Cold War
Germany was split into four zones - British, French, US, Berlin zones
Berlin was split into four zones
In 1948, the three western controlled zones of Germany’s (US, France, UK) were united, and grew in prosperity due to the Marshal Plan.
The west wanted the East to rejoin, but Stalin feared it would hurt Soviet Union
In June 1948, Stalin decided to try to gain control of West Berlin which was deep inside the eastern sector.
Stalin cut road, rail, and canal links with West Berlin, Hoping to starve it into submission
The west responded by airlifting in the necessary supplies to allow West Berlin to survive
In May 1949 Russia admitted defeat and lifted the blockade
The Second Red Scare – 1947- 57
Causes:
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Trial
- Found guilty of spying for the soviets- executed in 1953
Causes of 2nd Red Scare Cont.
- The iron Curtain surrounding Eastern Europe – 1945
- The USSR detonating their atomic bomb – 1949
- China becoming communist in 1949
- The Korean War started in 1950- Domino Effect
- Stalin’s actions in Germany- Berlin Blockade
USSR’s First Atomic Test – 1949 scared people
Chiang Kai Shek vs. Mao Zedong
Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975
Chinese Communist revolutionary
Chinese Civil War
- 1928-1937
- WWII – Japan invaded them
- 1946-1950
- Mao Zedong and the communist win
- Chiang Kai-Shek flees to Taiwan
- Taiwan is who the US and the United Nations recognizes as China until 1972
- Richard Nixon Visits China in 1972- Détente
Alien Registration Act of 1940(smith act)
- Made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government
- Required all non-citizen adult residents to register with the government
- Approximately 215 people were indicted under the legislation including alleged communists, anarchists, and fascists
- Prosecution under the Smith Act continued until the Supreme Court decision declared law unconstitutional in 1957
Senator Joe McCarthy & McCarthyism
- Republican Senator from Wisconsin
- In 1950, he gave a speech where he claimed to have a list of 205 communist in the State Department
- No one in the press actually saw the names on the list, but McCarthy’s announcement made national news and caused panic throughout the country
- McCarthy became one of the most powerful people in the U.S.
Supporters of McCarthy
- Republicans
- Catholics
- Conservative Protestants
- Blue-Collar workers
- Joseph and Robert Kennedy
McCarthy’s Downfall
- Finally began in Oct. 1953, when he started to investigate “communist infiltration into the military”
- This was the final straw for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who realized that movement needed to be stopped
- In late 1954, the senator voted to censure him for his conduct and to strip him of his privileges
- McCarthy died three years later from alcoholism
McCarthyism
- The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence
House Un-American Activities Committee HUAC – 1945 – 1975
- This organization went after directors and actors in Hollywood
- The committee believed that films were spreading communist propaganda
- They set up hearings to investigate the movie industry
- Hollywood Ten
- Each man was found guilty and sentenced to spend a year in prison and pay a $1,000, fine
- They were Blacklist
Charlie Chaplin
- English comic actor and filmmaker
Berlin Wall – 1961
- Close off access between East and West Berlin
- To keep communist in
Bay of Pigs- April 1961
- CIA launched a strike
- Invasion didn’t go well, they were outnumbered by Castro’s troops
- Goal was to overthrow Castro
Fidel Castro – 1959 – 2011
- A Cuban politician and revolutionary who served as Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976
Cuban-Missile Crisis-October, 1962
Brinkmanship
- Going beyond the limit of safety to play a dangerous move before having to stop
The Compromise
- The soviet would remove their missiles from Cuba
- The US promised never to invade Cuba
- The US would secretly remove our nuclear missiles from Turkey within six months
Perestroika and Glasnost – 1985
- Perestroika- restructuring of the Soviet economy and political system
- More democracy
- Free elections
- Glasnost- more openness of the soviet government and for its people
- Free speech and press
INF Treaty
Reduce nuclear arm race
What Impact did the fall of the Soviet Union and Communism have on Europe and the world?
- New countries broke out of the USSR
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
- East and West Germany re-united in 1990
- Rise of Democracy and capitalism throughout Europe
- Wars and Ethnic Cleansings – Yugoslavia
- (Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia)
- The world became more unified and more interdependent
- The rise of radical Islamic groups – Taliban, Al-Qaeda
- The United States emerged as the singular major power in the world
Boris Yeltsin-President of Russia – 1991 – 1999
Why did the US win the Cold War? Why did the USSR lose the Cold War?
- We had close ties with our Allies and the USSR didn’t
- China started siding with us after 1972
- The Soviet economy was in shambles whereas the US’s was flourishing
- Huge deficit
- High inflation
- Corruption
- Social problems
- Shortage of basic needs (food, housing)
- The strong anti-communist presidency of Reagan
- Gorbachev’s willingness for change and reform
- Glasnost and perestroika
- Admitted Soviet mistakes
- Took blame for the Cold War
- Communist system had failed
- **allowed Eastern Europe to do what they wanted**
- Arms reduction talks
- SALT, INF, Reagan-Gorbachev meeting
- Soviet mistakes
- Invasion of Afghanistan
- Ignoring social concerns
- Spent everything on military
Post – cold war
- In the 1990’s, the world seemed to be a much more peaceful place
- President Clinton closed down numerous military bases around the country reducing the size of the us military
- 9-11 caught the US off guard
Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary Join NATO – 1999
Putin New Leaders in Russia – 1999-2008 and 2012 - ??
Russia vs. Ukraine – 2014-15
- Ukraine wanted to join the European Union but leader did not want to as he was Pro-Russia
- Ukrainian leader is forced out
- Russia moves troops in the Crimean Peninsula and annexes it after Crimean voters vote to approve annexation
- The United Nations declares this act by Russia as illegal
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