Today we went over the semester test. We will be given four questions, and the Cold War will definately be one of them. If we haven't finished our semester test blogs yet we need to get that done soon. We need to pick the most important things because we only have 10 minutes to talk! We did more presentations today.
PRESENTATIONS:
1. Causes of the Cold War-
-America was afraid of the Soviet Union attacking us, and vice versa (Democracy/Communist)
-Democracy = Freedom. Communism = Control
-Truman and Stalin didn't get along the best, but were allies during the war
-Argued about the power the countries would have at the end of the war, and Stalin wanted more
-By the end of the war the United States and Soviet Union had cut ties
-Stalin was upset that thhe US didn't join the United Nations and delayed D-Day
-Stalin wanted an agreement from Germany that they wouldn't attack, and the United States wanted to help Germany rebuild so they wouldn't become Communist
-US and Germany wanted to stop Communism but Soviet Union wanted to spread it
-Stalin did't like how we fought against Germany in the war, and then we wanted to help them
2. Policy of Containment: domino effect, Iron Curtain Speech, Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine-
-Policy of Containment - US used economic and military strategy to slow the spread of Communism
-US tried to contain Communism to stop the spread
-Used it to influence other countries to not fall into Communism
-Wanted to reduce the chances of the "domino effect"
-Domino Effect - something bad (Communism) starts, knocks an area down, and keeps effecting others
-Promoted by the United States between 1950 and 1980 and said that smaller Communist countries would influence surrounding countries, which was not a good thing
-Iron Curtain Speech - Given by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the differences and separation between the areas controlled by the Soviet Union and Western Powers
-The 'curtain' was in place from 1945-1989
-Both sides began doing their own things (like there was two Europes)
-Marshall Plan - plan made in 1947 during George Marshall's speech to make a difference in the economy between 1947-1951 and help European countries make the economy stronger
-To make sure countries didn't turn Communist again
-It was offered to the Soviet Union but they refused
-Officially began in 1948 and went on for four years
-To bring European countries back together and help them recover from their economic problems
-Also known as European Recovery Program (ERP)
-Truman Doctrine was the policy set by President Truman in 1947 in a speech that was agreeing to support Turkey and Greece against the Soviet Union
-US would help with military and economic aid to prevent the Soviet Union from taking over
3. House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)-
-Created in 1938 as an ivestigative comittee to get rid of Communism (United States House of Representatives)
-Richard Nixon was an active member
-Investigated everyone from public employees to private organizations, who were suspected to have communist ties
-Questioned movie stars/screen writers who were in propaganda movies for Communism
-Went to schools and wouldn't let students do anything political on campus
-Limited on-campus speakers unless approved by the HUAC
-Changed name to House Committee on International Security in 1969
-Ended in 1975 and changed to House Judiciary Committee
4. Senator Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism-
-Ran against Robert Follette for a spot in the US Senate and won
-Comissioned into the US Marine Core in 1942 and quickly moved up the ranks to Captain
-He made claims of people being Communist within the government although he didn't have proof and often times changed what he said
-Carried a breifcase that he said he had the names of Communists in, but it wasn't true
-Close to the Kennedy family
-Didn't get along with President Truman very well
-McCarthyism refers to people who make untrue accusations
-Made lots of accusations towards army personnel, none of which he was able to prove
-Was one of the most powerful people in the United States for about 3 years starting in 1950
5. Berlin Blockade and Airlift-Brian-
-Soviet Union tried to block allied access into Berlin
-It failed and made the Soviet Union look bad
-Believed the Cold War caused the bloackade
-Stalin wanted to destroy Germany but US and Britain wanted to rebuilt it
-The blockade was an event in the Cold War between the superpowers
-The three western zones of Germany were to unite and had the political authority to recieve aid from the Marshall Plan
-The airlift began on June 24, 1948
-Because of food rations they had to cut their calories
-Men were only allowed 900 calories a day
-US and Great Britain combined their military zones in one area called Bizonia in September 1947
-They thought it would help bring security back to the Germans
-France became a part of Bizonia so the name was changed to Trizonia
-The Soviet Union didn't want to join a four power union and refused the offer
-Everyone going in and out of Berlin was searched
-The bloackade of Berlin finally passed over on May 12, 1949
-Berlin was a symbol of the United States
6. China becoming communist-Mao Zedong-
-Mao Zedong was the founder and leader of the Communist Party of China
-Founder and architect of the Republic of China
-Chiang Kai-shek was the leader of the Nationalist Party
-The Chinese Civil War was fought by the Chinese Nationalist Party and Communsit Party of China
-Took place from April 1927-May 1950
-They were forced to sign a temporary Secont United Front in 1936 but it didn't end things, and fighting continued
-Neither Nationalists or Communists believed they could achieve their goals if they tried to work together
-Mao Zedong took Tianjin and Beijing
-October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment in Beijing Communist
