Unit 12.2 - The Cold War and Related Events

The Cold War and Related Events

Introduction

  • Post World War II, the USA and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers, leading to conflict until the fall of communism in 1989.
  • Rivalry was evident in various fields: arts, propaganda, sports, space race, nuclear weapons development, and attempts to influence other countries.
  • Nationalism increased international tensions, prompting nations to form alliances and join international organizations.

The End of WWII and Emergence of Superpowers

  • Allies defeated fascist powers, but mistrust grew between the USA and the USSR due to the arms race.
  • By December 1989, the Cold War was declared over, and by 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, leaving the USA as the sole superpower.
  • Despite the Cold War's end, military spending remains high, and global security is still threatened.

Yalta Conference (February 1945)

  • Key attendees: Winston Churchill (Great Britain), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), and Franklin Roosevelt (USA).
  • Stalin's concern: Future strength and security of the Soviet Union.
  • Roosevelt's aim: Lasting peace and basic human rights.
  • Churchill's concern: Wanted to maintain a close American alliance.

Agreements at Yalta

  • Germans guilty of war crimes were to be put on trial.
  • The United Nations Organization would be set up to settle world problems after the war.
  • The Soviets could take reparations from Germany as compensation for war damages
  • Germany was divided into four zones: British, French, American, and Soviet.
  • The Soviet Union's border was to be moved across the 1939 Polish border, and the Polish border was moved west into Germany.

Impact of WWII

  • Millions were displaced, and Eastern Europeans fled due to communism.
  • People were deeply affected by the horrors they had suffered.

Brief Comparison Between the USA and the USSR

USA

  • Population: approx. 220 million (1980).
  • Foundation values based on freedom and individuality and belief in democracy and individual choice.
  • Economic wealth developed using a strong entrepreneurial spirit to improve oneself.

USSR

  • Population: approx. 269 million (1980).
  • Very diverse cultures and ethnicities.
  • Long history of control by strict monarchs
  • History of frequent invasions - distrust and fear of other nations.

Ideologies: Communism vs. Capitalism

Communism

  • Based on Karl Marx's theories, aiming for a classless society with no private property.
  • Communist governments controlled all aspects of the economy: production, distribution, costs and wages.

Capitalism

  • A system where individuals are free to own and control resources.
  • Stresses private economic decisions.
  • Focus is to make a profit.

Conflicting Viewpoints

The Soviet Union

  • Feared future Western invasions and sought security.
  • Sought to establish a buffer zone in Eastern Europe for protection.
  • Wanted substantial reparations from Germany, both to keep Germany weak for security reasons, and also to extract the maximum compensation for the war damage inflicted by the Germans.

The United States

  • Feared the spread of Communism and Soviet domination.
  • Believed in private ownership (or Capitalism).
  • Hoped for a growing world economy with freer trade to prevent economic depression and the rise of militant nationalism that had led to WWII.

Features of the Cold War

  • Competition for global influence through diplomacy.
  • Buildup of nuclear weapons.
  • Support for armed conflicts in different regions.

Post-War Balance of Power (1945-1949)

Potsdam Conference

  • Attendees: Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman, and Clement Attlee.
  • Germany was to be de-militarized, de-Nazified, and divided into temporary zones of occupation.
  • Payment of reparations was also agreed upon.
  • Important issues not settled at Potsdam included the future of Germany; the boundaries and fate of Poland; and the type of governments to be established in the liberated countries of Eastern Europe.
  • The Soviets insisted that they had a right to dominate Eastern Europe as they had liberated it.

Birth of the Nuclear Age

  • The USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
  • The Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb soon after that.
  • The 'arms race' had begun.

The Iron Curtain

  • Winston Churchill warned of an "Iron Curtain" descending across Europe in March 1946, splitting the continent.

The Truman Doctrine

  • In March 1947, President Truman pledged support for free peoples resisting subjugation.

The Marshall Plan

  • The US offered financial support for European economic recovery, which was accepted by 24 countries.

Yugoslavia's Defiance

  • Under Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavia resisted Soviet directives and was expelled from the Soviet bloc in 1948.

