt they had fallen behind in
science and technology
The U-2 Incident
What: Soviets shoot
down a U-2 spy
plane and capture
pilot Francis Gary
Powers
Result: Heightened
Cold War tensions
COMMUNISTS VS NATIONIALISTS
 Communists
Led by: Mao Zedong
 Location: North Western China
 Supported by: Chinese peasants
 By 1945, controlled much of Northern China

COMMUNISTS VS NATIONIALISTS
Nationalists
Led by: Jiang Jieshi
 Location: South Western China
 Supported by U.S.
 Won a few battles against the Japanese but
saving strength for battle against Mao’s Red
Army

Civil war resumes
Nationalists- backed by U.S.
 Communists- had popular support
 October 1949- Mao gained control of the
country
 Declares it the People’s Republic of
China
 China and Soviet Union sign a treaty of
friendship in 1950

Two Chinas
People’s Republic of
China
 China
under
Mao
 3.5 million
square miles
 Expands to take
control of Tibet
 Dali Lama
flees to India
TIAWAN
 “Nationalist
China”
 13,000 square
miles
 U.S. supported
Mao’s brand of Marxist socialism


Seized holdings of
landholders and
divided land among
peasants
 Forced to join
collective farms
Private companies
nationalized
 Set high production
goals for industry
Communism weakens
The Plan: “The Great
Leap Forward”
Goal: Larger collective
farms (communes) by
end of 1958
Weakness: Poorly
managed
Result: Crop failures
caused a famine that
killed 20 million people
(1961)
Split with soviet union
The Split: with
Soviet Union
Reason 1: Territorial
disputes along
border
Reason 2: Both
wanted to be the
world leaders for
Communism
The rEd guard
Who: Millions of
college and high
school students who
dropped out and
formed a militia
Why: Mao urged
young people to
“learn revolution by
making revolution”
Cultural Revolution
Goal: to establish
a society of
peasants and
workers in which
all were equal
Cultural Revolution
What Happened:
 Intellectual and
artistic activity- seen
as useless and
dangerous
 Colleges and schoolsshut down
 Those who resisted
regime- targeted by
Red Guard
 Thousands
executed or
imprisoned
Cultural Revolution
How it ended:
 By 1968, chaos
threatened farm
production and
closed factories
 Mao ordered the
army to put down
the Red Guard
Korea Divided



38th Parallel
North: Japanese troops
surrendered to Soviet
forces
 Supplied by Soviets
with goal to take over
peninsula
South: Japanese
surrendered to American
forces
Conflict Begins
How: North Korea launches a surprise
attack on South Korea (1950)
 UN Reaction: votes to support South Korea
 Soviet Union wasn’t there- protesting
Nationalist China (Taiwan) being
admitted to UN
 General Douglas Mac Arthur given
command

China Gets Involved
The situation: UN/U.S. forces attack and
push North Korean troops almost to the
Chinese border
 China’s concern: Does not want
UN/U.S. presence near it’s border
 China’s action: China sends
reinforcements to help North Korea
 Result: UN/US forces pushed back to
Seoul in the south

Difference of Opinion
MacArthur: wants to
use nuclear weapons
against China
 “We face an entirely
new war”
 Truman: No.
 “We are trying to
prevent a world war,
not start one”

MacArthur: Went over Truman’s head- to Congress and Press
Truman: Removes MacArthur from command
Cease Fire Agreement
 UN
forces North Korea to sign a
cease fire agreement (1953)
 Outcome: Border between the 2
Koreas set at the 38th Parallel
DMZ: Demilitarized Zone
What it does: separates the two countries
Outcome

Remains communist
 Totalitarian dictator
 Serious economic
problems
 Nuclear weapons

Prospered
 Massive aid from
U.S. and other
countries
 U.S. troop presence
remains
North Korea
South Korea
French Indochina (early 1900s):
Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
Ho Chi Minh
Leader of
nationalist
movement
 Turned to
communists for
help
 Founded the
Vietminh
(Independence)
League

Vietminh vs. French
Vietminh had widespread support in the
countryside
 Tactic: Hit-and-run to confine French to the
cities
 French losing support of the people
 Major French defeat: Dien Bien Phu (1954)
 Result- Surrendered to Ho

