AMSCO 8.3

Quote: "The only thing that kept the Cold War cold was the mutual deterrence afforded by nuclear weapons." — Chung Mong-joon, South Korean politician and business leader, 2013.
Essential Question: In what ways did both the Soviet Union and the United States seek to maintain influence during the Cold War?

Start of the Cold War saw the formation of new military alliances across the globe.
Mutual Deterrence: The presence of nuclear weapons prevented direct conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Proxy Wars: Conflicts like those in Korea and Vietnam occurred, resulting in millions of deaths.
- Definition: A proxy war involves a major power aiding in instigating conflict between other nations without direct military involvement.
The political and philosophical divide between the United States and the Soviet Union was underlined through these proxy wars.
Superpowers also faced off in other regions, including Cuba, Central America, and Angola.

Post-World War II, disagreements arose among the Allies on Germany’s occupation.
Partition of Germany:
- Germany was divided among France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
- Western allies aimed to unify their zones into one democratic state.

Division of Berlin: Berlin was similarly divided into four zones.
- The Western zones would become a free city within the Soviet zone.
Soviet Blockade:
- Soviets aimed to stop Western plans, leading to a blockade of the Western zones in Berlin.
- Berlin Airlift: To counter the blockade, the Western Allies airlifted supplies from February 1948 to May 1949 until the blockade was lifted.

Post-Blockade: Germany formally split into two nations.
- West Germany: Known as the Federal Republic of Germany, aligned with the West.
- East Germany: Known as the German Democratic Republic, aligned with the Soviet Union.

A significant number of East Germans fled to the West due to the prosperity of West Germany.
- Approximately 2.5 million East Germans fled between 1949 and 1961.
In August 1961, East Germany constructed the Berlin Wall to prevent emigration, leading to about 150 deaths of individuals attempting to escape until it fell in 1989.

The Soviet Union established control over Eastern Europe post-World War II, creating fears in Western Europe.

Purpose: Created as a collective defense against the Soviet threat.
Founded: April 1949, with initial members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.
NATO pledged mutual cooperation against wars and conflicts.
Expanded membership significantly in subsequent decades.

Established: 1955 as a response by the Soviet Union to NATO.
Original Members: Included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
The pact necessitated combined armed forces and centralized leadership in Moscow.

Yugoslavia's Stance: Led by Josip Broz Tito, it remained non-aligned and never joined the Warsaw Pact.
Albania's Withdrawal: Joined Warsaw Pact initially but withdrew in 1968.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO): Formed in 1954 to combat communism in Southeast Asia.
Central Treaty Organization (CENTO): Anti-Soviet organization formed by Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey.
The U.S. engaged with over 40 nations for influence, often easier than negotiating through the United Nations.

Characterized by indirect confrontations in various regions, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
These conflated local issues with international ideological conflicts.

Background: Division of Korea into North (Soviet influence) and South (U.S. influence) similar to Germany post-WWII.
Conflict Initiation: Started in 1950 with North Korea's invasion of South Korea, aiming for reunification.
UN Involvement: UN forces, primarily U.S., intervened in defense of South Korea. This led to a deadlock with significant casualties and a demilitarized zone.

U.S. Involvement: Influenced by the Truman doctrine and the containment policy, starting with military advisers sent during Eisenhower's presidency.
Escalation: Increased troop levels under President Kennedy amid fears of communist expansion (domino theory).
Notable incidents included the public self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc to protest government policies.
Outcome: A long, controversial engagement leading to U.S. withdrawal and Vietnam’s reunification under communism.

Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro overthrew dictator Batista in 1959, nationalizing industries including U.S. businesses.
U.S. Response: Supported the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 aimed at overthrowing Castro. It was a significant failure and solidified Cuba’s alignment with the Soviet Union.

Soviet Missiles in Cuba: In response to U.S. missile installations in Turkey, the Soviet Union under Khrushchev placed missiles in Cuba.
U.S. Naval Quarantine: Kennedy's action to prevent missile delivery led to a standoff.
Aftermath: Both leaders agreed to de-escalate the situation, establishing a direct communication line (Hot Line) between the U.S. and Soviet leaders.

Signed: 1963 by the Soviet Union, the U.S., and over 100 states, banning nuclear testing in various environments.
Goal: To minimize radiation exposure from nuclear testing; underground tests remained permissible.

Adopted: 1968, aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful nuclear energy use.

Independence: Gained in 1975 after a lengthy conflict over colonial rule.
Civil War: Ethnic conflicts exacerbated by colonial borders led to civil strife, lasting until 2002. Various external powers supported different factions.

Samoza Regime Overthrown: Sandinistas took power in 1979, leading to opposition from the U.S.-backed Contras, resulting in significant violence.
End of Conflict: Concluded with the Tela Accord in 1989 after intense conflict.

Emergence as a reaction to the escalation of nuclear armaments across the globe beginning in Japan in 1954, with a petition signed by a significant portion of Japan’s population.
Expansion in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with demonstrations such as a million-person march in New York City against nuclear weapons in 1982.

GOVERNMENT:
- International Conflicts: Proxy war, Berlin Airlift, Berlin Wall, Korean War, Vietnam War, domino theory, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Angola, Contra War.
- Treaties: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Warsaw Pact, Communist Bloc, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
TECHNOLOGY: Military Hot Line.
SOCIETY: Antinuclear weapons movement.
GOVERNMENT: Key Leaders: Douglas MacArthur, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev.