Cold War 1950’s

1. Cold War 1950’s • 1949 saw the formation of the two German states - Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) • West Germany was led by Konrad Adenauer; East Germany by Walter Ulbricht

2. in 1953, against the background of economic crisis in the GDR, riots broke out in East Berlin • the new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, supported Ulbricht in suppressing the unrest

3. the unrest had arisen due to the stark contrast in living standards between East and West Berlin • by 1961 some 2.7 million East Germans had left for the West • population of the GDR declined from 19 million in 1949 to 17 million in 1961

4. crisis for GDR state - was communism failing? • Khrushchev and eastern European leaders reluctant to support building of a wall to stem flow of emigrants • but “wall” finally seen as only option

5. the wall went up on the night of August 12-13, 1961 • wall helped to stabilize relationship between superpowers • Kennedy visited in 1963. In his speech he observed that the wall was “the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the Communist system, for all the world to see”

6. having eliminated the triumvirate who succeeded Stalin, Khrushchev consolidated his power • at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party in 1956 Khrushchev denounced the crimes of Stalin • shock and surprise greeted the revelations

7. Polish Communist Party, under Gomulka, began to introduce reforms • the most dramatic changes took place in Hungary • the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 threatened to end Hungary’s satellite status and its membership in the Warsaw Pact

8. Khrushchev, under pressure from Mao Zedong, sent in the Red Army to end the uprising • Imre Nagy, the leader of the uprising, was executed • many Hungarians fled to the West • Soviet action revealed the limits of Khrushchev’s reform agenda

9. Mao and China • in 1950 Mao had signed an agreement with Stalin - Sino-Soviet Treaty- which provided for a military alliance • Mao and Stalin disagreed on strategy and goals during the Korean War • yet, Mao admired Stalin’s methods in building the revolution in the Soviet Union

10. in contrast to Stalin, Mao built his revolution with the support of the peasantry • according to Mao, the Chinese peasantry were the proletarians, possessed of true revolutionary consciousness • like Stalin, Mao implemented Five Year Plans which encouraged rapid industrialization and collectivation of agriculture

11. Mao also encouraged a “cult of personality” • Mao critical of Khrushchev position, stating “the Soviet Union may attack Stalin, but we will not” • like Stalin, Mao also carried out a purge of potential party dissidents • for Mao, China was now the truly revolutionary country

12. Mao’s program of combining industrialization and collectivization - “Great Leap Forward”-was to have disastrous results • an estimated 30 million people died as a result of famine between 1958 and 1961

13. Sino-Soviet tensions emerged in the early 50’s between Khrushchev and Mao Zedong • rivalry rooted in history, nationalism, domestic politics, and Chinese opposition to the perceived threat of Soviet hegemony • Mao viewed Khrushchev as showing weakness in their common confrontation with the U.S. • by the time Khrushchev left power in 1964 the Sino-Soviet alliance was ending

14. tensions also arose between the U.S. and China following Mao’s action against one of the small islands off the coast of Taiwan in 1954 • Eisenhower responded by signing a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan • with a Chinese military occupation of one island in early 1955 the Eisenhower administration committed itself to the defense of the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, with nuclear weapons if necessary

15. a similar situation arose in 1958, eliciting a similar U.S. response • Mao alarmed the Russians by raising the possibility of war with the U.S. • both the U.S. and Soviet experience with their allies revealed the degree to which they were not able to direct events as they might wish

16. Non-Alignment • the non-alignment movement offered nations the opportunity to follow a course somewhat independent of the superpowers and to exploit their rivalry • pioneered by Tito of Yugoslavia, it included among its membership the leaders of India and China - Nerhu and Zhou Enlai

17. India’s commitment to non-alignment came as a response to Pakistan’s pro-American alliance as a member of SEATO • Zhou Enlai viewed non-alignment as a way to join with anti-colonial forces in the Third World in their struggle against western imperialism

18. an emerging leader in the non-alignment movement Colonel Nasser of Egypt challenged the former colonial powers • following deterioration in relations with the U.S. in 1956 - Czech arms deal led to U.S. refusal to fund Aswan High Dam - Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal

19. Britain, France and Israel conspired to attack the Suez Canal and depose Nasser • Eisenhower, however, responded by condemning what he viewed as a “colonial” action • Britain, France and Israel were forced to withdraw • Nasser emerged as the undisputed leader of the Arab world

20. in January, 1957 a commitment was made by the U.S. to defend the Middle East against Communist encroachment • this “Eisenhower Doctrine” had few supporters in the region • in July, 1958 American Marines landed in Lebanon, but little was achieved