Unit 6: VA/US SOL Review

Unit 6: Cold WarSOL 13

After WW2• Soviet forces occupied most of Eastern & Central Europe and

eastern Germany. • Germany was divided into East & West. West was democratic, so

was only temporarily occupied by the Americans, British & French.• East Germany was dominated by the Soviet Union & became

Communist. • Japan, after being occupied, developed a democratic form of

government. • Europe laid in ruins, so the US launched the Marshall Plan to lend

them money. • The UN was formed after WW2 to try & prevent future global wars.

The Cold War

• Influenced American domestic policies, foreign affairs & the role of the government in the economy.

• Was a competition between two very different was of organizing government, society, and the economy– American-led western nations’ belief in democracy,

individual freedoms, and a market economy.– Soviet belief in a totalitarian state and socialism

• U.S. government’s anti-communist strategy of containment in Asia led to America’s involvement in the Korean and Vietnamese Wars.

Origins of the Cold War

• U.S. and S.U. represented starkly different fundamental values. The U.S. represented democratic political institutions and a generally free market economic system. The S.U. was a totalitarian government with a communist (socialist) economic system.

• Truman Doctrine of “containment of communism” was a guiding principle of American policy during the Cold War.

• The communist takeover in China after WWII increased fears of communist domination of most of the world.

Origins of the Cold War…

• Rather than being allies, Communist countries became rivals. President Nixon was able to exploit their rivalries in the 1970s.

• After the S.U. matched the U.S. in nuclear weaponry in the 1950s, the threat of a nuclear war was ever-present. American, under President Eisenhower, adopted a policy of massive retaliation to deter any nuclear strike.

Alliances

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)– Alliance among US &

western European countries to prevent a Soviet invasion of Western Europe

• Warsaw Pact– Alliance of Soviet allies

in Eastern Europe– Formed in retaliation of

NATO

Both sides maintained large military forces facing each other in Europe for nearly 50 years

Korean War

• Early 1950’s American entered into the Korean Was based on the policy of containment of communism.

• After North Korea (communist) invaded South Korea, American forces lad a United Nations counterattack that drove deep into North Korea. Communist Chinese forces came into the war on the side of North Korea.

• Eventually the Korean War ended in a stalemate with South Korea free of communist occupation.

Cuba

• Fidel Castro led a communist revolution that took over Cuba in the late 1950s with many Cubans fleeing to Florida; they later tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro in the “Bay of Pigs” invasion – but failed.

• In 1962 the S.U. stationed missiles in Cuba instigating the Cuban Missile Crisis.

• President Kennedy ordered the Soviets to remove their missiles, and after several days the world was on the brick of a nuclear war.

• Eventually the Soviet leadership “blinked” and removed the missiles.

Vietnam War

• Reflected the Cold War policy of containment• Beginning in the 1950s and continuing into early 1960s, the

communist government of North Vietnam attempted to install through force a communist government in South Vietnam. The United Stares helped South Vietnam resist.

• The American military buildup in Vietnam began under President John Kennedy. After Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, the buildup was intensified under President Lyndon Johnson.

• As the scale of combat grew larger, American forces repeatedly defeated North Vietnamese forces in the field, but by fighting a limited war, could not force an end to the war on favorable terms.

Vietnam War Cont.• America became bitterly divided over the issue. While there was

support for the American military and conduct of the war among many Americans, others opposed the war with active opposition to the war mounting, especially on college campuses.

• After Johnson declined to seek re-election, President Nixon was elected on a pledge to bring the war to an honorable end. He instituted a policy of “Vietnamization” by withdrawing American troops and replacing them with South Vietnams forces and maintaining military aid to South Vietnam.

• “Vietnamization” ultimately failed when South Vietnam could not resist the Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese Army.

• President Nixon was forced out of office by the Watergate scandal.

• In 1975 North and South Vietnam was merged under communist control

Impact of the Cold War at Home• Fear of communism and the threat of nuclear war • During the 1950s and 1960s American schools held drills and

American citizens were urged to build bomb shelters • Alger Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were spies for the

Soviets; the construction of nuclear weapons by the Soviets, using technical secrets obtained through spying increases domestic fears.

• Senator Joseph McCarthy played on American fears of communism by accusing American citizens of being communists based on flimsy or no evidence. McCarthyism – the making of false accusations based on rumor or guilt by association.

• The Cold War made foreign policy a major issue in every presidential election during the period.

Quotes From President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

• (The United States will) “… pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

• “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

American Military Forces during the Cold War

• A strong military was key to America’s victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Millions of Americans served in the military during the Cold War defending freedom in wars and conflicts that were not always popular.

• Many were killed or wounded with their services, the United States and American ideals of Democracy and Freedom prevailed in the Cold War struggle with Soviet communism.

• President Kennedy, a World War II veteran, was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas in an event that shook the nation’s confidence and began a period of internal strife and divisiveness, especially spurred by divisions over the United States involvement in Vietnam.

