History of the cold war Cold War FINAL2.pptx

THE COLD WAR 1945-1991

INTRODUCTION The Cold War marks the next significant phase in World History, and the one with the greatest imapct on the modern world. It is in essence the Third World War, with nothing less than the state of all life on the planet in the balance.

Ultimately, you will need to decide the causes and the results of each point of the war, and decide how these events impact our modern world. ANALYZE To understand the Cold War, you will need to look at the opposing forces and compare their problems and objectives. Both sides used political narratives to further their cause. It will be nessecary to look into the truth behind the opposing narratives. COMPARE RESEARCH STUDY OBJECTIVES

THE BIG IDEAS ESPIONAGE This war was fought in the shadows, with spies and assassins 01 TREACHERY Alliances shifted constantly, with much of the Third World changing sides 02 MAD Mutually-Assured Destruction was the policy that kept the peace by threatening nuclear annihilation 03 PROXY WAR Both Cold War powers used other nations to fight the war, rather than risk open conflict 04

PHASE THREE The final years of the war 03 TABLE OF CONTENTS PHASE ONE The End of WW2, and the evolution of the War 01 PHASE TWO The Cold War escalates to new levels 02 POST WAR The world after the war’s end 04

PHASE ONE 01 1945-1953 1945 - 1991

COLD WAR FIRST PHASE The divison of the city, and the Iron Curtain BERLIN The fall of China and the rise of Hong Kong CHINA An alliance made to protect the remaining nations NATO Our first proxy conflict begins KOREA An alliance of Communist forces WARSAW PACT

1945-1959 Early Soviet wins, and the new World Order 1945 - 1991

THE EUROPEAN WAR ENDS In spring 1945, Soviet and American troops were inexorably moving towards each other, smashing the remains of the Third Reich from opposite directions. When the Soviet 5th Guards Army commanded and the U.S. First Army of met on the Elbe, they effectively cut Germany in half, dealing a mortal blow to what was left of the Wehrmacht and SS troops. This event officially ends the European part of WW2.

POTSDAM CONFERENCE The leaders of the victorious countries met at Potsdam in July, 1945. At Yalta, the Allies had attempted to persuade Joseph Stalin to join in the war with Japan. By the time the Potsdam meeting took place, they were having doubts about this strategy. Since their last meeting in Yalta, the USA had successfully tested the Atom Bomb. Truman's advisers were urging him to use this bomb on Japan.

THE NEW ORDER The purpose of the Potsdam Conference was to settle the post-war peace beforehand, so as not to have the same problems that arose after WW1. The US also hoped that they could curb the imperial designs that Stalin might have towards Eastern Europe, and were hoping to have the nations he liberated regain their independence. Stalin, of course, had other ideas, but at the Conference, he seemed to be amenable to most of the suggestions.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

STALIN AND THE BOMB When Truman first told Stalin about the bomb, he seemed not to understand how big an acheivement it was. In truth, Stalin was already aware of the bomb project, having learned about it through espionage long before Truman did. Churchill and Truman both agreed not to share any of the weapon technology for the bomb with Stalin.

THE PACIFIC WAR ENDS In an attempt to end the war in the Pacific without a costly invasion of Japan, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively. A uranium gun-type atomic bomb named Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. When Emperor Hirohito did not heed President Truman’s call for surrender, the US dropped a plutonium implosion-type bomb named Fat Man on Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered on September 2 nd .

A NUCLEAR AGE The invention of nuclear weapons changes everything. It is now possible to kill millions of people with a single weapon. If a nation has enough nuclear weapons, it has the power to exterminate entire civilizations in a matter of minutes.

WHAT IS A “COLD WAR?” “Hot” wars are typical wars, using military means to achieve political objectives. A Cold War is a war by other means – using politics, economics, and espionage to destroy your enemies. These methods are used because traditional “hot” wars have become too risky.

WHY NOW? At the time, the world’s military forces were fully mobilized, and direct confrontation meant another long and destructive conflict Russia wasn’t sure it could win. After the Japanese surrender, the nuclear bomb changed the calculations against direct conflict again. If anyone used military might against the United States or its allies, the US could always choose to use their nuclear weapons, effectively ending the war.

A BIPOLAR WORLD At the end of the War, the United States was the only nation that had not been ravanged by war. It also had a powerful economy and nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union was the largest land empire in the world (after Potsdam), and had the most powerful traditional army. Power shifted from the traditional multipolar system that had dominated the world forever into a world controlled by these two “superpowers.”

