causes of the cold war 1945-50

why did the alliance break down 45-46 (USA and USSR conflicting idiologies) capitalist vs communist

* USA = capitalist, business and property were privately owned
* democracy - government chosen in elections
* worlds wealthies country but in capitalist countries there is always great wealth and great poverty
* people in the USA were alarmed by the theory of communism, which spoke of spreading revolution
* americans saw their policies as ‘doing the right thing’ instead of serving the USA

USSR = communist. all industry owned and run by the state

* on party dictatorship, elections were held but all candidates were in the communist party
* economic superpower because its eeconomy had grown rapidly in the 1920s -30s but general standard of living was lower than America - less extremes
* communist taught that the role of a communist state was to encourage communist revolutions worldwide, the USSRs leaders took practical decisions rather than being led by this idiology
* people in the USSR saw USA’s actions as selfishly building its economic empire and political influence

__USSR became wary of Britain as it was USA’s cloeset ally, britain and the usa were equally wary.__

yalta conference feb 1945 - deciding what happens after Germany is defeated, roosavelt and stalin get on well, churchhill = very wary. the big three

* stalin, roosavelt, churchill, meet at yalta in Ukraine.
* stalin agrees to join war against japan
* countries liberayed from German occupation - would be allowed to choose their government in free elections
* nazi war criminals would be tracked down and made to pay for their crimes
* germany is divided into four occupied zones - US, soviet, British and french
* to help stalin ensure the USSR wouldnt be invaded again eastern Europe became a Soviet ‘sphere of influence

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disagreements at yalta feb 1945

stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move into poland. arguing that in return poland could move its border into Germany

Churchill and Roosevelt both dissaprooved but agreed because Stalin agreed not to interfere in Greece where British were attempting to prevent communist takeover

Potsdam Conference July - August 1945 - less pressure to show a united front. truman = very anti communist - context

* big three meet after Germany’s defeat, although press talked of harmony, relations at Potsdam = more tense than Yalta
* soviet forces controlled most of eastern Europe, after driving Germans back into Berlin
* stalin set ip a communist government in Poland, despite the wishes of the poles
* roosavelt dead, harry truman - anti communist and very suspicious of Stalin - believed Soviet actions in eastern europe were preperations for takeover of the rest of europe.
* usa had tested an atomic bomb, truman took stalin to one side to tell him about it personally.

Potsdam Conference July - August 1945 - Germany, Reparations, Eastern Europe

germany - stalin wanted to cripple Germany to protect the USSR from future threats, trumans didnt want to repeat the mistake of the treaty of Versailles

Reparations - twenty million russians died and Soviet union was devastated. stalin wanted compensation from Germany, intitially truman agreed but changed his mind. Stalin = confused and alarmed why Truman would want to protect Germany

Eastern Europe - stalin was allowed to set up pro soviet governments in eastern europe (yalta)

insisted his control was a defensive measure, turman became concerned about soviet intentions and developed ‘get tough’ attitude

over the next nine months stalin dominated Poland Hungary Romania Bulgaria Albania were communist

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USSR taking over eastern Europe - stalin tightening his grip after Churchill’s ‘iron curtian speech’

* - Stalin took over Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania who all had communist governments are were loyal to the Soviet leader. Churchill lost his position of priminister but went on a world tour for his ‘iron curtain speech expressing the danger he believed Stalin and the USSR proposed to Europe.
* after this he was determined to control and continued to control governments.

how communists took control of Eastern Europe 1945-48 - division of Germany.

* held many left wing coalition elections and abolished monarchies and killed leaders of other parties.
* USSR had control over all of Eastern Europe even countries who were enimies of the USSR in the second world war, France and Italy had strong communist parties that belonged to the comiform so Stalin could keep a close eye. west germany was capitalist.

US response 1947-48 (stalin is claiming is actions in Eastern Europe was to protect his country from attack but democracies in the West didnt believe them Truman and his supports in USA and Britain saw it as empire building.- the truman doctrine

Truman - reluctant to involve himself in European affairs (not popular in the USA

in March 1947 Truman made an announcement USA would provide money, equiptment and advice to any country he considered to be threatened by communism.

beginning of CONTAINMENT - trying to stop the spread of communism.

Marshall Aid 1947 - 17 billion to rebuild europe

Truman believed communism took advantage of poverty and hardship to dominate, western europe was suffering from the war so he put an aid programme of 17 billion to rebuild europe.

