Download World War II and it’s Aftermath

The Cold War
1945 - 1991
Yalta Conference: A Postwar Plan
In February 1945 leaders of
the US, Britain, and the
Soviet Union met.
Place: Soviet Black Sea resort of
Yalta.
Germany would be divided in
to zones of occupation
Controlled by the Allied military
forces.
Germany would have to pay
the Soviet Union for loss of
life and property.
Yalta Conference
Stalin agreed to join war against Japan.
Stalin promised that Eastern Europeans
would have free elections.
Winston Churchill predicted Stalin would
only keep his pledge if the Eastern
Europeans followed “a policy friendly to
Russia.”
Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain
Major goal of Soviet Union
was to shield it self from
another invasion from the
west.
Soviets build a buffer
At war’s end Soviet troops
occupied a strip of countries
along their western border.
Stalin regarded these
countries as a necessary
buffer or wall of protection.
Soviets Build a Buffer
Stalin ignored his agreement at Yalta.
He installed or secured Communist
governments in Eastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland and
Yugoslavia.
Truman saw this was clear violation of
these nations rights.
Soviets Build a Buffer (cont.)
Truman, Stalin, and Churchill met at
Potsdam, Germany, in July 1945.
There Truman pressed Stalin to permit
free elections in Eastern Europe.
Stalin refused.
In a speech in 1946 Stalin declared
communism and capitalism could not
exist in the same world.
The Cold War Begins
What is a “cold” war?
Conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust
led to the “Cold War”
• Fighting without armed conflict
• Used weapons, politics, and propaganda
Both sides used propaganda
Try to gain as many allies as possible
Try to paint the other side as “evil”
United States Policy
The Truman Doctrine
“Containment”
• US policy was to stop the spread of
communism
The Marshall Plan
US aid to help rebuild Europe
$13 Billion
Clash over Germany
US and its Allies clashed with Soviet Union
over Germany.
Soviets wanted to keep Germany weak and
divided.
In 1948, France Britain and the United States
withdrew their forces from Germany.
Allowed their occupation zones to form one
nation.
The Split of Germany
West Germany became democratic
East Germany became communist
Officially 2 countries as of 1949
Berlin was split as well into West Berlin
and East Berlin.
Berlin lay deep within East Germany.
Two Germanys
The Berlin Airlift
June 1948-May 1949
All roads, waterways, railways closed in East
Germany to Berlin
Response to unification of West Germany.
US and UK
Over 277,000 flights to Berlin
Over 2 million tons of supplies
Landing, unloading and taking off took about 15
minutes
The
Berlin Airlift
Military Alliances
1949 NATO was formed – European
defense alliance
U.S. and eleven other countries
1955 Warsaw Pact
USSR and seven European Communist nations
The Arms Race
The most frightening aspect of
the Cold War was the constant
threat of nuclear war.
US was the only atomic power
in 1945
Soviet Union gained atomic
weapons in 1949
Began an “arms race”– who had
the most
Truman ordered construction of
the hydrogen bomb.
Call for buildup of conventional
forces to provide alternative to
nuclear war.
Global Nuclear Confrontation
Soviet army stayed strong after war.
US had reduced forces by half by 1947.
American military planners were forced to adopt
a nuclear strategy in face of the overwhelmingly
superiority of Soviet forces.
They would deter any Soviet attack by setting in
place a devastating atomic counterattack.
Global Nuclear Confrontation
(cont.)
For the next quarter century, the U.S.
and the USSR would engage in a
nuclear arms race that constantly
increased the destructive capability of
both sides.
China
Chinese Flag
Communist Control of China
Forces led by Mao Zedong won a civil war
and formed the Peoples Republic of China
Communists gained the support of peasant
population
Gained support of women “Women hold up
half the sky”
Educated Chinese hoped that the communists
would build a new China & end foreign
domination
Mao Zedong
Changes made in China
With Soviet help, the Chinese built
hydroelectric plants, railroads and
canals
Mao built a one party totalitarian state
with the Communist party in control
Education and healthcare were
improved
Mao’s programs crippled China’s
economy
China & the Cold War
By 1960 China & the USSR were in
disagreement
1971 China joins the UN, 1979 US
repairs relations
Mao died in 1976 and Deng took over.
