History Unit 2
During WWII
USSR: 20 million citizens died during the war and were affected by Nazi invasion
US: 400,000 soldiers died. Civilian casualties limited to Pearl Harbor
economy boomed because no farms or factories were destroyed
Yalta Conference
When: February 1945
Where: Resort Town in Crimea, Yalta
What: discussion about Germany’s fate after WWII
Who: US (FDR), UK (Churchill), USSR (Stalin)
Germany’s Outcome: demilitarization and denazification, division of Germany (and Berlin) into 4 zones
Military reduced to almost nothing
Nazi influence wiped out
Western Germany divided into 3 zones: US, France, UK
Eastern Germany controlled by USSR
Potsdam Conference
When: July 1945
Who: USSR (Stalin), UK (Churchill), US (Truman)
Outcome: Germany would be occupied by the Americans, British, Soviets, and French
issued Japan’s surrender and post war order in Asia
After WWII
Europe was in complete disarray.
liberated countries held free elections
USSR gathered Eastern Europe into a sphere of influence
Big Three joined the United Nations in 1945 to prevent future wars
Visions for postwar Europe
Soviet Union: driven by security concerns
Stalin wanted a buffer zone of communist states to protect the USSR from future invasions
claimed East Europe as sphere of influence
Ideologies: communism
viewed capitalism as an unjust and unequal system
single party politics and government controlled the economy
state owns most businesses (collective ownership) and decides what will be produced
United States:
Truman wanted to allow Eastern European nations to determine their own form of government
believed that countries would choose democracy if given free choice
Ideologies: capitalism and democracy
individuals and private businesses make most economic decisions
most property, factories, and equipment are privately owned
Cold War
Definition: a conflict over ideological differences carried on by methods short of sustained overt military action and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations
Sides: Western Europe and US, Eastern/Central Europe with USSR
Differences: US - democracy and capitalism, USSR - communism
Mutually Assured Destructions (MAD):
Both sides choosing to not use weapons
Threat to use weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides
Would lead to the total destruction of the defender as well as the attacker
Terms
Satellite Nations: a country that is formally recognized as an independent and sovereign state but who is nevertheless under the strong influence or control of another state
Eastern Bloc: group of eastern European countries that were aligned militarily, politically, economically, and culturally with the Soviet Union approximately from 1945 to 1990
Iron Curtain: There is an unbreakable split in between Europe has occurred. The east and central Europe in the Soviet Sphere and the west in democratic influence. Cannot let the fighting escalate again
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union and communism
Warsaw Pact: a collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe
United Nations (UN): international diplomatic and political organization made for worldwide peace and stability
develop friendly nations
help nations work together to improve the lives of the people
Long Telegram: USSR did not see the possibility for long term peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world and the best strategy was to contain communist expansion
Cold War in Asia
Communism in China:
Falls into communism in 1949
Mao Zedong overtakes the Nationalist party and makes all of China communist
US reaction: suspended diplomatic ties with China
Proxy War: when a major power starts a war in which it does not become directly involved
The Korean War:
Goal of the UN: to protect South Korea and prevent the spread of communism
US President: Truman
Outcome: Border between the North and South at the 38th parallel
Containment
US Cold War strategy of stopping the spread of communism through the use of economic and military policies
Truman Doctrine: helping Greece and Turkey from communist aggression by giving aid to them by money
first activity in foreign affairs
Marshall Plan: America’s foreign economic recovery strategy by providing aid to many European nations ($13 billion dollars)
RATIONALE: poor economy can lead to political instability and can turn to communism
Berlin Airlift:
The Red Army marched on Germany and absorbed the nearby nations into the Soviet Union
forces dominated Romania and Bulgaria and Poland
Yalta Agreement: promise of free elections was violated
Stalin was creating Puppet Regimes in the Soviet Sector of occupied Germany
Berlin was divided into 4 Zones of Occupation like Germany
Berlin lay in the Soviet zone of Germany
Allied sections of the capital known as West Berlin became an island of democracy and capitalism
Berlin Blockade: Soviets sealed all land routes going into West Berlin
Stalin gambled that the Western powers were not willing to risk another war to protect Berlin
Truman decided to stay
US and Britain moved massive amounts of food and supplies into West Berlin through the air
Operation Vittles: British and Americans flew over 4000 tons of supplies daily to West Berlin.