THE IRON CURTAIN Stalin refused to allow fair elections in the areas occupied by the USSR, effectively making them communist countries. He then makes moves to limit communications between the USSR and other nations, allowing him to control the people and limit information about his new regime. This creates an “Iron Curtain” that separates the Communist nations of the East from the rest of the Western powers.

THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE Faced with an increasingly hostile Soviet Union, and coming to terms with the idea that Communist revolutions were being financed by the USSR, Truman issued his first major foreign policy decision of the Cold War. The Doctrine states that the US should give support to countries or peoples threatened by Soviet forces or Communist insurrection. The doctrine was seen by the Communists as an open declaration of the Cold War.

The Fall of China In 1949, Chinese Communist forces led by Mao Zeddong entered Beijing, declaring the country to be a communist nation. The former government of the Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled the nation for the island of Taiwan, setting up a government in exile there.

NATO In 1949, Western European nations, combined with Canada and the United States, formed the The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ). Belgium , Canada , Denmark , France , Iceland , Italy , Luxembourg , the Netherlands, Norway , Portugal , United Kingdom United States.

Korean War The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union while South Korea was supported by the United States and allied countries . Korea was the first war to use NATO forces in combination. This was part of a larger strategy of containment – the goal of stopping the growth of communist power in the world.

After NATO forces pushed across the Yang- Tze River, Chinese military forces began to advance to support the North Koreans. Fearful of an escalation against both China and the USSR, the President of the United States recalled General Douglas MacArthur, and negotiated a temporary case-fire that set the borders of North and South Korea. The Korean War is technically still going on, but the cease-fire remains in place as long as the terms have not been violated.

Russia Goes Nuclear The Soviets successfully tested their first nuclear device, called RDS-1 or “First Lightning” (codenamed “Joe-1” by the United States), at Semipalatinsk on August 29, 1949. This knowledge becomes public after the Korean war begins, but NATO was aware of it before the conflict officially started. This was considered a major deterrent to MacArthur’s desire to use nuclear weapons.

The Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact was a collective defense treaty established by the Soviet Union and seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe . It was created on 14 May 1955, as a direct response to NATO.

Death of Stalin In October of 1952, Joseph Stalin died of a stroke in his office. This left a huge gap in leadership – most of the competent ledership in Riussia had already been killed, and the remaining members of the Committee had been selected for loyalty instead of competence.

PHASE TWO 02 The Cold War Escalates 1945 - 1991

COLD WAR PHASE TWO The Creation of the Berlin Wall BERLIN WALL The First Close Call CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS America’s Second Conflict VIETNAM A move away from Containment DETENTE An alliance of Communist forces SALT TREATIES The Next Middle-East Adventure Egypt-Israel War

MAD Mutually Assured Destruction The Cold War enters a new phase during this time period, where either side was capable of using nuclear weapons to achieve their goals. If neither side could possibly survive a nuclear war, neither side would start one. Having enough thermonuclear weapons to hit every possible enemy target at the same time, as well as destroying all life on the planet in the aftermath.

THE NEW BOSS This left the USSR with either no leader or a weak leader for most of President Eisenhower's first term. Nikita Khrushchev finally rises to the top. He was a former Commissar during WW2, and fought against German forces in Stalingrad. He was considered funny and occasionally clueless, but also very loyal and brutal.

CUBAN REVOLUTION In 1959, Fidel Castro finally led Cuban Communist forces into Havanna , overthrowing the government and replacing it with a communist regime under his control. For the first time, the US had a communist nation on its hemisphere. Khrushchev hoped to use this new country as a new “base” to threaten the United States, and the US knew it.

THE TSAR BOMBA In 1960, the USSR dropped the largest hydrogen bomb ever constructed by man – the Tsar Bomba . The explosion from the bomb was so massive that it reached into the stratosphere. The bomb was meant as a way for the Soviet Union to influence the American election, by making the Republicans look weak on communism. This election was considered important for the USSR, because Nixon was considered a strong-anticommunist, while the hope was that an inexperienced Kennedy would be easier to bully and control.

THE HYDROGEN BOMB Stalin refused to allow fair elections in the areas occupied by the USSR, effectively making them communist countries. He then makes moves to limit communications between the USSR and other nations, allowing him to control the people and limit information about his new regime. This creates an “Iron Curtain” that separates the Communist nations of the East from the rest of the Western powers.

