Cold War Origins & Decolonization

Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization

• In 1943, the Big Three (US, Britain, and USSR) met at the Tehran Conference to plan the liberation of Western and Eastern Europe after WWII, dividing the regions in half.
• The Big Three convened at the Yalta Conference in 1945 to discuss the reconstruction of Europe post-WWII.
• The US advocated for democratic governments, while the USSR had differing preferences for Eastern Europe.
• At the Potsdam Conference, US President Harry Truman pushed for democracy in Eastern Europe, but the USSR resisted.
• The USSR gained communist influence in Eastern Europe, while the US controlled democratic and capitalist Western Europe.
• The conflicting ideologies and control over Europe set the stage for the Cold War between the US and USSR.

Shifting Balance of Power

• WWII caused widespread destruction, especially in Eastern Europe, weakening Britain and France.
• The US and USSR emerged as the dominant world powers due to their relative strength after the war.
• The US introduced the Marshall Plan, offering financial aid to European countries to counter communism.
• The USSR's development of nuclear weapons heightened concerns and shifted the balance of power.

Start of the Cold War

• Rising tensions led to the Cold War, characterized by indirect competition for global influence between the US and USSR.
• An arms race ensued as both countries stockpiled weapons to deter potential attacks.
• The US maintained forces in Europe due to concerns about the Soviet Union's growing arsenal of weapons.

Setting the Stage for Decolonization

• Many colonies fought for their imperial powers during WWII, expecting to be granted independence afterward.
• Self-determination movements spurred anti-imperialist sentiments in colonies.
• Britain and France had diminished control over their colonies due to weakened resources, making it harder to resist decolonization.
• Decolonization movements gained momentum, leading to the formation of new states in the 20th century.

The Cold War

• The United Nations was founded to prevent conflicts from escalating, replacing the League of Nations.
• The UN aimed to promote international cooperation and maintain global peace.

Rivalries for Influence

• The US aimed to promote capitalism, characterized by private ownership of the means of production.
• The USSR sought to spread communism, where the government owns and controls economic assets to create an equal society.
• The US criticized the USSR for restricting rights and unfair economic practices.
• The USSR criticized the US for its treatment of minorities and social inequalities.
• Fear-driven competition led to the arms race between the two superpowers.
• The space race emerged as a competition between the US and USSR to achieve milestones in space exploration.
• Rapid advancements in space research and technology resulted from the space race.

Conflicts in International Affairs

• The US opposed the spread of communism, as stated in the Truman Doctrine.
• The Truman Doctrine declared the US would work to prevent communism from expanding to other countries.
• Communism expanded to satellite nations, countries under Soviet influence, creating an "iron curtain" dividing Europe.
• The Marshall Plan was used to provide economic assistance to Eastern European countries and foster stability.

Split of Berlin

• Germany was divided into western and eastern zones by the iron curtain.
• Berlin, located in East Germany, was also divided, with the US seeking a democratic zone in West Berlin.
• As more people fled to West Berlin to escape communism, the Soviets built the Berlin Wall.
• The Berlin Wall completely enclosed West Berlin, preventing people from crossing into the democratic zone.
• Prior to the wall, the US supplied West Berlin with resources, but the Berlin Blockade disrupted this aid.

The Non-Aligned Movement

• A conference was held in Indonesia for newly independent countries who wished to remain neutral from the influence of the superpowers.
• Some states strategically leaned towards one superpower to gain resources while maintaining a facade of non-alignment.

Effects of the Cold War

• The US formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 to counter communism.
• The USSR created the Warsaw Pact, a communist bloc of Soviet-aligned countries, as a response to NATO.
• Other treaties, such as SEATO and CENTO, were established to contain the spread of communism.

Proxy Wars

• Proxy wars were a major consequence of the Cold War, involving conflicts in smaller countries funded by the superpowers.
• The Korean War resulted in the division of Korea into communist North Korea and democratic South Korea.
• North Korea's invasion of South Korea led to a stalemate and ongoing conflict between the two sides.
• The Vietnam War saw the US sending troops to support democratic South Vietnam against communism, but ultimately failing.
• The domino theory was a belief that if one country in Asia fell to communism, others would follow.
• The Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis occurred as proxy conflicts.
• Fidel Castro's communist takeover of Cuba led to an alliance with the USSR.
• The US supported Cuban exiles in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Castro.
• The USSR placed missiles in Cuba in response to US missile deployments in Turkey, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis was averted after negotiations led to the removal of missile bases by both countries.
• The Contra War in Nicaragua involved the US supporting the Contras against the Sandinistas, resulting in significant casualties.
• The Contra War ended in 1989 with the signing of the Tela Accord, demobilizing both armies.

Antinuclear Movements

• The arms race sparked antinuclear weapon movements advocating for the ban of nuclear testing and use.
• The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty prohibited nuclear weapon testing in all environments.
• The Non-Proliferation Treaty aimed to prevent the spread of nuclear technology to non-nuclear countries.

Spread of Communism After 1900

• The rise of the US and USSR led to the global spread of communism.

Communist China

• Communists and nationalists fought for control in China, with the communists, led by Mao Zedong, winning in 1949.
• The Great Leap Forward was initiated to redistribute land and industrialize China through rural communities.

