topic 7 ush

how many Jews did the Nazis kill during the Holocaust

6 million

after WWII, how many zones was Germany divided into

4 zones

what international political organization was created at the end of WWII

United Nations

term for the barrier separating the communist nations of Eastern Europe from the West

iron curtain

definition of Cold War

• not an actual war fought between any two countries

• inc in tension between USSR + US over geopolitical tension

• after WWII, sense of mutual distrust + suspicion between each country

clash of interests between USSR + US

USSR

• concerned about security

• wanted other countries to adopt communism

• felt capitalist countries were trying to destroy communism

US

• concerned about eco problems (felt depression caused WWII + Roosevelt wanted to create more world trade)

• wanted to promote democracy because it protected people’s rights

events that led to Cold War

• disagreement over how Germany should be dealt with after WWII

• West Germany vs East Germany

• soviet refusal to honor Declaration of Liberated Europe

• soviets’ actions in Poland

• iron curtain

containment policy

• keep communism contained within existing borders

• felt there was no quick easy solution to soviet threat, would require lots of American eco, political + military power

• proposed by George Kennan

policies in action for containment

• Truman Doctrine

• Marshall Plan

• Berlin Airlift

• Nato/Warsaw Pact

Truman Doctrine

• pledge to help nations struggling against communist movements

• gave aid to Greece + Turkey to fight communist aggression

• signified promise to other nations struggling against communist movements that US would help them

Marshall Plan

• provided food to reduce famine, fuel to heat houses + factories, + money to jump-start economic growth

• aid offered to Eastern Europe but Stalin refused

Berlin Airlift

provided food + supplies to those in West Berlin when Stalin closed all roads into Berlin

NATO/Warsaw Pact

• rival military alliance in Eastern Europe

• 1949: North American Treaty Organization created a military alliance to counter Soviet expansion in Western Europe

• 1955: Stalin created Warsaw Pact in response

Truman’s response to soviet aggression

• iron curtain

• Truman Doctrine

how soviets were gaining more control

• installing communist govs and police states

• crushing political + religious dissent

USSR hopes + instigator

• Soviets had hoped to spread communism to every corner of the world

• China falls to communism and justifies their optimism

China’s Civil War (1937)

• Nationalist vs Communist

Nationalist Leader: Jiang Jieshi

• US sent money to help that never made it to the people

• no military intervention

Communist Leader: Mao Zedong

• supported by Soviets

• won China's civil war

Nationalist Leader in China’s Civil War

Jiang Jieshi

• supported by the US

• lost China’s Civil War

Communist leader in China’s Civil War

Mao Zedong

• supported by USSR

• won China’s Civil War

Korea after WWII

• Korea divided into 2 independent countries

• divided at 38th parallel

• South supported by US

• North supported by Soviets

what is the 38th parallel

the border where North and South Korea are separated

who supported who during Korea’s separation

• US supported South Korea

• USSR supported North Korea

Korean War Phase 1

• June 25, 1950

• NK forces attacked across the 38th parallel

• pushing down to Busan

• policy of containment brought US into war

Korean War Phase 2

• September 1950

• UN forces led counter attack

• led by General Douglas MacArthur

• decided to attack at the port city of Inchon

• pushing NK forces back past 38th parallel

Korean War Phase 3

• November 1950

• MacArthur attacks past 38th parallel + advancing to Chinese border, pushing up to Yalu border

• Chinese now entered the war due to MacArthur’s advancing too close to the border

• Truman will fire MacArthur for insubordination, Truman favored a limited war

when + why MacArthur was fired

• Phase 3 of the Korean War (November 1950)

• MacArthur advanced too close to the Chinese border (up to Yalu River), causing the Chinese to be forced to enter the war

• Truman favored limited war (restricted goals to avoid all-out war) while MacArthur favored total war (unrestricted war where laws of war are disregarded)

limited war

• favored by Truman

• a war where objectives, weapons, targets, etc are restricted to avoid all-out war

total war

• favored by MacArthur, cause of his termination

• a war where objectives, weapons, targets, etc are unrestricted and achieved by any means, where laws of war are disregarded

Korean War Phase 4

• Spring 1951

• allied powers are pushed back to 38th parallel

• fighting continues until 1953

• armistice signed on July 27, 1953

US v Soviet Union

• most powerful nations in the world

• but had conflicting ideology, goals after WWII, struggle for influence

• change of power after USSR set off an atomic bomb

what happened after soviets developed atomic bomb

• Truman ordered the Atomic Energy Commission to produce a hydrogen bomb

• wanted to restore balance

• oppenheimer + einstein opposed this, claims it would lead to arms race

• US tested their own hydrogen bomb (1952)

• USSR tests their own (1953)

arms race

• result of soviets developing atomic bomb + US developing theirs after

• over next 4 years, US + USSR developed + stockpiled increasingly powerful nuclear weapons (armed planes, submarines, missiles w/ nuclear warheads)

• both used mutually assured destruction to prevent the other from going to a physical war

weapons developed + stockpiled by US + USSR during arms race

• armed planes

• submarines

• missiles w/ nucleaer warheads

mutually assured destruction

a military strategy used in wars or combat where if either side makes an attack, the destruction of both sides is ensured

Eisenhower’s response to soviet aggression

Eisenhower followed Truman’s foreign policy of containment

why secretary of state John Dulles helped put Eisenhower’s containment policy into action

• wanted to prevent the “domino effect”

• felt that the biggest threat of the free world was the spread of communism

Eisenhower’s containment policy

• focused military spending not on conventional forces but stockpiling nuclear weapons

• mass retaliation (US would respond to communist threats to its allies by threatening to use overwhelming force)

• brinkmanship (only by going to the brink of war could it protect their allies)

brinkmanship

the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping

• only by going to the brink of war could it protect their allies

• practiced by Eisenhower

what happened after death of Stalin

Nikita Khrushchev becomes new head of Soviet Union

international Cold War conflicts

• Poland and Hungary resent USSR control

• Suez Canal

Poland and Hungary during Cold War

• resented soviet control

Poland

• rioted against soviet rule + won greater control of gov

• didn’t attempt to leave Warsaw Pact, so soviets took no action

Hungary

• students + workers organized huge demonstrations

• wanted pro-soviet officials to be removed + troops to be withdrawn

• Khrushchev responded brutally + executed many revolution’s leaders

Suez Canal during Cold War