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Cold War Conflicts
What do you do when a
friend is accused?
The Berlin Wall
Where are we talking about?
Berlin, Germany
Why was there a wall
there?
Let’s go back to the
end of World War II
(1945).
The aftermath of World War II
• What was left of Nazi
Germany was divided
into 4 areas.
• Britain, France, US, and
Soviet Union
• Berlin (the capital) was
also split into 4, even
though it was mostly
inside the Soviet zone.
The aftermath of World War II
• Two big powers
arose (United States
and the Soviet
Union).
• Eastern Europe
became dominated
by the USSR.
• An “iron curtain”
was formed.
“Iron Curtain”
• “From Stettin in the
Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across
the Continent.” Churchill
• NOT a physical wall.
• The “iron curtain” was
an ideological divide
between Western
democracy and Soviet
communism.
The onset of the Cold War
• In 1949, as the Cold War
between the US and the
Soviet Union was heating
up, Germany split.
• Federal Republic of
Germany (France, Britain,
US) including West Berlin
• German Democratic
Republic (Soviet Union)
including East Berlin
During the Cold War,
the U.S. wanted to
contain
the spread of
communism
CONTAINMENT
Western Europe
Western Europe
Market economy;
capitalist
Democratic
parliamentary
government
High standard of
living
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Command economy;
communist
Authoritarian
government
Low standard of
living
Which side built the wall and
why?
• The Soviets decided to
build the wall in 1961.
• They wanted to prevent
people from leaving for
West Germany (brain
drain.)
• Why would people
want to go from East
Germany to West
Germany?
What were the effects of the
Berlin Wall?
• Families were
separated.
• People could not get
to their jobs.
• While East Germany
grew economically, it
lagged far behind West
Germany.
Why didn’t they just go
around the wall?
Examine the Issues
• Do Americans with communist
beliefs pose a threat to the nation?
• What can individual citizens do to
protect the rights of all people?
• Should citizens speak out to
preserve the rights of others?
UN vs. NATO?
• What’s the difference between the UN and
NATO?
– The UN (United Nations) is a international
organization of every recognized state, created to
keep the peace between nations and create
international law and cooperation.
– NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a
military alliance of the United States, Canada and
most of Europe, created back in the Cold War to
counter Soviet and Communist power. It now
consists of 26 nations.
U.S. Aims vs. Soviet Aims
• The US wanted to…• The Soviet Union…
– A New World order
– Gain access to raw
materials and
markets
– Rebuild European
governments for
American goods
– Reunite Germany
– Encourage communism
– Rebuild Eastern Europe
w/industrial equipment &
raw materials
– Control Eastern Europe to
balance U.S. influence in
Western Europe
– Keep Germany divided, so
it wouldn’t be a threat
Tension Mounts
• Stalin’s refusal to allow free elections in
Poland convinced Truman that U.S. and
Soviet aims were deeply at odds.
Tension Mounts
Bargaining
At Postdam
Reparations
U.S. interest abroad
Soviets Grip
Eastern Europe
U.S
Containment
Satellite nations
George F. Kennan
Stop the spread of
Communism
“Iron Curtain”
Europe after World War II
China Becomes a Communist
Country
• For two decades, Chinese communist had
struggled against the nationalist
government of Chiang Kai-shek.
• The U.S. had supported Chiang during
WWII.
• Chiang’s government undermined
Nationalist support.
• Mao Zedong gained support of communism
throughout the country.
Renewed Civil War
• As soon as the defeated Japanese left China at
the end of WW II, cooperation between the
Nationalists and the Communists ceased.
• From 1944-1947, the U.S. played the
peacemaker while supporting the Nationalists.
• May 1949- Chiang and others fled to the Island
of Taiwan or Formosa.
• China became a communist country, which
was called the People’s Republic of China.
• America Reacts to Communist Takeover
– Conservative Republicans blamed Truman for only
supplying limited aid.
The Korean War
• As WW II ended, Japanese troops north of the 38th
parallel surrendered to the Soviets. South of the
parallel they surrendered to the Americans.
• U.S. cuts back on troops in South Korea
• Soviets backed North Korea
• North Korea attacks South Korea
– June 25, 1950- North Korean forces swept across
the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea
– U.N. backs South Korea
– 16 nations sent 520,000 troops; 90% were
Americans
– Under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur
The Korean War, 1950-1953
The U.S. Fights in Korea
• At first, North Korea seemed
unstoppable.
MacArthur’s
Counterattack
Chinese
Fight Back
Stalemate
Korean
War
MacArthur
Vs
Truman
Recommendation
To Attack China
The Cold War Heats Up
Review
• What global events led to U.S.
involvement in Korea?
– Communist victory in China; North Korea’s
attack on South Korea
• What issue between General Douglas
MacArthur and President Truman
eventually cost MacArthur his job?
