Cold War and Decolonization Flashcards

Cold War and Decolonization

Begins: Shortly after World War II.
Participants: The United States and the Soviet Union emerge as superpowers.
Definition: A state of tension between powers without direct "pew pew and bang bang" combat, but with the constant threat of violence.

Conflicting Ideologies:
- United States: Democratic capitalism.
- Soviet Union: Authoritarian communism.
- Both ideologies seek to expand, similar to universalizing religions.
Mutual Mistrust:
- Disagreements over the postwar world, particularly Eastern Europe, where Stalin refused democratic elections.
- Disagreements over how to treat Germany after World War II. Soviets wanted a weak Germany; Western powers wanted German economic recovery to avoid the rise of fascist powers.

Decolonization led to the creation of new states.
The US and the Soviet Union tried to influence these new states, leading to resistance.
Non-Aligned Movement:
- New states resisted getting caught up in the Cold War rivalry.
- Began in 1955 with Indonesian President Akhmatsu Karno hosting a meeting of 29 African and Asian heads of state.
- These states sought independence and formed a bloc separate from both the Soviet Union and the United States.

The US and the Soviet Union spend vast amounts of money developing weapons, especially nuclear weapons.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Alliance):
- A defensive alliance started by the United States and joined by Western European states.
Warsaw Pact:
- The Soviet Union's response to NATO, including the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern and Central Europe.

The US and the Soviet Union couldn't fight each other directly due to the risk of nuclear war, so they engaged in smaller conflicts that represented their ideologies.
Examples:
1. Asia (Korean and Vietnam Wars):
  - Countries split between communist and anti-communist forces.
  - The US backed anti-communist forces; the Soviet Union backed communist forces.
  - Both wars ended in stalemates.
2. Latin America (Nicaragua):
  - In 1979, the Sandinistas (socialist revolutionaries) overthrew the Nicaraguan dictator and received support from Cuba and the Soviets.
  - The US supported the Contras to oust the Sandinistas.
  - The conflict ended in 1989 with a ceasefire and military demobilization agreement.
3. Africa (Angolan Civil War):
  - The US and its allies supported non-communist groups.
  - The Soviets and its allies supported communist groups.
  - The communist forces eventually won.

Grievances over China's dependence on Western powers.
1911 Revolution established China as a republic.
Mao Zedong's communist forces defeated the Nationalist Party with aid from the Soviet Union.

Collectivization of Agriculture:
- Similar to the Soviet Union but relatively peaceful due to widespread support among peasants.
State Control of the Economy (Great Leap Forward):
- An economic plan to rapidly industrialize China through heavy industry in rural areas.
- The industrial goods were of poor quality, and combined with bad harvests, led to the starvation of 20-50 million Chinese people.

Egypt:
- Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1952.
- British and French invasion was stopped due to Soviet backing and US pressure.
Vietnam:
- A communist government was established and implemented land redistribution.

Algeria was a French colony with many French settlers.
1954: Algerian Muslims formed the National Liberation Front and rebelled violently.
1962: French President Charles de Gaulle declared the end of the war, and Algeria gained independence.

Before World War I, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire with a majority Muslim population.
After World War I, Palestine was transferred to Britain under the mandate system.
Zionism: A nationalistic ideology among Jews to have their own state in Palestine.
Increased Jewish migration to Palestine led to Arab resistance.
After World War II, the United Nations partitioned Palestine into two states.
Jews declared independence in 1948, leading to conflict with Palestinians and neighboring Arab states.

Mohandas Gandhi (India):
- Homespun movement: Protested Britain's economic dominance of India's cotton industry.
- Salt March: Protested the British imperial salt tax.
Martin Luther King Jr. (United States):
- Inspired by Gandhi, used civil disobedience to protest racial segregation laws.
- Montgomery bus boycott, sit-ins.
- The civil rights movement resulted in the Supreme Court overturning segregation laws and Congress passing anti-discrimination laws.
Nelson Mandela (South Africa):
- Led the African National Congress in acts of nonviolent resistance against apartheid.
- Eventually endorsed violent resistance and was jailed for over two decades.
- Elected president in 1994, ending South African apartheid.

Augusto Pinochet (Chile):
- Led a military coup to overthrow Salvador Allende (Marxist).
- With US help, set himself up as a brutal dictator.
- Conducted raids, executions, and torture against political enemies.

Advances in US Military and Technological Development:
- Ronald Reagan's massive spending on military development put the Soviets at a disadvantage.
The Soviet Union's Failed Invasion of Afghanistan:
- Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support the communist regime.
- Afghan rebels received support from the US, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
- The Soviets lost the war, further depressing their economy.
Policies of Mikhail Gorbachev:
- Perestroika: Restructuring of the Soviet economy with reduced central planning.
- Glasnost: Openness, freedom of speech, and criticism of the government were more tolerated.
- Gorbachev announced that the Soviet Union would no longer use military intervention to prop up communist governments in Eastern Europe.
- In 1991, the Soviet legislature voted to dissolve the Soviet Union.