Honors World History Chapter 8 - The Cold War

purpose of the meeting in San Francisco in April 1945

to develop a purpose, principles, and structure for the United Nations

United Nations (UN)

an organization of nations dedicated to work for world peace, security, and the betterment of humanity

the 2 components of the United Nations

the General Assembly and the Security Council

General Assembly

representatives from member nations discuss any issue within the scope of UN charter; each nation has one vote; can make recommendations but cannot enforce

Security Council members

permanent members (strongest nations): China, France, UK, US, USSR; other members elected for 2 year terms; 15 total members

Security Council purpose

investigates disputes between nations, recommends solutions, and can take military action (made of troops from members); to take any action, all 5 permanent members must agree

strengths of the United Nations

membership to all nations; strongest nations of the world were involved

weaknesses of the United Nations

the General Assembly had no power to enforce decisions; the Security Council could enforce decisions but any permanent members could veto the action; UN could invite countries to contribute military personnel but had no force of it's own; countries could volunteer to be part of the temporary UN force when security council members all agree

International Military Tribunal

established by the US, USSR, Britain, and France to bring all war criminals to swift and just punishment; Nuremberg Trials in Germany, trials in Tokyo

Nuremberg Trials

held for 24 individuals and 7 organizations; 12 sentenced to death by hanging; 3 acquired (freed); others received prison time from 10 years to life; more trials were held in the 4 zones of Germany

General Hidecki Tojo

executed for his war crimes

the war crime trials after WW2 set an example for..

international law

what happened at the war crime trials/why were they so controversial

victors of the war prosecuted the defeated instead of examining the crimes with an impartial party; nobody looked at the destruction of the US atomic bombs on Japanese civilians

detente

easing of tensions; followed mostly by Nixon

the obstacles after WW2

tensions rose between the US and USSR; China resumed it's civil war; millions had been uprooted from their homes; most of Europe and Asia suffered from destroyed homes, lands, and industries; collapse of Japanese and European empires led to strong Independence movements; the US economy was strong but now had to convert from wartime to peacetime production; the USSR took control of eastern Europe to rebuild it's economy; the world lived in fear of nuclear weapons

US government

founded on principles of representatives government; developed competitive party system

USSR government

history of autocratic government; monarch or dictator

US economy

free market economy; prosperous

USSR economy

strong government control; technologically and economically underdeveloped

US national interests

expanding world trade; strong European markets provided profitable markets for goods

USSR national interests

lacked warm water ports for commerce, so needed and wanted them; wanted to keep Germany weak

US approach to the world

fought 20th century wars to make the world safe for democracy

USSR approach to the world

fear of outsiders (from centuries of invasions); desire to protect borders; focused inward

why did post-war goals differ between the US and USSR?

because the US grew economically while the USSR grew territorially

US gains

industries increased production because European nations destroyed each other’s factories; businesses pushed into market and resource areas previously dominated by Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East

USSR gains

as Red Army pushed Nazis back, they occupied eastern European countries; troops invaded Manchuria shortly before Japan’s defeat

US goals

pushed for free elections in previously occupied territories; needed strong and expanding world markets for it's products in order to move smoothly to peacetime production; national ideas promoted worldwide spread of democracy and free market economy

USSR goals

Stalin feared the influence of ideas from non-communist west would weaken his hold and wanted to surround the USSR with friendly governments; wanted to rebuild the economy through strict control and domination in a closed sphere of influence; national ideas promoted Communist revolution

origin of the term “cold war”

term began being used to describe the hostile relationship between the US and USSR

what does “cold war” mean

the war was fought mainly through political and economic means

how did Churchill describe the Cold War

he described the growing division between eastern and western Europe as an iron curtain

iron curtain

symbolized idealogical conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe; the USSR tried to block itself from contact with the west and non-Soviet areas

the East in the Cold War

Soviet Union and it's allies

the West in the Cold War

the US, nations of western Europe, and nations opposed to Soviet expansion

the US’ containment policy

adopted by Truman; the US would strategically resist any attempts by the USSR to expand it’s influence; would forget alliances with others and help weak nations resist Soviet advances

why world leaders opposed Stalin’s expansionist aggression

they believed that WW2 could have been prevented had European leaders opposed Hitler’s expansionist aggression, didn’t want to make the same mistake with Stalin

the 2 steps of the containment policy

the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan

what happened before Truman created the Truman Doctrine

Congress approved $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey to fight against communism and Soviet demands; Americans were upset and thought they could not afford to fight communism

