Transcript The Cold War

The Cold War
History 12
Ms Leslie
USA vs USSR
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USA
Large military – 12.5 million
Navy Larger then UK’s
Huge air force with nuclear weapons
Only nuclear country until 1949
Booming economy after war
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USSR
devastated economically by war
Stalin enforced internal discipline
Suspected anyone in contact with foreigners – shot
returning POWs
Cut down the army in size
Increased censorship
Satellite states
Causes
1.
Ideological differences
Fear and suspicion – democracy vs communism
b. Capitalist nations fearing revolutions – comintern
became Cominform
c. USSR felt capitalist countries were preventing
communism from spreading
a.
2. Strategic concerns and suspicions
Domino theory- Americans thought European
nations would fall one by one to Soviet influence
b. Soviet expansion into the Balkans threatened Greek
and Turkish security. – leads to the Truman Doctrine
c. Marshal plan = obstacle to soviet domination
a.
Tactics of the Cold War
Armed camps – alliances like NATO and the
WARSAW Pact
2. Building Nuclear arsenals
3. Espionage
4. Establishing ‘backyards’ – not allowing activity in
certain places IE Cuban missile crisis.
5. Using ‘aid’ with strings attached
1.
6. ‘dollar’ imperialism – such as American
companies going to Latin America, if they leave
the country becomes impoverished
7. Containment – not allowing the spread of each
others ideology
8. Buffer zones – to prevent immediate attack
9. Appearance of prestige – make other people
join your side by looking better then the other –
IE space race
Europe after WWII
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Massive migration of
refugees
USSR expelling Germans
from Easter Europe
Economies needed to get
going again to prevent a
depression
UK and Canada sent aid
but only enough for relief
Marshall Plan/Aid
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June 1947 – George Marshal, the US secretary
of state, announced funds for European
economies.
1949 European output increased 25%
To help prevent other countries from becoming
communist
Britain received - $3 billion, France - $2.7 billion,
Italy $1.4 billion, Yugoslavia - $109 million
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Marshall Aid was administered by Organization
of European Economic Co-operation (OEEC).
Administered the spending of $28 billion.
The USSR was opposed to this plan as they could
not apply for the aid as they failed the
requirements for political and economic freedom.
Division of Germany
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As per the Yalta and Potsdam Agreements
The USSR in the Northeast, UK in the Northwest,
USA in the south and France in the Southwest
(Rhineland).
Berlin was completely in the Soviet zone and
also divided; USSR in the East (taking up 50%),
French in the North, Britain in the East and USA in
the South east.
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Allies able to take what ever they wanted from
their zones (reparations)
Russia allowed to take more then their share
America and Britain soon wanted Germany on its
feet to create a buffer between the west and
USSR
Two sides began to drift apart
West German Unification
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In January of 1947, the British and American
zones were joined together.
In non-soviet-Berlin they elected an anticommunist Mayor, Ernst Reuter.
In May of 1949 they held elections and Konrad
Adenhauer became the first chancellor of the
Federal Republic of Germany in the new capital
of Bonn.
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Stalin responded by created the German
Democratic Republic of East Germany with its
capital in Berlin.
The Iron Curtain
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Describes the division between the West and
USSR.
Literally a 2,000 km fence of barbed wire
By 1947 only eastern countries no communist
were Finland, Czechoslovakia and Greece.
Greece
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Civil war after WWII
Greek Communists (EAM)
vs the government
March 1947 President
Truman pledges $400
million to Greece and
Turkey to help them
remain ‘free’.
Greek communists are
defeated
Truman Doctrine
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Out lined when he pledged $
Commitment to stop the spread of communism
through force.
Will help any country that were having a
totalitarian regime forced on them
Leads to American involvement in Korea and
Vietnam
Czechoslovakia
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Benes returns as president
1946 elections – communists get 38% of
vote.
Foreign minister, Jan Masaryk, a communist
and makes Benes accept the communist
dominated government in 1948.
Government doesn’t last long as they
reject Marshall Aid and a coup was
staged
Masaryk ‘falls’ to his death from a window
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New elections happen.