May 1949 - Soviets ended the blockade
Korean War:
USSR controlled the northern Korean territory and the US controlled southern
US and USSR tried to rebuild Korea by supplying weapons and training to the people located within their territory.
USSR and American forces left Korea and split the country into two parts
Kim Il Sung increased its strength with help from the Soviets and invaded South Korea.
South Korean troops were driven down to Busan
National Security Council proposed an increase in US spending
NSC-68: policy paper to ensure that the US containment policy in Korea and other areas was able to be enforced
United Nations Security Council proposal: pledged UN support to restore peace in South Korea
Truman used military to try and end conflict
WITHOUT CONGRESS: Truman told American Air Force and Naval units to support South Korea
General Douglas MacArthur and his troops ordered to leave posts in Japan and support South Korea
China’s Involvement: General Douglas MacArthur and his troops went towards the Yalu river even after a warning from Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai of China
Stalin also encouraged Mao to invade and fight
reversed UN’s push towards North Korea
Negotiations for 2 years. US, NK, and China reached an armistice to end the UN peace action in Korea without a formal peace treaty
Korea remains divided
“Forgotten War”
Domino Theory: communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a row of dominos
Eisenhower’s Cold War Policies and Containment
Foreign policy engineered by John Foster Dulles. Anticommunist
Containment: policy of massive retaliation
attack on American ally = nuclear attack on the Soviet Union (Retaliation)
US will push communist countries to the brink of disaster and force them to back down (brinkmanship)
Nuclear Triad: developed to frame US national security
Air: Long range aircrafts that could carry weapons
Sea: Nuclear armed submarines
Land: Land based nuclear missiles that could travel long distances
Arms Race: each side building up its nuclear weapon supply
Space Race
1957 - USSR launched first satellite, Sputnik —> started the space race
National Aeronautics and Space Act: signed by Eisenhower for space exploration and advancing scientific and technological knowledge
aimed to demonstrate that the US was able to peacefully explore space
Brinkmanship Example: Suez Canal Crisis
Suez Canal made an artificial waterway between Red Sea and Mediterranean to made trade better for Europe and East Asia
Egypt (with the help of the USSR) took control of canal from Britain
Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt
Khrushchev threatened to nuke Western Europe if they didn’t withdraw
Eisenhower’s Approach:
threaten Britain, France, and Israel with economic sanctions if they refuse to withdraw
Warned Khrushchev to not get involved
Brinkmanship Example: Taiwan Crisis
Communist China started to attack Taiwan
Eisenhower’s Approach:
told China that any attack would be defended by the US and sent US naval forces there
hinted at the possibility of nuclear weapons and the US military drew up plans
Eisenhower Doctrine
A plan by the US government to stop the USSR from gaining too much power in the Middle East and to protect American interests in that Area
Features:
US will cooperate and assist any nation or group in the Middle East in the development of economic strength dedicated for national independence
Executive is allowed to undertake programs of military assistance and cooperation of nations in need
Letting employment of armed forces of the US to protect the independence of the nations
Covert Operations
used the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Supported overthrow of governments: Iran Example
Iran took over a major oil company after it became independent
Eisenhower was concerned that the prime minister of Iran was influenced by the USSR and communists
Prime minister and his government were overthrown —> replaced by the Shah who was known to be anti communist
US companies gained some control over the oil industry
Supported assassination of leaders: Guatemala Example
President of Guatemala tried to reform the country by taking some land of the United Fruit Company and gave it to the poor landless peasants and also bought weapons from a communist country
US encouraged a revolution against Guzman (president) and he was overthrown —> new president reversed the reforms and gave the land back to the United Fruit Company
suspected communists were executed
Supported spying on possible enemies: U2 Spy Plane Incident
U-2 Aircraft’s purpose was to gather intelligence on the USSR’s military capabilities, particularly its nuclear programs and other sensitive activities
Flights provided valuable info about USSR military capabilities and activities —> advantage for the US
1960 - U2 plane was shot down by the soviets causing a major international outcry and escalating tensions
US initially claimed it was a weather research plane but was exposed by the pilot and wreckage —> embarrassment and criticism for the US government’s activities
Led to cancellation of a planned US-USSR meeting and further escalated tensions
Cold War at Home
People feared that a nuclear attack would come at any minute
During WWII
USSR: 20 million citizens died during the war and were affected by Nazi invasion
US: 400,000 soldiers died. Civilian casualties limited to Pearl Harbor
economy boomed because no farms or factories were destroyed
Yalta Conference
When: February 1945
Where: Resort Town in Crimea, Yalta
What: discussion about Germany’s fate after WWII
Who: US (FDR), UK (Churchill), USSR (Stalin)
Germany’s Outcome: demilitarization and denazification, division of Germany (and Berlin) into 4 zones
Military reduced to almost nothing
Nazi influence wiped out
Western Germany divided into 3 zones: US, France, UK
Eastern Germany controlled by USSR
Potsdam Conference
When: July 1945
Who: USSR (Stalin), UK (Churchill), US (Truman)
Outcome: Germany would be occupied by the Americans, British, Soviets, and French
issued Japan’s surrender and post war order in Asia
After WWII
Europe was in complete disarray.
