The Cold War

Russia, Europe, and the United States1945-Present

“The Cold War” Outline• West vs East

– Division of Powers– Spread of the Cold War– Cuban Missile Crisis– Vietnam

• The Powers– Soviet Union/Eastern Europe– North America/Western Europe

• End of the War– Fall of the Soviet Union– Future of Eastern Europe– North America and Western

Europe

• New Future of the West

West vs East• West

– Fears the spread of communism• Based on principles of Karl Marx• Trade and industry publicly

owned (government), with each person working and being paid according to needs

– Made up of U.S. and Western Europe

– Motives• US wanted to maintain prestige

after WWII• Wanted Eastern Europe to have

choice in government

• East– Fears the spread of

capitalism• Private owners (citizens)

control trade and industry

– Made up of USSR and Eastern Europe

– Motives• USSR did not want to give up

control of Germany and Eastern Europe after WWII

• Wanted Eastern Europe to be pro-Soviet, regardless of the want of the people

Division of Powers• Rivalry in Europe (1947)

– Truman Doctrine – US would give $$$ to nations threatened by communism• In response to fear of USSR interfering in

Greece

– Marshall Plan – US pledged $13 billion to European economic recovery• Fight USSR with $$$

– US adopts policy of containment to stop communism from spreading

• Division of Germany– US, France, Great Britain vs Russia– Berlin (capital) in East (USSR territory), USSR

tries to block all Western influence• Berlin Air Lift – combined effort of Western

powers to provide food, supplies to West Berlin

– Late 1949, Federal Republic of Germany set up in West, German Democratic Republic set up in east

– FRG (West) creates new capital in Bonn

Spread of the Cold War• New Alliances

– 1949 – China becomes communist, USSR explodes atomic bomb• Mao Zedong pushes for communism

in China (Great Leap Forward)• Arms race begins between US/USSR

– 1949 – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – Alliance of West Europe and North America

– 1955 – Warsaw Pact – Alliance of East Europe and USSR

• East vs West Germany– 1961 – Berlin Wall created to

prevent East Germans from escaping to West Germany

– Nikita Krushchev in charge of USSR, creation of wall

Exit Slip

• In your opinion, what was the biggest factor in the US and USSR disagreeing with each other?

• What was the purpose of the Truman Doctrine? The Marshall Plan?

Korean War (1950-1953)• 1905-1945 – Korea owned by

Japanese• 1945 – US, USSR decide to split

Korea after defeat of Japan– Split at 38th parallel– North – USSR– South – US– By 1950, communism vs capitalism

• June 1950 – North invades South– Pushed out by July

• Chinese send large forces, push back to 38th parallel, where border is today

• Armistice signed in 1953

Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1963)• Cuban Revolution

– 1959 – Fidel Castro takes Cuba, supported by USSR• Now within 90 miles of US

• Bay of Pigs Invasion– April 1961 – JFK’s planned invasion of Cuba– Failure of CIA to land Cuban exiles and take

island back

• Cuban Missile Crisis– USSR has weapons in Cuba– US understandably fears USSR weapons, but

they also hold weapons in Turkey…BORDERING USSR

– 1962 – US blockades Cuba to prevent Russian fleet from carrying weapons to them

• “Your rockets are in Turkey. You are worried by Cuba…because it is 90 miles from the American coast. But Turkey is next to us.” – Krushchev– Does he have an argument?

Vietnam (1959-1975)• Alliances

– North – Soviets & East– South – US & West

• U.S. Concerns– Domino Theory – If communists

succeed in South Vietnam, other Asian nations would fall

• The War– Starts out as light warfare, eventually

draft issued and thousands serve– 1968 – Tet Offensive turns tide of war in

favor of communists• 1969 – Conscription begins in US• Heavy protests, Americans not wanting to

participate

– Early 70s – Laos and Cambodia fall to Soviet forces

– Despite more money and equipment, South falls to North in 1975 at Saigon

Soviet Union/Eastern Europe• Stalin to Krushchev

– Stalin (1922-1952)• Heavy industry pushed• Atom bomb in 1953• Oppresses science, literature