• us congress didnt agree until communists banned all other parties and took power in Czechoslovakia, plain was approved in 48. also an element of self interest because the USA wanted to create new markets for US goods to prevent another worldwide depression

start of the cold war -1948 stalin and trumans propaganda war

most agree the Cold War started in 48 when Truman and Stalin were in a pattern of action and reaction. they had to proove their strength to their people.

distrust grew and there was public talk of war, both sides increased their stock weapons - however a propaganda war developed and neither side fired on each other.

splitting of Germany after postdam and western germany. morgenthau plan

after Potsdam germany was divided into four zones Great Britain =northwest, France = southwest, the United States = south and the Soviet Union = east. Berlin, the capital city situated in Soviet territory, was also divided into four occupied zones.

morgenthau plan to remove all Germany industry and make it an agricultural country so it couldnt wage another war.

truman believed Germany may be a useful ally against the USSR in 1946 Britain france and USA combined their zones to west germany

Berlin Blockade Stalin threatens Western Leaders - stalin expected Truman to announce a humiliating withdrawal from Berlin

stalin felt he needed to threaten Western Leaders to scare them from encroaching the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ although Berlin was divided it was in the soviet zone and. linked by roads railways etc. in june 48 Stalin blocked all the supply lines so the western leaders couldnt reach their zones. Usa tried to ram the blocks, it could be seen as an act of war.

Berlin Airlift - american aircraft flies in supplies. fear they may be shot down

If america gave in on the issue the western zones may fall to communism. truman ordered for american aircrafts to fly in with supplies, the Berlin Airlift.

big fear they would be shot down by Soviets - undeniable act of war. no shots were fired. continued for 10 months to western berlin. stalin lifted the blockade in may 1949 and West Germany began to recover.

Nato and Warsaw pact - millitary alliances, height of berlin blockade western powers meet in washington and sign Nato

during the blockade war between USA and USSR was a huge posibility so the western powers met in Washington and signed an agreement to work together. this was a new organisation NATO pledging to help each other in attack and maintain their armies.

1955 Nato powers allowed west germany to join. in response USSR and the main communist states in eastern europe formed and alliance called the Warsaw pact with similar terms.

progression of the Cold War in the 1950s, proxy wars, korea war, arms race. stalin dies 53 - krushchev

* proxy wars e.g. Afganistan, Korea, Vietnam supporting their allies and never directly fighting one another.
* stalin dies in 53, tensions eased a little and new soviet leader Krushchev was critical of Stalin and talked of peaceful coexistance. but then ruthelessly crushed protests to communist rule in easter germany 53 and hungary 56
* throughout the 50s, there was threat of nuclear war.
* USSR developed a nuclear bomb in 49 and both sides built up a huge stock of nuclear weapons and developed new arms to each side
* both sides ciritizised each other of being agressive and reckless. soviet propaganda showed the USA and its allies loving nuclear weapons

dissatisfaction in eastern germany

at first there was support for communism in eastern germany

this evaporated when they lived in fear of the Stasi, another complaint of corruption. bribes for good places in society were common

greatest dissatisfaction was the low standard of living contrasted with west germany especially in Berlin. east Berliners could see west berlins shops full of goods and envied their freedom. in the 50s many travelled to west and never came back, propaganda for USA

Outline the Berlin Crisis of 1961 [5]

Relations between East and West got worse when Khrushchev responded to the West’s failure to follow his demands for them to leave Berlin.

On 13 August 1961, a barbed wire fence was erected along the border between East and West Berlin.

The wire would quickly be replaced by a concrete wall, complete with lookout towers and armed guards who had orders to shoot anyone trying to cross into the Western sector.

The Wall became a symbol of communist oppression and the most visible reminder of the distrust between East and West.

why was the Berlin wall built

• The brain drain: throughout the 1950s thousands of East Germans had fled to the West through Berlin, leaving behind the harsh political climate and economic hardship of life under communism. Many of those who defected were educated or highly skilled workers and the East German authorities could not afford to lose their best and brightest citizens.

• Lure of the West: during the 1950s, travel was relatively easy between the Eastern and Western sectors of Berlin. People living under communism in the Eastern sector could visit the West and see what capitalism offered. There was better housing, shops full of goods and relative freedom, all provided by the Western Allies.

• Espionage: Berlin was a Western island in a communist sea – an ideal place for American spies to gather intelligence on the Soviet military.

• Imbalance in the Cold War superpowers: Khrushchev was very aware of the imbalance between the two sides in the Cold War. Nowhere was this more obvious than in Germany, where the Eastern part was always weaker than the prosperous West. Berlin was the one place where the West was vulnerable, because they were surrounded by the Eastern bloc. For Khrushchev, pressurising Berlin was a way of evening up the balance in the Cold War.

building of the berlin wall - demonstration of 17 august 1961 - closng of checkpoint charlie and 18 hour stand off

Berlin wall was put up in a day on the 13th of August. it was a barbed wire fence along the border. all checkpoints were sealed apart from checkpoint charlie. Khruschev claimed it was to protect East berlin and East Germany from US spies however it was to stop the flow of people into Eastern Germany.

west berliners feared it was prelude to a soviet invasion and us withdrawal.