The Berlin Blockade

  • The Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin, leading to a Western airlift of supplies.
  • The West then united three zones to form the German Federal Republic (FDR or West Germany) and the Soviets set up the German Democratic Republic (DDR or East Germany).

Formation of NATO

  • In April 1949, the USA, Canada, and ten Western European nations established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance.

Cold War Moves into Asia (1949-1955)

  • Mao Zedong's Communist forces took over mainland China in 1949, but the United States refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new Communist government in China.
  • The United States surrounded China with military bases and hostile military alliances.

Organizations Established During the 1950s

  • ANZUS (1951): A mutual defense treaty with Australia and New Zealand.
  • SEATO (1954): A collective pact to prevent Communism.
  • CENTO (1955).
  • S-STF (1950), where the Soviet Union agreed to lend China money and technical assistance for recovery.

The Korean War (1950-1953)

  • North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, prompting US intervention.
    • Boundary between North and South Korea established again at the 38th parallel.
  • After a poor initial showing, the UN forces (which were 90 per cent American and led by General MacArthur) were able to drive the North Koreans out of the South, and then continued their advance into North Korea itself.
  • In November 1950 the UN forces approached the Yalu River and the Chinese border Chinese Communist 'volunteers' then joined the North Koreans in huge numbers with Soviet equipment and pushed the UN forces rapidly southwards again.

Policies: Containment and Brinkmanship

  • President Eisenhower's policy of 'brinkmanship' aimed to force the enemy to retreat but taking events up the brink of war.
  • In September 1954 the United States and seven other countries formed SEATO (The South-East Asia Treaty Organisation) which aimed to prevent the spread of Communism in South-East Asia.

Khrushchev and Peaceful Co-existence (1953-1958)

  • Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin and introduced a policy of peaceful co-existence'.
  • Uprisings in Poland and Hungary in 1956 were suppressed.

Soviet Advancements

  • The Soviet Union was the first country to successfully test the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
  • Launched the first earth satellite Sputnik.

Confrontation Over Berlin (1958-1961)

  • Khrushchev demanded Western powers leave West Berlin, but they refused.

The U-2 Incident (1960)

  • An American U-2 spy plane was shot down, leading to the collapse of a summit meeting.

The Berlin Wall (1961)

  • East Germany built the Berlin Wall, dividing the city and symbolizing Communist oppression.

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

  • The Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to a US naval blockade.
  • Kennedy gave an ultimatum that any nuclear missile launched against the United States from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union.
  • Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missiles in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba.

Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis

  • A 'hotline' was established and the two sought to improve relations and communication between the two countries.
  • Tensions easer, leading to the signing of a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in August 1963.

Continued Tensions (1962-1969)

Vietnam

  • The United States became actively involved in halting the spread of Communism in South-East Asia.

Czechoslovakia

  • In 1968, Czech leader Alexander Dubcek introduced liberal reforms known as the Prague Spring.
  • The Soviet Union, fearful of these reforms, invaded Czechoslovakia and replaced Dubcek with a pro-Moscow leadership.

Détente (1969-1976)

  • Relations between the USA and the USSR improved due to economic pressures.
  • Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) were held in 1972, followed by SALT II.

Return to Cold War Rivalry (1976-1985)

  • Jimmy Carter became President and focused on human rights, delaying SALT II negotiations.
  • Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union as an 'Evil Empire' and increased the defence budget.
    • In 1978 Communist Vietnamese soldiers occupied Cambodia. Then in December 1979 Soviet troops swept into Afghanistan to prop up the pro-Communist government

End of the Cold War (1985-1991)

Peace Movements

  • Increasing numbers of people protested against the dangers of nuclear war.

The Gorbachev Years

  • Mikhail Gorbachev became the new leader and introduced perestroika ('restructuring') and glasnost ('openness').

Poland, 1980

  • A demand for a free trade union, was started by workers in the Gdansk shipyard in 1980. The Polish Government eventually permitted this union, called Solidarnosk, which means Solidarity. Its leader was Lech Walesa.
  • In 1989 Elections were held in Poland. Not all the seats were freely contested but in those that were, Solidarity had an emphatic victory. Poland became the first communist country in Eastern Europe to have democratically elected representatives and that contributed greatly to the fall of communism.