Because of the political turmoil the only political
power strong enough to run are the Communists
and they get 88% of the vote
A lot of communist support as it was communist
partisans who drove out the Nazis.
Yugoslavia
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Tito, the war hero, is the
communist leader.
Communist countries supposed to
take orders from Moscow and
send goods
Poland = coal, Czech =
machinery, Romania = oil.
Tito refuses to comply.
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Stalin does not send troops as he does not want to
risk a conflict with Britain or America
Tito allows private ownership
Has good relations with the West
Berlin Airlift 1948-49
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Stalin responded to Marshal Aid with Comecon
(Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
Allies introduced the Deutschmark in West
Germany and West Berlin.
Stalin believes the allies will violate the Yalta
Agreement and make 2 separate Germanys
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June 24, 1948, Stalin blockaded all rail and
roads going into Berlin and West Germany
Berlin is 100 miles in the soviet sector.
Allies were not going to just hand over 2 million
Berliners which would violate the Truman doctrine
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So they decide to do the Air lift
West Berlin needs 4,000 tons of supplies a day
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Largest transport plane can take 11 tons
For 318 days planes left West Germany for Berlin
every 30 seconds.
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At the most desperate time, Berlin had only 1 weeks
supply of coal and 3 weeks supply of food in Jan
1949.
Transports were escorted with B-29 Bombers.
Operation Little Vittles
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Stalin tried to entice West Berliners to move to
East Berlin with promises of food and fuel,
only 2% of people moved.
By May of 1949, Stalin called off the blockade
as it wasn’t working.
NATO
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Result of the Air lift
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
April 1949 – 12 countries signed
UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg,
Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Iceland,
Canada, and USA.
Main points of NATO:
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Renounced war except when in aligned with the
UN
Assistance against an aggressor
For 20 years
Permanent military base in Paris.
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USSR responds with the Warsaw Pact in 1955
Treaty for communist countries.
Stalin died in 1953. New leader Khrushchev
created Pact to start to deStalinize the USSR.
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It was clear that Germany was not going to be
reunited any time soon.
So in August 1949 West Germany became the
German Federal Republic
East Germany became the German Democratic
Republic followed soon after.
Containment
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American Policy of stopping the Spread of
Communism.
Fear of Communists become rampant in
America
Senator Joseph McCarthy took over the House
Un-American Activities Committee.
Many people in USA were accused of being
communists and interrogated.
This period of extreme paranoia is referred to
as McCarthyism.
Korean War
June 1950 - July 1953
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North Korea was liberated from the Japanese by
the Soviets.
South Korea was liberated by USA
The border was set at the 38th parallel.
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The new leader of South
Korea was Syngman Rhee
and would become a
dictator in the 50’s and
60’s.
The Leader of North Korea
was communist Kim Il-sung.
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Eventually the USSR and USA left their respective
occupied zones and North Korea attacked South
Korea.
The official start was on June 25, 1950.
Truman announced the Truman doctrine applied
to Asia as well as Europe
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North Korea captured
most of Korea except
for a small area near
Pusan.
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UN met over this invasion and votes to send in
troops
It passed as the USSR is boycotting the UN for their
refusal to recognize Communist China
Truman sent troops in under the UN flag, and is
joined by 16 other nations
General MacArthur is in charge.
This is the first time the UN was deployed to
protect against an aggressor.
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UN forces landed on
Oct 7, 1958 at Inchon,
south of the 38th
parallel with
instructions to continue
also long as they did
not meet Chinese or
Soviet forces.
MacArthur was
heading towards the
Yalu River
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China responded to the perceived threat of
invasion by sending troops across the Yalu on the
26th of October and pushed the Americans back
to the 38th.
Seoul, the capital was re-captured.
America responded with Truman talking about Abombs which made everyone scared – (British PM
Atless was able to talk him out of it.)
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America increased the
defense budget to $50
million from $13 million and
increase the standing
military to 3.5 million men.
As a result MacArthur
pushed the Chinese back to
the 38th parallel.
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Truman decided to change
his plan from a war of
liberation to a war of
containment.