Deng’s economic reforms brought a surge
of growth and a better standard of living
The Two Koreas
South Korea emerged during the Cold
War
After WWII Japanese control of Korea
ended
US & Soviet Union divided the two
Koreas along the 38th line of latitude
North Korea became a communist
Soviet ally
South Korea was backed by the US
The Korean War
June 1950 to July 1953
Began when the communist North invaded
the South, the goal was reunification
Was a byproduct of the Cold War – US
paranoia about communism
June 25th 1950 – North Koreans equipped by
Soviets and aided by China
US led UN forces in defense of South Korea –
General Macarthur led the forces
More Korean War Information
First ever aggression by UN forces
Control of the 38th parallel shifted sides
throughout the war – ended in a
stalemate
Air power played a key role in the war
July 1953 truce agreement was signed
– countries remain separate today along
the 38th parallel
Korean War statistics
3 years of conflict
36,516 US deaths – 140,000 total
injured or killed
South Korea – 415,000 dead
Communists – suffered 2 million
casualties (killed or injured)
US forces remained in South Korea until
1990s to keep peace
Vietnam after WWII
Was controlled by the French before the war
and Japan during the war
1946 France set out to regain control of
Vietnam
Vietnam guerillas resisted led by Ho Chi Minh
Guerilla warfare - fighting carried out through
hit and run tactics
Vietnam wore down the French and forced
them to surrender in 1954 (Dien Bien Phu, 55
day battle)
Ho Chi Minh
Vietnam Divided
Agreement was reached to temporarily divide
the country along the 17th parallel
Elections were supposed to be held in 1956
for reunification – never occurred
Communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) and
non-communist South
US feared domino effect – if North took South
it would trigger the further spread of
communism
Vietnam War
Ho Chi Minh and Vietcong (communist rebels)
wanted to unite Vietnam under communist
rule.
North Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh) with the North
Vietnamese Army + Vietcong – aided by USSR &
China
South Vietnam + US military (Non- Communist)
Important Events of the War in
Vietnam
1968 – Tet Offensive – North guerillas launch
massive surprise attack
Unexpected b/c it took place on Vietnamese
New Year
Anti war sentiment grew in the US / the
realization that the North would fight at any
cost
Nixon arranged a cease fire – began
withdrawing in 1973
2 Years later the North captured the South
Vietnam War Stats
Turning point in history of modern war
b/c of new battle tactics (guerilla)
2 million Vietnamese killed, 3 million
wounded
US casualties – 57,685 killed & 153,303
wounded
587 POW were released from POW
camps and 2500 personnel are still
unaccounted for
Cold War in the1950s: USSR
Nikita Khrushchev
takes over after
Stalin’s death in
1953.
He repudiates Stalin’s
use of the vast Gulag
(or labor camp
complex) and
attempts to separate
Stalin’s “crimes” from
true communism.
Cold War in the1950s: USSR (cont.)
Repression and Dissent
Polish and Hungarian intellectuals and
students held demonstrations calling for free
elections, withdrawal of Soviet troops, etc.
1956 – Soviet Crackdown in Hungary
• Soviet tanks were sent in to crush dissent.
Eastern Europe remained under Soviet
control.
Cold War in the1950s: USSR
(cont.)
October 4, 1957 – USSR launched
the first satellite, Sputnik, into
orbit.
The Sputnik launch confirmed the
Soviet Union’s superpower status.
Two months earlier they had
tested an intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM).
Khrushchev – “We will bury you”
The Cold War in the 1950s: U.S.
Dwight Eisenhower takes
over from Truman in 1953.
Democrats charged
Republicans for “missile
gap”
Eisenhower responded.
The Cold War in the 1950s: U.S
Eisenhower enlarged defense
spending; National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA)
By 1963, the U.S. had more missiles
and bombers capable of striking the
Soviet Union, compared to what
could reach the U.S by the Soviet
Union.
