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The Cold War, 1943-89. Insights and Perspectives. Key Questions, 4/9. Analyze the causes of the Cold War and the political, military, economic, and ideological competition that resulted from it.
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The Cold War, 1943-89 Insights and Perspectives
Key Questions, 4/9 • Analyze the causes of the Cold War and the political, military, economic, and ideological competition that resulted from it. • Identify and analyze the various and changing interpretations regarding causation and responsibility for the Cold War.
What Kind of Conflict? • Military—arms race, atomic policy, ICBMs, space, ABM, nuclear triad • Economic—Liberal capitalism v. planned economy (Marshall Plan/EEC v. COMECON) • Political/Diplomatic—Europe, Asia, later Africa/L. America, “dominoes,” containment (NSC-68, Kennan), Third World • Ideological—Radio Free Europe/Voice of America v. Cominform, McCarthyism, show trials
The “German Question” • Morgenthau Plan, 1943 • currency reform, reparations, Berlin blockade • NATO and rearmament (Warsaw Pact) • Crises over Berlin • Ostpolitik (W. Brandt)—Treaty of Moscow and Helsinki Accords • reunification—costs and consequences • personalities—Adenauer, Erhard, Brandt, Kohl
U.S. Economic Goals • Bretton Woods Agreements (1944)—creates international economic institutions • IMF, World Bank (IBRD), GATT (WTO), fixed exchange rates, and U.N. • Marshall Plan and OECD—access to markets • U.S. preponderant economic power ‘til 70s • devaluation under Nixon & adopts “floating” exchange rates (stagflation, oil)
Stalin’s “conservative” policy • Ruthlessness when basic interests at stake and sure of result—Katyn Forest, Czech coup, Lublin Poles, purge trials • role in China and Korea? • Role in Greece, Turkey, Italy • Cominform and Tito • assessment: not a big gambler (except Berlin); compare to Khrushchev
Khrushchev and bombast • “secret” speech at 20th Party Congress • collective leadership—emerges as top dog • economic goals (“we will bury you”) • “peaceful coexistence,” “roads to socialism,” Geneva/Austria • Hungary, Berlin, Cuba, space race (Sputnik), actions at U.N., U2 spy plane • break with China • ousted in 1964
Arms Control • “hot line” after 1963 • Nuclear Test Ban Treaty • SALT I and ABM (1972)—USSR reaches nuclear parity • SALT II (1979)—U.S. Senate actions • START and SDI (Gorbachev and Reagan) • current status
Reagan and Cold War Revival • Carter “drift”—Afghanistan (mujahadeen), SALT II, Iranian hostage crisis • medium range missiles in Europe, SDI, Korean flight 007, rhetoric, Latin America—Grenada, civil wars, terrorism and Libya bombing • opening to Gorbachev—Geneva, Reykjavik, Washington, Moscow • Bush and Gulf War (U.S. only superpower)
Who’s to Blame? • Differentiate between which system you believe is more moral and how actions were (mis)perceived • role of Truman and containment • Yalta—a sell-out? • U.S. economic dominance • Soviet rhetoric v. Soviet actions • atomic policy—could it be controlled? • Did the U.S. “win” the Cold War?