Domino Theory



Who: Eisenhower
What: Fall of one
South East Asian
country would
lead to the fall of
the other
Why important:
Became a major
justification for
U.S. foreign
policy during the
Cold War Era
Unpopular Leadership in the
South
Diem ruled as a DICTATOR and
OPPOSITION to his government
grew.
Vietcong
Who: Communist
Guerrillas
 Consisting of:
Some war-trained
soldiers from the
North, most were
South Vietnamese
who hated Diem
 Areas of control:
countryside

U.S. Involvement
Background: U.S. troops have been serving as
advisors to the South since the 1950s
The Event: Assassination of Diem (1963)
Fear: Takeover by communist Vietcong, backed by
North Vietnamese, seemed inevitable
Response: U.S. increases presence in the country
○ More advisors
○ More planes
○ More military equipment
U.S. Involvement
Event: Gulf of Tonkin
Incident
What the U.S. was told:
North Vietnamese patrol
boats had attacked 2
U.S. Destroyers in the
Gulf of Tonkin
Result: Congress
authorized troops
Controversy: The second
attack never occurred
U.S. Problem #1:
Fighting a guerilla war
in unfamiliar jungle
terrain
U.S. Problem #2:
Support for Vietcong
grows while support for
South Vietnamese
government weakens
New Strategy:
Bombings
Result: Strengthened
peasants opposition to
the South Vietnamese
government
Event: U.S. withdrawal begins in 1969
Why: War increasingly unpopular in the U.S.
Nixon’s Plan: Vietnamization
What it is: Allowed for U.S. troops to pull out while
South Vietnamese continued their combat rule
Where U.S. bombed:
 North Vietnam
 Supply routes in
Laos and Cambodia
Last U.S. troops leave: 1973
Fall of Saigon: April 30, 1975
Post-war South East Asia
Where: Cambodia
Group: Khmer Rouge
(communist rebels)
Leader: Pol Pot
What happened: Slaughtered 2 million people
(almost ¼ nation’s population)
Response: Vietnamese overthrew Pol Pot, set up
less restrictive government, but fighting continued
Outcome: 1993- Under supervision of UN
Peacekeepers adopted a democratic constitution
and held free elections
Post WWII, the world’s nations are grouped politically into
3 “Worlds”
First World: Industrialized, capitalist nations
Second World: Communist nations
Third World: Developing nations
Latin America, Asia, and Africa
Economically poor and politically unstable
Another arena for competition between
superpowers
Association of Nonaligned Nations: those
that did not wish to play a role in the Cold
War
Ex: India and Indonesia
Latin America

Rapid
industrialization

Population growth

Gap between rich
and poor
Latin American
nations seeking
assistance from
BOTH
superpowers
CUBA
Revolution:
Unpopular and U.S.
supported dictator
Fulgencio Batista
overthrown
Led By: Fidel
Castro
Castro in Power
At First: Castro brought social reforms and
improved the economy
Then:
 Suspended elections
 Jailed and executed opponents
 Tightly controlled press
 Nationalized the Cuban economy
Embargo Pushes Cuba Toward
Soviets



Action: Castro took
over U.S.-owned sugar
mills and refineries
U.S. Response:
Eisenhower ordered an
embargo on all trade
with Cuba
Cuba Response:
Castro turned to
Soviets for economic
and military aid
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Background: U.S. CIA began to train antiCastro Cuban exiles to invade and
overthrow
Event: April 1961- Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Problem: U.S. did not
provide air support
Result: Castro easily
defeated the invaders
and the U.S. is
humiliated
Cuban Missile Crisis
Background: Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev convinced U.S. would not
resist soviet expansion in Latin America
Action: Soviets secretly begin to build 42
missile sites in Cuba
Discovery: An American spy plane
discovers sites
Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy: Demands
removal and orders
blockade of Cuba
Castro: “Cuba does not
mean to get involved in
the Cold War.”
Situation: TENSE- Closest the world has
come to Nuclear War
Cuban Missile Crisis
Resolution:
 Soviets agree to
remove missiles

