AP World History - Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization

Communism and the Cold War

• Cold War lasted from 1945 to early 90s
• US and Soviet Union tried to get the rest of the world to side with them
• An arms based race between - nuclear arsenals became large enough to wipe out the whole world

\

Power Grab

• Biggest conflict over future security - both wanted their worldview to dominate:
  • US: capitalism, democracy
  • USSR: communism/totalitarianism
• At conferences in Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, parts of Eastern Europe were divided among Allied forces - Soviet Union demanded control of its neighbouring states (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria), which the US disagreed with
• 1948: French, US, British sections of Germany merged into one, while Eastern Germany was under Soviet control - they cut of access to Berlin from Western side (Berlin Blockade)
  • US flew in resources to trapped Western side (Berlin Airlift) until Soviets relented and split Berlin in half - built a wall on their side (Berlin Wall)
• East Vs. West
  • Europe was clearly divided in East and West
  • East: East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary = Soviet bloc
  • West: Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, West Germany, Greece, Turkey = Western bloc
  • Truman Doctrine (1947) said US would aid countries threatened by communism (containment) - Western bloc formed military alliance NATO for this
  • In response, Eastern bloc formed Warsaw Pact
  • Two alliances became heavily weaponized - line between them was called the Iron Curtain
  • Many countries were part of nonalignment - accepted investments from US and USSR but didn’t side with either
  • Helped many former colonies find cooperative economic relations
  • Bandung Conference (1955): leaders from Africa and Asia meet to discuss these partnerships - Non-Aligned Movement

\

China

• After fall of Manchu Dynasty in 1911, Sun Yat-sen led the Chinese Revolution of 1911 for China to become more Westernized and powerful
• Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People: nationalism, socialism, democracy
• Established his own political party for his own goals - the Kuomintang (KMT)
• Chiang Kai-shek established KMT in 1920s while Japanese and Soviets also struggled to control China
• US helped drive Japan out, but communists and KMT continued to fight Chinese Civil War for next 4 years
• Communists recruited millions of peasants under Mao Zedong to drive KMT out of China into Taiwan (where they established Republic of China)
• Mainland China became People’s Republic of China and the largest communist nation in the world
• Taiwan and People’s Republic of China are still separated
• Mao Zedong
  • At first was successful in increasing China’s productivity and agriculture
  • Implemented Great Leap Forward by creating communes (local governments) to achieve a Marxist state - they couldn’t keep up with their agricultural quotas, so they lied about it causing starvation of over 30 million Chinese people
  • After withdraw of Soviet support, military became his focus and capitalism was implemented into economy - Mao didn’t like it
  • Mao’s Cultural Revolution: got rid of all Western influences to prevent privileged classes - universities shut down and most worked as farmers from 1960s to 70s
• Deng Xiaoping
  • New leader - focused on restructuring economy, reimplemented education
  • Free-market capitalism elements, property ownership, foreign relations - but still largely communist
  • Tiananmen Square Massacre: hundreds of protesters for democratic reform killed by government troops

Division of Korea - Korean War

• After WWII, was held half by Soviets and half by US until Korea could achieve stability
• Soviet communist regime in North Korea
• US democracy in South Korea
• North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950 to unite the two countries - United Nations, under General MacArthur, supported South Korea and China supported North Korea - armistice didn’t happen until 1953
• North Korea remains an isolated and dangerous nation today

Vietnam War

• After WWII, France attempt to hold on to colony of Indochina, but Vietminh nationalists fought back until it was agreed to split the nation into two
  • Communists - North under Ho Chi Minh
  • Democrats - South under Ngo Dinh Diem
• Soon war broke out between them - France and US supported South, but eventually the South was taken over by communist Viet Cong fighters, which looked very bad for US

Genocide in Cambodia

• Communism took over Cambodia and communist faction Khmer Rouge took over the government - goal to get rid of professional class an religious minorities led to 2 million deaths by the government

\

The Cuban Revolution

• US remained involved in Cuban affairs after Spanish-American War under Platt Amendment
• US supported the Batista Dictatorship from 1939 to 1959 until peasants began revolting in 1956 under leadership of Fidel Castro - led to Cuban Revolution in 1959
• Castro promoted democracy but immediately established a communist dictatorship instead, so the US imposed economic bans on trade with Cuba - strengthened Cuba’s ties with Soviets instead
• US organized Bay of Pigs Invasion with a small force of Cuban exiles, authorized by President Kennedy, to overthrow Castro - they were immediately captured
• In response, Soviets installed missiles in Cuba and when US found out, they established a navel blockade around the island - Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Soviets eventually backed down when US agreed to not invade Cuba - closest brush with nuclear war

