The Cold The Cold War BeginsWar Begins

The United NationsThe United Nations Chartered in April 1945Chartered in April 1945 Replaced the League of Replaced the League of

Nations as a mediator for Nations as a mediator for international disputesinternational disputes

50 nations joined initially 50 nations joined initially (today, UN has 192 members)(today, UN has 192 members)

In the General Assembly, In the General Assembly, which decides general UN which decides general UN policies, each nation gets 1 policies, each nation gets 1 vote (so all are equal)vote (so all are equal)

UN Security Council: US, Soviet UN Security Council: US, Soviet Union, France, Great Britain, & Union, France, Great Britain, & China reserved the power to China reserved the power to veto any action by the UNveto any action by the UN

For the UN to take any military For the UN to take any military action requires a unanimous action requires a unanimous vote of the Security Councilvote of the Security Council

The Potsdam The Potsdam ConferenceConference

Jul. 16 – Aug. 2 1945Jul. 16 – Aug. 2 1945 Stalin, Clement Atlee (who Stalin, Clement Atlee (who

had replaced Churchill as had replaced Churchill as British Prime Minister), and British Prime Minister), and Truman met to decide the Truman met to decide the fate of Germany and other fate of Germany and other occupied territories in occupied territories in EuropeEurope

All sides agreed to divide All sides agreed to divide Germany and Austria into Germany and Austria into occupation zones and to occupation zones and to dismantle most German dismantle most German industry, but disagreed over industry, but disagreed over making Germany pay war making Germany pay war reparations to the Sovietsreparations to the Soviets

Germany dividedGermany divided

The Soviets Split from the The Soviets Split from the AlliesAllies

Stalin wanted to keep territory Stalin wanted to keep territory which the Soviets had which the Soviets had conquered in Eastern Europe, conquered in Eastern Europe, in order to protect his nation in order to protect his nation from future invasionsfrom future invasions

Allies insisted on free elections Allies insisted on free elections in Soviet-occupied Poland, in Soviet-occupied Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, & HungaryCzechoslovakia, & Hungary

Stalin refused and by 1948 all Stalin refused and by 1948 all of these states had communist of these states had communist governments (Latvia, governments (Latvia, Lithuania, & Estonia became Lithuania, & Estonia became part of the Soviet Union itself)part of the Soviet Union itself)

The Iron Curtain “From Stettin in the Baltic to

Trieste in the Adriatic an "iron curtain" has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe … and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.” - Winston Churchill, 1946

Term “iron curtain” was meant to describe the ideological division that had risen between Communist Eastern Europe and Democratic Western Europe

Containment Policy US had little choice but

to accept communism in Eastern Europe or enter into an unpopular war with the Soviets

US instead focused on preventing communism from spreading into new areas and pledged to “contain” communism to the areas where it already existed

George KennanGeorge Kennan 1904 – 20051904 – 2005 U.S. diplomat who is U.S. diplomat who is

credited with devising the credited with devising the US policy of containment US policy of containment and who argued that and who argued that Soviet communism was Soviet communism was inherently flawed and weak inherently flawed and weak in his “Long Telegram”in his “Long Telegram”

Meant containment to be Meant containment to be through political coercion through political coercion rather than through rather than through military force, was military force, was ultimately disappointed ultimately disappointed with how the US responded with how the US responded to the Sovietsto the Soviets

First Test of First Test of ContainmentContainment

Stalin supported communist rebels in Greece and Turkey in their efforts to overthrow US-backed governments

The devastation of WWII had left these governments in a seriously weakened state and they were in serious danger of falling without US intervention

The Truman Doctrine

Mar. 12, 1947: Truman declared that US foreign policy would be to “support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”

Truman essentially declared war on the spread of communism, launching a “Cold War” that would last into the 1990s

After Truman’s speech, Congress approved $400 million in economic aid to Greece and Turkey, enough to defeat the communist threat in that region

The Marshall Plan In support of the Truman

Doctrine, Sec. of State George Marshall developed a plan to provide US financial aid to war-torn Europe, to help with rebuilding both physically and economically

The economic prosperity in Western Europe that followed minimized the potential for any further spread of communism in that region

The US would send $25 billion in aid to Europe in the 6 years following the end of WWII

