AP World Guide: Unit 8- Decolonization & Cold War
Important events
1945 Soviet Union refuses to have free elections
1949- Several Western nations create NATO
1950- Korean War begins as communist vs anti communist struggle
1955- Soviets create Warsaw Pact in response to NATO with countries in Eastern Europe
1958- China’s Great Leap Forward begins (20 million deaths)
1961- East Germans build Berlin wall & kill those who attempt to cross
1989- Chinese communist government crushes large protest in Tiananmen Square
2002- # of independent nations rises to ~190
Overview:
Decolonization- nationalist movements in Africa & Asia
The Cold War- US & USSR as competing superpowers, nuclear arms race
Tensions between capitalist & communist governments
8.1 Setting the Stage for Cold War & Decolonization
What was the historical context for the Cold War after WWII?
Key Terms
Big Three- Great Britain, US & USSR (WWII)
Cold War- Conflict that doesn’t include direct military confrontation between two or more rival states, played out via propaganda campaigns, secret operations & an arms race
Hydrogen Bomb- Developed by Soviets & more powerful than the atomic bomb
Military-Industrial Complex- Informed alliance between government & large defense contractors
Self Determination- Each country should choose its own form of government
Key Events
Tehran Conference- Allies agreed USSR would focus on freeing Eastern Europe while GB & US focused on Western Europe
Yalta Conference- Plan for reconstructing Eastern Europe & defeating Japan
Potsdam Conference- Final Big Three conference, left with trust issues between US & USSR
Key People
Dwight Eisenhower- US general & later president
8.2 The Cold War
What were the causes & effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War?
Overview
Democratic US & authoritarian USSR emerged from WWII as global superpowers
Truman & Stalin began a rivalry for dominance over Europe & Asia
Power struggle between capitalism & communism
Key Terms
United Nations- Organization to promote peace & prosperity to replace the League of Nations
Lacked support of all the world’s powerful countries
Lacked a mechanism to act quickly to stop small conflicts from escalating into big ones
Iron Curtain- Metaphor for the split between Eastern & Western Europe
Capitalism- Economic assets are owned privately, private investors determine economic decisions
Communism- Assets owned by government, emphasis on fairness & equality
US- People chose elected leaders via free elections, and had independent press; criticized for giving poor people “freedom to starve” & discrimination against African Americans & other minorities
USSR- Insignificant elections, government-operated press, & 1 political party; criticized for restricting rights of people to speak, worship, elect representatives & allow business to operate efficiently
Satellite Countries- Small states economically/politically dependent on a larger, more powerful state
Soviet satellites forced to only import Soviet goods & only export to the Soviet Union
Containment- Not letting communism spread further
Truman Doctrine- US would do anything necessary to stop the spread of communist influence, especially to Greece & Turkey
Marshall Plan- Offered $12 billion to aid all nations in Europe, used to modernize industry, reduce trade barriers, & repair damaged infrastructure, boosting the economy successfully
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)- Soviet plan to rebuild Eastern Europe, limited to trade & credit agreements, having a modest impact compared to the Marshall plan
Sputnik- 1st artificial satellite, launched by the Soviets
Space Race- Competition between US & USSR to become the first with a manned satellite orbiting Earth & later, the first to land a man on the moon
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)- Regardless of who started a war, both would be obliterated by the end
Non Aligned Movement- Alternative framework for international economic, political & social order not dominated by the 2 superpowers
8.3 Effects of the Cold War
In what ways did both the Soviet Union & the United States seek to maintain influence during the Cold War?
