Cold War Recap

1. Cold War Recap

2. Instructions • Using your notes, unless otherwise noted, you will have 3 minutes per concept to answer as much as you can with your group. • The final 2 sections (Missile Defense & Summits) will be completed as a class.

3. Domino Theory • What is Domino Theory? • A prominent theory from the 1950s to 1980s that speculated that if one country in a region came under the influence of Communism, then surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect. • An Example of Proof • After China became Communist, several smaller countries, such as North Korea & Vietnam, did too. Vietnamese Communism led to Cambodian Communism as well. • Effect • The Containment Policy by the U.S. They attempted to prevent the spread of Communism in Korea & Vietnam.

4. Korean War • Who got involved & why? • The U.S. & U.N. got involved due to the Containment Policy. China joined to protect their border with North Korea, & support Communism. • What changed? • Nothing. Things went back to the way they were before the war.

5. The Vietnam War • What caused this war? • Communists from North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in order to unify the country under Communism. • Who got involved & why? • The U.S. attempted to aid South Vietnam by sending troops in to defeat the Viet Kong. They were practicing the Policy of Containment, & trying to prevent the spread of Communism. • Effect • U.S. forces withdrew, & Communists took control of the South. This also led to Communism in Cambodia.

6. Mutually Assured Destruction • What is it? • The knowledge & idea that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker & defender. • What 2 nations were involved in this idea? • The U.S. & Soviet Union • Effect • The concept of deterrence. Both sides wanted to avoid destruction, so the possession of nuclear weapons prevented the enemy from using their own.

7. Reagan & Gorbachev • What result did Gorbachev’s rule of the Soviet Union have? • He implemented many reform programs in an attempt to improve life but maintain Communism. He met with President Reagan to discuss the reduction of nuclear arms, which eventually led to the end of the Cold War. Many countries were granted their independence, & eventually the Soviet Union dissolved. • What role did President Reagan play in ending the Cold War? • His programs, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative, & placement of U.S. missiles in Europe put pressure on the Soviet Union. He also helped organize, then attend, the Reykjavik Summit, which began the process of nuclear arms reduction.

8. Missile Defense • What was the name of Reagan’s missile defense program? • The Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars • Why was it created? • To develop an anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, such as the Soviet Union. • What was the eventual result of this idea? • The program was eventually abandoned because it would require the construction of many nuclear power plants, & would upset the balance of nuclear power between the U.S. & Soviet Union.

9. Summits • 1945 Yalta Conference • Roosevelt, Stalin, & Churchill met to discuss the division of Germany, free elections in Eastern Europe, & the creation of the U.N. • 1985 Geneva Summit • Reagan & Gorbachev met, & although little was accomplished, they developed a relationship that would aid in future negotiations.

10. Summits • 1986 Reykjavik Summit • Reagan & Gorbachev met in Reykjavik, Iceland to discuss the elimination of nuclear weapons. It was regarded as a failure because Reagan refused to slow research on the ballistic missile defense system, but led to the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces & 1991 Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaties. • 1987 Washington Summit • The INF Treaty was signed, eliminating intermediate-range ballistic missiles. This was the 1st reduction in nuclear weapons.