MacArthur disagreed; he
wanted to liberate both
Koreas.
Truman eventually fired
MacArthur on April 11,
1951.
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The Korean War
was essentially over
with talks dragging
out for years over
the POW issue.
•In Nov, 1952, Eisenhower becomes president (WWII
hero) with Nixon as his vice president.
•The Secretary of state, Dulles, was anti-red and
threatened China with a-bombs if they did not return
American POWs.
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The Chinese eventually agreed to the POW
terms and on July 23, 1953 a military armistice
was signed.
China had now been dragged in to the Cold
War and had begun helping the Vietnamese in
Indo-China to free themselves from Frenchcolonial rule.
Nuclear Arms Race
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Sept 22, 1949 when Truman announced the
Soviets had set off their own nuclear tests.
World powers now shift their attention to Stalin
and who he’s aligning with.
Soviets develop a 58 megaton bomb – 2900
times stronger than Hiroshima.
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Bomb delivery is by plane – working to develop a
better delivery system
1957 - intercontinental ballistic missile was invented.
Multiple target delivery systems were also created.
Nuclear powers submarines also invented
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As the systems became more sophisticated the
fear of annihilation became more real.
There were big anti-bomb movements in the
USA.
The USSR spent money of developing weapons
and thus other government spending was cut.
Stalin died of a stroke on
March 5, 1953. He is
replaced by Nikita Khrushchev.
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Khrushchev was not like
Stalin – no more purges, and
Destalinization
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Destalinization
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Khrushchev announced the crimes of Stalin during
the purges in the 1956 20th Congress of the
Communist Party.
Also condemned the personality cult of Stalin
Also made Lenin’s proclamation about Stalin
public
Also called for peaceful existence with the West.
Khrushchev
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Had opposition from hardliner communists such as
Molotov and Malenkov.
But they were forced into ‘retirement’ in 1957,
allowing Khrushchev to lead freely until 1964.
Determined to change Soviet economy.
Industry to focus on consumer goods like TVs and
refrigerators to raise the standard of living.
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Wages also increased under Khrushchev with
increased the spending power of the average
Russian.
38% increase between 1952-58 for urban
workers.
Factory managers were to increase profits and
give the profits to the workers.
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Cut red tape by de-centralizing decision making.
Before regions had to submit changed for
approval in Moscow.
Khrushchev set up Regional Economic Councils to
govern smaller areas.
Not all good
 housing shortage – actually 30% less housing in
1958 then before WWII.
 Also unable to increase agriculture due to poor
soil conditions.
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Geneva Summit, 1955
USA, USSR, UK, France
 to improve relations with the west.
 Discussed security, Armaments, German
unification.
 No agreements were met but the achieved a
friendlier climate.
 Agreed to end the joint occupation of Austria.
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Austrian Peace Treaty of 1955.
4 major powers signed to allow Austria to be
independent.
 Austria forbidden to make military alliances.
 The only treaty since 1946 signed by Western
nations and the USSR.
 Shows co-operation of Khrushchev with the West.
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Poland
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Under USSR control since end of
WWII
1956 - workers went on strike in
Pozan
Strike put down by soviet troops
Khrushchev appeases the people
by releasing the polish war here,
Gomulka from prison and
allowing him to be leader again
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Gomulka left to develop his own form of communism
as long as he obeyed Russia.
Catholic Church allowed to remain running
Ruled for 14 years
De-collectivized agriculture.
Hungary
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Under Soviet control since WWII
Hungarian communist party had bitter
in-fighting
Rakosi first Stalinistic leader
A couple years later he’s replaced by
Imre Nagy who is unable to created
any economic growth
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Nagy believed in Public debate and civil freedoms
Ended government control of the press
On Nov 1, 1956 declared he would get out of the
Warsaw Pact and hold free elections
The Hungarian Uprising
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Khrushchev responded by putting
soviet troops into Budapest on
Nov 4
The street battle resulted in
20,000 dead Hungarians and
7,000 dead Soviets
Nagy is executed and replaced
by Janos Kadar
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Kadar is in control until 1988
He allowed more consumer
choice
Brought economic
independence from Russia
The Suez Crisis
1955-56
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In 1955 Egypt made a trade
agreement with the USSR where
they get arms from Czechoslovakia.
