Cold War Student Notes 2022 PDF

The Cold War (1945 - 1960s) -1– * Most historians would argue that the Cold War began at the end of World War II (1945). * The Cold War refers to the rivalry between the United States, a capitalist country, and the Soviet Union, a communist country. * There had been tensions betwe...

The Cold War (1945 - 1960s) -1– * Most historians would argue that the Cold War began at the end of World War II (1945). * The Cold War refers to the rivalry between the United States, a capitalist country, and the Soviet Union, a communist country. * There had been tensions between these countries ever since the Communist Revolution in 1917 but it was only in 1945 that their rivalry for world domination started in earnest. * The dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the United States led to countries realising that general atomic warfare could destroy the planet. * It was called a Cold War because it was not a war fought between the United States and the USSR on a battlefield. It was a war based on different ideologies. But, millions died nevertheless. An ideology is how individuals or groups see aspects of society – such as politics, economics, art and history – to understand and explain certain events and actions. There are many types of ideologies, as individuals and groups may see the world around them very differently. The Cold War was often described as an ideological battle between the two different ideologies of capitalism and communism. It is important to understand what is meant by capitalism and communism to know what the Cold War was all about. TERMINOLOGY Communism: In 1917 Russia became a communist country after the 1917 Communist Revolution. Russia was renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Lenin became the new leader of the USSR. He was a communist but ruled like a dictator. Lenin and the Bolsheviks offered what ordinary, poverty-stricken Russians wanted: peace, land and bread! In 1924 Lenin died and Stalin gradually took over the leadership of the Soviet Union. Communists do not like a few rich people controlling all the wealth in the country. They believe that the government should rule in the interests of all, not just the rich. The wealth should be shared equally between people. The government is responsible for the redistribution of the wealth. A communist economy is centrally planned to make sure that there is economic equality. No one can own private property or make a profit. The state takes ownership of all large industries and other sources of wealth. Communist governments are not usually democratic. -2– Communism became a popular ideology among poor and oppressed people all over the world as it offered them hope to improve their circumstances. The governments of America and Western Europe thought that communism was a threat to them, and wherever they could, they tried to stamp it out. Lenin (1917-1924) Stalin (1928-1953) Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He was a ruthless dictator who transformed the Soviet Union into a major world power. With the use of extreme police terror and ruthlessness, he created a mighty military-industrial world power, and led the Soviet Union into the Nuclear Age. After his alliance with the United States and Great Britain during World War II, Stalin now regarded these countries - and especially the United States - as arch-enemies during what became known as the Cold War. Capitalism: One of the main ideas behind capitalism is the belief that there is nothing wrong with some people being very rich, and other people being poor. The possibility of making a profit is thought to be an incentive or motive to work harder. "Capital" is money, and means the making of money. In capitalist countries, the government does not run the economy. This also means protecting the rights of individuals who own huge industries and gather great wealth while the majority of people remain very poor. -3– The USA is the most powerful capitalist country in the world today. Capitalist governments may be democratic, but are often fascist or monarchies or even run by dictators. The USA became an extremely powerful nation during World War II. Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States (1945-53). He led America through the final stages of World War II and through the early years of the Cold War. He was strongly opposed to the Soviet Union expanding its control in Europe and other parts of the world. He wanted the United States to resist communism and to limit Soviet expansion. This policy is known as "containment". It has been criticised as the United States supported any capitalist country even if it had a dictatorial government. Research the following aspects of the Cold War. List 5 facts for each aspect. 1. The Truman Doctrine _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ 2. The Marshall Plan _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ -4– Understanding the Cold War After World War II, the USA and the USSR were the most powerful countries in the world. They had strong economies and powerful armies. In the Cold War, the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, supported those who followed their respective ideologies. Ways in which Superpower tension increased during the Cold War: At the Yalta Conference (February 1945) it was agreed that Germany would be divided into four zones. These zones would be given to Britain, France, the USA and the USSR. Berlin (capital of Germany) would also be divided into 4 zones, among the allies. Each of the allied powers would extract war debts (reparations) from their zones. