cold war era · arms and space race the development of nuclear weapons at the end of wwii created a...
TRANSCRIPT
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Key Events of the
Cold War Era
1945-1995
Berlin Airlift
� 1948: the Soviets blockade the East
German border
� Caused the people of West Berlin to face
starvation
� Western nations react with an organized
airlift of supplies West Berlin
� Soviets lift the blockade in 1949
Berlin Wall
� Germany was divided into two nations – east and west.
� The city of Berlin was also divided into two parts.
� A wall was built around West Berlin to prevent East Germans from fleeing to freedom in the west.
� This wall became a symbol of the Cold War.� Over 5000 escaped anyway,
but over 200 were killed while attempting.
Anticommunist Hysteria in the US
� Some Americans sympathetic to
communists – causes others to be overly concerned (mainly because of the nuclear
threat)
� Joseph McCarthy – Wisconsin Senator
�Claimed to have evidence of 205 communist
party members working to shape government policy
�Lasted about 5 years – claims proved baseless
� http://www.c-span.org/video/?299445-
1/senator-joseph-mccarthy-interview
Cuba in the Cold War
� Fidel Castro comes to power after leading
a revolution against Fulgencio Batista in 1959
� Soon Castro’s government took a turn towards communism
� US President Eisenhower responded by cutting off trade – drove them to sign
treaty with Russia. (July 1960)
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Bay of Pigs
� Background: Cuba wants US-owned oil
companies to process Soviet supplied fuel and seizes refineries when companies
refuse
� CIA trains Cuban exiles for an uprising
against Castro, but when invasion began
in April 1961, US support never shows and the mission fails
Cuban Missile Crisis
� Fall of 1962
� Castro is nervous following the attempted overthrow at the Bay of Pigs
� Allows the Soviet Union to build nuclear missile sites on Cuba
� President Kennedy sends Navy to blockade the island
� Sites eventually removed after the US promises to not invade Cuba again
Arms and Space Race� The development of nuclear
weapons at the end of WWII created a rivalry and competition between the USA and the USSR for military superiority.
� Missiles, airplanes, submarines, were all created to deliver nuclear weapons to their targets.
� A by-product of the arms race was the Space Race.
� Russian satellite Sputnik I – 1957
� Russian Yuri Gagarin –1961
� American Alan Shepard –1961
� American Apollo 11 – 1969� These technological
achievements helped to move us forward the modern age.
Korean War
� Korean peninsula was divided after WWII.
� Tensions increased as the northern half became communist and the southern half was supported by the USA.
� North Korean armies crossed the 38th parallel in July 1950 and invaded South Korea.
� The United Nations agreed to send soldiers to support the South Koreans.� 88% were Americans� Domino theory
� Pushed all the way into NK, but then the Chinese entered the war and forced the UN armies to retreat.
� July 1953 treaty ends the conflict and redrew the border at the 38th parallel again.
Korean War
� Korea had been controlled by Japan
during WWII
� After Japan’s loss in
WWII, the Korean Peninsula divided
Korean War
� How did North Korea end up favoring
communism?
� Soviets invade North Korea following the bombing of Hiroshima
� Plan had been agreed upon at the Yalta Conference
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Korean War� North Korean armies
cross the 38th Parallel
– the dividing line between communist North Korea and
noncommunist South Korea
� The United Nations sends troop to support South Korea
� 88% US
Korean War
� UN forces are able to push all the way into
North Korea
� China, a fellow
communist country, enters the war and forces a retreat by UN
forces
Korean War
� July 1953, an
armistice (cease fire) is reached
� Establishes a demilitarized zone
around the 38th
parallel
� No treaty ever
ends the war
Vietnam War
� Background
�Became a French colony in the late 1800s (French Indo-China)
�Controlled by Japanese during WWII
�French try to regain control after WWII
� Resistance led by Viet Minh – communist guerilla fighters led by Ho Chi Minh
� Geneva Accord ended war with France and divided Vietnam in two, North and South
Vietnam War
� After the Division
�Chinese and Soviets assist Ho Chi Minh in building a communist state in N. Vietnam
�Viet Minh forms National Liberation Front, later Viet Cong (communists) in 1950s
� Goal to unite Vietnam by overthrowing S. Vietnamese government
� Guerilla Warfare
� Assassinate S. Vietnamese leader in 1963
Vietnam War
� After the Division (continued)
�Ngo Dinh Diem serves as president of noncommunist South Vietnam
� Not the greatest situation – much corruption in the government
� Elections never held and made no effort at reforms
� Assassinated in 1963 by Viet Cong
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Vietnam War
� American Involvement
�DOMINO THEORY: if Vietnam falls to communism, the remainder of Southeast Asia
will follow
�President Lyndon Johnson orders air attacks on North Vietnam in 1965
� By late 1960s around 500,000 US troops in Vietnam
Vietnam War
� American Involvement (continued)
�Opposition to US involvment begins after seeing images of Tet Offensive on TV in 1968
� Americans and South Vietnamese push communists back, but despite success, visions of brutality led to the call to end US involvement
�Paris Peace Accords in 1973 end US involvement in Vietnam – 58, 000 lost
� South cannot hold on after US leaves, Saigon falls in 1975 and South surrenders to the North
Vietnam in Pictures
� http://abcnews.go.com/US/photos/iconic-
images-vietnam-20658104/image-20658524
� http://goo.gl/0HI9F4
Vietnam War� French-Indochina was occupied by
the Japanese during WWII and then split between the Chinese and British until the French could take over.
� The Viet-Minh under Ho Chi Minh attempted to win their independence by opposing the new European influence.
� For a short while Vietnam was divided, but soon rebellion by the Viet-Cong in the south was increased in an effort to push out the foreigners.
� The United States military faced an enemy army and armed guerillas who blended into the population.
� Advisors were sent in in 1950, and fighting lasted past the peace treaties in 1973.� Saigon fell in 1975
Communism in China� Mao Zedong was able to win the
support of the Chinese people.
� Had stayed to fight the Japanese instead of fleeing.
� Chiang Kai-Shek had retreated to the mountains and was eventually confined to Taiwan.
� Communist China industrialized slowly but eventually began to exert control over other weaker nations in East Asia.
� Korea
� Different than Russian communism in that the economy is not as strictly controlled and there is some religious influence allowed.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
� In a 1987, Ronald Reagan made a speech
asking Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear Down that Wall!”
� Finally, Russian guards allowed Berliners to move through the gates freely and the
wall was torn down in 1990.