This threatened Israeli security
whom the Egyptian President,
Nasser, was attacking in his
propaganda.
The west was also nervous that his
meant Egypt was heading towards
communism.
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In retaliation to this agreement, the
American secretary of State, John
foster Dulles, announced American
would no longer help Egypt built
the costly Aswan Dam across the
Nile.
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In retaliation Nasser
nationalized the Suez
Canal in July 1956.
This allowed him to
toll the canal to raise
funds to pay for the
Aswan Dam.
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Fall 1956 - Israel attacks Egypt
confident in their attack as they had a secret
agreement with Britain and France; once they
crossed the Sinai, Britain and France would issue an
ultimatum.
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Britain and France demanded a
cease-fire and the ability to occupy
key points on the canal to protect
their interests.
Nasser refused of course and
Britain and France decided to
occupy the Suez Canal Zone.
On Oct 5 the British destroyed the
Egyptian air force.
By Nov 5 their troops are in Port
Said.
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Eisenhower condemned the attack – Britain and
France thought they would stay neutral
Khrushchev threatened to ‘drive the aggressors’ out
of the Middle East.’
The UN stepped in an arranged the withdraw of
belligerent forces by sending in the UNEF to the
Near East.
These forces
will later be
known as
Peace
Keepers
Results of the Crisis
o USSR has extended its influence to Syria and Iraq.
o Nasser closer to USSR also seen an someone who
stood up to Western powers.
o Israel not happy with the outcome
o Britain and France discredited.
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After the Suez Crisis Khrushchev announced the USSR
was to complete with the USA on a global scale.
America Responded with the Eisenhower Doctrine.
This policy stated that American troops would be used
to intervene in the Middle East against communism if
necessary.
peaceful co-existence
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Khrushchev spent his time trying to recruit allies.
He visited India, Afghanistan and Burma to help
increase Soviet influence in response to the American
system of allies.
This action increased tension between he two powers.
Space Race
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August 4, 1957, the USSR
launched the first earth orbiting
satellite called Sputnik.
now apparent A-bombs can be
delivered with out planes.
Berlin
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1959 Khrushchev announced he would finally sign a
peace treaty with East Berlin
Western Nations feared the treaty would prevent
them from accessing West Berlin.
The Prime minister of Britain, MacMillan, was able to
get Khrushchev to postpone the treaty until after the
USSR, UK and USA met.
Summit Conference
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1960
happened in Paris with
MacMillan, De Gaulle,
Eisenhower and Khrushchev.
The meeting collapse when
Khrushchev refused to meet
until the USA apologized for
sending a spy plane over the
USSR.
U-2 Incident
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Gary Powers, an American
pilot, was shot down by a
missile over the USSR.
The USA had flown these
planes over the USSR
without penalty
challenging the USSR to
shoot one down.
For years it was unable to
do so, until the USSR
invented a rocket powered
missile.
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Incident was resolved in 1962 when the Soviets
released the American pilot in exchange for one of
their pilots who was being held by the USA
The Berlin Wall
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concerned about the
number of Berliners moving
to the West. (2,000 a
week)
Kennedy increased
American presence in
Berlin.
Khrushchev responded by
building a wall around
West Berlin.
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Since 1949, 3 million Germans had left East
Germany by going to West Berlin and then West
Germany through the corridor.
The wall was constructed on the morning of August
13, 1961
Mostly barbed wire
Americans could do nothing but protest
Imprisoned 17 million people
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Within a year the Wall was seven and half miles
long and fences stretched the remaining 91.7 miles
around the city.
12 feet high
With armed guards, watch towers and check points
500,000 Soviet troops and only
12,000 Americans, 4,000 British soldiers and about
3-4,000 French soldiers
Attempting to cross meant death (200 die in the first
year alone)
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During this time Khrushchev had ordered testing on a
58 mega-ton bomb – Hiroshima was only 0.02
megatons.
This was one reason America did not want to go to
war over Berlin.
