Global Confrontation: Cold War Strategies

1. Chapter 28 Cold War and a New Western World (1945-1973)

2. Confrontation of the Super Powers • USSR needed to feel secure on their western border • not willing to give up advantages gained in eastern Europe • USA not willing to give up power or prestige gained after role in WWII • 1945-49 a series of events led the two countries into a continuous conflict based on mutual fear & competition • Disagreement over Eastern Europe – Stalin would not allow eastern European countries freedom to establish democratic govts because they would be “anti-soviet” • Truman Doctrine (1946) • the United States would give money to any country that said it was threatened by communism • 1947 – Truman requested $400 million in aid for Greece & Turkey • The Marshall Plan (1947) • Intended to rebuild stability & prosperity in Europe • $13 billion for economic recovery (excluded Soviet Union) • Underlying belief was that communism fed off of economic turmoil • Marshall Plan pushed Stalin to safeguard Soviet interests more enthusiastically

3. American Containment Policy • by end of WWII, Americans favored quick end to involvement in European affairs • fear of Soviet motives led to increased role in Europe • July 1947 – George Kennan advocated a policy of containment to keep communism from spreading • After Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1948, containment of the Soviet Union became formal American policy • Contention over Germany • Besides denazification and partitioning of Germany into four occupied zones, Allies agreed on very little • Soviet Union (hit hardest by WWII) took reparations in the form of booty • Dismantled & moved 380 factories into USSR before giving over control of West Berlin to Allies • USSR started blockade of West Berlin in hopes of keeping allies from creating separate West German govt • Solution: Berlin Air Lift, at peak 13,000 tons of supplies flown into WB a day • Increases tensions, caused formation of German Federal Republic (West Germany) & German Democratic Republic (East Germany) • Berlin remained divided as well even though it existed in East Germany

4. Globalization of the Cold War • 1949 - Soviets detonate 1st atomic bomb • Arms race begins, as does policy of mutual deterrence • Belief that if one country launched its nuclear weapons, the other country would still be able to respond & devastate the attacker • Assumption is that neither side would risk an attack for fear of counterattack • Uncertainty around the world led to formation of military alliances • 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed (Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, & United States) • 1955: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania & Soviet Union form the Warsaw Pact • Chinese Communists won the Chinese civil war in 1949 • increased American fear of spreading communism would make containment more important • Shortly thereafter, the Korean War turned the Cold War into a worldwide struggle

5. Korean War • liberated from Japan in 1945, split in half • Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) supported by Soviet Union • The Republic of Korea (South Korea) received aid from US • 6/25/50 – North Korea invades South w/ apparent approval of Stalin • Seen as Communist aggression, US gains UN support & sends troops to turn back invasion • By Sept., Gen. Douglas MacArthur marched across the 38th Parallel w/ intention of unifying Korea under a non-communist govt. • Communist China sent troops into N.Korea for support • Fighting continues until 1953, no clear victory – 38th Parallel set as boundary

6. By 1955, the US found itself allied w/ 42 countries world-wide • 1953 – hope of a peaceful future appeared when Stalin died, but new Soviet leadership was no more flexible than Stalin had been • Aug 1957 – USSR launches first ICBM & shortly thereafter Sputnik I (first space satellite) • Causes fear of a “missile gap” w/ USSR; arms race escalates • Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev tries to use routes into Berlin several times to bully the West into withdrawing from the city • Aug 1961 – East German workers begin construction on the Berlin Wall to keep East Germans from escaping to West Berlin • More than 100 miles of wall, made Berlin symbol of a divided Europe • Khrushchev, seeking a foreign policy victory, set his sights on Cuba The Cuban Missile Crisis • 1959 – left wing revolutionary, Fidel Castro overthrows the Cuban dictator & establishes a Soviet-supported regime • 1961 – Bay of Pigs fiasco – US supported attempt to invade Cuba (utter failure) • 1962 – USSR stations missiles on Cuba (90 mi. from Florida) • US blockades Cuba to prevent missiles from arriving • Eventually, Khrushchev agreed to abort the missile placement • no one realized how close the world came to nuclear war

7. The Vietnam War • By the end of the Cuban crisis the US had been pulled into another conflict in Asia • 1954 – Vietnamese forces overthrow their French colonial masters • Ho Chi Mihn received Soviet aid in North Vietnam, while US sponsored a pro-West regime in South Vietnam • US supported Ngo Dinh Diem, who was corrupt & unable to gain support in the south • Undermined the ability of the govt to deal w/ the Vietcong (N.V. supporters in the south) • 1963 – US supported a coup that overthrew Diem, but new regime even less capable • 1964 – Pres Johnson increased flow of US troops into country to keep Communist N.V. from uniting the country • Seen as a “must win” by U.S., otherwise a domino effect would occur

8. Massive superiority in equipment proved useless against NVA & especially Vietcong • Many S.V. opposed their govt & aided Vietcong • 1967 - anti-war protests become common as US escalates war effort • Increasing brutalization of the war brought home on American television every night (turned public opinion against war effort) • 1973 – Richard Nixon reaches an agreement w/ N.Vietnam to allow the US to withdraw its troops • Nixon resigns, Gerald Ford becomes President, 1974 • By 1975, Vietnam forcibly reunited under Communist North • Major reason that South Vietnam was lost because the U.S. failed to keep promises after withdrawing Myths of Vietnam • We didn’t “jump in” – 20 yrs, 4 presidents (Kennedy – Ford) • Public support never dropped below 50% • Poor & black did not serve in disproportionate numbers • Most college students were not activists • Despite media coverage, no one knew what was going on until Nixon

