Origins of the Cold War

1
Origins of the Cold War

• End of WWII
• Uneasy allies
• Yalta designed to check Soviet power

2
Origins of the Cold War 2

• Eastern Europe
• Elections held by Soviets (Yalta) corrupted
• 1946-48 Communist dictators come to power in most
  Eastern Euro countries
• USSR claimed need for buffer states
• US/GB saw as violation of self-determination,
  free markets (especially Poland)
• United Nations
• Both granted permanent seats and veto power on UN
  Security Council participate in Nuremberg Trials
• Both reject plans to regulate atomic energy
• Soviets decline to participate in World Bank

3
Origins of the Cold War 2

• Germany
• Partition
• Airlift

4
Containment in Europe

• George Kennan
• Truman Doctrine
• 400 mil in military and economic aid to Greece
  and Turkey for resisting totalitarian regimes
• Trend-setting

5
Containment in Europe

• Marshall Plan
• Post WWII economic problems encouraged growth of
  Communist parties in W. Euro
• US pledged towards recovery
• USSR refused aid b/c feared developing a
  dependency
• Successful policy for both W. Euro and US

6
Containment in Europe

• NATO (1949) attack on one is an attack on all
• US, Canada, Western Europe
• Warsaw Pact (1955) Soviet counter to NATO

7
National Security Act (1947)

• Centralized Dept of Defense to coordinate all
  wings of military (replaced War Dept)
• Created National Security Council to coordinate
  foreign policy in Cold War
• NSC recommends in 1950 (NSC-68)
• Quadruple US defense spending to 20 of GNP
• Alliances w/ non-Communist countries worldwide
• Sell plan to American public
• Created Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to
  gather info on foreign governments

8
Cold War in Asia

• Japan
• Dependent on US for protection post-WWII
• Occupation ends in 1951
• Philippines and Pacific
• 1946 independence from US territory
• US retained bases
• China
• US refuses to acknowledge Mao Zedongs Communist
  govt until 1979 (only recognizes Nationalist
  force in Taiwan)

9
Korean War

• Invasion North invades South 6/50
• Truman applies containment policy
• UN Security Council authorizes sending a UN force
  to defend South (mostly US troops, MacArthur)

10
Korean War 2

• Truman v. MacArthur MacArthur publicly called
  for more aggression ? recalled for
  insubordination
• Armistice stalemated at 38th parallel peace
  talks for 2 years (1953)
• Political consequences
• Truman uses to expand military
• Republicans use Korea and loss of China as
  campaign fuel (soft)

11
Second Red Scare (domestic)

• 1951 Dennis et al. vs. US --Supreme Ct upheld
  the Smith Act which made it illegal to
  advocate/teach/belong to a group that had the
  object of overthrowing the govt
• McCarran International Security Act (1950)
• Anti-communist law
• House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

12
Espionage Cases

• Alger Hiss, State Dept official
• Rosenbergs executed for supposedly selling
  atomic technology to USSR
• McCarthyism

13
Eisenhower

• Influenced by Dulles
• Brinkmanship
• Nuclear weapons over traditional weapons
• More bang for your buck
• Massive Retaliation
• USSR develops own H-bomb and this looks foolish

14
Third World instability fears

• 1954 Guatemala overthrew leftist govt that
  threatened US business interests (United Fruit
  Company)

15
Third World instability fears

• Indochina becomes Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
  (independence war from France drew both US and
  USSR aid)
• Geneva Conference divides Vietnam until elections
  could be held
• SEATO Southest Asia Treaty Organization
• Korea remained divided (technically still at war)

16
Third World instability fears

• Many newly independent nations after WWII
• 1953 US helps orchestrate overthrow of elected
  Iranian govt that tried to nationalize foreign
  oil companies, replaces w/ monarch

17
Middle East

• Suez Crisis
• Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)
• Growing USSR influence in Egypt and Syria
• pledges economic and military support to any
  country threatened by Communism
• OPEC formed in 1960

18
Direct US-Soviet Relations

• Geneva Convention 1955
• Both sides want to warm up relations
• Ike proposes open skies Soviets/ Khrushchev
  reject
• Hungarian Revolt (1956) US took no action to
  support
• Sputnik 1957 ? National Defense and Education
  Act to boost science education
• U-2 spy plane incident

19
Kennedy

• Alliance for Progress land reform and economic
  aid program for Latin America (Cold War agenda)
• Bay of Pigs 1961 tried to use Cuban exiles to
  overthrown Castro (Kennedy refuses to save
  stranded Cubans big blunder)
• Berlin Wall goes up 1963
• Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 US discovered Soviet
  missiles on Cuba (CLOSE to nuclear war)
• New policy Flexible Response

20
Vietnam

• Started by Kennedy, escalated by LBJ, ended by
  Nixon
• Containment justification
• Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1963)
• Tet Offensive, My Lai massacre
• Peak forces in 1969
• Credibility Gap
• Draft polarizes Americans at home (Hawks vs.
  Doves)
• Cambodia bombings in early 70s ignite conflict
• Vietnamization/Nixon Doctrine

21
Nixons Strength

• Played China and USSR off of each other ? détente
• 1972 Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I)
• Soviet consent to freeze number of ballistic
  missiles carrying nuclear warheads (did not end
  arms race, but good step)

