AP Euro Chapters 28-30 Vocab/Concepts

The Cold War

Between NATO and the Warsaw Pact from the 1950s-1991

NATO

• Stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• Comprised of the US, Great Britain, France, Canada, Italy, and Turkey

• West Germany is also part of it during the time of the Berlin Wall

Warsaw Pact

The Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations under its control

Truman Doctrine

• US provided support to countries in threat of communist takeover

• Greece and Turkey received $400 million because they were almost taken (approved by Congress)

Containment

An idea of the Truman Doctrine that stated if one state became Communist, it would spread to nearby states

The Marshall Plan

• General George C. Marshall (1880-1959) proposed a $13 billion plan to rebuild Europe post-WWII

  • Believed communism and instability came from poor economics

  • Also needed these nations to fight against the Soviets

  • Soviet-controlled European countries are denied US help by Stalin

The Berlin Airlift

• Lasted June 24, 1948 to May 12, 1949

• US, Great Britain, and France unite to jointly rule West Berlin, but Stalin tries to blockade railways and roads to West Berlin

• US sends in a plane about every 45 seconds to keep West Berlin capitalist and allowed Germany to stay an ally

• Soviets eventually lift blockade to prevent conflict, even if it meant sacrificing this territory

The Berlin Wall

• Khruschev announces Western forces in 1958 have to retreat from West Berlin in 6 months or he would block all Western access to Berlin

• President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) did not back down, and his successor John F. Kennedy didn't either

• Khruschev begins construction on August 13, 1963

Mutually Assured Destruction

• Aka MAD

• Both sides realize open war would lead to the elimination of humanity

• Leads to the outbreak of pregional and proxy wars

Proxy war

War where larger power support smaller ones to avoid open war, but still want territory and to achieve goals

The Korean War

• Lasted 1950-1955

• Korea had been controlled by Japan since 1910, so the Potsdam Conference decided how it was divided

  • Split into north and south on the 38th parallel

  • Originally a free election was held for government types post-Japan

• Soviet-trained North Korean troops invade South Korea on June 25, 1950

Results of Korean War

• American initially have little success due to lack of readiness, but is able to push back North Korean forces eventually

  • US wants to invade North Korea to enforce democracy, but China intervenes (may be due to communism or proximity of US power)

• Chinese push American forces back to the 38th parallel using hundreds of millions of troops

The American Response to the Korean War

• General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) led allied efforts

  • Wanted to nuke Chinese cities to end the conflict, but was fired by President Truman to avoid his controversial choices

• Bad armistice reached on July 27, 1953 but still has conflict today

• Seen as pushing back communism, although many died for no real reason

First War in Vietnam

• Lasted 1946-1954

• France wanted imperial possession of Indochina (aka Vietnam)

  • France was still rebuilding after WWII and struggled to reclaim territory

  • Was an example of both the Imperial Age and the Cold War

• China supported the ant-colonialist forces while the U.S. came to the aid of the French

• French give up in 1954, calling it a “dirty war” and agreeing to keep a communist north (south had open elections)

Before the Second War in Vietnam

• North Vietnam was run by Ho Chi Minh (1890-1959) under heavy nationalism and Soviet support

• South Vietnam was run by the corrupt Ngo Dinh Diem (1901-1963) who never got the people’s support

  • John F. Kennedy organizes a coup to overthrow him, but tthe next government is just as bad

  • After this, U.S. deploys troops to “stabilize” the nation

• Invasion is fueled by the fear of the Domino effect occuring with nations falling to communism

During the Second War in Vietnam

• Lasted 1955–1975

• North Vietnamese troops were primitive but determined, using techniques such as guerrilla warfare and camoflauge within trees, making them difficult to track and keep in pursuit

  • Soviet supplies made this even worse, plus they were unchecked because factories could not be attacked

• Americans withdraw forces on March 29, 1973

• Communist forces unite nation and take capital of Saigon on April 20, 1975

• Public initially supports the war, but by 1964 under the Johnson Administration, protests began to break out (U.S. loses image and support)

The Tet Offensive

• Occurred on June 30, 1968

• An attack by North Vietnam that although ultimately unsuccessful, caused many Americans to lose support for the war

  • Over 40,000 communists and 4,000 Americans/South Vietnamese dead

Hippies and the Free Love Movement

• Many young people began to split from their parents and the values held by older generations

• People under 30 called the permissive society begin to question authority and partcipated in “free love: and drugs

  • They tried to stay away from the draft and did understand why they were fighting

• Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” became an anthem for the movement

De-Stalinization

• When Nikita Khrushchev comes to power after Stalin’s death in 1953, he tries to make the Soviet Union seem more humane and keep citizens from rebelling

  • Unbanned some books and allowed people to have thoughts,

  • Includes “A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich,” which was about the brutality of the gulags

