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The Temperature Drops:

The Temperature Drops:. Welcome to a Bipolar World. s ource: www.paperlessarchives.com. The World Contemplates the Atomic Age. Humankind had now developed the capability to destroy itself. Estimates suggest that between 150,000 to 250,000 Japanese died within 2-4 months of the bombings.

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The Temperature Drops:

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  1. The Temperature Drops: Welcome to a Bipolar World

  2. source: www.paperlessarchives.com

  3. The World Contemplates the Atomic Age Humankind had now developed the capability to destroy itself. Estimates suggest that between 150,000 to 250,000 Japanese died within 2-4 months of the bombings. A single hydrogen bomb tested by the Soviets in 1961 was 1400 times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks combined.

  4. M.A.D. The technological advances in nuclear weaponry and missile technology now means that nuclear war is a real possibility. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a key strategic policy that has, until now, prevented furthering the use of atomic weapons in war. Is this wise? Is this policy sustainable indefinitely?

  5. Inside the Enrichment Laboratories in Oakridge, Tennessee.

  6. Outside the Oakridge Labs circa 1945.

  7. A travelling atomic sideshow circa 1963.

  8. Frienemies Immediately following the war, the relationship between the USA and USSR rapidly soured. Their political and economic ideologies proved to be incompatible with one another. Both powers sought to maintain and reinforce their newfound positions of prominence without engaging in direct conflict.

  9. Welcome to a Bipolar World • Following WWII, the infrastructures and economies of Europe and East Asia had been devastated. • The old colonial powers of Europe would soon be forced to give up their overseas colonies. • Global power was now concentrated in the hands of two superpowers, the USA and the USSR. • The capitalist West was led by the USA. • The communist East was led by the USSR. • The Cold War would persist for almost 50 years.

  10. Tale of the Tape: 1945 USA USSR • Pop. 140,000,000 • Size 9,800,000 km. sq. • Market Economy • Democratic Government • Has the Bomb • Economic Imperialism • Strong Navy • Pop. 170,000,000 • Size 22,000,000 km. sq. • Command Economy • Authoritarian Government • Wants the Bomb • Geographic Imperialism • Strong Army

  11. Timeline of the Early Cold War (1945-1963) 1945: UN Charter signed. 1946: “Iron Curtain” speech. 1947: Indian Independence 1948: Berlin Blockade 1949: NATO formed. 1949: Mao establishes the PRC. 1950-1953: Korean War. 1955: Warsaw Pact formed. 1956: Hungarian Revolution 1956: Suez Crisis erupts. 1957: EEC formed. (today’s EU) 1957: Sputnik I launched by USSR. 1961: The Berlin Wall is built. 1961: The Bay of Pigs invasion. 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis. 1962: US military aid to Vietnam. 1963: JFK assassinated. 1964-1973: Vietnam War.

  12. Chiang Kai-shek signs the UN Charter on behalf of the Republic of China (ROC). Becoming one of the five permanent members of the Security Council circa 1945.

  13. The United Nations Following the end of hostilities in 1945, the United Nations (UN) was formed with the goal of limiting another worldwide conflict. The ‘Big Five’ powers: The USA, USSR, UK, France and China (represented by the ROC on Taiwan until 1971) were given permanent seats on the Security Council, as well as the all powerful veto. Another ten states are voted onto the Security Council for two-year terms. All other member are represented in the far less powerful General Assembly.

  14. US aircraft unloading supplies during the Berlin Blockade circa 1948.

  15. Mao Zedong establishes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, after Chiang’s Nationalist forces fled to the island of Taiwan.

  16. Containment Theory “Soviet power, unlike that of Hitlerite Germany, is neither schematic nor adventuristic. It does not work by fixed plans. It does not take unnecessary risks. Impervious to logic of reason, it is highly sensitive to logic of force. For this reason it can easily withdraw—and usually does when strong resistance is encountered at any point.” - George F. Kennan, The Long Telegram.

  17. When Power Shifts, Alliances Adjust Fearful of the advantage of Soviet conventional forces in Europe, the US pushed for the establishment of a grand alliance of Western Europe, Canada and the United States. In August, 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed. In 1955, the Soviets responded by establishing the Warsaw Pact hoping to deter American adventurism in Eastern Europe. President Harry Truman signs the NATO treaty in 1949.

  18. The Forgotten War: Korea (1950-1953) In 1950, war broke out on the Korean Peninsula when the Communist forces crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. A UN force led by General MacArthur held back the North Koreans before surprising them with an amphibious landing at Inchon. As the UN forces pressed north, the PRC entered the war. Hostilities ceased in 1953.

  19. Communist Chinese Forces cross the Yalu River to enter the Korean War circa 1950.

  20. A short history of the US in Iran: Shah Pahlavi 1953-1979. Installed by the CIA. President Mosaddegh of Iran 1951-1953. Overthrown by the CIA. Khomeini 1979-1989 Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

  21. Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn plot the hunt for ‘Reds’ circa 1954.

  22. Unhappy Hungarians circa 1956.

  23. The Berlin Wall goes up in 1961.

  24. The Revolution Spreads West In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the puppet government of Batista on the island of Cuba. Cuba was now the only communist state in the Western hemisphere. The CIA tried to assassinate Castro on many occasions. It also placed trade embargos and travel restrictions on the island that last to this day. The CIA botched an invasion of the island in 1961. Known simply as the Bay of Pigs. Che and Fidel having a laugh.

  25. Castro reviews the troops circa 1961.

  26. General LeMay makes the case to JFK for an invasion of Cuba in 1962.

  27. John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917-1963

  28. Check for Understanding • Who were some of the principal players of the Cold War? • What were some of the key events of the early Cold War? • What were some institutions that arose at this time? • What is capitalism? • What is communism? • What is containment theory? How was it applied? • What’s the basic structure of the United Nations? • What is MAD? Can you find a fault with this policy? Is it still relevant today? • Why do you think that the events in China during this time have been omitted from your textbooks?

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