U.S. agrees to
remove missiles
from site in
Turkey and not to
invade Cuba
Cuba and the Soviets
Castro is now DEEPLY dependent on
Soviet Support
Backs Soviet revolutions in Latin America
and Africa
Soviet aid abruptly ends in 1991 (break up
of the Soviet Union)- crippling Cuba’s
economy
Nicaragua
Background: U.S. funded the Nicaraguan
dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza since 1933
Resistance: Communist Sandinista rebels
topple Somoza’s son
Who supports the Sandinistas?
 BOTH U.S. and Soviets
El Salvador
Sandinastas support:
Marxist rebels
U.S. supports: Contras
(Nicaraguan anticommunist forces)
Civil War: lasts more than
a decade
Outcome: Eventually free
elections in the 1990s
Iran
Background: Clash between traditional
Islamic values and modern western
materialism
Post WWII Leadership: Shah embraced
western governments and wealthy western oil
companies
Iranian nationalists: fueled by resentment,
united under Prime Minister Muhammad
Mossadeq
Iran
Action: Mossadeq
nationalized a Britishowned oil company and
forced the Shah to flee
U.S. Fear: Iran may turn
to Soviets for support
U.S. Action: Help restore
Shah to power
Westernization of Iran

Tehran is westernized and wealthy

Millions live in extreme poverty

Shah tries to weaken the authority of the
ayatollahs
 Religious leaders who oppose western
influences
 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader, living in
exile
Rebellion
Event: Revolts in every
major city (1979)
Outcome:
 Shah fled
 Khomeini returned
to establish an
Islamic state
Khomeini’s Policies

Domestic policy: ruled by strict
adherence to Islam

Foreign policy: fueled by hate for U.S.
 Why? Because U.S. supported the Shah
Iran Hostage Crisis
The event: Young
Islamic revolutionaries
seized the U.S.
embassy in Tehran
Demands: U.S. to force
Shah to face trial
Outcome: Hostages
released in 1981 (held
for 444 days)
Iran-Iraq War

The Event: Iran-Iraq War

Soviet’s support: Iraq

U.S. supports: BOTH sides- not wanting the
balance of power in the region to change

Cease fire: Negotiated by U.N. in 1988
Afghanistan
Background: Soviets
began exerting
influence on
independent
Afghanistan in the
1950s
Opposition: Muslim
revolts begin in the 70s
against the now
communist regime
Soviets in Afghanistan
Afghan Rebels: Mujahedeen
Supported by: U.S.
Why: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan seen
as a threat to Middle Eastern oil supplies
Soviets: Stuck much like U.S. was in
Vietnam
A New Soviet Leader
Who: Mikhail
Gorbachev
What he does about
Afghanistan: Withdraws
troops
Situation in Soviet
Union: Unrest and
economic problems
Afghanistan After Russia Leaves
Various groups fight for control of the
country
By 1998 Taliban controls 90%
 Northern Alliance controls northwestern
corner
2011- U.S. invades, drives Talban from
power
Stalin’s Successors
Who: Nikita Krushchev
When: 1958-64
Policy: Destalinization
 Purging the country
of Stalin’s memory
 Called for “peaceful
cooperation” with
capitalist states
Stalin’s Successors
Who: Lenid Brezhnev
When: 1964-82
Policies:
 Repressive
 Limits on basic
rights (speech and
worship)
 Government
censors
 Secret police
arrested dissidents
Prague Spring
Changes in
Czechoslovakia:
Loosened government
control allows for a
period of reform and
new ideas
Reaction: Warsaw Pact
nations invade
Brezhnev Doctrine:
Soviet Union had the
right to prevent its
satellites from rejecting
communism
Soviet-Chinese Spilt
The Problem:
Soviets expected
China to follow
their lead, China
didn’t
Soviet Response:
Refuses to share
nuclear secrets
and ends
economic aid
Changing U.S. Policy
President: Richard Nixon
Policy: Détente
 U.S. would continue
to contain the
spread of
communism while
working with the
Soviets to reduce
tensions
Becomes first U.S.
President to visit
Communist China (1972)
and three months later the
Soviet Union
Détente Successes
The Treaty : Strategic Arms
Limitation Treaty (SALT 1)
(1972)
What it stated: A 5 year
agreement to limit to 1972
levels the number of missiles
each country could have
The Agreement: Helsinki
Accords (1975)
What it stated: 33 nations
joined the U.S. and Soviet
Union in commitment to
détente and cooperation
Collapse of Détente
SALT II: (1979)
Signed by Carter and
Brezhnev
The Problem: Soviets
invaded Afghanistan
later that year
Result: U.S.
Congress refused to
ratify the treaty
Cold War Continues
RONALD REGAN takes office in 1981 and
continues to move away from Détente.
Tensions between the superpowers
INCREASE until a CHANGE IN SOVIET
LEADERSHIP in 1985.