Overview
New military alliances formed
Threat of nuclear war
Military & nuclear influence
Proxy Wars
Key Terms
Proxy Wars- When a major power helps start a conflict in another nation but doesn’t fight directly (Korean & Vietnam Wars)
Federal Republic of Germany- West Germany (allies)
Democratic Republic of Germany- East Germany (USSR)
Berlin Wall- Wall in Berlin around the Western part of the city so East Germans wouldn’t leave
Communist Bloc- Members of the Warsaw Pact, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Poland & Soviet Union
Domino Theory- The idea that if one country in a region becomes communist, other countries will follow suit
Angola- Portuguese colony in Southwest Africa, won independence in 1975 but faced greater ethnic conflict. The USSR & Cuba backed the Mbundu tribe, South Africa backed the Ovimbundu tribe & the US backed the Bakongo tribe
Ended in ceasefire but threats remained
Hot Line- direct telegraph/teleprinter link between US & Soviet leaders offices
Anti nuclear Weapons Movement- Movement against the creation, buildup & usage of nuclear weapons
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty- Outlawed testing nuclear weapons above ground, underwater & in space
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty- Called on nuclear powers to prevent spread of military nuclear technology to non-nuclear countries
Key Events
Berlin Airlift- Allies flew supplies into Western zones of Berlin Feb 1948- May 1949 when the Soviets lifted the blockade
Korean War- 1950-1953, North Korea invaded South Korea to try & reunite them under one country, UN voted to defend South Korea militarily
War ended in a stalemate, both sides remain divided to this day
Vietnam War- US tried to help South Vietnam to prevent a takeover from communist North Vietnam, US withdrew
Contra War- Nicaragua, Contra overthrow of “socialist” Sandinistas, ended with Tela Accord in 1989 & demobilization of both armies
Bay of Pigs Invasion- Cuban exiles, backed by Kennedy, attempted to invade Cuba & kill Castro, ended as a failure & cemented Soviet-Cuban alliance
Key Alliances
NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mutual support & cooperation within the alliance against conflict and wars
Warsaw Pact- Soviet response to NATO, members combined armed forces & based army leaders in Soviet capital Moscow
SEATO- 1954, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization including Australia, Great Britain, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand & the US
CENTO- Central Treaty Organization, anti-Soviet treaty organized by Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, & Turkey to prevent the spread of communism to the Middle East
Key People
Douglas MacArthur- US general, overall commander of South Korea
Fidel Castro- Dictator of Cuba
John F Kennedy- US president
Nikita Khrushchev- Soviet premier, came to power after Stalin
8.4 Spread of Communism After 1900
How did communism & land reform affect China & other countries?
Overview:
Feudalism, capitalism & colonialism → small powerful classes with land, large peasant class without land
Key Terms
Land Reform- Communist & socialist states wanted to make more people landowners
Great Leap Forward- Peasant lands were organized into communes
Communes- Large, agricultural communities owned by the state
Cultural Revolution- Mao’s attempt to reignite China’s love of communism
Red Guard- Groups of revolutionary students (China), seized government officials, teachers, etc and sent to countryside for “reeducation”
Reeducation- Performing hard physical labor & attending meetings where they were forced to admit they weren’t “revolutionary” enough
White Revolution- progressive reforms without bloodshed (Iran)
Theocracy- Form of government where religion is the supreme authority
Key People
Mao Zedong- Led China’s communist party
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi- Shah of Iran, put in place by US & GB when his dad considered supporting Hitler’s Nazi regime
Mohammad Mosaddegh- Democratically elected prime minister of Iran, vowed to nationalize oil companies
US & GB overthrew Mosaddegh & returned the Shah to power
Authoritarian regime w/ secret police force
Haile Selassie- Exiled Ethiopian leader, aligned the country with Western powers after WWII
Mengistu Haile Mariam- Ethiopian native & military major, didn’t like Haile Selassie & ordered the assassination of 60 regime officials
8.5 Decolonization after 1900
How did people pursue independence after 1900?
Overview:
Nationalist groups & leaders challenged colonial rule via political negotiation & armed struggle
Struggle & failure of many independence movements led to anti colonial sentiments during WWII
Key Terms
Muslim League- Founded in 1906, advocated for a separate state for Indian Muslims
One Party State- Dictator rules over one party & corrupts future elections
Pan Africanism- Term with multiple meanings
1) GB & US plans to return freed men & women to Africa (Africa for Africans, Liberia was founded this way)
2) Celebration of unity of culture & ideas throughout the continent)
OAU- Organization of African Unity- Nkrumah’s government made under his vision of pan africanism (see definition 2 above)
Algeria War for Independence- French government considered Algeria a part of France & not a separate colony
Few French casualties, high Algerian casualties & torture
Algerian Civil War- Bloody violence in response to one party rule
Viet Cong- South Vietnamese who supported communist northern Vietnam
Suez Crisis- Nasser seized the Suez canal & Israel invaded Egypt on behalf of GB & France
Biafran Civil War- Western predominantly Christian NIgerian tribe Igbos in the oil rich Niger River Delta tried to separate from North dominated government
Quiet Revolution- Quebec political & social changes stemming from desire for separation from Britain (identified more with France)`
Key People
Kwame Nkrumah- Independent Ghana’s first president
Constructed a narrative centered around a past of glory & tradition, founding fathers, a currency, flag, anthem, museums & monuments (like GB & US)
Charles de Gaulle- president of France, planned the steps for Algeria to gain independence
Ho Chi Minh- Communist leader of North Vietnam
Gamal Abdel Nasser- Overthrew the king & established the Republic of Egypt
8.6 Newly Independent States
What political changes led to territorial, demographic & nationalist developments & the economic shifts that resulted?