Decolonization After 1900

• WWII weakened powers like Britain, paving the way for decolonization and armed resistance in their colonies.

Indian Decolonization

• Indian nationalists in the Indian National Congress sought to remove the British from India, inspired by British ideals.
• Self-determination movements grew in India but were largely ignored until after WWII.
• Mohandas Gandhi led non-violent movements, resulting in India's independence in 1947.
• The Muslim League sought a separate region for Muslims, leading to the partition and creation of Pakistan.
• Partition resulted in ongoing conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.

Armed Struggle

• Whether independence was peaceful or violent often depended on the size of the white European population in a colony.
• Colonies with large European settler populations resisted decolonization, leading to violent conflicts.

Algeria

• France resisted granting independence to Algeria due to the large French population there.
• The National Liberation Front, composed of Arab and Berber Muslims, launched violent attacks.
• Algeria gained independence in 1962 after negotiations led by President Charles de Gaulle.

Angola

• Three Angolan political groups united to oppose Portuguese colonial rule, leading to violence.
• Independence was negotiated in 1975 after a coup in Portugal, but civil war erupted among the three groups.
• The conflict became a proxy war in the Cold War due to the groups' communist and anti-communist affiliations.

Post-Independence Conflicts

• Colonial boundaries led to violent power struggles between ethnic and religious groups after independence.

Nigeria

• After gaining independence from Britain in 1960, a civil war broke out in 1967 when the Igbo people tried to secede.
• The legacy of colonial boundaries continues to cause tension worldwide.

Newly Independent States

Israel's Founding and its Relationship with Neighbors

• The Zionist Movement led by Theodore Herzel, pushed for the creation of a separate Jewish State due to the displacement of Jews since Biblical times.
• After WW1 the British had control over Palestine agreed to the creation of settlements.
• After WW2 the UN and US split Palestine in half to ehlp the Jewish to have a homeland.
• The creation of Israel faced constant conflict with neighboring countries.
• 1917- British government issued Baifour Declaration,Promised civil and religious rights to non-Jews in Palestine,Zionist begar to immigrate,Arabs protested loss of land and culture.
• 1948- UN divided Palestine into Jewish and Arab sections which created the state of Israel.
• War broke out of 1956 Suez Canal, Six Day War of 1967, Yum Kippur War of 1973.
• Camp David Accords- US President Jimmy Carter, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, 1969 Peace treaty was rejected.
• Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)- Yasser Arafat continues to have ongoing violence.
• Palestinians split into two factions Fatah (West Bank) and Hamas (Gaza)
• Israel has tight control on borders, approves new settlements, US support of Israel.

Cambodia Gains Independence and Survives Wars

• Following the Vietnam War, a communist guerilla organization called the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot, overthrew the right-wing government of Cambodia.
• Vietnam fell to communism, giving the theory that if one country falls to communism the rest do too.
• Khmer Rouge developed a ruthless form of communism .
• 1977, Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia and took control of the government and helped the country gain stability, even as fighting continued.
• 1991, peace agreement reached, country is now developed democratically by Prince Norodom Siganouk.

India and Pakistan Become Seperate Counties

• The partition of the colony was chaotic, and violence broke out along religious lines.
• Hidnus and Sikhs fled their homes in Pakistan to resettle in India, and Muslims fled India for Pakistan.
• India became the world largest democracy, Pakistan had both elected leaders and authoritain miliaty rulers.

Kashmir Conflict

• Kashmir, a border region in the mountainous north.
• Most people in Kashmir were Muslims, but its leader was a Hindu.
• Both Pakistan and India claimed Kashmir.
• Each began developing muclear weapons.
• Eventually, India controlled about 45% of the Kashmir region, Pakistan conteolled about 35%, China controlled about 20%.

Women Gain Power in South Asia

Sri Lanka

• Worlds first female minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1960)
• Socialist economic policies
• Voted out of office (1965) but returned to power (1970)
• Voted out of office again (1977)
• Daughter, Chandrika became the countries first female president (1994), appointed mother as a prime minister.

India

• Indira Gandhi became India’s leader in 1966
• Poltical and economic moved to streinghten India’s economy
• 20 point economic program.
• 1977 she lost in elections
• Returned to power as a prime minister in 1980 but was assassinated in 1984.

Pakistan

• Benazir Bhutto became Pakistan prime minister in 1988
• Struggled to improve Pakistan’s economy and reduce poverty
• Bhutto won election to two nonconsecutive terms and then went into exile from 1999-2007. Was then assassinated.

Tanzania Modernizes

• Independence from britain in 1961 then become the United Republis of Tanzania.
• Julius Nyerere, instituted African socialist political and economic ideas ,summarized in the Arusha Declaration of 1976.
• Egaliterian
• Literacy campaigns, free education, collective farming
• Advanced the countries economic independence away from foreign aid
• Improve it but could not pull Tanzania out of poverty.

Emigration From Newer Countires to Older Ones

• Large number of refugees nd immigrants from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh moved to London.
• London was a metropole- a large city of a former colonial ruler.
• Vietnameme, ALgericans, and WEst Africans migrated to Paris.
• Filipinos imgrated to the US.
• Cities in a county of a former colonized is called a metropole.