The Third World
In the 1950s, French intellectuals coined the
term “Third World”.
This describes the efforts of countries seeking a
“third way” that was neither Western capitalism or
Soviet communism.
By the early 1960s, the term had come to identify a
large bloc of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin
America.
By the middle of the 1960s many Third World
Nations found themselves in debt and
dependency, many nations fell into dictatorship
and authoritarian rule.
The Cold War in
the 1960s
Khrushchev: “peaceful coexistence”
American U-2 spy plane shot down by Soviets in
1960.
In 1961, the Soviet begun construction of the
Berlin Wall, which cut off movement between
East and West Berlin and became a symbol of
the eroding relations between the Soviet Union
and the United States.
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
(October of 1962)
The Soviet Union formed
an alliance with Fidel
Castro-led Cuba after the
Cuban Revolution in 1959.
In 1962 JFK responded to
the installation of nuclear
missiles in Cuba with a
naval blockade.
Brought world closer to
nuclear war the ever
before.
Détente
A lessening of tensions in the Cold War
After the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963, many
countries pulled back from confrontation to
reduce the chances of nuclear war
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963) –
• Prohibited testing in outer space, in the
atmosphere, and underwater
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1964) –
• Nations agreed not to develop nuclear weapons
Nations such as France, China, India,
Pakistan, and other nations refused to sign
Better U.S./Soviet Relations
1963 a “hot line” was installed so that the U.S.
president and Soviet premier could defuse a
potential crisis
In 1963, the U.S. agreed to sell large
quantities of wheat to the Soviet Union.
This new trade relation would expand to
include other goods.
Tourism was encouraged.
Culture exchanges.
(Ex. Bolshoi Ballet & Louis Armstrong)
Soviet Union: The Brezhnev Era
Khrushchev was ousted from
power in 1964 and replaced by
Leonid Brezhnev
The Brezhnev Era, 1964-82
Military spending remained top
priority
Put an end to Khrushchev’s “deStalinization” campaign
Had a stroke in 1976
Economic and political decline;
corruption, favoritism, and
alcoholism increase
Between 1982-85, Yuri Andropov
and Konstantin Chernenko both
die in office
Eastern Europe
Many Eastern European countries attempted
to gain some level of autonomy during the
1960s
Czechoslovakia tried to adopt liberal reforms
The “Prague Spring” of 1968 hoped to produce a more
humane socialism
Czechoslovakia
The Soviet Union invaded
and Alexander Dubček
resigned.
Involved about 500,000
Warsaw Pact troops
• Only a handful of soldiers
died.
More than 80 Czechoslovak
citizens were killed.
• Several hundred wounded
Germany and Détente
Willy Brandt
Chancellor of West Germany
(1969-74)
Proposed Ostpolitik (A hand
offered to the East)
In 1972, East and West Germany
recognized each other and were
both admitted to the U.N.
Détente Agreements
Nixon and Brezhnev
signed a series of
agreements
Strategic Arms
Limitation Talks
(SALT)
ABM Treaty
Helsinki Agreements
(1975)
Collapse of Détente
By the late 1970s, the
optimism that the Cold
War had virtually
ended had faded.
The continued Soviet
military buildup and
the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan in 1979
soured relations with
the U.S.
Collapse of Détente (cont.)
As a result the U.S.
Failed to ratify the 1979 SALT II
Treaty.
Boycotted the Olympics in Moscow in
1980.
Placed an embargo on U.S. grain
shipments to the Soviet Union.
Regan Takes An Anti-Communist
Ronald Regan takes
Stance
office in 1981
Continued to move away
from détente.
Increased US defense
spending
• Put economic and military
pressure on Soviets.
Announces the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI)
A program to protect
against enemy missiles.
Never put into effect.
Gorbachev Moves Towards
Democracy
By time Mikhail Gorbachev
became party’s new General
Secretary in 1985 of the Soviet
economy became stagnant.
Looked into measures to
revive the ailing state.
An ineffectual start led to
deeper structural changes
becoming necessary.