22
1973 Developments

• War Powers Act response to secret Cambodia
  bombings
• OPEC Oil Embargo
• Result of USs military support for Israel in
  1973 war
• gtgtrunaway inflation, job loss, issues for
  American car industry
• 55 mph speed limit, Alaska pipeline
• Inflation continues until end of decade

23
Ford (1974-1977)

• Fall of Saigon (1975)
• US Congress refuses additional support of South
  Vietnam
• Mass evacuation of South Vietnamese who had
  supported US (150,000)
• Cambodian Genocide (begins 1975)
• US supported government falls to Khmer Rouge
  (communist radicals)
• Khmer Rouge carried out genocide against own
  people (1 million)

24
Carter

• HUMAN RIGHTS emphasis on foreign policy (clean up
  our act a little)
• New Panama Canal treaty for eventual turnover of
  control to Panama
• Camp David Accords (1978)
• Peace settlement between Egypt (Sadat) and Israel
  (Begin)
• 1979 Egypt is first Arab nation to recognize
  Israel
• Israel withdraws from Sinai territoriy

25
Carter Cold War

• Carter attempted to continue détente
• 1979 US recognizes govt in mainland China
• SALT II w/ USSR limiting size of each
  superpowers nuclear delivery systems
• 1979 Soviets invade Afghanistan (US Senate never
  ratifies SALT II as a result)
• US feared for oil
• Carter has to switch to arms build-up
• Embargos grain exports to USSR
• 1980 Olympics boycott

26
Carter Iran

• Iran Hostage Crisis ? huge stain on Carter
• Shah disliked but supplied oil
• Ayatollah Khomeni and Islamic fundamentalists
  overthrown shahgtgtoil shortage
• 1979 Iranian militants seize US embassy take 50
  hostages
• Carter unable to resolve.

27
Reagan

• New arms buildup

28
Reagan

• Military buildup
• SDI/Starwars
• Defense budget
• 1981 171 billion
• 1985 300 billion

29
Reagan Central America

• Nicaragua (1979)
• Sandanistas (leftwing) assume power
• Contras emerge as anti-leftist force (US
  supported)
• Iran-Contra profits from arms deals to Iran used
  to fund Contras in Nicaragua
• El Salvador support for brutal anti-left
  government
• Grenada (1983)
• Marines to combat pro-Cuban coup

30
Reagan

• 1985 Gorbachev emerges
• Glasnost openness, end to political repression,
  greater political freedom
• Perestroika restructuring of the Soviet economy
  w/ some free market practices
• To achieve reforms Gorb must end costly arms race
  and deal w/ economic problems

31
Reagan

• 1987 Gorb and Reagan agreed to remove and destroy
  all intermediate range missiles (INF agreement)
• 1988 Gorb pulls troops from Afghan.
• Gorb pressures Iran and Iraq to end their war
  (Ayatollah Komeini vs. Saddam Hussein)

32
Reagan

• 1989 Berlin Wall comes down

33
Johnson Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• Johnson becomes president as Vietnam situation
  deteriorates (7 different govt in 1964)
• What happened
• NV fired on US ships in Tonkin Gulf
• Later disputed
• Resulting Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• LBJ convinces Congress that Tonkin Gulf incident
  merited a US military response
• Gave president a blank check to take all
  necessary measures to protect US interests in
  Vietnam
• Criticism War not declared by Congress (thus
  illegal)

34
Johnson - Escalation

• Most advisors recommend expansion in 1965
• Operation Rolling Thunder prolonged air attack
  on NV
• 1965 over 180,000 troops
• 1967 over 485,000 troops
• 1969 peaked at 540,000
• War of attrition/search and destroy ? alienation
  of peasants

35
Johnson - Credibility Gap

• Misinformation from govt officials
• LBJ is reluctant to speak on scope and costs of
  war
• Credibility Gap
• Inner circles of govt themselves misunderstood
  Vietcong and the type of war

36
Hawks vs. Doves

• Hawks
• Believed that war was USSR-backed Communist
  expansion (domino)
• Doves
• Saw war as a civil war in which US had no role
• Greatest dove faction was college students
• Eugene McCarthy (MN) 1968 challenges LBJ for
  Democratic nomination anti-war

37
Johnson -Tet Offensive, Jan 1968

• Vietcong launches all-out offensive on southern
  cities
• US counter-attacked (heavier losses for Vietcong)
• Homefront
• Tet is watched on TV
• Looks like massive loss for US demoralized
  Americans

38
LBJ withdraws

• Response to Tet
• More troops requested (250,000 more)
• Other advisors encourage LBJ to decrease
• 1968 marks decrease in troop levels

• March 31, 1968
• LBJ tells America that he was going to limit
  bombing and negotiate peace
• Not running for re-election
• May 1968 Peace Talks in Paris
• Deadlocked over minor issues

39
Nixon

• 1969 over ½ million troops in Vietnam
• Looking for peace with honor
• Vietnamization of war effort
• Gradual withdrawal of troops
• , weapons, training would remain
• 540,000 in 69 ? 30,000 in 72
• Nixon Doctrine Asian allies would receive US
  support without the ground forces