-Communist Party won
-Nationalists were forced to Tiawan
-The new government promoted the recovery of the nation's economy and industry grew at a rate of about 15% a year
-Agricultural production didn't grow as quickly because Mao Zedong wanted to focus on industry output
-The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communst Party of China
-There were several Long Marches, as various Communst armies in the south escaped to the north and west
-Wanted to gain control and eliminate enemies
-Hua Guofeng took over after Mao Zedong and was chairman of the Communist Party
-All of China was Communist, except Taiwan was Nationalist
7. NATO(beginning to present), de-Stalinization and peaceful co-existence-
-NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also known as the North Altantic Alliance
-Based on the North Atlantic Treaty, and invloved many countries
-North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949
-Signed by US, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, and the UK
-Defensive alliance to work together and stop the spread of Communism
-Goal of NATO was to "Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down" (no Communism, more Democracy, and make sure no more world wars happen)
-Helped defend coutnries like Denmark and Norway during the Cold War
-Still around today, and had 28 member countries
-Purpose is to protect the freedom of all the member countries
-Warsaw Pact was the "NATO" of the Soviet Union and other countries of the like
-De-Stalinization was the process of elimination everything Stalin did in the government
-Many people were released from camps when Nikita Kruschev began the process, and forced labor also ended
-Nikita Kruschev took over Stalin's place in the Soviet Union government
-Peaceful Co-Existence was a theory developed by the Soviet Union and stated they could peacefulyl co-exist with non-Communist countries, especially those involved with NATO
-Five principles: Mutual respect for each others territory, non-agression, no interference in each others international affairs, equality, and peaceful co-existence
8. Nuclear Arms race(1945-1970)-
-Competition between the Soviet Union and United States to build up their nuclear weapons during the Cold War
-Believed more weapons ment more power
-Manhattan Project created the first nuclear weapon
-Soviet Union was not informed until Potsdam Conference on July 24, 1945
-Americans distrusted the Soviets
-Klaus Fuchs (germany scientist/atomic spy) give USSR information after WWII
-First atomic bombs were dropped in Japan
-Soviets began working on their own weapons when the Cold War started
-Soviets dropped their first nuclear bomb, Joe One, on August 29, 1949
-Both sides began to work on hydrogen bombs - smaller in size but much more powerful
-US dropped theirs in 1952, Soviet Union in 1955
-Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs/rockets)
-Most important development in terms of delivery
-More effective than strategic bombers
-Cheaper, faster, harder to destroy
-Biggest problem was accurace - further they traveled the less accurate they were
-Soviets wanted more missiles with less quality, US wanted less missiles with higher quality
-October 4, 1957, Soviet Union launched their first missile/satellite called Sputnik
-Space Race showed you could use them for space exploration as well
-US launched their first two years later
-By 1961 there were enough bombs in the world to destroy the entire planet
-Polaris was a submarine developed by the United States to carry nuclear missiles
-Could move closer to the Soviet Union and were hard to detect
-1950s started the first attempts to defend ourselves against nuclear weapons
-Both US and USSR built large radar systems to detect bombers and missiles
-Citizens were taught how to react and built bomb shelters
-Massive Retaliation/Mutual Deterrence - if an attack from an aggressor nation would occur, the attaced country would massively retaliate by using force greater than the size of the attack
-Wanted to prevent an attack in the first place
9. Fidel Castro and the Bay of Pigs-
-Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by the CIA, launched on April 16, 1961
-Took place in the Bay of Pigs by Cuba
-US President Kennedy ordered we bomb airports a few days before the invasion, and had ships at Guantanamo Bay to make it look like an invasion
-Idea came from President Eisenhower, but Kennedy was in charge when it took place
-CIA recruited Cuban exiles that were in Florida to do the invasion so it didn't look like an attack from us but a rebelion against the government
-Exiles invaded Bay of Pigs hoping to cross the country and take over Havana (capitol)
-It made Castro wary of US involvement in Cuba
-Invasion helped Castro's rise in power and made it stronger
-It was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his revolutionist but instead just made them stronger
10. The Cuban Missile Crisis-
-Consiered the closest the world has ever came to nuclear war
-Cuba was on the edge of using their weapons if anyone would invade
-Started because US and USSR were in the Cold War and the USSR was behind in the nuclear arms race
-Cuba was already suspecting an invasion from the US, so they allowed the USSR to place their weapons in Cuba
-Soviet Union wanted to catch up with the United States
-United States had weapons in Turkey (close to USSR) so Soviet Union had weapons in Cuba (close to US)
-The actual "crisis" began on October 15, 1962 when the US received photos of USSR missiles being constructed in Cuba
-When President Kennedy found out he formed the EX-COMM and brainstormed on how to get out of it
-Stated that any missiles launched from Cuba would still be considered an attack from the Soviet Union and wanted them to remove the weapons from the island
-President Kennedy and Khrushchrev (USSR) communicated through writing letters