Overview
As imperialistic powers handed over government control, new states were formed
Partition of India → Hindu India & Muslim Pakistan
Strong policies to promote economic development
Key terms
Zionist movement- Supported/urged for the creation of a separate Jewish state (Israel)
21st Century Palestinian Split
Fatah Faction- Controlled the West Bank
Hamas Faction- Controlled Gaza
Khmer Rouge- Communist guerilla organization in Cambodia
Key conflicts
Six Day War- Israel gained Gaza strp (Egypt), West Bank & East Jerusalem (Jordan), & Golan Heights (Syria)
Yom Kippur War- 1973, Israel repelled a surprise invasion from Syria & Egypt
Kashmir Conflict- Tensions between India & Pakistan
Kashmir- Border region in North, Muslim population but Hindu leader
Key People
Sirimavo Bandaranaike- 1st female prime minister in the world, 1960s Sri Lanka (then Ceylon)
Indira Gandhi- Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter, India’s leader after her dad died
Benazir Bhutto- Prime minister of Pakistan in 1988, 1st elected female leader of a majority Muslim country
Struggled to improve Pakistan’s economy & poverty
Julius Nyerere- 1st president of Tanzania
Metropole- A large city of a former colonial where citizens of that colony move to
Indian migration to London
8.7 Global Resistance to Established Power Structures
What were different reactions to existing power structures after 1900?
Overview
Conflicts affected both newly independent states & long established ones
Successful challenges used non violence & civilian violence, governments used the military to crush resistance
Governments increased arms supplies & traded weapons
Key people
Martin Luther King Jr- Baptist minister & prominent civil rights leader
Civil rights tactics included court decisions, boycotts & marches
Nelson Mandela- Socialist lawyer known for leading non violent protests during Apartheid in South Africa
Wladyslaw Gomulka- New secretary of the Polish communist party, continued to stay loyal to USSR
Imre Nagy- Hungarian political leader, declared independence from Soviet Union
Key terms
Prague Spring- Peak of reform in Czechoslovakia, citizens demands were granted-increased freedom of speech, press & travel- by Alexander Dubcek, 1st secretary of the communist party
Brezhnev Doctrine- Stated that USSR & allies would intervene of one country’s actions threatened the other socialist countries
Used as an excuse when the Warsaw Pact allies crushed the Prague Spring
Catholic-Protestant Conflict- Northern Ireland, Catholics fought in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) & Protestants fought in the Ulster Defense Association
Basque Homeland & Freedom (ETA)- Wanted independence for Spain’s Basque region, very violent & killed dictator Franz Franco
Shining Path- Marxist guerrilla group in Peru, known for violent insurgency
Created by Abimael Guzman, former philosophy professor
1968 Year of Revolt
Yugoslavia- Students marched against the authoritarian government
Poland & Northern Ireland- Protests re religious issues
Brazil- Marched to demand public education improvements & fair worker treatment
Japan- Protests against university financial policies & government support of the US in Vietnam
Kent State University- Ohio national guard killed four unarmed students at an anti Vietnam War protest
8.8 End of the Cold War
What caused the end of the Cold War?
Overview:
Power structures continued to change
Soviet Union collapse
China, Vietnam, North Korea & Cuba remained communist
Political & economic alliances changed and expanded
Key people
Ronald Reagan- US president
Mikhail Gorbachev- Progressive communist Soviet leader
Key terms
Detente- Relaxation of strained relations between nations
SALT- Strategic Arms Limitation treaty, froze the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles the US & USSR could keep
Detente pros- US was economically burdened with unpopular Vietnam War, USSR was in an economic crisis, Eastern Europe Soviet Bloc countries were rebelling, & was in conflict with China (break from Cold War to focus on other conflicts)
Soviet-Afghan War- Soviets invaded Afghanistan to install a communist government against Muslim fighters
SDI- Strategic Defense Initiative, system that could destroy Soviet nuclear missiles targeting US or allies
also known as Star Wars
Perestroika- Restructuring Soviet economy to allow free enterprise
Glasnost- Policy of opening up Soviet society & granting greater freedoms
INF- Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, restricted immediate range nuclear weapons