  • Removed Stalin’s Purges and image

Stalinization of Eastern Europe

• Khrushchev’s way of cracking down on territories he had less control over

• The establishment of stronger communist leaders was intended to tighten the Soviet Union’s loosening grip

• One example would be in Czechoslovakia, where Khrushchev prohibited the production of military equipment

The Cuban Missile Crisis

• Occurred October 16-29, 1962

• Both were sides of the “Iron Curtain,” with increasing pressure and no signs of backing down

• Crisis was sparked by the U.S. implementation of warheads in Italy, Western Germany, and Turkey, being close enough to quickly eliminate the Soviets

  • Turkey was the breaking point, leading Khrushchev to try planting missiles in communist Cuba under Fidel Castro

• President John F. Kennedy issued a naval blockade of Cuba

• Soviets promise to bring back the missiles as long as Cuba is not invaded

  • If he invaded, MAD would occur

• U.S. dismantles missiles in response

Détente

An atmosphere of peace and relief that lasted 1967-1979 following the Cuban Missile Crisis

Decolonization in the Cold War

• Some nations such as Egypt in 1922 gained independence pre-WWII

• Morocco and Tunisia gained independence from a weakened France post-WWII in 1956

• Over 2 million French settlers moved to Algeria, causing the nationalist FLN (National Liberation Front) to seek sovereignty

  • France sent 400,000 troops to deal with the “terrorists,” but were defeated by 1962

  • French President Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970) then ordered the settlers to returm to France and allowed Algeria to be a free state

  • Once the French left, over 60,000 Algerian soldiers were killed for fighting in the French Army

First World Countries

Those allied with the United States (were usually rich)

Ex: France, West Germany, Great Britain, NATO

Second World Countries

Countries allied with the Soviet Union

Ex: The Warsaw Pact and countries like Czechoslovakia

Third World Countries

Countries not allied with the U.S. or Soviet Union, often ending up in proxy wars

Ex: Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia

Cold-War Indonesia

• President Sukarno (1901-1970) wanted support from China and the Soviet Union to build up communism

• Government was overthrown by U.S. and a pro-western military government is established under General Suherto (1921-2008)

Americanization

• The spreading of American businesses and Western culture around the world

• Chain restaurants such as McDonald’s and KFC popped up worldwide

• Symbols of America and democracy such as Elvis Presley were known everywhere

• People looked forward to the “American Dream”

Hungary, 1956

• Got inspiration from Poland’s protests in October 1956 under Władysław Gomułka, but had full control this time

• Imry Nagy (1896-1958) gained power and reduced Stalinist practices

  • Declared Hungary a free nation on November 1, 1956, holding free elections over the nation’s future

  • Hungary was invaded within 3 days and while the rebellion failed, it spread a message to other nations

Czechoslovakia, 1968

• After Hungary, Khrushchev realized he needed to loosen up on Warsaw Pact countries to stop revolution

  • Established hardline communist Antonin Novotny (1940-1975), but he does not like reforms and gains many enemies

• Alexander Dubcek (1921-1992) is elected First Secretary of the Communist Party in January 1968

  • Creates a time period known as the “Prague Spring” where they gain freedom of speech and press, can travel abroad, and become less worried about the secret police

• The country was eventually replaced and a loyal pro-communist leader was put into power

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

• Lasted 1966-1976

• Mao Zedong (1893-1976) believed people needed to fear him or be controlled to maintain power

  • He used the radical Red Guard to enforce his rule and punish those not supporting the new government and communism

  • 30-100 million die of starvation alone

• Destroyed books, temples, records, etc. in the name of removing the “Four Olds”

• By his death in 1976, people wanted stability and the government reduced Mao’s image and influence

• By 1979, China was less radical and able to enter a “Strategic Relationship” with the U.S.

The Four Olds

• Old Culture

• Old Customs

• Old Habits

• Old Ideas

The Space Race

• Lasted 1957-1969

• Displayed the power, resources, and weapon-making abilities of the U.S. and Soviet Union

• Started on October 4, 1957 when the Soviets launched the satellite Sputnik into orbit

• On November 3, 1957, Laika is brought into orbit on Sputnik 2

• Vostok 1 has the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961

• As the U.S. puts in more time and money, they defeat the Soviet on July 20, 1969, when astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in their Apollo 11 mission

The Reagan Revolution

• Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) cuts social programs and welfare to focus on economic growth and commerce

  • Increased economic expansion but also government debt

  • Increases wealth disparity between the East and West

  • While the West produces commercial and domestic goods, the East produces military and industrial goods

• Alongside British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2012), develops programs such as “Star Wars”

  • Scare Soviets into bankrupting themselves, while the U.S. may not have even had the tech they claimed to have

The Russian War in Afghanistan