liberated countries held free elections
USSR gathered Eastern Europe into a sphere of influence
Big Three joined the United Nations in 1945 to prevent future wars
Visions for postwar Europe
Soviet Union: driven by security concerns
Stalin wanted a buffer zone of communist states to protect the USSR from future invasions
claimed East Europe as sphere of influence
Ideologies: communism
viewed capitalism as an unjust and unequal system
single party politics and government controlled the economy
state owns most businesses (collective ownership) and decides what will be produced
United States:
Truman wanted to allow Eastern European nations to determine their own form of government
believed that countries would choose democracy if given free choice
Ideologies: capitalism and democracy
individuals and private businesses make most economic decisions
most property, factories, and equipment are privately owned
Cold War
Definition: a conflict over ideological differences carried on by methods short of sustained overt military action and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations
Sides: Western Europe and US, Eastern/Central Europe with USSR
Differences: US - democracy and capitalism, USSR - communism
Mutually Assured Destructions (MAD):
Both sides choosing to not use weapons
Threat to use weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides
Would lead to the total destruction of the defender as well as the attacker
Terms
Satellite Nations: a country that is formally recognized as an independent and sovereign state but who is nevertheless under the strong influence or control of another state
Eastern Bloc: group of eastern European countries that were aligned militarily, politically, economically, and culturally with the Soviet Union approximately from 1945 to 1990
Iron Curtain: There is an unbreakable split in between Europe has occurred. The east and central Europe in the Soviet Sphere and the west in democratic influence. Cannot let the fighting escalate again
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union and communism
Warsaw Pact: a collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe
United Nations (UN): international diplomatic and political organization made for worldwide peace and stability
develop friendly nations
help nations work together to improve the lives of the people
Long Telegram: USSR did not see the possibility for long term peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world and the best strategy was to contain communist expansion
Cold War in Asia
Communism in China:
Falls into communism in 1949
Mao Zedong overtakes the Nationalist party and makes all of China communist
US reaction: suspended diplomatic ties with China
Proxy War: when a major power starts a war in which it does not become directly involved
The Korean War:
Goal of the UN: to protect South Korea and prevent the spread of communism
US President: Truman
Outcome: Border between the North and South at the 38th parallel
Containment
US Cold War strategy of stopping the spread of communism through the use of economic and military policies
Truman Doctrine: helping Greece and Turkey from communist aggression by giving aid to them by money
first activity in foreign affairs
Marshall Plan: America’s foreign economic recovery strategy by providing aid to many European nations ($13 billion dollars)
RATIONALE: poor economy can lead to political instability and can turn to communism
Berlin Airlift:
The Red Army marched on Germany and absorbed the nearby nations into the Soviet Union
forces dominated Romania and Bulgaria and Poland
Yalta Agreement: promise of free elections was violated
Stalin was creating Puppet Regimes in the Soviet Sector of occupied Germany
Berlin was divided into 4 Zones of Occupation like Germany
Berlin lay in the Soviet zone of Germany
Allied sections of the capital known as West Berlin became an island of democracy and capitalism
Berlin Blockade: Soviets sealed all land routes going into West Berlin
Stalin gambled that the Western powers were not willing to risk another war to protect Berlin
Truman decided to stay
US and Britain moved massive amounts of food and supplies into West Berlin through the air
Operation Vittles: British and Americans flew over 4000 tons of supplies daily to West Berlin.
