POST WORLD WAR II

THE COLD WAR

INTERESTING WWII TIDBITS:

THE YALTA CONFERENCE
Roosevelt and Churchill got a promise from Stalin
that free elections would be held in the countries in
Eastern Europe that were occupied by the Soviet
army

THE NUREMBERG TRIALS

Important Nazi leaders were tried and convicted by
an international tribunal for crimes against
humanity
Revealed German atrocities to the world
Reaffirmed that not just a country, but individuals
were accountable for violations of international law

Continued
Hideki Tojo
was the prime minister of Japan who convinced
Emperor Hirohito to attack the U.S. at Pearl Harbor
After being found guilty at his trial for war crimes,
he was executed after the war

Albert Einstein
Played a key role in developing the atomic bomb
He had fled Germany after Hitler came to power
and came to the U.S.
During the war, he feared Germany was
developing atomic weapons

Continued
The destruction of WWII was unparalleled
As many as 70 million people died
Much of Europe and Asia was in ruins
Germany, Italy, and Japan were occupied and
turned into democratic nations
Brought about the end of imperialism in Africa
and Asia
Cost more than two trillion dollars

UNITED NATIONS
Replaced the League of Nations
Guaranteed the security of member
nations
Fostered good will through equal rights
Encouraged economic, cultural, and
humanitarian cooperation

NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
was a military alliance
Formed in April 1949
Original members: Belgium, Luxembourg,
France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy,
Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, the
United States, and Canada
Sought security during the Cold War

OTHER ALLIANCES
The Warsaw Pact: Soviet Union, Albania,
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary, Poland, and Romania
SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization): U.S., Great Britain, France,
Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines,
Australia, and New Zealand
CENTO (Central Treaty Organization):
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Great Britain,
and U.S.

U.S. ACTIONS
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE

Stated that the U.S.

would provide money
to countries
threatened by
Communist
expansion

THE MARSHALL PLAN

Designed to rebuild the
prosperity and stability of
war-torn Europe
Included economic
recovery

NATIONAL POLICIES
Western allies wanted to achieve security
by strengthening democracy
Soviets wanted to establish pro-soviet
governments in Eastern Europe
The iron curtain, a soviet-made barrier
that split Europe into communist and noncommunist countries, developed
The U.S. implemented a policy of
containment or keeping communism
within its existing boundaries and prevent
further Soviet aggression.

KEY EVENTS OF THE COLD WAR

The Berlin Blockade

The soviets blocked allied
supplies from entering
Berlin (West Germany)
from June 1948-May 1949
In 1949, the 3 western
zones merged into a new
independent state
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
Stalin turned the Soviet zone into the German
Democratic Republic (East Germany)

THE BERLIN WALL

In 1955, The
Berlin Wall was
built to prevent
East Germans
from escaping
through West
Berlin

Communist Revolution in China

Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-Shek, had
united China in 1928
After WWII, Mao Zedong led communist
forces against the nationalist government
He was helped by the Soviets
Mao won the support of the peasants
through land reform programs and finally
drove out Chiang
Nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan
and vowed to return to mainland China

CHINA UNDER MAO

The Great Leap Forward 1956, he introduced
a Five-Year Plan to turn China into an industrial
power. Used large population to build dams,
roads, and factories. Poor planning and high
costs caused economic disaster (30-50 million
died)
Cultural Revolution laid out his blueprint in his
Little Red Book to create the ideal Communist
society. Created Red Guards to revitalize
society, but they created a lot of violence,
instead (as many as 1 million died)

Korean War
A fight to halt the spread of communism in
Korea
A civil war attempting to reunite Korea,
fought by opposing regimes (the North
backed by Soviet forces and the South
backed by U.S. forces)
June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953

Bay of Pigs
Unsuccessful attempt by
American-backed Cuban
exiles to overthrow Fidel
Castro
April 1961 (three months
after John F. Kennedy took
office as president)
Further strained U.S.
Cuban relations

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Soviets placed nuclear missiles in
Cuba as a threat to the U.S. and to offset
U.S. missiles placed in Turkey.
1962

Vietnam War
A fight to halt the spread of communism in Viet Nam
by nationalist leader, Ho Chi Minh
North Vietnam (Viet Cong) backed by communist
allies were opposed by the South Vietnamese rebels
backed by U.S. forces
U.S. military advisors first arrived in 1950
U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s and
combat units were deployed beginning in 1965
The Tet Offensive in 1968 demonstrated the strength
of the Viet Cong
A peace treaty was signed in 1973 by all parties and
the U.S. withdrew its troops
1975 Saigon fell to North Vietnam

Cambodia
American withdrawal from Vietnam led to
the collapse of the government in Cambodia
Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communists)
seized control
Pol Pot (leader of Khmer Rouge) carried out
the genocide of city dwellers and other
opponents
As many as four million died between 1975
and 1978

CHANGE IN THE SOVIET UNION

Stalin died March 5, 1953 leaving power to a group
of leaders
Nikita Krushchev emerged as the chief Soviet
policy maker and began a process of deStalinization. He implemented economic reforms
and loosened government controls on literary works.
When Krushchev was removed from office in 1964,
Leonid Brezhnev emerged as the dominant leader
in the 1970s. He allowed soviets more access to
Western culture.
A long period of stagnation (failure to advance)
began: there was little incentive to work, farms failed
to produce enough food, poor quality goods, and low
living standards alcoholism, corruption

Problems for the Soviets

Natan Sharansky
Founded the Refusenik Movement
Imprisoned for demanding human rights and
permission to emigrate
Released in 1986 after 9 years in a concentration
camp

Afghanistan
Long, drawn-out war against local nationals
Tied up large numbers of forces and soldier deaths
USSRs Vietnam

The Gorbachev Years (1985-1991)

In March 1985, communist party leaders chose
Mikhail Gorbachev to lead the Soviet Union.
He implemented economical and political
reforms known as perestroika
Glasnost: greater openness of Soviet society,
released dissidents, eased restrictions on
Jews and others, began elections
New Directions in foreign policy: withdrew
troops from Afghanistan, entered into talks
with President Reagan, permitted democratic
elections in Eastern Europe

Detente
A relaxation of tensions between the U.S.
and Soviets
1972

FALL OF THE IRON CURTAIN

IN EASTERN EUROPE
Poland led the way in the demand for
change
Pope John Paul II (1st non-Italian Pope in 400
years) inspired other Poles to challenge the
status quo
Lech Walesa organized an independent trade
union named Solidarity and led a strike of
workers which spread throughout Poland
Poland became the first Eastern European
nation to elect a non-Communist government

Continued
This promoted a lifting of the Iron Curtain
in other places (East Germany,
Czechoslovakia, etc.)
November 1989 The Berlin Wall fell
Free elections were held throughout
Eastern Europe which brought nonCommunist governments to power

Changes, continued
Gorbachev resigned on December 15, 1991,
and turned over responsibility to Boris Yeltsin
who became the new president of Russia (the
Soviet Union had ceased to exist when a
number of Soviet republics voted for
independence).
Yeltsin resigned at the end of 1999 and was
replaced by Vladimir Putin who was elected
president in 2000. The economy greatly
improved due to his reforms.

CHANGES TO GERMANY AND CHINA

Germany was reunited
Helmut Kohl (West German leader) helped
negotiate the reunification

China introduced free enterprise gradually

without abandoning their monopoly of
political power
Deng Xiaoping took over after Maos death
His goal was to modernize China