American Military Forces during the Cold War

• Unlike veterans of World War II, who returned to a grateful and supportive nation, Vietnam veterans returned often to face indifference or outright hostility from some who opposed the war. “Babykillers”

• It was not until several years after the end of the Vietnam war that the wounds of the war began to heal in America, and Vietnam veterans were recognized and honored for their service and sacrifices.

• The heavy military expenditures throughout the Cold War benefited Virginia’s economy more than any other state, especially in Hampton Roads, w/ navy bases, and in Northern Virginia, home to the Pentagon.

Problems of the Soviet Union

• Soviet military competing with the United States.• Rising nationalism • Fast-paced reforms- a market economy.• “Glasnost” and “Perestroika” • President Ronald Reagan’s Role with the Soviet Union:– Challenged the moral legitimacy of the Soviet Union, for

example, Reagan’s speech at the Berlin Wall where he said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

– President Reagan increased military and economic pressure on the Soviet Union.

Presidents Since 1988• George H. W. Bush (1989-1993):

– Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe• Reunification of Germany• Collapse of Yugoslavia• Breakup of the Soviet state

– Persian Gulf War 1990-1991• First war in which American

women served in a combat role• Operation Desert Storm

• William J. Clinton (1993-2001)– North American Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA)– Full diplomatic relations with

Vietnam– Lifting of economic sanctions against

South Africa when its government ended the policy of apartheid

– NATO action in former Yugoslavia

• George W. Bush (2001-2009)– Terrorists attacks on United States

soil 9/11/2001– War in Afghanistan– War in Iraq

“Not So Difficult” Trivia1. Name two major alliances of the post WWII era?

– North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Warsaw Pact.

2. Which president was forced from office due to the Watergate Scandal?– Richard Nixon.

3. On which policy was the Korean War fought?– Containment of communism.

4. What happened in China after WWII that increased American’s fear of communist?– Communists took over China.

5. When Bill Clinton was president a trade agreement among Canada, Mexico and the United States was made. What was it called?– North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

6. Who recklessly accused Americans of being communists with little evidence in post WWII era?– Joseph McCarthy.

“Not So Difficult” Trivia7. Who led a communist revolution and took over Cuba in the late 1950s?

– Fidel Castro.

8. When Germany was East Germany and West Germany, which part was democratic?– West Germany.

9. In what year did North and South Vietnam merge under communist control?– 1975

10. Who was president during the Cuban Missile? Who was the victor in this conflict?– Kennedy. The United States “won” since the Soviets removed the threatening

missiles.

11. Who gave a famous speech at the Berlin Wall (in 1987) addressing Gorbachev?– Ronald Reagan.

Question Time!!!

Show me what you know

Aftermath of World War II

1. Which country completes this table?A. JapanB. PolandC. FranceD. China

A country occupied by the United States

A country occupied by the Soviet Union

-----?---------- Hungary

The Development of East Germany

2. Which phrase best completes this diagram?A. Rise of FascismB. Communist ControlC. Rapid RearmamentD. Formation of Democracy

Occupation After World War II ????? Construction of Berlin

Wall

…we must, by means of rapid and sustained build-up of the political, economic, and military strength of the free world…

wrest [take] the initiative from the Soviet Union…

-Recommendations made by the National Security Council to President Harry Truman, 1950

3. This document describes the United States’ response to the ---A. Cold War tension in EuropeB. Japanese invasion of ChinaC. Creation of the state of IsraelD. Creation of the Manhattan Project

4. Which President is most closely associated with the policy of massive retaliation?A. Dwight D. EisenhowerB. John F. KennedyC. Lyndon B. JohnsonD. Richard M. Nixon

5. This headline describes the result of the increased fear of---A. Communist infiltrationB. Political corruptionC. Organized crimeD. Nuclear energy

The Daily News- January 26, 1950

Alger Hiss Sentenced to Prison

Will Serve Five Years

6. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created primarily to ---A. Protect Western Europe from communismB. Encourage communist factions in ChinaC. Install democratic governments in AfricaD. Protect South America from invasion

7. Veterans of which war often faced public hostility when they returned from duty?A. World War IB. World War IIC. Korean WarD. Vietnam War

8. Which President was in office during the Cold War?A. Woodrow WilsonB. Franklin D. RooseveltC. John F. KennedyD. William Clinton

9. In which area did this conflict occur?A. Afghanistan borderB. Indochinese PeninsulaC. Former YugoslaviaD. Persian Gulf

The Daily News- January 17, 1991

War Begins!Hundreds of planes begin bombing missions

10. Which type of action is described by this quotation?A. Independent investigationsB. Diplomatic relationsC. Economic sanctionsD. Strategic attacks

President Bush met with his national security advisers and with leading members of Congress. He also telephoned the leaders of Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, China, and Russia as the first steps toward building an international coalition against terrorism.

-State Department records, September 12, 2001