UNIT 8: Cold War and Decolonization C. 1900 - Present

Unit 8

• Cold War and Decolonization

• C. 1900 - Present

• shift in global power dynamics with the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union

• conflict between capitalism and communism

• dismantling of European colonial empires

Conflicting Global Superpowers

• USSR & US

• after WW1 and WW2

• different ideologies

US:

• capitalism

• democracy

USSR:

• communism

Causes of the Cold War

• ideological differences, postwar tensions, and the rise of nuclear weapons

• communism VS capitalism

Outcomes of the Cold War

• rise of NATO and the Warsaw Pact

• proxy wars: the superpowers supported opposing sides in regional conflicts without directly engaging in war with each other

• technological advancements

Non-Alignment Movement

a group of countries during the Cold War that refused to align with either the Western or Eastern blocs

• seeking to maintain their independence and pursue a neutral path in international politics

• India & Egypt (examples)

Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana)

• believed in forging a path independent of the ideological battles dominating global politics

• led Ghana to independence from British colonial rule

• advocated for a united front among African nations and other developing countries to resist colonial influences and to promote mutual cooperation and self-determination

  • establishment of a new Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963

  • Pan-Africanism

Pan-Africanism

common goal the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism and white supremacy from the continent

Marshall Plan

U.S. initiative launched in 1948 to provide economic aid to Western European countries after World War II

• rebuild post war European economies

• securing alliances

• cutting off communist influence

Yalta Conference

US, UK, and Soviet Union meeting to discuss post-World War II Europe and the treatment of Germany

Iron Curtain

symbolized the Cold War divide between capitalist and communist nations

Truman Doctrine

promising economic and military help to any nation threatened by communism from the US

Brinkmanship

threatening to use nuclear weapons and willingness to go to the brink of war

• USSR and US stockpiling nuclear weapons for potential conflict

Domino Theory

if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will also fall, like a row of dominoes collapsing one after another

NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• United States, Canada, and several Western European nations

• to prevent Soviet expansion and protect the security of its member states during the Cold War

• an armed attack against one or more of its members is considered an attack against them all, ensuring mutual defense and security cooperation

Warsaw Pact

• Eastern Bloc’s response to NATO

• military alliance between the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe

• to maintain control over its allies and to coordinate military strategy against Western threats

Korean War

• North Korea:

  • backed by the Soviet Union

  • aimed to unify the Korean peninsula under communist rule

• South Korea:

  • supported by the United States and its allies

  • tried to establish a non-communist government

• proxy war: where the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, supported opposing sides without directly engaging in combat with one another

Mao ZeDong (China)

• leader of the Chinese Communist Party

• led the CCP to victory in the Chinese Civil War

• wanted an increase in rural grain production and an increase in industrial activity

• powerful dictator

• never hurt anyone himself

• Maoism

Maoism (China)

use of violence and armed processes to capture state power and expansionism

• created a hierarchy in a communist society where everything should be equal

Great Leap Foward (China)

• led by Mao ZeDong

• aimed to rapidly industrialize and collectivize agriculture in China

• resulted in mass famine

• killed millions

Cultural Revolution (China)

• led by Mao ZeDong

• solidify communist power by eliminating capitalist elements from society

• Red Guards established: who targeted intellectuals, professionals, and anyone believed other

Communist Revolution in Vietnam

• led by Ho Chi Minh

• establishment of a communist government in the north

• ended in the unification of Vietnam under communist control in 1975

• proxy conflict of the cold war

Ho Chi Minh

played a crucial role in the fight for Vietnam's independence from French colonial rule and later led the country during the Vietnam War

Decolonization After 1900

• India's Independence:

  • After World War II, the British Empire began to decline, and nationalist movements gained momentum in its colonies. India, the largest British colony, achieved independence in 1947, but the partition created the separate states of India and Pakistan. 

• Algeria's War for Independence:

  • The Algerian War (1954-1962) was a brutal conflict between Algerian nationalists and French colonial forces. The National Liberation Front (FLN) used guerrilla tactics, and the war involved widespread violence and division within French society. 

• Ghana's Independence:

  • Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) became the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957, marking a significant step in the wave of decolonization that swept through Africa in the 1960s. 

Indian National Congress (INC)

• support for Indian independence from British colonial rule

• united a diverse population under a common agenda of national pride and self-determination

• platform for educated Indians to voice their concerns and seek political reforms under British rule

Muslim League

• played a significant role in the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947

• advocated for a separate state or at least significant political safeguards to ensure autonomy for Muslim communities

• protect Muslim cultural and religious identity while securing political rights and economic opportunities

Creation of Israel

• Increased international sympathy for the Jewish people, especially after the horrors of the Holocaust

• The United Nations endorsed a partition plan that divided the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states

• The establishment of Israel in 1948 marked a significant shift in the Middle East’s political landscape and set the stage for succeeding regional conflicts

   

Creation of Pakistan

• The creation of Pakistan was tied to the religious and political divisions within British India

• Leaders from both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League debated the future of a unified nation

• Disagreements led the Muslim League to advocate for a separate nation for Muslims

• The creation of Pakistan was symbolic of how colonial legacies and nationalist ideologies interconnected with religious identity to reshape regional boundaries

Partition of India

• division of British India into India and Pakistan

• was driven by religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims

Indira Gandhi

• emphasized nationalization of major banks, insurance companies, and key industries

•  intended to reduce foreign influence and direct resources toward domestic development

• fostered self-reliance

Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt)

• a founding figure of the Non-Aligned Movement, which aimed to provide an alternative to the influence of the US and the USSR during the Cold War

• nationalized key industries

• Nasser’s policies display how government-led initiatives were used to reshape national economies after the end of imperial rule

Metropole

a major city in the former colonizing country

Augusto Pinochet (Chile)

• characterized by widespread human rights abuses, including torture and killings of political opponents

• authoritarian regime

Francisco Franco (Spain)

• authoritarian regime

• suppressed regional identities and dissent through strict censorship and repression

• established power structures can resist progressive change through continued authoritarian control

Gandhi (India)

• recognized for his leadership in the Indian independence movement, his advocacy of nonviolent resistance (Satyagraha), and his influence on civil rights movements worldwide

• led the Indian National Congress and spearheaded various campaigns of nonviolent resistance against British rule, including the Salt March, to protest the British salt monopoly

• principles of peace and nonviolent resistance

Apartheid (South Africa)

a system of racial segregation and discrimination imposed by the white minority government

Nelson Mandela

• leader of the African National Congress (ANC)

• became a symbol of resistance against the apartheid regime and its system of racial segregation and discrimination

• promoted resolution and wanted to unite the country by rejecting both violent repression and overly confrontational tactics

Soviet Union Decline

• failed Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979

  • costly: financial crisis

  • decline of their influence

• shift in Soviet leadership to Gorbachev

  • tied to the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union

  • ultimately contributed to its collapse

Deng Xiaoping

• OPPOSITE FROM MAO ZEDONG

• Four Modernizations:

  • a series of reforms implemented in China after Mao Zedong's death, aiming to revitalize the Chinese economy through targeted improvements in agriculture, industry, science and technology, and national defense

  • encouraged capitalism and democracy