– Truman wanted to limit the Korean War to
Korea. MacArthur wanted to bomb and
invade China.
The Vietnam War
• Fought in
Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia
• Ended in 1975
when Saigon fell
to the North.
– now known as Ho
Chi Minh City
The Vietnam War
• The U.S. backed
South Vietnam.
• Containment.
• Boat people.
The Vietnam War
• The North
• Led by communist leader,
Ho Chi Minh
• Vietcong – a communist
guerilla group in South
Vietnam fighting with the
North.
The Vietnam War
• The Vietcong
• Fought using
guerilla warfare.
–Traps, tunnels,
etc.
The Vietnam War
• Difficulties for
the U.S.
• Fighting
guerillas in the
jungles of
Vietnam.
• Unpopular back
in the U.S.
The Vietnam War
• The USA signed a treaty
with the Communist
North Vietnam in 1973
and left South Vietnam.
• In 1975, the North
invaded the South again
and united the North
and South into a
communist government
How did the Vietnam War end, and
what were its lasting effects?
Nixon withdrew American troops from South
Vietnam, but the impact of the war endured.
Americans reexamined the power of the
presidency, the struggle against communism,
and America’s overall role in the world.
President Nixon inherited an unpopular war and increasing
troubles on the home front.
Publicly, Nixon advocated
•
the Vietnamization
of the war, which
would transfer
front-line fighting to
the South
Vietnamese
•
“peace with honor”:
U.S. withdrawal
from Vietnam on
honorable terms
Secretly, Nixon
•
ordered the bombing of
the Ho Chi Minh Trail
in Cambodia to reduce
the flow of supplies to
the Vietcong
•
extended the war with a
ground attack by U.S.
soldiers on North
Vietnamese bases in
Cambodia
At home, protests escalated.
•
At Kent State University
in Ohio, four students
were shot by National
Guardsmen.
•
A similar confrontation at
Jackson State University
in Mississippi left two
students dead.
•
Counterprotests were
held by those supporting
Nixon and the war efforts.
The publication of the Pentagon
Papers further shocked the nation.
•The report revealed that American leaders
had lied to Congress and failed to inform the
public fully about the American involvement
in Vietnam.
• Nixon tried to stop publication of the
Pentagon Papers, but The New York Times
published the report in 1971.
In January 1973, the war finally ended with
the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.
•
The United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam,
and the Vietcong would stop fighting.
•
U.S. troops would withdraw from South Vietnam.
•
North Vietnamese troops would remain in South
Vietnam.
•
South Vietnam’s noncommunist government
would remain in power.
The Vietnam War had a lasting effect
on American life.
•
More than 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam.
•
It would be years before Vietnam veterans were
acknowledged for their sacrifices.
•
The war undermined Americans’ trust in their
leaders.
•
Americans became reluctant to intervene in other
nations’ affairs.
Congress passed the
War Powers Act in 1973.
The act restricted
the President’s
ability to send the
nation to war.
The Cold War at Home
Main Idea
During the late 1940’s and early 1950’s,
fear of communism led to reckless
charges against innocent citizens.
Why it Matters Today
Americans today remain vigilant about
unfounded accusations.
The Cold War at Home
• The United States found itself in a Cold
War that had the threat of becoming a
“Hot War”.
• The Arms race began
– M.A.D.
• Mutually Assured Destruction
• Building up of a Nations Arsenals to counter the
potential threat from another nation.
Brinkmanship Rules U.S. Policy
• The nuclear arms race began during Truman’s
presidency.
• Soviets exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949.
• Race for the H-Bomb
–
–
–
–
Hydrogen Bomb “H-Bomb”
67 times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
U.S. vs. Soviet Union in a race
Nov. 1, 1952- U.S. wins, exploded the 1st H-Bomb
• Policy of Brinkmanship
– Dwight D. Eisenhower-President
– John Foster Dulles-Sec. of State
• Dulles wanted to use all force , including nuclear weapons,
against any aggressor
– Brinkmanship- a policy of all out war
• Army & Navy scaled down and the Air Force increased.
– Schoolchildren practiced air-raids procedures
– Families built fallout shelters
The Cold War Spreads Around the World
• As the nation shifted to a dependence on
nuclear arms, the Eisenhower administration
began to rely heavily on the recently formed
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for
information.
• Covert Actions in the Middle East & Latin
America
– 1951-Mohammed Mossadegh nationalized Iran’s oil
fields
– Great Britain stopped buying Iranian oil
– 1953- CIA gave millions of $ to anti-Mossadegh
supporters.
– CIA supported the Shah of Iran
– 1954-Guatemala
Two Nations Live on the Edge
Review
• How did the U.S., including the
CIA, wage the Cold War in the
1950’s?
– By sponsoring covert actions to
overthrow governments
unfriendly to the United States.
Questions?