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin attended this meeting. At the Potsdam Conference (1945), which was attended by Stalin, Attlee (replaced Churchill) and Truman (replaced Roosevelt), the decision to occupy Germany by the USA, Britain, France and the USSR after the war was maintained. Stalin was at a negotiating advantage as he was the only leader who had attended both meetings. Germany would be demilitarized, disarmed and denazified. Democratization would also be introduced at a later stage. Germany would also need to pay war debts (reparations). -5– The Western nations wanted to rebuild Germany while Stalin was determined to make Germany pay the maximum penalty for the loss of the war. Stalin was opposed to the division of Germany, as he feared it would restrict Communist expansion. Stalin was determined to keep Germany weak and he wanted to prevent the emergence of any groups that may be a threat to his control in the USSR. After the defeat of Germany, the USSR immediately began to dismantle factories and machinery in their zone. This was to be used to assist the USSR in repairing the extensive damage that the USSR suffered during World War II. Soon conflict emerged between the Western and Soviet zones. The West and the USSR could not agree on the relative value of industrial equipment and food. The USSR refused to supply the set amount of food from their zone and they accused the west of not sending enough industrial equipment to the east. In return, the West refused to dismantle and ship industrial equipment, from their zones, to the USSR’s zone. Results: The Western zones were faced with severe food shortages and economic chaos. The Western powers did not trust Stalin’s intentions The British and the USA zones were fused into one zone on 1 January 1947. - they hoped that this single zone would be more economically successful. The Marshall Plan was introduced by the USA. The USA and Britain introduced a new currency in 1948 - this led to a marked improvement in the economy of Germany. On 8 April 1948 France agreed to unite her zone with the US and British zone. Increased tension between the USSR and the western nations. This led to the first Berlin crisis – the Berlin blockade. Stalin felt that the Western powers had gone against the terms of Yalta. However, he could do little about the new zones or the new currency, which threatened to destroy the weak East German currency. As a result of this Stalin decided to impose an economic blockade on West Berlin. On 24 June 1948, the Russians severed all ties between West Berlin and the Allies. All access routes (Road, rail and canal traffic) were, was cut off into West Berlin. This was a severe challenge to the West and was an attempt by the USSR to get the West to surrender West Berlin and would be a victory in the Cold War for Stalin. Air-lanes had been agreed to, in theory, and there was nothing stopping the Allied air forces from supplying West Berlin, through airlifts. To avoid direct confrontation, General Clay devised a plan to airlift supplies to West Berlin. The next action would have to be taken by the USSR: if they had fired on the planes there probably would have been war. The USSR did not risk shooting down the planes because of the threat of nuclear weapons. The massive airlift of goods to West Berlin lasted 11 months. Up to 8 000 tons of goods, fuel and clothing were airlifted daily to West Berlin. Approximately 277 728 flights took place. West Berlin had approximately 2.5 million residents at the time. The airlift was an incredible achievement. West Berlin enlarged its airports and built a new one, with the cooperation of all its inhabitants. -6– In May 1949, with the onset of summer, the USSR lifted the blockade. Communism had been contained. However, only the immediate crisis was solved. The West had achieved a victory but a stalemate in the Cold War now existed in Europe. As the economic prosperity of West Germany grew so defections from East Germany grew at a rate of 20 000 per month. The main route used was from East Berlin to West Berlin. Other communists from eastern Europe also made their way to the West by means of this route. It was clear that something would have to be done to plug the gap. The brain-drain was seriously affecting East Germany and it became a vicious cycle as more and more people, especially young people, defected. Ulbricht declared these crossings illegal. In June 1961, Kennedy and Khrushchev met in Vienna to try to reach an agreement over the fate of Germany, but failed to do so. The USA refused to recognise East Germany. Ulbricht appealed for the borders between East and West Germany to be closed. As a result, tensions between the East and West grew. On Sunday 13 August 1961, the crossing points between East and West Berlin were sealed with barbed wire and tanks and the construction of the Berlin Wall started. The Allies took little action, realising that the USSR could not be stopped legally from building the wall to keep her zone separate. They protested, but no action was taken. The US garrison was strengthened and the US vice-president went to Berlin. The Berlin Wall received the name “the wall of shame”. Some escapes occurred by means of tunnels and other methods. Later, East Germany opened the border over Christmas and other selected times. -7– In 1950 a war broke out between North and South Korea. The country had been divided into two parts at the end of the Second World War. In June 1950 communist, North Korea launched an attack on South Korea to unite all Korea under a communist regime. The United States backed the south to stop the spread of communism. American troops did not stop at driving the North Koreans out of the south, but went on to invade North Korea itself. Communist China, on the border of North Korea, threatened to assist North Korea and the Soviets were prepared to support the Chinese in their effort. When Chinese soldiers stormed into North Korea and significantly defeated the American occupation troops, the US retreated. The United States and the Soviet Union were also in a contest for world domination. Each wanted to outdo the other with technological superiority. This gave rise to two “races” – the Space Race and the Arms Race. The Arms Race involved the constant development of bigger, better and more nuclear weapons and ways to deliver them. The Space Race involved development of space