Cold War Overview: Presidents, Policies, and Events

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Cold War Overview Presidents, Policies, and
Events

• World History

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The Start of the Cold War

• During the war Communist and Capitalist countries
  had worked together for a common goal
• Post WWII, allied countries begin to turn
  attention to own interests and both communists
  and capitalists want to spread their ideals
  around the world
• Both view each other as a threat to their
  prosperity - a war of ideals
• Cold War will rage on for 45 years mainly
  between the U.S. and the USSR
• This conflict was passed down all the way from
  Truman (1940s) to Reagan (1980s)

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Containment

• Britain warns US about Soviet aggression (1946)
• Capitalist countries fear spread of Communism in
  post war era via satellite states
• US agrees, adopts Containment Policy
• Containment halt spread of communism
• US provides economic aid to countries weakened by
  the war to prevent them from falling to communism
• Becomes a race to help weaker countries (and make
  allies) before the other can!
• Truman, Unless Russia is faced with an iron
  fist, another war is in the making.

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Iron Curtain Dividing line between communist
non-Communist countries
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Berlin Airlift 1948

• Post WWII, Germany was divided into 4 peace
  keeping zones between France, U.S., Britain and
  the Soviet Union
• Berlin was split between Capitalist and Communist
  zones
• Stalin tried to take it over, by cutting off
  food, fuel, Transportation in June 1948
• Allies did not want a war, so they creatively
  came up with the Airlift idea
• Flew planes for almost a year, dropped supplies
  down to West Berlin, ended May 1949

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West Berlin
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Domino Theory

• The idea that as if USSR spread its influence to
  Asia, Asian countries would fall to communism
  like dominoes
• Theory used to justify military involvement in
  both Korea and Vietnam

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Korean War (1950-1953)

• Korean peninsula split into North (USSR) South
  (USA) after WWII
• In 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South
  Korea to try to unify the country again
• South Korea asked for U.N. help
• UN mission, led by US/MacArthur, supported S.
  Korea and troops forced N.Korea back
• Communist China felt threatened, joined war,
  helped north Korea
• War ended in a stalemate, back at almost original
  line (still only an armistice, so war has not
  actually ended)

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Massive Retaliation

• After years of rivalry, The US threatened the
  USSR with Massive Retaliation (nuclear attack)
  if it continued to spread communism
• Born out of frustration with limited proxy wars
  in Third World Countries
• Argued it would be cheaper than ground war
• Some thought it was irresponsible
• Both countries had nuclear weapons, but neither
  had the ability to use them adequately against
  the other
• Kicked off Arms Race, where both nations trying
  to be more powerful than the other
• US Developed the Hydrogen Bomb in 1952

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Hydrogen Bomb
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Sputnik

• 1957, Soviets send up the first satellite ever
• Scares the US
• US Soviets start competing in Space Race

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Bay of Pigs

• Fidel Castro leads a successful Communist
  revolution in Cuba (1959)
• US has a secret plan to remove him from power
• April 17, 1961 - Cuban exiles, trained by CIA,
  attempt invasion of Cuba, try to overthrow Castro
• Total failure (US didnt provide air support)
• Public knew of US role, US looks foolish

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Castro Khrushchev
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Berlin Wall

• 1961, East Germans start to build Berlin Wall
• Communist East Germans wanted to prevent the
  flight of East Germans to the West (via West
  Berlin)
• Wall is a symbol of Cold War division

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Berlin Wall

• Built in 1961
• Over 87 Miles Long
• Between 100-200 people killed trying to cross
  (exact numbers not reported)
• Finally torn down and Germany reunited in 1989

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Cuban Missile Crisis

• October 1962
• US learned USSR was building missile sites on
  Cuba - just 90 miles from US!
• What should the US do?
• It didnt want a nuclear war, but it didnt want
  to look weak.
• Major tension - closest the world has ever come
  to nuclear war

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Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.)

• US decided to launch a naval blockade around Cuba
  to prevent Soviet ships from bringing in more
  equipment
• Everyone held their breath to see what the ships
  would do at the blockade

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Cuban Missile Crisis 3

• The Soviet ships turned around
• There was a secret deal made between US USSR
• Soviet Union would publicly dismantle missile
  sites
• USA would secretly dismantle its missiles in NATO
  ally Turkey

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Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

• Superpowers realize they need to have better
  relations after coming to brink of nuclear war in
  Cuban Missile Crisis
• US, Britain, USSR agree to stop testing nuclear
  weapons above ground (still do underground tests)
• June 1963
• Shows cooperation, thawing of Cold War
• Lasts until Reagan era in the 1980s

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Vietnam War

• Primary US involvement 1964-1973
• U.S. helped South Vietnam defend itself from
  being taken over by Communist North Vietnam
  (containment theory)
• In 1975, after growing opposition to the War in
  USA, a cease-fire was called
• After the US left, South Vietnam fell to the
  Communist North, Vietnam is united under
  Communist rule

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Americans on the Moon!

• July 20, 1969
• First moon walk - Neil Armstrong
• Soviets beaten to the moon - America wins the
  space race

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Renewal of Cold War

• Reagan believed
• Communism was the focus of evil in the modern
  world
• The USSR was an evil Empire with Aggressive
  Impulses
• Thus, wanted to aggressively fight the Cold War
• Focused on preventing communism from gaining
  ground in Central/South America
• El Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada (invasion)

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Arms Race Returns

• Didnt trust USSR to limit nuclear weapons, so
  increased US military build up
• Strategic Defense Initiative
• Missile Shield Idea
• Critics called it Star Wars

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Mikhail GorbachevNew Soviet Leader in 1985

• Glasnost Openness
• Perestroika Restructuring
• Eastern Block countries are loosening
  restrictions
• Berlin Wall comes down
• Reagan had spoken in June 1987 Mr. Gorbachev,
  tear down this wall.
• November 1989, after mass demonstrations the wall
  finally comes down
• USSR breaks up finished (Dec. 1991)

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The Berlin Wall Falls
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Cooperation Cold War Ends