Stalin rejects the Marshall Stalin rejects the Marshall PlanPlan

The US even offered economic assistance to countries behind the “iron curtain,” including the Soviet Union, but Stalin would not allow any communist state to accept US assistance, believing it would weaken his control

The Berlin BlockadeThe Berlin Blockade June 1948 – May 1949June 1948 – May 1949 Frustrated with US Frustrated with US

efforts to restore a efforts to restore a unified Germany, Stalin unified Germany, Stalin tried to push the US and tried to push the US and its allies out of West its allies out of West Berlin by blocking all Berlin by blocking all overland access to the overland access to the city through East city through East GermanyGermany

All road and rail lines All road and rail lines were cut and no supplies were cut and no supplies could be brought into the could be brought into the western half of the citywestern half of the city

The Berlin AirliftThe Berlin Airlift Allies decided to fly

supplies into Berlin instead Soviets were unwilling to

be the aggressor by shooting down Allied aircraft

1500 flights a day delivered 5000 tons of supplies a day – everything from food to coal to gasoline to cloth to machinery

After nearly a year, the Soviets lifted the unsuccessful blockade

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Founded April 4, 1949 Mutual defense treaty

against the Soviets US, Belgium, Luxembourg,

The Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, & Iceland were the original members

France left in 1966 Today, includes most of

Europe + US & Canada

The Warsaw PactThe Warsaw Pact May 14, 1955: Soviets

responded to NATO by creating an alliance of communist states

Unlike NATO, which was an alliance of free nations, Warsaw Pact members had no choice but to join, since their communist governments were indirectly controlled by the Soviet Union

Officially disbanded July 1, 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet power

Russians Develop Atomic Russians Develop Atomic BombsBombs

August 29, 1949: Soviets tested their first atomic bomb (technology they had largely stolen from the US through espionage)

By 1961, Soviets were capable of detonating 100 megaton bombs (equal to about 20 times all of the explosives used in WWII combined!)

Soviets had become a much more serious threat in the eyes of the US

The US and Israel US backed the United

Nations plan to establish a Jewish homeland in Israel in 1948, turning many Arab nations against the US, because the Israelis forcibly displaced the Palestinians already living in the area

As a result, many Arab states turned to the Soviets for military and financial support

Organization of American States (OAS)

Founded in 1948 Agreement between

Western Hemisphere nations to work together to combat communism in the Americas and to protect human rights

Today, all nations in the Americas are members

US and Chinese Communism

China had been involved in a civil war between Nationalists and Communists since before WWII began

Communists gained control of mainland China in 1949, driving the Nationalists to flee to the island of Taiwan

The US refused to acknowledge the Communists as the legitimate Chinese government, instead insisting on recognizing the Nationalists on Taiwan as the “true” China, while the Soviets took just the opposite stance

The Korean WarThe Korean War June 1950 – July 1953 After WWII, Korea had been

divided much as Germany had into a Communist-held north and a US-backed south

North Korea, backed by China & the Soviets attacked South Korea, backed by the UN (using mostly US soldiers)

Dispute was eventually settled by returning to essentially pre-war boundaries, but no formal peace was ever declared

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

During the Korean War, MacArthur began to be heavily critical of how Truman wanted the war conducted and began to advocate for use of atomic weapons against China as a sure way to win absolute victory

Truman was forced to fire the popular MacArthur because Truman wanted to limit the war as much as possible while still containing communism

Dwight Dwight EisenhowerEisenhower

1890 – 1969 (life)1890 – 1969 (life) 1953 – 1961 (President)1953 – 1961 (President) Nicknamed “Ike”Nicknamed “Ike” Highly popular due to his Highly popular due to his

efficient military efficient military leadership during WWIIleadership during WWII

Staunchly anti-Staunchly anti-communist, but also communist, but also dedicated to scaling back dedicated to scaling back military spendingmilitary spending

Chose to focus on a build Chose to focus on a build up of nuclear weapons as up of nuclear weapons as a cheaper way to deter a cheaper way to deter communist aggressioncommunist aggression

The H-Bomb Nov. 1952: The US

tested its newest weapon the Hydrogen Bomb, a weapon 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima

Within a year, however, the Soviets also had H-bombs

Nuclear Arms Nuclear Arms RaceRace

Soviets and Americans rapidly built enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world many times over

