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Explore the tense rivalry between the USSR and the Western world during the Cold War, with a focus on the Berlin Airlift and its significance in testing the will of the free world. Discover the humanitarian efforts of Lt. Gail Halvorsen, known as the "Chocolate Pilot," and the impact of the Korean War on global tensions.
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The Cold War A Half Century of Brinksmanship - To the Brink of War and Back Addresses Indicator 7-6.2
World War II Ended in 1945 • With the cessation of fighting, the countries of the world settled into an uneasy peace • It soon became apparent that there would be bitter rivalries between the USSR and the Western World • Treaty after treaty was created to hem in the USSR and make military alliances between the former enemies –SEATO, METO, CENTO, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact are examples • The hot war was over but the tensions of the Cold War may have been worse
The first episode in the Cold War was the Berlin Airlift that began on June 26, 1948 in response the the blockade by the Soviets of all entrances to the city of Berlin.
Berlin was a divided city within a divided nation in the days following the end of World War II. There was limited access to the city - one highway, one train line, and three air corridors through which supplies could reach Berlin
The First Test of the Free World’s Will to Resist Soviet Domination • Testing the will of the West, the Soviets announced that there would be no passage to Berlin until further notice • Berliners in the western sectors would starve without the needed supplies because they were completely cut off from any help • The Western Powers chose to resist and began “Operation Vittles” in June 1948
USAF C-47s carried 80 tons of food into Berlin, on the first day - far less than the estimated 4,500 tons of food, coal, and other material needed daily to maintain a minimum level of existence. More help was on the way!
Before long hundreds of flights a day brought in tons of supplies for eleven months. At the end, Berliners were in better shape than they had been since before the war. The Soviets backed down.
This map shows the places where the planes made their drops – 272,000 flights brought in 2 million tons of supplies to the people of West Berlin. But there was another story, behind the scenes.
Lt. Gail Halvorsen was so impressed with the friendliness of the children around the airport where he dropped the supplies every day that he decided to drop a surprise for them. The next day his plane dropped hundreds of packets of candy on handkerchief parachutes to the waving children.
Operation Little Vittles • The response from children was amazing • Many hundreds would show up each day to see if “Uncle Wiggly Wings” had more candy • They wrote letters to thank him • Newspapers carried the story back to American cities and before long The Chocolate Pilot had tons of candy to deliver. He needed help. Many people volunteered to make the parachutes until more than 250,000 parachutes had been dropped
Because of his humanitarian efforts, Lt. Halvorsen was presented with the Cheney Award. His greatest satisfaction came, however, from the letters sent by the children, and…
The Korean War • At the end of World War II, Korea was a country divided at the 38th parallel of latitude • Communist North Korea wanted the riches they saw in non-communist South Korea • In 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea, beginning the next phase of the Cold War • The United Nations sent troops to stop the invasion. President Truman appointed Douglas MacArthur to lead allied troops
Terrible Fighting…Going Nowhere • It soon became apparent that the Korean War could escalate to make another world war that the world did not need • The war was so deadly and unpopular that it became an election issue. Eisenhower, hero of the D-Day Invasion, promised that if elected he would work to end the war. • Shortly after his election the fighting ceased, but things were back almost as they had been before the war.
Early in the attack, the North Koreans (red) advanced deep into South Korea. By the end of the war the allies (blue) pushed the attackers back behind the 38th Parallel. A Demilitarized Zone exists there today.
The Berlin Airlift was the first “battle” in the Cold War…not the last! • Realizing they had been beaten by air superiority and strength of will, the Soviets lowered the Berlin Blockade in 1949 • Tensions continued to build over Berlin until in 1961, the Soviets erected the Berlin Wall – one rare example of a wall built to keep a people inside a country. • President Kennedy and Khrushchev battled over this incident, but the wall stayed.
Helpless to prevent it, the soldiers in the West watch the wall rise to divide Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin, stands like other living prisoners behind the Berlin Wall.
Checkpoint Charlie was one of three gates through which one could enter East Berlin for a brief visit. It was a favorite point for escape attempts.
During the 28 years that it separated East from West, over 5000 people escaped over, under, or through the wall. More than 200 people died while trying to escape; most shot by border guards.
Shortly after President Kennedy took office the Cold War started heating up again. In 1962 he learned that the Soviets had built missile sites in Cuba that could launch missiles against the US.
Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev reviews troops before attending a summit with Kennedy. Both men were determined not to back down over Cuba or Berlin – the world was on the brink of war again.
Kennedy and Khrushchev both knew that continued saber rattling was dangerous. Once blood had been spilled on either side, it would be difficult to keep any resulting crisis under control. Fortunately for the world, they were able to work out the problem – US would remove missiles from Turkey and USSR would not arm the missile sites in Cuba. The world breathed a sigh of relief.
Cold War Nuclear Arms Race • The continued tensions between East and West prompted both sides to build massive arsenals of nuclear weapons- an Arms Race • By the 1960s there were enough weapons of mass destruction to destroy the world several times over- it was insanity and every one knew it • The prospects of annihilation were so great that they were, in fact, a deterrent to an attack – both sides knew no one would win!
During the ‘70s and ‘80s the Arms Race Continued…. • The USSR and the US were locked in a race to see who could build the bigger bomb • Spending on defense was unbelievable • The USSR outspent its own resources in a vain attempt to try to keep up with the US in technology and weaponry • Their economy finally collapsed under the strain, and in late 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev called for an end and made drastic changes
In the face of an economy in ruins, Gorbachev called for openness and change, restructuring of the USSR. Reagan was happy to go along with the proposed changes. Before long the changes get out of control and communism loses power.
Tearing down the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 became the symbol of the end of the Cold War. The world could not believe it. No one can be certain that the tensions will not resume, but there is always hope….