Truman Doctrine

statement in which Truman believed that the US should support free countries who resisted communism through economic and financial aid

the argument between Congress and Truman over the Marshall Plan/containment policy; why that argument dissipated

Congress argued that the US couldn’t afford to aid Europe; changed its mind when Stalin took over Czechoslovakia; Truman believed that European economies would resist communism, build strong militaries, and provide good markets for US products

George Marshall

Secretary of State; developed the Marshall Plan to help economic recovery in Europe

Marshall Plan

sent billions of dollars to Britain, France and Germany; sparked economic revival in those countries; became the most important achievement of the containment policy by preventing Soviet advances into western Europe

Rio Treaty

US and 18 American republics signed this; pledged to come to each other’s aid

Organization of American States (OAS)

established to oversee the Rio Treaty’s guarantee of mutual defense, promote respect for human rights and democratic governments, and to support regional efforts for economic, social, and cultural development

what caused the Berlin airlift

France, Britain, and the US united their German zones and established an independent nation; USSR was against reunification and responded by denying all travel access to West Berlin; Brit and US responded with the Berlin airlift

Berlin Airlift

a campaign for transporting food and supplies by plane into West Berlin for 321 days; blockage of Berlin ended in 1949

which countries formed the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

Britain and the US

which countries formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

the USSR

North Atlantic Treaty

US signed this with Canada and 10 other nations; stated that each nation would come to the defense of any member nation

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

administered a combined military force of the member nations in the treaty; the first treaty in peacetime since 1800

arms race between USSR and US

USSR exploded it's first atomic bomb; conflict was more threatening since both countries had nuclear weapons; raced to make more better weapons and stockpiled them

Dwight D. Eisenhower

president after Truman; stockpiled nuclear weapons and strengthened the air force, USSR did the same; began the arms race

occupation of Japan after WW2

General MacArthur and the US army occupied Japan; reps from USSR, Brit, and China formed a council to assist in rebuilding economy and bringing democracy; made sure Emperor Hirohito was not prosecuted during war trial; Japan had a new Constitution; US sent aid and protected Japan

Chiang Kai-shek

leader of the Nationalist Party of China; lost the civil war

Mao Zedong

leader of the Communist Party of China; won the civil war, took control of China

how China was divided in the 30’s and after WW2 ended

Nationalists fought Communists; these parties united to fight Japan and then fought again once Japan surrendered

why the Communists were able to take over China

communism rose because the economy was failing and people became communists

how did the US try to help the Nationalists in China during the civil war

George Marshall tried to negotiate peace; US sent $3 million in aid to Chiang Kai-shek to stop the spread of communism

China under Mao Zedong

Communist People’s Republic of China; strictly controlled schools, religious practices, economic production, and foreign policy; used terror to establish authority; divided farmland among peasants

what happened after the US refused to recognize the Communist government of China and aided Taiwan

USSR and China signed a treaty of friendship; USSR boycotted the UN’s security council because the US maintained the Chinese Nationalist govt’s seat on the council

Great Leap Forward

Mao’s plan; made 26,000 collective farms; peasants worked the land together and owned nothing; peasants had no motivation to work hard since only the state profited, so it failed

Red Guards

Mao urged young people to make a revolution to revive communism; millions left high school and college to form militia units; led the Cultural Revolution

Cultural Revolution

led by the Red Guards; goal was to establish a society of peasants and workers who are all equal; shut down colleges and schools; saw intellectual and artistic ability as useless; made intellectuals purify themselves by doing hard labor, many were executed; Mao put down the revolution

where was Korea divided after WW2

at the 38th parallel

Korean War

communist North Korea invaded South Korea with the aid of Soviet supplies; UN sent troops to aid South Korea; China got involved since it felt threatened by the US, whose forces outnumbered the UN’s; MacArthur was removed after urging for nuclear war against China; Koreans ceased fire and boundary line was still at 38th parallel

Why did the Koreans issue a ceasefire?