DEF ENSE CON DITION 1- Global Thermonuclear War 2- Armed Forces ready to deploy and engage in less than 6 hours 3- Air Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes. 4- Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security measures 5- Normal Readiness

THE BERLIN WALL The same year, Krushchev ordered the construction of a massive 70-mile wall that would separate East and West Berlin . The Wall was built to keep the people in, not keep Imperialists out. The USSR was having a hard time keeping talented people in the Soviet Union. More and more of the professional class was defecting to the West, and that was leading to a loss in scientific and technological innovations.

The 1961 election Son of wealthy gangster Joe Kennedy. War Hero Interested in changing the face of American politics More interested in social reform than the Cold War.

EARLY CONFRONTATIONS As good an American politician as Kennedy was, he was very new to the Cold War. He took personal insult to comments made by Khrushchev less than three months into his office. He saw the General Secretary as a bully and a thug, and was looking for a way to put him in his place.

JUPITER - 2 In an effort to box in Khrushchev, Kennedy orders the deployment of 200 Jupiter-2 nuclear ballistic missiles (MRBM) in Greece and Turkey. This gave the US the ability to launch missiles into the USSR in a matter of minutes instead of hours. Khrushchev was at first worried – he could see no way of stopping the deployment that would not lead to war.

THE BAY OF PIGS The CIA proposed staging a coup to overthrow Castro. The plan involved three elements: Armed rebels, trained Expatriated Cubans from Florida, and US air support for the invasion. At the last minute, the President withheld air support from the rebels, fearful of being discovered by the Soviets. The rebels and the trained Cubans were slaughtered by Castro’s forces.

Khrushchev Sees A Chance The bay of Pigs proved to Khrushchev that Kennedy was weak. He saw this as an opportunity to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. This would give the USSR a first strike capacity that the US would never be able match. It could end the Cold War with a Russian victory.

VIETNAM The wars in southeast Asia continued. Kennedy claimed that Vietnam would be the tripwire for Soviet advancement, and not Laos as previously claimed by Eisenhower. Throughout 1961 and 1962, The US promised Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem that he would enjoy the full support of the United States. Diem was a ruthless dictator, but he was strongly anticommunist. The US had pledged support in line with the Domino Theory – any friendly leader was better than a communist leader.

VIETNAM During his administration, Kennedy continued policies that provided political and economic support, and military advice and support, to the South Vietnamese government. He increased the number of military advisors and special forces in the region by late 1963, but he was reluctant to order a full-scale deployment of troops. “It’s their war; they are the ones who’ll have to win it or lose it.”

KENNEDY ASSASSINATES In 1963, Kennedy ordered the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, and his replacement, General Dương Văn Minh , was instated with American approval . He argued that any American-backed leader would be an improvement on Diem, and that he couldn’t in good conscience deal with dictators, even against the communists. The communist faction took advantage of this, making gains into South Vietnam while the government was weakened.

KENNEDY ASSASINATED Also in 1963, Kennedy was assassinated outside a book repository in Dallas, Texas while attending an election event for members of the Democratic party. The Soviet Union was worried at first that they would be targeted by the US as engineering the assassination, and even offered to help with the investigation. The US refused the offers, and Lyndon Baines Johnson was instated at the new President.

A NEW POLICY Johnson was less hesitant about war against communists in Vietnam than Kennedy had been. He believed that a war against communism would make him popular at home, allowing him to make progress with his Great Society policies. In addition, his advisors thought that a Korea-style war would increase America’s power in Asia, checking Russia and China. But without a reason, this couldn’t be sold to the American people.

Brezhnev In August of 1964, Khrushchev is replaced as General Secretary of the Soviet Union by Leonid Brezhnev. The Soviet Union’s mounting economic problems increased the pressure on Khrushchev. Brezhnev was interested in reigning in the USSR’s commitments and trying to rule with a powerful nuclear arsenal and fear.

THE IRON CURTAIN Stalin refused to allow fair elections in the areas occupied by the USSR, effectively making them communist countries. He then makes moves to limit communications between the USSR and other nations, allowing him to control the people and limit information about his new regime. This creates an “Iron Curtain” that separates the Communist nations of the East from the rest of the Western powers.

Georgy Malenkov Actual successor to Stalin as head of the Central Committee, Malenkov was a weak and stupid man. At the insistence of the rest of the Presidium, he relinquished control over the party apparatus in exchange for remaining Premier and first among equals within the Soviet collective leadership. Throughout his political career, Malenkov's personal connections with Vladimir Lenin significantly facilitated his ascent within the ruling Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By 1925, he was entrusted with overseeing the party's records.