9. Europe and the World: Decolonization Africa • After WWII, Europeans realized that colonial rule in Africa would have to end • Colonial masters had done little to help Africans prepare for self-rule • 1922 – Egypt gained independence • 1952 – established independent republic • 1956 - Morocco & Tunisia gained independence from France • 1962 – Algeria finally gains independence • By late 1960’s only parts of South Africa & Portuguese holdings in Mozambique & Angola still held by Europeans • Portuguese finally gave up colonies in 1970’s

10. Conflict in the Middle East • By the end of WWII most of the Middle East was independent • March 1948 – United Nations divided Palestine into a Jewish state & and Arab state • The state of Israel is formed 5/14/48 • 90% of Palestine was Muslim • Several Arab countries tried to invade Israel, failed and refused to acknowledge its existece • Arab leaders met in Jerusalem in 1964 & formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) • Led by Yasir Arafat, began launching terrorist attacks in Israeli territory • Attacks led Israel to raid PLO bases in Jordan (1966) • 1973 – Egyptians launch air & artillery raids on Israeli positions in Sinai • Cease-fire ended the fighting in 1974, but tensions remained high

11. Recovery and Renewal in Europe The Soviet Union • Nikita Khrushchev emerged as chief policy maker of Soviet Union after death of Stalin • Khrushchev publicly condemned Stalin of “violence, repression, & terror” in 1956 • Revelations sparked a spirit of rebellion in Soviet satellites in Europe • Ended the forced-labor camps • began decentralizing the government that had formed under Stalin • Economically – tried to place more emphasis on light industry & consumer goods • His personality & foreign policy failures did little to endear himself to others • 1964 – Khrushchev voted out by Politburo & replaced by Leonid Brezhnev France • Charles de Gaulle became president in 1958, tried to form France into a world power • Economic problems caused much dissatisfaction w/ his presidency, forced to resign in 1969, died 1970

12. West Germany • Konrad Aenauer served as chancellor from 1949-1963 • 1955 – West Germany rearmed & became a member of NATO • Although West Germany had 75% of population & 52% of the territory of pre-war Germany, the GNP was higher than that of pre-war Germany • Surviving Nazi leaders were placed on trial in Nuremberg (1945-46), by 1950, German courts began to take over war crime cases Great Britain • Massive economic problems after WWII • Established the British welfare state • Established a social security system, nationalized some industry, the Bank of England, public transportation & utilities • National Health Service Act of 1946 • Nationalized medical insurance & created a system of socialized medicine • Expenses of creating a welfare state caused Britain to cut expenses abroad • Because of a loss of prewar revenue & war debt, Britain was no longer a world power

13. The United States & Canada: A New Era • FDR’s New Deal continued to influence domestic politics until 1970 • Influence of the New Deal in post WWII America was bolstered by the election of three Democratic presidents (1948, 60, & 64) • The election of Eisenhower in 1952 didn’t change the direction of policy because he supported social security • Shortage of consumer goods during WWII left people w/ money & desire to spend it in 1950’s • After communist advances in Asia, fear that communism had spread to the United States • Sen. Joseph McCarthy helped intensify the “Red Scare,” supposedly ferreting out Communist conspirators in the government • Censured by Congress in 1954, his crusade came to screeching halt • Civil Rights movement • 1954 – Supreme Court rules on Brown vs. Board of Education, gets the CR movement going • August 1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King leads march on Washington • Jan. 1963 – 4% said civil rights most important domestic issue, eight months later 52% say its most important

14. LBJ took up the Civil Rights cause & Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by Congress • Placed the machinery to end segregation & discrimination • By 1965, voting rights acts made it easier for blacks to vote in the south • Summer 1965, riots break out in Los Angeles • After King assassination in 1968, riots in more than 100 cities • Anti-war protests also erupted after Johnson began sending troops to Vietnam • Many protests were peaceful like the “sit-ins” & “love-ins” • &%$@!n’ hippies…. • As protests became more radical, violence ensued • 1970 Kent State, four student protesters killed by Nat’l Guard

15. The Americanization of the World • United States has been the most influential force in the western world since WWII • movies, music, advertising, & television • 1960’s – 40% of Hollywood’s income came from Europe) • By the mid-1950’s, televisions became a staple in middle class houses • 32 million sets by 1954 • 1952 – White disk jockeys start playing African-American rhythm & blues to white audiences • Rock-n-Roll appeared in the 1950’s, figures such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, & Elvis Presley inspired later musicians of the 1960’s • Many of them from Great Britain, led to the British Invasion of the 60’s • Beatles, Rolling Stones, Animals, Cream, Black Sabbath… • 1967-1973 considered the Golden Age of Rock • much experimentation in music during this period • Rolling Stones influenced by American blues instead of rock • Some worked with “non-western” instruments (like synthesizers, keyboards, sitars) • Focused on social issues & alternatives to the “establishment”