The crisis was furthered by Kennedy’s famous 1963
‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech where he boldly stated
his commitment to the defense of Berlin.
Cuban Missile Crisis
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In the late 1800’s America
had won Cuba from Spain.
By the 1950’s America was
supporting a corrupt regime
lead by Fulgencio Batista
who had seized power
illegally in 1933.
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Americans also controlled
Cuban economy and
controlled every major
Cuban industry.
Most important was
sugar.
Cuba was one of the
most productive countries
in Latin America, but the
wealth was not distributed
equally.
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The Cuban revolution happened
on January 1, 1959. Fidel
Castro, a trained lawyer,
organized a guerilla force and
overthrew the Batista regime.
At first it was not a communist
regime, he was a nationalist who
wanted to free the people from
US imperialism and set up a
welfare system.
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Fidel immediately nationalized American industries in
Cuban and by 1960 America had stopped buying
Cuban sugar.
In Feb. of 1960 Castro signed a trade agreement
with the USSR were the USSR would buy all of Cuba’s
sugar and give aid as well.
By Jan 1961, America broke off all diplomatic
relations with Cuba.
Bay of Pigs
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Kennedy had inherited Eisenhower’s plan of helping
Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and recapture it.
The CIA was heavily involved in training the rebels.
America did not offer troops or air support.
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The Ill-planned invasion happened in April of 1961,
1400 Cuban patriots never even made it to shore.
Some of the landing craft had their keels ripped off
from reefs that the CIA thought was seaweed.
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Castro announced shortly after that Cuban was a
Marxist state.
This attempted invasion showed Castro he needed
military assistance from the USSR.
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Spring and Summer of 1962 the USSR decided to put
Missiles in Cuba.
1. USSR was now behind in the space race – the
USA now had inter-continental ballistic missiles.
2. Cuba and USSR fears American Invasion.
3. USA had missiles in Turkey
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In August of 1962
an American spy
plan photographed
surface to air
missiles in Cuba.
They also saw
Soviet built planes
capable of carrying
N-Bombs.
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The USA had 3 developed ways of dealing with this
situation.
1. A diplomatic negotiation of a settlement
2. An attack or invasion
3. Naval blockade or quarantine
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They called it a quarantine because a Naval
Blockade is seen by the international community as an
act of war.
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Robert Kennedy, JFK’s
Attorney General
convinced the Security
Council to go with the 3rd
plan.
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The US navy set up the blockade as Soviet ships were
full speed ahead to Cuba with more missiles.
These ships were probably protected by Soviet
submarines.
This could have ended in nuclear war right then and
there. Kennedy had put the American military on
DEFCON 2 (the next stage is all out war).
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Wed, Oct 24, the Soviet
ships turned around.
But there was still no
resolution. Kennedy and
Khrushchev corresponded
to each other through
letters.
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Oct 26 - 9 am – Khrushchev to Kennedy – proposed
he would remove missiles if Kennedy would promise
not to invade the island.
Before Kennedy could respond Khrushchev sent
another letter the next morning.
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Oct 27 – Khrushchev to Kennedy – brings up the
missiles in Turkey.
States there is no deal unless those missiles are
removed too.
Kennedy was shocked as those missiles were old
and he didn’t really have any use for them.
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Robert Kennedy came up with
an idea that JFK ignore the
second letter and only respond
to the first.
Kennedy responded
favourable to the first and
Khrushchev agreed…. thus
ending the crisis
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The UN became involved during the supervision of the
removal of missiles from Cuba,
This whole even was an example of brinkmanship.
This means both sides there taking events to the edge
to get what they wanted.
This was the closest we’ve come to nuclear war.
Results of CMC
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established a direct link between he Kremlin and the
White house.
This is called the ‘red phone’; it’s really black.
Communication in the crisis was very slow – the letters
needed translating. The first letter too 6 hours to
deliver. They did not want to go to war because of
slow communication.
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9 months later they agree to an atmospheric test ban
treaty – no more testing bombs in the open air.
Cuba now a soviet satellite.
By 1964 Khrushchev is dismissed because of his poor
leadership in this crisis
End 