Gorbachev Reforms
In June 1987 Gobachev announced an
agenda of economic reform called
perestroika, or restructuring.
Relaxed production quota system.
Allowed private ownership of business.
Simultaneously introduced glasnost, or
openness, which increased freedom of the
press and the transparency of state
institutions.
Gorbachev Reforms (cont.)
Glasnot was intended to reduce the
corruption at the top of the Communist
Party and moderate the abuse of power
in the Central Committee.
This also enabled contact between
Soviet citizens and the western world.
Thaw in Relations
Third Reykjavik Summit led
to a breakthrough.
Signing of the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty
(INF)
Eliminated all nuclear
armed, ground-launched
ballistic and cruise missiles
with ranges between 500
and 5,500 kilometers.
East-West Tension subside
First summit in Moscow in 1989
Gorbachev and George H. W.
Bush signed START I arms control
treaty
Soviets declared that they would
no longer intervene in the affairs
of Eastern Europe.
In 1989, Soviets withdrew from
Afghanistan.
By 1990 Gorbachev consented to
the reunification of Germany.
Berlin Wall
1989 Berlin Wall comes
down
November 9 is
considered the date the
Wall fell, but the Wall in
its entirety was not
torn down immediately.
December 3, 1989
Gorbachev and Reagan
declared the Cold War
over at the Malta
Summit.
The Soviet Union Faces Turmoil
Powerful forces for democracy were building
and Gorbachev decided not to oppose reform.
Various nationalities in the Soviet Union called
for their freedom.
As reforms loosened central control
Nationalist groups demanded self-rule.
Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldavia.
Muslim peoples of Soviet Central Asia called
for religious freedom.
Lithuania Defies Gorbachev
In March 1990, Lithuania
declared its independence.
To force it back into the
Soviet Union, Gorbachev
ordered an economic
blockade on the republic.
In January 1991, Soviet
troops attacked unarmed
civilians in Lithuania’s
capital.
14 killed
Hundreds wounded.
Yeltsin Denounces Gorbachev
Lack of economic progress is
and the assault in Lithuania
damage Gorbachev’s
popularity.
People looked for leadership.
Boris Yeltsin - Criticized
crackdown on Lithuania and slow
pace of reforms.
In June 1991, voters chose
Yeltsin to become the Russian
Federation’s first directly elected
President.
Opposition to Reform
In spite of rivalry Yeltsin and Gorbachev
faced a common enemy in the old
guard of Communist officials.
Hardliners and Conservatives
Opposed reforms.
These officials vowed to overthrow
Gorbachev
The August Coup
On August 18th, 1991
Gorbachev was detained at his
vacation home on the Black Sea
by the Hardliners.
They demanded his resignation
as Soviet President
Early next day hundred of tanks
and armored vehicles rolled into
Moscow.
The August Coup (cont.)
Protesters gathered at the
Russian parliament building.
Around mid-day Yeltsin
emerged and stood atop one
of the tanks.
Said the decisions of the
committee was illegal
On August 20, the hardliners
ordered troops to attack the
parliament building.
The troops refused.
Their refusal turned the tide.
End of the Soviet Union
Coup attempt sparked anger against
Communist Party.
Gorbachev resigned as general secretary of
the party.
The Soviet parliament voted to stop all party
activities.
Having seized power by a coup in 1917 the
communist party collapsed now due to failed
one.
End of the Soviet Union (cont.)
Coup played decisive role in accelerating the
break up of the Soviet Union.
Estonia and Latvia quickly declared
independence.
Other republics soon followed.
Gorbachev pleaded for unity, but not one
was listening.
By early December, all 15 republics had
declared independence.
CIS and the End of the Soviet Union
Yeltsin met with the leaders of the other republics to
chart a new course.
They agreed to form the Commonwealth for
Independent States (CIS), a loose federation of
former Soviet territories.
Only Baltic republics and Georgia declined to join.
The formation of the CIS meant the death of the
Soviet Union.
On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev announced his
resignation as president of the Soviet Union, a
country that ceased to exist.