The Cold War & Contemporary Issues

Ch 28.4, Ch 29 - 33

I. Europe DividedA. Division of Germany after WWII

1. Democratic West Germany, Soviet Union created a puppet government in East Germany

2. “Iron Curtain”- division between communism and democracy in Europe

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent”

-Winston Churchill (1946)

B. Berlin Airlift• Berlin was divided but was inside East

Germany• SU blockaded the city to gain control• US airlifted supplied until SU backed

down

C. Marshall Plan- US gave economic aid to Europe to speed recovery and to stop communism

D. Two rival alliances: NATO (led by US) and Warsaw Pact (USSR and puppet countries)

II. Communism in AsiaA. Japan banned from having a military-

became a democracy with a powerful economy

B. In 1949, Mao Zedong’s Communist Party took over China

C. Korean War (1950-1953)• China backed N. Korea invaded S. Korea• US-led troops pushed back but China got

involved• Korea divided at the 38th parallel

D. Communism in China1. Great Leap Forward- effort to collectivize and

industrialize China, led to millions of deaths2. Cultural Revolution- political purge to reaffirm power

of communist party

E. Vietnam War1. Causes

a. French left Vietnam in 1954b. Domino Theory- if one country falls

to communism, surrounding countries will too

2. Effectsa. US leaves defeated by 1974b. Khmer Rouge- communist genocide in

Cambodia that killed 1/5 of population

F. US President Nixon visits China and helped normalize relations and expand trade

III. Conflicts in The Middle EastA. Creation of Israel

1. After WWII, Jews moved to Israel as a part of the Zionist movement

2. In 1949, the UN created the nation of Israel3. Land was divided between Jewish Israelis and Muslim

Palestinians

B. US support helped Israel defeat its neighbors in a series of wars, Palestine became occupied by Israel

C. Arab Oil-rich countries (OPEC) put an embargo (stop exporting) on the US in the 1970s

D. Iranian Revolution (1979)- created a Shi’a theocracy

E. Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Iran (1980-88)

IV. The Third WorldA. India

1. After WWI, India struggled to gain independence2. Gandhi led a non-violent movement that helped win

independence in 19473. Partition of India- Muslims were sent to Pakistan,

Hindus to India- chaos and rivalry4. India and other “third world” countries didn’t side

with US or USSR

B. Africa independence challenges

1. Most African countries became independent in 1960s

2. Many African countries had civil wars and were ruled by dictators

3. Ruling white minority in South Africa had policy of apartheid (racial segregation) until 1994

C. Latin America1. In Cuba, Fidel Castro created a communist

government (1959)2. Through the Cold War, most countries were ruled by

dictators

V. Height of Cold WarA. US and SU competed by creating nuclear

weapons and space shipsB. MAD theory- if either side attacks, both would

be destroyed (deterrence)C. Cuban Missile Crisis- US and SU nearly go to war

over placement of SU nukes in CubaD. US and USSR don’t go into direct conflict but

rival each other throughout the world

VI. End of Cold WarA. Troubles in the Soviet Union

1. USSR cannot keep up with the US economy

2. USSR invades Afghanistan (1980-88) but loses to US-backed Muslims

3. USSR reformed through policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring)

B. Fall of Berlin Wall united E. and W. Germany and marked an end of the Cold War (1989)

C. The Soviet Union broke apart in 1991

D. Pro-democracy movement in China failed at the

Tiananmen Square Massacre

VII. Post Cold War EraA. Globalization

1. Increase in trade has led to global interdependence (rely on each other)

2. European Union- economic unity of most European countries

3. NAFTA- free trade b/w US, Canada, and Mexico

B. Challenges1. Middle East

a. Wars, Terrorismb. Israeli-Palestinian relations

2. In Africa: Desertification, struggling economies, and disease (like HIV) problems for development

3. Populationa. Green Revolution- agricultural innovations

that dramatically increased food productionb. Major urbanization in developing countries