May 1949 - Soviets ended the blockade
Korean War:
USSR controlled the northern Korean territory and the US controlled southern
US and USSR tried to rebuild Korea by supplying weapons and training to the people located within their territory.
USSR and American forces left Korea and split the country into two parts
Kim Il Sung increased its strength with help from the Soviets and invaded South Korea.
South Korean troops were driven down to Busan
National Security Council proposed an increase in US spending
NSC-68: policy paper to ensure that the US containment policy in Korea and other areas was able to be enforced
United Nations Security Council proposal: pledged UN support to restore peace in South Korea
Truman used military to try and end conflict
WITHOUT CONGRESS: Truman told American Air Force and Naval units to support South Korea
General Douglas MacArthur and his troops ordered to leave posts in Japan and support South Korea
China’s Involvement: General Douglas MacArthur and his troops went towards the Yalu river even after a warning from Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai of China
Stalin also encouraged Mao to invade and fight
reversed UN’s push towards North Korea
Negotiations for 2 years. US, NK, and China reached an armistice to end the UN peace action in Korea without a formal peace treaty
Korea remains divided
“Forgotten War”
Domino Theory: communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a row of dominos
Eisenhower’s Cold War Policies and Containment
Foreign policy engineered by John Foster Dulles. Anticommunist
Containment: policy of massive retaliation
attack on American ally = nuclear attack on the Soviet Union (Retaliation)
US will push communist countries to the brink of disaster and force them to back down (brinkmanship)
Nuclear Triad: developed to frame US national security
Air: Long range aircrafts that could carry weapons
Sea: Nuclear armed submarines
Land: Land based nuclear missiles that could travel long distances
Arms Race: each side building up its nuclear weapon supply
Space Race
1957 - USSR launched first satellite, Sputnik —> started the space race
National Aeronautics and Space Act: signed by Eisenhower for space exploration and advancing scientific and technological knowledge
aimed to demonstrate that the US was able to peacefully explore space
Brinkmanship Example: Suez Canal Crisis
Suez Canal made an artificial waterway between Red Sea and Mediterranean to made trade better for Europe and East Asia
Egypt (with the help of the USSR) took control of canal from Britain
Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt
Khrushchev threatened to nuke Western Europe if they didn’t withdraw
Eisenhower’s Approach:
threaten Britain, France, and Israel with economic sanctions if they refuse to withdraw
Warned Khrushchev to not get involved
Brinkmanship Example: Taiwan Crisis
Communist China started to attack Taiwan
Eisenhower’s Approach:
told China that any attack would be defended by the US and sent US naval forces there
hinted at the possibility of nuclear weapons and the US military drew up plans
Eisenhower Doctrine
A plan by the US government to stop the USSR from gaining too much power in the Middle East and to protect American interests in that Area
Features:
US will cooperate and assist any nation or group in the Middle East in the development of economic strength dedicated for national independence
Executive is allowed to undertake programs of military assistance and cooperation of nations in need
Letting employment of armed forces of the US to protect the independence of the nations
Covert Operations
used the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Supported overthrow of governments: Iran Example
Iran took over a major oil company after it became independent
Eisenhower was concerned that the prime minister of Iran was influenced by the USSR and communists
Prime minister and his government were overthrown —> replaced by the Shah who was known to be anti communist
US companies gained some control over the oil industry
Supported assassination of leaders: Guatemala Example
President of Guatemala tried to reform the country by taking some land of the United Fruit Company and gave it to the poor landless peasants and also bought weapons from a communist country
US encouraged a revolution against Guzman (president) and he was overthrown —> new president reversed the reforms and gave the land back to the United Fruit Company
suspected communists were executed
Supported spying on possible enemies: U2 Spy Plane Incident
U-2 Aircraft’s purpose was to gather intelligence on the USSR’s military capabilities, particularly its nuclear programs and other sensitive activities
Flights provided valuable info about USSR military capabilities and activities —> advantage for the US
1960 - U2 plane was shot down by the soviets causing a major international outcry and escalating tensions
US initially claimed it was a weather research plane but was exposed by the pilot and wreckage —> embarrassment and criticism for the US government’s activities
Led to cancellation of a planned US-USSR meeting and further escalated tensions
Cold War at Home
People feared that a nuclear attack would come at any minute