17 august 61 massive demonstration for Kennedy not to withdraw troops, he sent 1500 more.

wall was strengthened and us troops took advantage of ability to cross to see how soviets would react.

27 october soviet tanks refused anymore crossing past checkpoint charlie.

US and Soviet tanks faced each other in an intense 18 hour standoff and then one by one slowly pulled back

impact of berlin wall on international relations

tanks pulling back = international relief.

khrushchev ordered east german leader Ulbricht to avoid any actions that would increase tension

kennedy said ‘its not a very nice solution, but a hell of a lot better than war’ the wall stayed as a symbol of division by communism and democracy

• kennedy had stood up to khruchchev and made good propaganda use

• western powers presented it as a prison wall

• khrushchev had shown he was tough by building a wall and keeping it

• he also didnt allow USA troops and diplomats through East Berlin.

cuban missile crisis 1962

• us spy planes detected soviet missiles in cube

• president kennedy ordered a new naval blockade

• the usa prepared to invade CUba,

• the soviet leader Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles

• kennedy lifted the blackade and secretly agreed to remove missiles from US bases in turkey

what happened in 1968

• the Brezhnev Doctrine, named after the Soviet leader, was used to justify action to prevent communism from being weakened in europe

• in particular, it justified the August 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia to stop the Prague Spring reforms

• North Vietnam launched the failed Tet Offensive in South Vietnam

1972 SALT talks

1972

• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were held between the USA and the USSR to try and limit the production of nuclear weapons. both countries signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

1975 - Heisinki Accords

• August 1975, 35 countries signed the Heisinki Agreement

• the borders of Europe were agreed, human rights were established and a commitment was made to improve international relations

1979 - Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

• the USSR supported the communist Afghan government that was being attacked by Muslim guerrilla fighters, mujahldeen, who had declared a Jihad on the government

• SALT II attempted to further limit the number of neclear weapon, but no agreement was reaches as the USA ratified the treaty in response to the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan

1983, President Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative

• 23 March 1983, President Reagan proposed the SDI also known as the Star Wars programme, which involved sending arms into space to protect the USA from missile attacks

1989 - End of the Cold War

• the Berlin Wall was demolished, opening the borders f East Germany and signifying the end of the Cold War

Why did tension over nuclear weapons become a cold war crisis - CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

Khrushchev supports Castro

• Feared a US invasion of Cuba

• Turned to the USSR for help

• Khrushchev agreed to a 100million dollar package of economic aid

Bay of Pigs invasion April 1961

• The new US president John.F. Kennedy, decided to act. He authorised a CIA-backed plan to help 1,400 Cuban exiles -opponents of Castro - to land in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and overthrow hi.

• Plan was a disaster and humiliating defeat.

• Strengthened Castro's hold on Cuba. Worse still, it seemed to justify Khrushchev's actions because it seemed Cuba did need protection from a possible US invasion.

Khrushchev arms Castro

• 1962, the soviet union announced publicly for the first time that is was supplying Cuba with arms. By september Cuba had thousands of Soviet missiles,

• The Americans wacthed all this with concern, but the big question was whether the Soviet Union would put nuclear missiles on Cuba.

• On 11 September, Kennedy warned the USSR that he would take serious action if this happened. Khrushchev assured Kennedy that he has no intention of doing so.

The October crisis

• Kennedy remained suspicious. ON Sunday 14 October 1962, a US U2 spy plane flew over Cuba. It took amazingly detailed photographs that showed some worrying development. It wad clear to the CIA and the US military experts that the images showed nuclear missile sites. US spy planes also reported that 20 Soviet ships were on their way to Cuba carrying missiles.

 

The 13 days - Cuban missile crisis oct 1962

• Ex Comm came together to decibe what to do 16th, Hawks waited to trial the strength of the USSR even if it meant war, Doves wanted the problem solved diplomatically

• 20-21st Kennedy decided to blockade Cuba, the US army also began assembling troops in Florida ready for possible invasion

• 22nd Kennedy accounced the blockade on US TV and called on the Soviet Union to withrdraw its missiles, Krushchev told his troops in Cuba to resist the invasion

• 23rd Kennedy recieved a letter from Krushchev saying Soviety ships would not observe the bloackade, Krushchev didnt admit there were nuclear missiles on CUba

• the blockade began, the first missile carrying ships suddenly turned around or stopped

• 26th Kennedy recieved a long personal letter from Khrushchev, claiming that the missiles on Cuba were purely defensive, first time Krushchev admitted to the presence of the missiles, he indicated they may be withdraws in Kennedy promised not to invade Cuba, by this point more than 120,000 US troops were assembled in FLorida

• 27th, Krush sent 2nd letter saying he would remove missiles from CUba if the USA promised to not invade and withdrew missiles from turkey.

