The Cold War: Containment, Proxy Conflicts, and the Nuclear Arms Race

Truman and the Fear of Communist Influence

• Loyalty Checks and Senate Hearings: President Harry Truman’s orders for loyalty checks and the senate hearings led by Joseph McCarthy were both direct responses to the fear of communist influence within the United States government.
• Internal Investigations: These measures represented the domestic side of the Cold War, focusing on internal investigations into communist activities before the focus shifted more toward international events.

Challenges to Containment in $1949$

• Container Policy Setbacks: The year $1949$ was a difficult year for United States containment policies, which aimed to stop the global spread of communism. Two major events shifted the global balance of power:   - Soviet Atomic Testing: In $1949$, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic weapon. The United States had previously believed the Soviets would not be technologically capable of developing such a weapon for a much longer period.   - Espionage and Technology Leak: The speed at which the Soviet Union developed the bomb was attributed to the fact that United States secrets had been sold to them.   - Loss of Technological Status: Prior to this, the U.S. had utilized its status as the sole possessor of atomic technology to grow its global influence; the Soviet success ended this monopoly.

China and the Rise of Mao Zedong

• Pre-World War II Civil War: Before World War II, a civil war was ongoing in China between the Nationalists and the communists led by Mao Zedong.
• Japanese Invasion: During this internal conflict, Japan invaded China. Both sides temporarily stopped fighting each other to resist the Japanese occupation, though Japan controlled significant portions of China during the war.
• Communist Victory: Once Japan was defeated in World War II, the civil war resumed. Mao Zedong’s forces eventually took control of mainland China.
• Refusal to Recognize Mao’s Government: For decades, the United States refused to recognize Mao Zedong as the legitimate leader of China. The U.S. essentially adopted a policy of pretending the communist government was not there.
• Taiwan and the Nationalist Government: Since the $1940s$, the United States has provided military aid and training to the Nationalists who fled to the island of Taiwan.
• Ongoing Tensions: The hardship between the U.S. and China continues today over the status of Taiwan. The U.S. continues to conduct military exercises and support the government in Taiwan, while mainland China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

The Domino Theory and Cold War Military Intervention

• Definitions and Theory: Containment revolved around the "Domino Theory." This theory states that if one country in a region falls to a communist government, neighboring countries will also fall, much like a row of toppled dominoes.
• Justification for Intervention: This theory was used to justify the business of containment and the involvement of the U.S. military in various regions to prevent the spread of communism.
• Geographic Application: Strategic graphics illustrate China "tipping over" into neighboring regions. Places of active U.S. military effort included:   - Korea   - Vietnam   - Laos   - Cambodia

The Korean War ($1950$–$1953$)

• Proxy War Dynamics: The Korean War is a primary example of the Cold War. It is called a "Cold" war because the main rivals (U.S. and Soviet Union) did not fight each other directly, though the U.S. deployed troops to fight in proxy conflicts.
• Post-WWII Division: In World War II conferences, leaders decided that the northern part of Korea would be under Soviet influence and the southern part would be under American influence. The border was artificially placed at the $38th$ Parallel.
• North Korean Leadership: By around $1945$, $1946$, or $1947$, the Soviet Union was training and equipping the North Korean military. Kim Il Sung (the grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un) was in charge.
• Invasion of the South: In June $1950$, Kim Il Sung decided to reunite Korea by force, crossing the line and occupying most of the Korean Peninsula.

United Nations Structure and the Security Council Veto

• United Nations (UN) Response: The UN issued a formal condemnation of North Korea’s actions and used its mechanism to send in troops.
• UN General Assembly: Every country gets a vote in the General Assembly to decide on global issues, such as eliminating diseases.
• UN Security Council: This branch decides on military action and consists of $15$ countries.   - Non-Permanent Members: $10$ members rotate in and out of the council for few-year terms.   - Permanent Members: Five countries have permanent seats based on being the winners of World War II: The United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and China.
• The Absolute Veto: Any one of the five permanent members has an absolute veto. If one says "no," the UN cannot act. For example, some ask why the UN doesn't intervene in the current Israel-Gaza conflict; the U.S. often exercises its right to say no, citing Israel’s right to defend itself.
• The Soviet Boycott: When the UN voted to intervene in Korea, the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN because the organization refused to seat the Chinese communist ambassador (continuing to recognize the Nationalists instead). Because they were not present, they could not exercise their veto.

Questions & Discussion: UN Membership and Vetoes

• Speaker: "UN Security Council has $15$ countries that make decisions about is it time to go to war. Five of those $15$ countries have a permanent seat… The five permanent members are the winners of World War two. So who’s that?"
• Audience Member: "Yes?"
• Speaker: "Britain. Yes."
• Audience Member: "France."
• Speaker: "Who really defeated the Germans? Soviet Union and one that we might not really think of a little bit of World War II because they were occupied for most of war, kinda like France was."
• Audience Member: "China."
• Speaker: "Yes."