– Nikita Krushchev (‘53-’64)• Begins de-stalinization, science and

lit. benefit• Sputnik I launches in ’57• Lost job b/c of Cuban Missile Crisis

• Behind the Iron Curtain– Communism forced from ‘45-’47– Revolts take place, but Soviets

able to squash them– Yugoslavia and Freedom Fighters

only group to succeed

Western Europe• Recovery

– France• Charles de Gaulle created Fourth and Fifth

Republics• Puts France on world stage, explodes 1st

nuclear bomb in 1960

– West Germany• Konrad Adenauer chancellor• Post-war economic growth, “economic

miracle”

– Great Britain• Welfare state – gov’t takes responsibility for

providing citizens with means to live• Bc of this, couldn’t maintain colonies, breaks

apart empire

• Unity– 1957 – European Economic Community

created• Powerful trading bloc, or nations with a

common purpose• Free trade (no tariffs) between nations

North America• American Development

– Period of economic boom after WWII

– Sen. Joe McCarthy begins Red Scare – fear communists had infiltrated U.S.

– 1954 – Brown v. Board of Education makes segregation illegal

– Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) pursues welfare state

– Martin Luther King, Jr. leads civil rights movement, helps create Civil Rights Act in 1964

• Canada emerges as a power in North America– Help from American investment,

desire to grow industry in country

Exit Slip

• List three ways Nikita Krushcev’s Russia differ from the Russia of Stalin.

• How would you define the European Economic Community (EEC)?

• Give an example of the change the United States was experiencing during the Cold War.

Brezhnev Era in Russia• Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982)

– Followed Krushchev– Allowed détente, or relaxed

relations between US/USSR

• Struggles of the USSR– Brezhnev encouraged heavy

industry• Leads to no incentive amongst

farmers to do anything outside provide for themselves

– Gov’t becomes corrupt by 70’s– Weak gov’t, weak economy,

poor working conditions leading to weak Russia

Fall of the Soviet Union• Rising/Falling Tension

– 1979 – USSR invades Afghanistan, ruins relations• Pres. Carter removes US from ‘80 Olympics

(Moscow)

– 1980 – Reagan elected – US backs Afghans, begins new arms race with USSR

• Gorbachev and a New USSR– 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev takes power in USSR– Begins policy of glasnost (openness in

discussion of public policy) and perestroika (restructuring of policy)

– US & USSR both running up debt with military policy, choose to pull back on nuclear arms race

– Gorbachev also ends aid to Communist gov’ts in Eastern Europe

– Peaceful revolution sweeps Europe in ‘89, Same year elected legislature meets in USSR, Germany reunified in Oct. ‘90

The New Russia• End of the Soviet Union

– USSR included 92 ethnic groups and 112 different languages• Bc of release of grip by “Iron Fist” in

Moscow, groups begin nationalist movements for independence

– By the end of 1991, USSR had dissolved

• Boris Yeltsin (‘91-’99)– Followed Gorbachev– Oversaw beginning of new Russian

era

• Vladimir Putin (’00-’08, ‘12-Present)– Continued economic moves forward– Most recently, Ukraine crisis (still

ongoing)

3-2-1 Exit Slip

• 3 Things you learned

• 2 Things you found interesting

• 1 Thing you still have questions about

Eastern Europe – 80s-90s• Revolution

– Gorbachev’s removal of funding to communist regimes means change

– Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania each experience change, removal of communism

• Disintegration of Yugoslavia– Remained separate from USSR,

despite being communist– 6 republics and 2 provinces made

up nation, begin to call for independence in 1990

– Bloody revolution takes place against communist leader Josip Tito

Western Europe – 80s-90s• France

– Experienced a shift from socialist policy in 80s to conservatism in 90s

• Germany– Willy Brandt, chancellor of West,

signs a treaty with East in 1972– New focus on building Germany,

conservative groups brought to power

• Great Britain– Faced constant fighting between

Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland

– Margaret Thatcher leader of GB during ‘80s• Thatcherism – Saw industrial zones

prosper at the expense of non-industrialized areas of GB

North America – 80s-90s

• United States– At home, Reagan cut back on

welfare state spending, using $$$ for military• Pushed budget deficit to 3x its

amount in 70s

– Succeeded by Bush Sr. and Clinton

• Canada– Biggest issue is the fate of

Quebec– People of Quebec wanted to

secede, Canadian Supreme Court said “no”• Needed a unanimous decision

New Future of the West

• How have things changed in the following areas:– Technology?– Popular Culture?– Religion?– New concerns?