\

Cold War Tensions and Democratization in Latin America

• US’s capitalistic destruction of resources in Latin America stirred radical political parties in Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil - US was the imperialist “Good Neighbour”
• US distracted by wars and Cold War led to single-party rule in Mexico, brutal militaristic leaders in Argentina and Chile, and socialist democracies in Nicaragua and Guatemala
  • US focused on Nicaragua - ground for Bay of Pigs Invasion, targeting of Sandinista guerrillas in 80s
• Reliance on export economies has resulted in poor domestic economies and debt
• Only in 2000 did Mexico have first multi-party election - opposition, PAN party, won

\

Cold War Ends

• People in Eastern Europe, under communism, began to revolt over poor living conditions compared to the West, democracy, and self-determination in the 80s

Poland

• A Solidarity movement under Lech Walesa brought thousands of workers wanting reform of communist economic system
• Not until reform-minded Mieczyslaw Rakowski became the Prime Minister did Solidarity become legalized in 1989
• Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Solidarity member, became PM in first open elections
• Communism fell in 1990, Lech Walsea become president, and economy improved swiftly

German Reunification

• Decline of communism in Soviet bloc led to East Germany cutting ties with Soviets
• Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989 and East and West reunified
• Germany now focused on peace and economic reform instead of violence

The Soviet Union Collapses

• Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1986 and urged restructuring of Soviet economy - elements of private ownership instituted, nuclear arms treaties with US
• When Poland and other former Soviet nations separated from USSR, Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991
• Mostly peaceful, but ethnic cleansing occurred in the Balkans and many Muslims were murdered by Christian Serbians - led to UN troop involvement
• Most new countries formed constitutional democracies, Cold War was over, and US emerged as the world’s only superpowers
• Democracy and Authoritarian Rule in Russia
  • New Russia looked like a perfect federal state, but their abrupt intro to democracy and capitalism led to corruption, high unemployment, poverty, widespread crime
  • First president, Boris Yeltsin, had the challenge of reforming Russia
  • Yeltsin resigned in 1999 and former KGB agent Vladimir Putin became the head and has between the President and Prime Minister since then
  • Has caused significant unrest in relations with other nations

\

Independence Movements and Developments in Asia and Africa

Indian Subcontinent

• Indian National Congress, mostly Hindu, established in 1885 and Muslim League in 1906 to increase rights of Indians under colonial rule
• In 1919, Amritsar Massacre catapulted resistance - 319 Indians killed by the British during a peaceful protest
• Mohandas Gandhi became an important figure in resistance - philosophy of passive resistance (demonstrations, boycotts instead of violence)
• Hindu and Muslim groups disagreed while fighting for the same cause - Muslims pushed for their own nation called Pakistan
• Independence Won by India
  • Britain granted independence to India after WWII
  • Muslims and Hindus disagreed with how the independent nation should function - one group wanted unity between Hindus and Muslims, the other wanted to partition the subcontinent and form a separate Muslim nation (led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah)
  • British separated the subcontinent into three parts: India (Hindu), and Pakistan (Muslim) in two parts
  • Many died by religious persecution as they migrated across religious lines - created international conflict between Pakistan and India

Africa

• In 1910, South Africa established its own constitution, that was discriminatory to native Africans, and in 1912, the African National Congress was formed to oppose European colonialism
• in 1950s, independence movement across Africa grew and Gamal Nasser, general in Egyptian army, overthrew Egypt king and established a republic - inspired other Islamic nationalists along Mediterranean to also become independent
• Many Africans were undereducated and did not have skills to build productive, independent nations and European influence had caused major destruction in social dynamics
• Algeria fought war for independence against France from 1954-1962
• Nigeria and Ghana negotiated their freedom from Britain
• Kenya also negotiated constitution with Britain
• Angola and Belgian Congo overthrew colonial governments causing civil wars
• Zimbabwe was among last to establish majority African rule in 1980
• 53/54 of African nations belong to African Union - replaced Organization of African Unity
  • Still, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda, Congo continue to be wrecked by civil wars
• Rwanda
  • Conflict between Tutsi and Hutu groups (Tutsi, 15% of pop., governed the Hutu) caused ethnic strife, genocide, and human rights violations after colonial authorities left
  • Hutu revolted and killed as many as 800000 Tutsis over 100 days of genocide
• Apartheid in South Africa
  • Union of South Africa formed in 1910 combing British and Dutch colonies, the year after South Africa Act, completely excluded Black people from politics
  • 1923: segregation established and enforced
  • 1926: Black people banned from certain occupations
  • 1948: system of apartheid (racial separation) established - Black people forced into the worst parts of the country and city slums
  • Nelson Mandela became leader of African National Congress in 1950s determined to abolish apartheid
  • Sharpeville massacre: 67 protesters against apartheid killed - African National Congress then supported guerrilla warfare (resulted in Mandela being jailed in 1964)
  • Mandela was released in 1990 and apartheid crumbled - he was the first president elected in a free and open election