“MAD” (Mutually Assured Destruction) was the theory that the more nuclear weapons both sides had, the safer the world was because it made a nuclear war unwinnable for both sides

Domino Theory Eisenhower believed

strongly in the idea that if you let even a single nation fall to communism, then you would set off a chain reaction where its neighbors would also fall to communism (like dominos)

BrinksmanshipBrinksmanship Term originally coined by Term originally coined by

Eisenhower’s Sec. of Eisenhower’s Sec. of State John Foster DullesState John Foster Dulles

Brinksmanship is the Brinksmanship is the practice of escalating practice of escalating international tensions to international tensions to the brink of war, with the the brink of war, with the hope that the other side hope that the other side will back down at the will back down at the last minute and thereby last minute and thereby give you an advantage in give you an advantage in future negotiationsfuture negotiations

Eisenhower Doctrine

In 1957, Eisenhower pledged US assistance to any nation in the Middle East which found itself threatened by communism

Almost immediately, US forces were sent to Lebanon to help that government combat communist rebels

Nikita KhrushchevNikita Khrushchev 1894 – 1971 (life)1894 – 1971 (life) 1953 – 64 (Soviet leader)1953 – 64 (Soviet leader) Named head of the Named head of the

Soviet Union after the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin in 1953death of Stalin in 1953

More liberal than Stalin in More liberal than Stalin in Soviet domestic issues, Soviet domestic issues, but more confrontational but more confrontational in foreign policy, pushing in foreign policy, pushing the Soviet Union to the the Soviet Union to the brink of war with the US brink of war with the US on several occasionson several occasions

The U-2 Incident 1960 Just weeks before a major

peace summit, the Soviets shot down an American U-2 spy plane over their airspace and captured the pilot, Francis Gary Powers

Marked a turning point in US-Soviet relations, as the peace summit was cancelled and the American pilot was tried as a spy and sentenced to prison (the Soviets later traded him back to the US for one of their own spies)

Communism in Cuba

Many US business held large investments in Cuba during the 1950s, but those investments were jeopardized when Cuba’s government was overthrown by communist rebels under the leadership of Fidel Castro

US leadership were equally alarmed by the seizure of over $1 billion worth of property in Cuba owned by Americans as they were by suddenly having a communist state 90 miles off the US coast

John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy 1917 – 1963 (life)1917 – 1963 (life) 1961 – 1963 (Pres.)1961 – 1963 (Pres.) Became determined Became determined

not to be seen as not to be seen as weak by the Soviets, weak by the Soviets, President Kennedy President Kennedy pressed for a pressed for a continued buildup of continued buildup of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons and for US intervention in for US intervention in CubaCuba

The Berlin WallThe Berlin Wall West Berlin, deep inside

of communist East Germany, became a way for many Germans to flee communist oppression

In 1961, the Soviets ordered the construction of a wall around West Berlin to isolate it and prevent future defections

The Berlin Wall became the physical symbol of the Cold War

The Bay of Pigs Invasion

Under the approval of then-President Eisenhower, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) began training Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba with the purpose of overthrowing Castro’s communist gov’t.

In April 1961, the exiles landed at The Bay of Pigs in Cuba, but were quickly defeated by Cuban military forces when the US failed to provide any further invention on their behalf

Major international embarrassment for the US

The Cuban Missile The Cuban Missile CrisisCrisis

Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba in Fall 1962

US demanded their removal and enacted a naval blockade of Cuba to stop Soviet ships from bringing more missiles

Many thought that WWIII would result as the US and USSR faced off over a tense 13-day period, each threatening the other with nuclear force

Soviets eventually backed down and removed the missiles, thanks to the US publicly promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey

Alliance for Progress

Founded in 1961 to encourage economic cooperation between the nations of North and South America

US provided economic aid to Latin America to encourage the growth of democratic governments and a more even distribution of wealth and to discourage dictatorships and communism

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

Founded in 1954 Mutual defense

organization created to counter the spread of communism in Southeast Asia

Members included the US, France, Britain, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, and Pakistan

The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War 1959 – 1975 US backed South Vietnam

against Soviet-backed communist North Vietnam

As tensions between the two Vietnams increased, the US began sending military advisors, then soldiers to train South Vietnamese troops and, eventually, hundreds of thousands of US combat troops