• he ignored second letter and accepted the first

• 28th Krushchev replied to Kennedy and agreed to remove the missiles ‘in order to eliminate as rapidly as possible the conflict which endangers the cause of peace’

french involvement in the Viernam war

• Vietnam had been a French colony before it was occupied by the Japanese during World War Two.

• After World War Two it was returned to French control but many Vietnamese people wanted independence.

• As a result, in the 1950s the French found themselves fighting a war against the Viet Minh - an organisation dedicated to getting rid of foreign imperialist powers from Vietnam.

USA involvement in Vietnam war

• Worried about the spread of communism in South East Asia, the USA began to bankroll the French war effort in Vietnam.

• Halting the spread of communism was an idea that President Truman had said he was committed to as part of his Truman Doctrine, which was announced in 1947 during the early days of the Cold War

1954 Viet Minh defeat French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

• This defeat was formalised in the Geneva Agreement and temporarily separated Vietnam into two zones: a northern zone to be governed by the Viet Minh, and a southern zone to be governed by an anti-communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

Vietnam war after reelection in 16956

• Under the Geneva Accords which granted Vietnam independence from France, there was to be an election in 1956 to decide whether the country would be reunified

• Ho Chi Minh’s government attempted to remain neutral and socialist but ended up allying itself with communist China. To the USA this was proof that North Vietnam was communist.

• America was operating a policy of containment and feared if Vietnam fell to communism, other countries in South East Asia would fall too. This was known as domino theory. Consequently, the USA supported the anti-communist South Vietnamese dictator, Ngo Dinh Diem, who refused to hold elections to unify the country. Many South Vietnamese who supported reunification joined an armed uprising against Diem.

failure of operation rolling thunder - USA failure

The bombing campaign failed because the bombs often fell into empty jungle, missing their targets. The North Vietnamese guerrillas knew the jungle and made use of elaborate underground bases and tunnels to shelter from US bombs, and often re-used unexploded American bombs against US soldiers.

USA Failure of Search and Destroy (My Lai Massacre)

Search and Destroy missions were often based on poor military intelligence. The brutal tactics used by US troops often drove more Vietnamese civilians to support the Vietcong. In 1968 US soldiers, searching for Vietcong guerrillas, raided the village of My Lai, killing around 300 civilians, including children. The My Lai Massacre severely damaged America’s reputation and undermined support for the war at home.

Role of the media - USA’s failure in Vietnam war

Events like the My Lai Massacre were reported in the US press leading many ordinary Americans to question the war. Film footage of US soldiers burning homes and of the effects of napalm all turned public opinion against the war.

Lack of support back home - USA’s failure in Vietnam war

As the war dragged on more and more Americans began to oppose the war in Vietnam. Many people began to oppose the draft, and public figures, like the boxer Muhammad Ali, risked prison rather than go to Vietnam. In 1970, officers from the National Guard shot at anti-war protestors at Kent State University, killing four students. More people questioned the lengths their government would go to in support of this unpopular war.

Vietcong sucesses - Guerilla warfare

The Vietcong used the cover of the jungle, which they knew well, to their advantage. They fought a hit-and-run guerrilla war against inexperienced American soldiers, many of whom were young conscripts. The threat of an invisible enemy and hidden traps like punji sticks – sharpened sticks of bamboo which were laid in traps - had a demoralising psychological impact on US troops.

Vietcong sucesses - Ho Chi Minh trail

Vietcong guerrillas were kept well supplied by a constant stream of food and arms from the North. These were carried on foot, by bicycle and mule along the Ho Chi Minh Trail - a jungle trail which wound through the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia and which was bombed by the US Army but never fully disrupted.

Vietcong sucesses - Tet offensive

In 1968, the Vietcong used the cover of the Buddhist New Year (Tet) celebrations to change tactics and launch a massive attack on US-held areas across South Vietnam, including the US Embassy in Saigon. The attack was a success for the Vietcong and although ultimately they were driven back by the US Army, it showed the Americans that despite all the soldiers, bombs, and money spent in Vietnam, they were not making progress against the Vietcong or communism.

end of the vietnam war

• These efforts to ‘manage’ the Cold War and to improve relations with the communist powers (Nixon also visited the USSR in 1972), along with the growing number of American casualties in Vietnam, may have shaped Nixon’s attitude to the war in Vietnam.

• He introduced a policy of Vietnamisation, also known as the Nixon Doctrine, in a speech on 25th July 1969. This meant building up the capacity of the armed forces of America’s allies in Vietnam until they could take responsibility for their own defence.

• In effect it meant the USA was beginning the process of withdrawing troops from Vietnam, while strengthening the South Vietnamese army with the aim of getting it to take over the war against communism.

• At the same time, Nixon escalated the bombing campaign in North Vietnam, for two reasons:

  1. to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail and hit Vietcong bases in the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia

  2. to force the North Vietnamese to negotiate after initial peace talks (from early 1969 on) broke down