Middle East

• After WWI, France was put in charge of Syria and Lebanon, Britain in charge of Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq (Iran between Britain and Russia) - Arabia united itself as a Saudi Kingdom
• Creation of Modern Israel:
  • Many Jews left Israel region as Palestine became more and more Islamic
  • During WWI, Zionists (Jewish nationalists) convinced Arthur Balfour (Britain’s foreign secretary) to issue Balfour Declaration of 1917 - declared that Jewish people had right to live in Palestine, without displacing current Palestinians
  • Jews fleeing antisemitic mobs (pogroms) began flooding into Palestine, a lot more came during the 30s to escape Hitler
• Jewish Wait for a State Ends in 1948 - two Palestines, one for Jews and one for Muslims, officially created
  • As soon as David Ben-Gurion became first prime minister of Israel, Muslims attacked Israel (1948 Arab-Israeli War)
  • Israel fought back and eventually controlled most of Palestine, while Jordan held remaining portions (West Bank)
  • 1967 Six-Day War resulted in Israelis taking over all of Palestine - West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip (Egypt), Golan Heights (Syria)
  • In 1977, Egypt recongized Israel’s right to exist when Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt signed the Camp David Accords - a huge blow to Palestinians (did not recognize West Bank in accords)
  • Since then, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), dedicated to reclaiming land and Palestinian state, has been unsuccessful in negotiating a homeland
  • In 2000, violence continued and Israel PM Ariel Sharon constructed a wall between Palestinian West Bank and Israel
  • In 2005, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas signed a cease-fire with Israel after previous president Yasser Arafat failed to do so
  • Intense division, military violence, and terrorism still exists between the groups and no advancements have been made
• Iranian Revolution
  • When Reza Shah Pahlavi rose to power and lead the shah in 1925 in Iran, Westernization was introduced to the nation
  • In 1960s, rights of women increased drastically which angered Islamic fundamentalists
  • President Jimmy Carter of US visited Iran to congratulate them on their modernization, which was the breaking point for fundamentalists - in 1979 Iranian Revolution ousted current shah and went back to a theocracy led by Ayatollah Khomeini
  • Human rights advancements were reversed and women went back to traditional roles - Qu’ran became basis of legal system
  • Iraq soon after invaded Iran over border disputes - Iraq received quiet support from US but still led to 8-year Iran-Iraq War
  • Power struggle still continues in Iran and American-led war that began in Iraq in 2003 complicated matters further
• Oil
  • Middle East was sitting on more than two-thirds of world’s oil reserves
  • Multinational corporations rushed to gain drilling rights in 20th century
  • Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq started to earn billions annually, so they organized with some oil-exporting nations to form a petroleum cartel (OPEC) leading to more money and modernization

Globalization

• Economic Development and independence was hard to achieve as a new country
  • Hard to achieve as a new country due to low literacy and little industrial infrastructure and weak private economy and little managerial experience South Korea Taiwan Kong Kong Singapore = Asian tigers / new industrial countries
• China has biggest economic growth in 20th century same with India who opened to world market
• Africa Arab and few parts of Asia had no significant economic growth
  • “Africa rising” rise in africas economy and middle class

Re-globalization after world wars and Great Depression

• Breton woods system - international commmercial and financial dealing system linked to the US dollar. Participated in by major capitalist countries
• Neoliberalism - approch that the entire world is a single market → acceleration of movement of goods and capital
• Transnational corporations- produce goods and deliver services to multiple countries

Resistance

• Globalization does not equal economic stability or equality
• Brought people together but also divided people (economic disparities class issues)
• Resistance from those who felt left behind in globalization
  • Opposition- farmers poverty classes conservatives etc
• World trade organization- international body with 149 nations represented promotes global commerce and free trade

\