-The first letter was from Khrushchrev, saying they'd remove all personell and weapons from Cuba if the US doesn't invade Cuba
-War was extremely close, and neither the US or USSR wanted war
-Before we could even reply, the USSR sent another letter saying they would leave Cuba if the US leaves Turkey
-Robert Kennedy, Attorney General, suggested the US ignore the second letter and agree to the first
-All the tension began to disappear when both agreed to terms
-US eventually agreed that within 6 months we would remove weapons from Turkey
11. The Berlin Wall--Going Up and Coming Down-
-Berlin was split into two zones
-Soviet Union felt the city should be all theirs
-Barrier constructed by German Democratic Public to cut off West Berlin from East Berlin
-Reinforced concrete with barbed wire and gaurd towers
-More than 87 miles long
-Eastern Bloc was dominated by Soviets and had radical political ideology
-Stop people from fleeing from East Berlin to West Berlin
-West: Democratic - East: Communist
-Around 5,000 people tried to escape but gaurds would shoot them down
-Many people lost their job because they were cut off from it and families were separated becasue they lived in different parts of the city
-Kennedy ordered the Berlin Airlift to drop supplies into Berlin to help them out
-US troops went from West Germany to East, heading to Berlin
-Police didn't try to stop them, and Berliners felt reassured
-Many East Germans escaped through Hungary to Austria then flooded West Germany and refused to retuen
-Protests broke out in the East
-Gaurds couldn't control them so they just let them do whatever, and people got on top of the wall and began tearing it down
-November 9, 1989 is when they started tearing it down
-Visa-free travel was allowed on December 23, 1989
-German reunification was not official until October 3, 1990
12. Nixon's visit to China-
-Relations between the Soviet Union, China, and the United States after WWII were deterioration
-President Nixon was a strong anti-communist
-China was teetering on the edge of Communism under Mao Zedong
-Government officials were secretly visiting China to prepare for the trip in July 1971
-The meeting took place February 21-28, 1972, in Beijing, Hanzghou, and Shanghai
-Discussed the future of the countries and visited tourist attractions
-US and China issued the Shanghai Communique, which stated tair foreign policy and it served as a document that is the base of the Sino-American bilateral relations and the countries would work twards normalization
-Improved the reltaions between China and the United States
-Believed to have changed the world
-Seen as one of Nixon's biggest political achievements during his presidency
-Opened the door for economic agreements we have today
13. 1970's Peace Attempts-Detente, Salt I, Salt II-
-Detente "easing of tensions"
-Times were relaxed
14. Effects of the Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan-
-Soviets wanted more control over Afghanistan in 1979
-Afghan people didn't want to change at all because they were stuck in their religion and cults
-Afghanistan invited the Soviet Union to help keep the Communist government in power
-Afghanistan Mujahids got support from the Islamic world by proclaiming it a "holy war"
-US supported the Mujahids with money and weapoins
-Soviet invasion was a failure
-Mujahid were Muslim fighters who used guerrilla warefare on the Soviets and had the home advantage
-The Soviets demolished Afghanistan but they grew tired of the war
-Rural population fed and housed the Mujahids, so they Soviets bombed them
-December 17, 1979 - February 15, 1989
-Mujahid turned into Al Quida later on
15. Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative(Missile Defense System today)-
-Created by Ronald Reagan
-Announced the defense system nationwide on TV
-Parts of the system were based in space
-Government program used to protect the US from potential missile attack
-The missile defense system could be on ground, air, in water, or on satellites
-Initially designed to defeat a Soviet Union offensive strike
-Nicknamed Star Wars
-Important because of all the threats and updated nuclear weapons
16. Gorbachev's/Reagan's changing ways-perestroika and glasnost, INF Treaty-
-
17. The fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War-explain how it all went down-
[Mine]
18. The new map of Europe(up to present)-
-Yugoslavia and Soviet Union broke up after the Cold War
-Soviet Union was closed off from the rest of Europe and split Europe in half
-Soviet Union startedto collapse in 1991
-European countries that formed after the Soviet Union broke up: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
-Baltic States: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia
-Countries wanted freedom and Gorbachev wanted to be more like the United States and told the smaller areas he wouldn't stop them and they could do whatever they wanted
-Moldova created a Declaration of Sovereignty that put their laws over the Soviet Unions
-Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union in 1985
-He liked the United States, we liked him, and he wanted the Soviet Union to be more democratic
-Soviet Union officially broke up in December 1991
-Communists tried to remove Gorbachev because they didn't want to lose Ukraine
-Ukraine passed an Act of Independence and declared them a free nation
-Several smaller countries also were formed
-Yugoslavia's break-up was very slow and war-filled
-Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia were formed after the break-up of Yugoslavia
-Independence took from 1991-2008
-Kosovo broke out of Serbia in 2008, and Serbia still does not accept their independence
-Germany split in East & West after World War II
-Germany reunited after 45 years
19. Why the US won the Cold War-
20. Korean Conflict--
You need to be a member of History 360 to add comments!
Comments