IB history: The Cold War

The Grand Alliance (1941)

WW2 alliance between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin after pearl harbor and German invasion of USSR

Potsdam Conference

last meeting; Truman becomes president and is harsher against stalin

• he is upset about false promise of free elections of poland in USSR and he develops atomic bomb

Salami Tactics

pro-soviet communist powers rise, rightist parties banned in new USSR territories

Kennan’s Long Telegram

start of the containment policy as he described how USSR only understood force, wanted to expand communism outside their borders, but would not be suicidal about it

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech

says Soviets only listen to force and warned that they could turn into Nazi Germany; causes Stalin to start anti west propaganda

Truman Doctrine

from isolation to intervention for saving minorities from communism

The Marshall Plan

sending financial aid to western European countries to protect them from Soviet influence

• Soviets call it “dollar imperialism”

Moltov Plan

Soviets version of the Marshall plan for East Europe

COMECON

economically linked Eastern European states with the USSR

Czechoslovakian coup

Stalin pressured them to oust non communists; making US even more wary

Berlin Crisis (first one)

a temporary Eastern and Western division of Germany (clashing wants)

• US wants Germany as an economic and strategic partner

• USSR wants germany with zero power

Berlin Blockade

Started by the USSR to help West Berlin get resources

Results: NATO and Warsaw Pact, Stalin backs down, and Germany is permanently divided

US foreign policy

US initially believes that communism is contained in Eastern Europe ( Marshall plan, atomic bombs, Western bloc)

Until USSR detonates their own bomb and China becomes communist

The Second Red Scare

Mc Carthy called US soft on communism due to no intervention w Mao

NSC 68

The US’s security council; outline new outlooks on communism: all communism stems from the USSR

Long Term Causes (vietnam war)

French colonialsm, exploitative rule, nationalidt groups, attempts to westernize

Short Term Causes

Japan is occupying Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh leads a guerilla against French and Japan occupies with US support

Declaration of Independence (Vietnam)

Ho Chi Minh drafts this, very similar to the US’s

Vietminh

Initially small forces and arms until communist China sends arms and officers

The French

has post war political instability, less forces due to occupation in Germany, geographical disadvantage, but air force and technology advantage

Johnson

Inherits the very unstable situation of South Vietnam and works with Ngo Diem to overthrow the North

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

allowed johnson to take all necessary measures to defend the South Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder

Unrestricted bombing of Vietnam to support the South

Vietnamese Veterans Against the War

protested against the war and addressed painful truths about the war

Escalation

Secretary McNamara pushes for US to escalate the # of troops 100k to 500k soldiers

Agent Orange

herbicide to destroy forestry, poor health effects

Tet Offensive

communist attack on US bases; military loss; political win

• results: stopped escalation, changed US perception

The Nixon Doctrine

nations are ultimately responsible for their own defense

vietnamization

slowly withdrawing US troops to letting the South fight

Detente

easing relations of the US with communist states

Paris Peace Accords

withdrawal of US troops, north and south keeping 17th parallel: saigon becomes ho chi minh city