Proxy War Dynamics and General Douglas MacArthur

• UN Banner: The U.S. has not formally declared war since World War II. In Korea, the U.S. fought under the banner of the United Nations. Countries from all over the world, such as Greece, sent troops.
• Command: U.S. General Douglas MacArthur was put in charge of all UN forces.
• Conflict with China: As UN forces pushed close to the Chinese border, China sent millions of troops across the border, pushing the war back down to the $38th$ Parallel.
• Diplomatic Delays: Peace talks often stalled over trivialities, including a famous debate over the shape of the negotiation table, representing the power dynamics where neither side wanted to appear subservient.
• McArthur’s Insubordination: In $1950$, President Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination. MacArthur had publicly defied the president’s goals by involving the Chinese and suggesting extreme measures, such as bombing the border with radioactive waste.
• Civilian Control of Military: Truman removed MacArthur to uphold the principle that the President is the Commander-in-Chief and in control of the military.

The Aftermath and Human Cost of the Korean War

• Lack of Peace Treaty: To this day, there has never been a peace treaty to end the war, only an agreement to stop shooting. The border remains the most heavily guarded in the world.
• Dynastic Rule: Kim Il Sung ruled until $1994$, his son took over until $2011$, and now the third generation, Kim Jong Un, is in power.
• US Casualties: Approximately $50,000$ Americans were killed and over $100,000$ were wounded.
• Korean and Chinese Casualties: $10\%$ of the Korean population died, many of whom were civilians. Around $1,000,000$ Chinese soldiers were killed. The speaker notes that one should never get into a land war with the Chinese because of their ability to continuously send soldiers.

Iran and the Cold War: Nationalization and CIA Intervention

• Colonial Background: Prior to World War II, Iran was a British colony valued for its oil resources. Britain had been extracting oil since the $1920s$, $1930s$, and $1940s$.
• Election of Mohammad Mosaddegh: In the $1950s$, Iran held an election and chose Mosaddegh as their leader.
• Nationalization of Oil: Mosaddegh seized the oil industry from British corporations, arguing that the profit should belong to the Iranian people.
• U.S. Perception of Communism: The U.S. viewed the government seizure of private production as a sign of communism, which conflicted with the goal of containment.
• The CIA Coup: The CIA encouraged the Iranian people to rise up against Mosaddegh. They successfully planted seeds of doubt and replaced the democratically elected leader with a monarch.

The $1979$ Iranian Revolution and Diplomatic Fallout

• Rule of the Shah: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, known as the Shah, ruled from $1953$ until $1979$. He was a brutal dictator with a secret police force that tortured political rivals. However, the U.S. supported him because he was anti-communist.
• The $1979$ Revolution: A religious Muslim fundamentalist government took over. The bitterness from $25$ years of U.S.-backed dictatorship led to the slogan "Death to America."
• Hostage Crisis: In $1979$, revolutionaries seized the American embassy and held staff hostage for $444$ days.
• Current Relations: The U.S. has had no formal diplomatic relations with Iran since $1979$. Communication occurs through intermediaries like Pakistan or Oman.

Egypt and the Suez Canal Crisis

• Nationalization: Gamal Abdel Nasser took over Egypt and announced the Suez Canal (built by France and Britain) would be run for the Egyptian people.
• International Tension: This caused extreme tension involving Britain and France. The U.S. was concerned about being dragged into a war via NATO regarding the canal.
• Assessment of Containment: The speaker notes the success of containment is mixed: In Korea, communism didn't spread to the South (success), but North Korea remains communist. In Iran, the leader was not communist, but the long-term relationship became a failure.

Symbols and Iconography of the Soviet Union

• Hammer and Sickle: The most popular symbol of the USSR. The hammer represents industrial workers; the sickle represents agricultural workers.
• CCCP: The Russian abbreviation for the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), often seen on $1980s$ Olympic uniforms.
• Yellow Star: A common communist symbol found on military hats.
• The Bear: The national animal of the Soviet Union, often depicted in political cartoons wearing a military hat.

The Nuclear Arms Race and Brinkmanship

• Philosophy of Escalation: The arms race was driven by the need to keep up with or exceed the rival's capabilities. If one side stopped, they would fall behind.
• Hydrogen Bomb vs. Atom Bomb: The hydrogen bomb is orders of magnitude more powerful than an atom bomb (which is actually used as the trigger for a hydrogen bomb). The U.S. tested it first, followed quickly by the Soviets.
• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD): The strategy of building so many weapons that an attack would result in the total destruction of both sides. This included the need for "second strike capability" (the ability to retaliate even after being hit first).
• Arms Capping: In the $1970s$, both sides agreed to cap numbers at roughly $2,000$ warheads each.
• Brinkmanship: A term associated with President Eisenhower and his Secretary of State (John Foster Dulles), involving a loud, aggressive foreign policy that drove the world to the edge of war to induce the opponent to "chicken out."
• Domestic Impact: Fear of nuclear war led American citizens to dig bomb shelters in their backyards, designed to allow families to survive underground for $30$ days.

Questions & Discussion: The Arms Race

• Speaker: "How many nukes do we need?"
• Audience Member: "A lot."
• Speaker: "Why?"
• Audience Member: "Trying to keep up with the other people."
• Speaker: "Well, we started it. Right? So other people are trying to keep up with us. Yeah. But if we just stop and everything, I’ll just go high and high, and then we’ll be Okay. We’ll be here, and they’ll be up here. So how many is enough?"
• Audience Member: "Our [inaudible] keep power. You’re more than the other people’s more than the other countries. A billion."
• Speaker: "So if they keep making them, we have to keep making them? I mean, isn’t there some point when you have enough?"
• Audience Member: "No. You never have enough."