UN troops had regained control of South Korea

impact of US and UN actions after the Korean War

US showed determination to stop aggression; UN forces repelled the invasion of South Korea; UN was able to work toward a common goal with the absence of the USSR on the security council; US showed it's aggression by invading an independent nation; South Korea benefited due to aids from the US

negative effects of the Korean War

much damage and death inflicted on Koreans; relations were damaged with China after the US invaded North Korea and provided naval protection to Chiang Kai-shek; prolonged conflict in Vietnam due to US support of French there; hostilities continued between US and USSR; US increased military and financial involvement in SE Asia; US still keeps troops in South Korea due to North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons under Kim Jong il

why was Eisenhower hesitant to send troops to Vietnam

feared a repeat of the Korean War, where it was all for nothing; nothing changed

when did France admit defeat in Vietnam

after fights at Dien Bien Phu

Ho Chi Minh

led the Communist government in North Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem

dictator of South Vietnam; supported by US; received economic and military aid from the US

domino theory

Eisenhower’s justification of the US presence in SE Asia; belief that if South Vietnam fell to Communism, then nearby nations would soon fall just like dominoes

Vietcong

Communist guerillas in south Vietnam; assassinated Diem and become popular

President Lyndon Johnson

told Congress that North Vietnam attacked US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin; sent many troops to Vietnam

what caused the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

US thought that Vietnamese attackers had missiles since we may or may not have picked up missile signals during a storm; could have been the government’s ploy to justify sending troops

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

passed authorizing the president to take all necessary measures to repel attacks vs. US forces; Congress hands it's war powers over to Lyndon B. Johnson

2 problems for the US military in Vietnam

fighting a guerilla war in unknown jungle; the South Vietnamese government was more unpopular, so more people supported the Vietcong; Ho Chi Minh, USSR, and China also sent supplies

Richard Nixon

first president to pull out troops from Vietnam; began Vietnamization; moved toward detente; 1st president to visit China; visited the USSR; signed SALT 1

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan allowing for gradual increase of US troops pulled out of Vietnam and an increased South Vietnamese combat role; Nixon also bombed bases in North Vietnam, supply routes/Vietcong hideouts in Laos and Cambodia

War Powers Act

passed by Congress; limited and controlled the war powers of each branch of government; passed because there was never an official declaration of war for Vietnam but the US had drafted men

Paris Peace Accords

ended US involvement in Vietnam

why were Laos and Cambodia significant?

both were drawn into the Vietnam War; Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Vietcong’s major supply routes, ran through both countries and was bombed by the US

how communism was set up in Cambodia

during the Vietnam War. the Vietcong armed and trained the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communists); seized control and set up government under Pol Pot

Khmer Rouge

Cambodian Communists led by Pol Pot; executed the Cambodian Genocide

Pol Pot

communist dictator of Cambodia; led the Khmer Rouge to take over and lead the Cambodian genocide

the Cambodian Genocide

Khmer Rouge under Pol Potenforced brutal plan that resulted in a massive genocide; executed Cambodia’s government officials, army officers, and teachers; over 1 million deaths

SEATO

the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization; formed by the US, Britain, France, and Southeast Asian countries; did not require members to assist with a military; supported US intervention at Vietnam

why was SEATO formed

formed after France withdrew from Vietnam and to prevent communism from spreading

how did the US try to strengthen its position in Europe to stop the spread of communism? how did the USSR respond?

the US added Greece, Turkey, and West Germany to NATO; the USSR responded by forming the Warsaw Pact

Warsaw Pact

formed by the USSR; military alliance between the USSR and eastern European countries

Alger Hiss

convicted of perjury in an investigation on his alleged delivery of classified documents to the Soviets in the 1930’s

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

arrested and convicted for giving information on the atomic bomb to the Soviets

how did Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs help spread the fear of a Communist takeover

they gave classified documents/information to the USSR

Joseph McCarthy

became the most controversial senator in the US; claimed to have a list of State Department employees who were members of the Communist Party; changed the story to a list of people who were “bad security risks” and Communists; enjoyed popularity

the effect of Joe McCarthy

he couldn't prove anything but he ruined the reputations of the accused; the Senate disapproved of his actions and said his conduct was not like that of senator; led to his downfall

McCarthyism

term used to describe sweeping accusations of betrayal based on little or no evidence

the Arms Race

competition between the US and USSR to build more weapons

hydrogen bomb

US increased spending on it's development in order to maintain nuclear superiority; was 1000x more powerful than the atomic bomb

Sputnik I

the first artificial satellite; launched by the USSR