Chapter 31

The Cold War and Decolonization1945-1975

I. The Cold War

A. Background1. Post WWII World • WWII left the world with two major military

superpowers• The United States and the Soviet Union

I. The Cold War

2. Philosophical Differences• Soviet Union: communism, totalitarian

dictatorship• United States: free enterprise capitalism,

republic

I. The Cold War

3. World War II Conflicts• Soviets wanted British and Americans to open

a second front earlier in the war• United States secretly developed the atomic

bomb

I. The Cold War

4. Postwar Conflicts• Soviet Union failed to live up to wartime

promise of elections in Eastern Europe• United States made efforts to resists Soviet

expansion

I. The Cold War

5. The Cold War • The Cold War - An era of high tension between

the United States and the Soviet Union

I. The Cold War

6. Iron Curtain• After World War II,

Soviet armies occupied Eastern Europe

• USSR set up communist regimes in the occupied nations

• “Iron Curtain” divided Europe

I. The Cold War

7. NATO and Warsaw pact• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)- Alliance of United States, Canada and nations of Western

Europe• Warsaw Pact- Alliance of Soviet Union and the nations of Eastern Europe

I. The Cold War

B. The United Nations1. Origins• Created Oct. 24 1945• Headquartered in NYC• Members renounced

war and territorial conquest

• Goal to prevent another World War

International Agencies

United Nations

I. The Cold War

2. UN Concerns• Peacekeeping- Security Council• Decolonization in Africa and Asia- Encouraged by Soviet Union, resisted by

Europe• Poverty, racial discrimination

I. The Cold War

C. Capitalism & Communism1. Bretton Woods Conference 1944• International Monetary Fund• World Bank- Created to help reconstruction, capital

investment and creation of stable currencies post WWII

I. The Cold War

2. Marshall Plan• American financial aid to European nations to

help Europe rebuild from destruction of WWII

• 1948-1952, the U.S. gave $12.5 billion in 17 nations

• By 1963, European economy doubled 1940 output

I. The Cold War

3. W. European Cooperation• Organization for European Economic Cooperation

(1948)- Cooperative policies on coal and steel- Encouraged lowering tariffs- Free movement of people, goods and capital• European Community- W. Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg,

Great Britain, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Austria

I. The Cold War

4. Prosperity In W. Europe• Average wages increased, unemployment fell• Social benefits expanded- healthcare, unemployment, retirement,

education, public housing• Living standards rose• Increased demand for consumer goods

I. The Cold War

5. Post WWII Economy in E. Europe• Communist economies focused on heavy

industry & military production• Central economic planners failed to meet

demand for consumer goods- Clothes, housing, food, cars, electronics• Communist standard of living was much lower

than that of W. Europe

I. The Cold War

D. West Vs. East in Europe and Korea1. Soviet Expansionism• Communist regimes put in place in E. European

Nations• Soviet Union sought access to warm water ports in

Mediterranean - Greece & Turkey• Truman Doctrine (1947)- U.S. offered military aid to Greece and Turkey to resist

Soviet Expansion

I. The Cold War

2. Germany• Soviets blockaded Western access to W. Berlin

(1948-49)- British and American airlifts broke the blockade• E. German government built the Berlin Wall

(1961)- Meant to stop E. Germans from fleeing to W.

Berlin

I. The Cold War

3. Soviet Consolidation of Power• Soviet troops crushed an anti-Soviet revolt in

Hungary (1956)• Soviet troops crushed peaceful reform

movement in Czechoslovakia (1968)- Prague Spring

I. The Cold War

4. Post WWII Korea• Soviet Union controlled

North Korea• Americans control

South Korea• Divided along the 38th

parallel

I. The Cold War

5. Korean War• N. Korea invaded the South in 1950- Supported by USSR and China• UN came to the defense of South Korea- USA provided majority of military support• Korean War lasted until 1953• Korea remains divided

I. The Cold War

E. U.S. Defeat in Vietnam1. Vietnamese Independence• Vietnam was a French colony (French Indochina)• Occupied by Japanese during WWII• Vietnamese nationalist, the Vietminh were led by Ho Chi

Minh• Vietminh able to defeat the French at battle of Dien Bien

Phu in 1954• Vietnam divided- Communist in North- “Democratic” government in South

I. The Cold War

2. American Involvement• President Eisenhower (1953-61) aided the

French and later South Vietnam• Feared if Vietnam became Communist, rest of

South East Asia would follow- Domino Theory• U.S. provided military advisors, special forces,

and military aid

I. The Cold War

3. Civil War • North Vietnam supported Communist guerillas

in the South• Vietcong• Fought against corrupt S. Vietnamese

government led by Ngo Dinh Diem• President Kennedy increased number of

American advisors from 685 to 16,000

I. The Cold War

4. Vietnam War• N. Vietnamese allegedly attacked two U.S.

destroyers (1964)- Gulf of Tonkin Incident• Congress gave President unlimited power to

wage war in Vietnam• U.S. forced propped up unpopular and corrupt

government of South Vietnam

I. The Cold War

5. U.S. Defeat• American forces unable to obtain a comprehensive

victory• Tet Offensive (1968)- Massive offensive showed futility of war effort- Antiwar movement in U.S. gained strength• U.S. withdraws from Vietnam in 1973• N. Vietnam overran the South in 1975• Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City

I. The Cold War

6. Vietnam and Civil Rights• Civil Rights movement led by MLK Jr. used

non-violent resistance to gain civil rights- Based on techniques of Mohandas Gandhi • Anti-war movement applied techniques of

non-violent resistance- Undermined support for war effort, president

LBJ

I. The Cold War

F. The Race for Nuclear Supremacy1. Arms Race• Soviet Union developed atomic bomb in 1949• Americans develop Hydrogen Bomb in 1953• Soviets develop H-Bomb in 1953

I. The Cold War

2. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)• Soviet Union deployed nuclear missiles to Cuba- 90 miles from Florida- In response to failed efforts by U.S. to overthrow the

Communist regime of Fidel Castro• U.S. prepared invasion of Cuba, which would trigger a

nuclear war with USSRCompromise• USSR removes missiles from Cuba• USA removes missiles from Turkey

I. The Cold War

3. Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) • Each side possessed enough nuclear

weapons to completely destroy the other.- Deterred attack• Nuclear arsenals became increasingly

powerful- Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles- Nuclear Submarines