exploration programmes, and had a considerable influence on the Arms Race. If the superpowers could build craft that could travel through space and carry a heavy load, they would be able to deliver nuclear bombs from space. The flag of the USA The flag of the former USSR he weapons, or arms, race began with the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The USSR felt threatened because it had not completed its own atomic bomb at this stage. The USSR began to speed up its nuclear development immediately. The USSR managed to complete its bomb by 1949. This knowledge alarmed the USA, which began to increase nuclear development. The arms race had begun. Although both countries realized that the use of their weapons would threaten them both, they continued to develop bigger and larger bombs in the desire to prove dominance, and to increase the potential power which each had over the other. The fact that both sides possessed bombs, made them feel insecure. This increased the competition between the USA and USSR. -8– Research the following aspects of the Cold War. List 5 facts for each aspect. SATELLITE STATES: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ NATO: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ WARSAW PACT: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ By 1952 the USA had developed a hydrogen bomb 100 times more powerful than the atomic bomb. By 1953 the USSR had achieved the same. Both countries built up a frightening stockpile of nuclear weapons. People lived in fear of nuclear war. Many protest organisations campaigned against the development of new weapons, but the race continued. In the 1950s both countries built intercontinental ballistic missiles. These missiles could carry nuclear warheads to targets thousands of kilometers away. Each country placed weapons and missiles in countries all over Europe. The missiles were aimed at the major cities of their enemy. By 1960, both sides had enough weapons to destroy the Earth several times over. The main purpose behind this build-up was to make sure the other country did not start a war. Each country hoped that these weapons would never be used, because the result of such a conflict would have been mutual destruction or MAD. By 1961 the USA and the USSR had hundreds of short-range and long-range missiles pointed at each other that could destroy each other's countries within minutes. People believed that such a serious threat reduced the chance of a war happening. In 1962, however, a nuclear war did almost happen because of an event called the Cuban Missile Crisis. This event highlighted the consequences of the arms race between the two superpowers. -9– THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS - OCTOBER 1962 From the early 1960s, the USSR supported the communist country of Cuba. In 1962 the USA discovered that Soviet nuclear missiles were stationed on Cuba, an island just a few hundred miles from the USA, and more missiles were on their way from the USSR. Kennedy was alarmed at the possible threat to the USA. He decided to get ready to attack Cuba, but also to set up a blockade around the island to stop and search all ships on their way to Cuba. He hoped to stop more missiles being delivered. The West waited anxiously to see whether the Soviet ships would stop or try to break through the barricade. Two days later, the Soviet ships turned around just before the blockade. This action prevented nuclear war for a while. However, the risk increased again when Kennedy stated that all the missiles already on Cuba must be dismantled or Cuba would be attacked. In 1959 Fidel Castro overthrew the American-backed dictator of Cuba and set up a communist government. The USA attempted to attack Cuba and remove Castro from power in 1961. However, this invasion at the Bay of Pigs failed disastrously. One of the reasons that the USSR supplied Cuba with Soviet missiles, patrol boats, tanks and jets was to provide them with protection from another US attack. The crisis was avoided when the two leaders agreed to each other's demands. The USA agreed to remove American missiles from Turkey and the USSR agreed to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. Both the USA and the USSR began to explore ways of preventing a nuclear war. Amongst other things, they began talks to slow down the arms race by limiting the production of nuclear weapons. Source A: This cartoon depicts the leader of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev and the president of the USA, John F. Kennedy, arm wrestling. - 10 – - 11 – 1.1 Refer to Source A a) Place the following two leaders into historical context: JF Kennedy 2 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ N. Khrushchev 2 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ b) By referring to Source A explain why the cartoonist has drawn these two leaders as arm-wrestling. Your answer needs to have TWO comprehensive points. 4 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ c) Explain what the attitude of the cartoonist is in Source A. Provide TWO visual clues to support your answer. 6 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ - 12 – 1.2. a) By referring to Source B explain why Kennedy considered the Soviet missiles on Cuba to be a “threat to world peace”. 2 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ b) In your opinion is this an accurate or fair statement? Explain your answer. 4 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 1.3. By referring to Sources C and E explain what reasons Khrushchev gives for sending the Soviet missiles to Cuba. Motivate your answer with TWO brief quotes from the sources. 4 _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 1.4. In your opinion is Source D a reliable source about Kennedy? Clearly explain your answer. 2 _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 1.5. Refer to all the sources to explain what impact the Cuban Missile Crisis had on the arms race. 4 _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ - 13 –