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POST WWII SUPERPOWERS

POST WWII SUPERPOWERS. 1961-1991 THE COLD WAR PART II . Castro Seizes Power. Cuba fell to Communism. This lends credence to the domino theory. US friendly Batista is overthrown (‘59) by Marxist Fidel Castro. Hey man, don’t forget me. I dig hugs too. Crisis In Cuba.

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POST WWII SUPERPOWERS

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  1. POST WWII SUPERPOWERS 1961-1991 THE COLD WAR PART II

  2. Castro Seizes Power • Cuba fell to Communism. This lends credence to the domino theory. • US friendly Batista is overthrown (‘59) by Marxist Fidel Castro Hey man, don’t forget me. I dig hugs too.

  3. Crisis In Cuba • Fidel Castro welcomed the Soviets • Castro became reliant on Soviets • The Bay of Pigs incident fueled his paranoia. He would now invite the Soviets to place tactical weapons in Cuba.

  4. Bay of Pigs: A Disaster • CIA secretly trained Cuban exiles for overthrow of Castro starting in 1960 (Ike). JFK continued the program • The US promised naval and air support • When the exiles landed, they were killed or captured by Castro’s forces. He was tipped off. The US never backed the exiles as promised. • The invasion failed, and the US looks like a bully • The US looked foolish, and Kennedy shouldered the blame (didn’t pass the buck onto the PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION) BAY OF PIGS

  5. Flexible Response JFK sought options to combat brushfire wars that sprung up around the globe. Created the Special Forces (Green Berets and Navy SEALS) Tripled spending on nuclear weapons

  6. The Cuban Missile Crisis • ’62 - Soviets shipped nuclear weapons to Cuba • We had photographic evidence • Missiles could reach all corners of the US • The world faced nuclear war

  7. US would not allow more weapons in Cuba • A quarantine turned ships around, a blockade would be an act of war • Khrushchev offered to remove the weapons if we pledged not to invade Cuba

  8. CASTRO COMES CLEAN TO McNAMARA

  9. The Berlin Crisis • West Berlin was a beacon of democracy • E. Germans were leaving for the West • ‘61 - E. German troops began the Berlin Wall • Within days the city was cut in two. Crossing was not an option now.

  10. DON'T HASSLE THE HOFF WHILE HE SINGS

  11. KENNEDY AIDSTHE 3RD WORLD Peace Corps- a volunteer organization to aid the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Alliance for Progress- offered economic and technical assistance to Latin American countries to stop communism from spreading out from Cuba.

  12. VIETNAM

  13. Vietnamese Conflict • 1880’s - WWII / French in Indochina • restricted freedom and suppressed opposition • 1941 – Japanese occupation • Ho Chi Minh & the Vietminh (US supported) • 1945 –French are back • Dien Bien Phu (1954) • Eisenhower chooses sought not to assist the French

  14. The Domino Theory • If one nation goes communist, all follow in its wake • 1954 - French overrun by the Vietminh • Geneva Accords held to divide Vietnam (17th parallel) • Ho Chi Minh elected President of North (communist) • Ngo Dinh Diem controls the South (democratic puppet)

  15. As a Catholic Diem, persecuted the Buddhist majority • Communist opposition in South – Vietcong – were supported by Ho and the North • Supplies run via the Ho Chi Minh trail • through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos

  16. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • 1964 - USS Maddox - Gulf of Tonkin • Vietnamese “fired” on the Maddox, inviting Johnson to request a blank check in prosecuting the war

  17. U.S. Troop Deployments in Vietnam

  18. Escalation

  19. TUNNEL RATS Vietcong Tactics • Vietcong tactics • lacked high-powered weaponry • knowledge of terrain • Moved secretly in pop. • elaborate tunnel system • US underestimated Vietcong’s ingenuity and resolve

  20. “Hearts and Minds” • The battle for the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese citizens • napalm (gasoline-based bomb) • agent orange (leaf-killing toxin ) • search and destroy missions SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNING

  21. By 1967, the majority of Americans still supported the war, • anti-war sentiment brewing under the surface. • The living room war • Evening news had live shots from the jungle • This increased the anti-war numbers • The government suffered from a credibility gap. • What is real and what is not reported (thin line)

  22. Who Is the Enemy?

  23. 1968 – A Tumultuous Year • ’68 - Tet Offensive • surprise attack • Tet is like New Years Eve. • celebration included firecrackers, flutes, and coffins to bury the dead. • The coffins contained weapons, and the villagers were Vietcong agents. • They attacked 100 towns and 12 US air bases, and the US embassy • lasted nearly a month

  24. Vietcong lost 32,000 soldiers, while the US lost 3,000 • Tet scared the US public, which thought the Vietcong were all but defeated. • The credibility gap turned people against Johnson • The media began to turn against the war • Walter Cronkite

  25. Protest Movement • By 1965 colleges became a hotbed for protest • Many believed the war to be a matter for the Vietnamese • Some returning veterans protested the war • Musicians in the folk movement spoke out against the war

  26. A Nation Divided • Most soldiers in Vietnam drafted by Selective Service • Thousands avoided service, opting for college deferment, feigning injury, or dodging in Canada • Vietnam was a working class war. (80% were from poor families) • African-Americans served in disproportionate #’s. • accounted for 20%+ combat deaths, but represented 10% of the US population

  27. ACOUSTIC BOB - THE PAST - 1964 • ELECTIRC BOB - THE FUTURE - 1965 • Bob Dylan’s shift from musical styles signified the same shift in the changing culture of America. There was no turning back.

  28. Richard Nixon – 1968 winner • promised to end Vietnam

  29. Losing the hearts & minds - Are We Becoming the Enemy? Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry • My Lai Massacre, 1968 • unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers • More negative media coverage of the war

  30. The End of the War & It’s Legacy • ’69 – Nixon announced Vietnamization • gradual withdrawal of troops and increased use of Southern forces • “peace with honor” • maintaining US dignity, while pulling out • Nixon authorized the bombing of Cambodia and Laos (sanctuaries for the Vietcong)

  31. Kent State – May 4, 1970 • The student set the ROTC building on fire • National Guard troops were called in to restore order • Guardsmen fired into the crowd, killing four and wounding nine. • Protests ensued at campuses nationwide (including USC)

  32. Nixon bombed Cambodia without Congressional approval • 1970 - Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

  33. Withdrawal • January ’73 - US signed an agreement ending the war • March ‘73 - last US combat troops left Vietnam • ’75 - Saigon taken by the North.

  34. The Khmer Rouge • Communists led by Pol Pot executed government officials and academics • 2 million were killed

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