Chapter 27In the Grip of the Cold War:

The Breakdown of the Yalta System

Collapse of the Yalta System Soviet forces occupied all of Eastern Europe and much of

the BalkansBetween 1945 and 1947 Communist governments were

entrenched in East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and Hungary

Czechoslovakia becomes Communist in 1948Albania and Yugoslavia become independent communist

states Truman Doctrine, March 12, 1947

Winston Churchill, Westminister CollegeCivil war in Greece and TurkeyMoney to countries threatened by communist expansion

Marshall Doctrine, June 1947$13 billion for the economic recovery of war-torn EuropeSoviet view, “capitalist imperialism”

George F. Kennan, Foreign Affairs, July 1947Containment of the Soviet Union

Merging of the British, French, and American zonesBlockade of Berlin, 1948-1949German Federal Republic created, September 1949German Democratic Republic created, October 1949

Military Alliances North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), April 1949 Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON),

1949 Warsaw Pact, 1955

Responsibility for the Cold WarBlame on Stalin – impose Soviet rule on Eastern EuropeBlame on the U.S. – policy of encircling the Soviet Union

with client states

The Korean War

Cold War in Asia Chinese Civil War, 1946

Communists occupied rural area in ManchuriaPeasants attracted to the Communists by promises of

land and social Justice People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

President Truman gives limited military support to Chiang Kai-shek

Beijing encircled by PLA in 1948 Chiang and 2 million Nationalist followers flee to

Taiwan Korean War

U.S. and Soviet Union divide Korea at the 38th parallel. August 1945

North Koreans invaded the south, June 25, 1950Chinese “volunteers” intervene when UN troops

approach the Yalu RiverCease-fire, July 1953

The New European Alliance Systemsin the 1950s and 1960s

The New European Alliance Systems in the 1950s and 1960s

1.In March 1948 Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Britain signed the Treaty of Brussels that provided for cooperation in economic and military matters. In April 1949 these states were joined by Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland in signing an agreement with the United States and Canada forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A few years later, West Germany, Greece, and Turkey joined the alliance. The United States agreed both to supply equipment for European rearmament and to guarantee Western Europe against invasion. The alliance was somewhat weakened when France, protesting the influence of the United States in Europe, withdrew in 1969. However, France still remained an ally.

2.In 1949 the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) was formed by the Eastern European states for the purpose of integrating their economies.

3.A workers revolt broke out in the German Democratic Republic in 1953 over the nationalization of industry. The Soviets responded with tanks. Such a steady flight of people to West Germany followed, especially skilled workers, that East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961.

4.The Warsaw Pact was created in May 1955 as a formal military alliance. It included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Earlier in the year, Soviet occupation forces were withdrawn from Austria after it pledged to be a neutral state.

5.In October 1956 the Polish Communist Party refused to fill the vacant office of prime minister with a Soviet selected successor. Instead, they chose Wladyslaw Gomulka who declared Poland had a right to follow its own socialist path. Nevertheless, rather than provoke the Russians, Poland promised to remain loyal to the Warsaw Pact. With this, the Soviets allowed Poland to pursue its own socialism.

6.Drawing energy from Poland, Hungary attempted to also take an independent road when the new head of government, Imry Nagy, declared it a free state on November 1, 1956. Since the promise of free elections could potentially doom communist rule, Russia sent tanks into Budapest on November 4. Soviet authority was reestablished.

7.In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected first secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party and soon introduced reforms which included freedom of speech and the press. However, Dubcek went too far when he suggested neutrality and withdrawal from the Soviet bloc. In August the Soviet army invaded and crushed the reform movement.

Questions:1.Why would France withdraw from NATO?2.Why did reform work in Poland but not Hungary and Czechoslovakia?

The New European Alliance Systems in the 1950s and 1960s

1.In March 1948 Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Britain signed the Treaty of Brussels that provided for cooperation in economic and military matters. In April 1949 these states were joined by Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland in signing an agreement with the United States and Canada forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A few years later, West Germany, Greece, and Turkey joined the alliance. The United States agreed both to supply equipment for European rearmament and to guarantee Western Europe against invasion. The alliance was somewhat weakened when France, protesting the influence of the United States in Europe, withdrew in 1969. However, France still remained an ally.

2.In 1949 the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) was formed by the Eastern European states for the purpose of integrating their economies.

3.A workers revolt broke out in the German Democratic Republic in 1953 over the nationalization of industry. The Soviets responded with tanks. Such a steady flight of people to West Germany followed, especially skilled workers, that East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961.

4.The Warsaw Pact was created in May 1955 as a formal military alliance. It included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Earlier in the year, Soviet occupation forces were withdrawn from Austria after it pledged to be a neutral state.

5.In October 1956 the Polish Communist Party refused to fill the vacant office of prime minister with a Soviet selected successor. Instead, they chose Wladyslaw Gomulka who declared Poland had a right to follow its own socialist path. Nevertheless, rather than provoke the Russians, Poland promised to remain loyal to the Warsaw Pact. With this, the Soviets allowed Poland to pursue its own socialism.

6.Drawing energy from Poland, Hungary attempted to also take an independent road when the new head of government, Imry Nagy, declared it a free state on November 1, 1956. Since the promise of free elections could potentially doom communist rule, Russia sent tanks into Budapest on November 4. Soviet authority was reestablished.

7.In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected first secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party and soon introduced reforms which included freedom of speech and the press. However, Dubcek went too far when he suggested neutrality and withdrawal from the Soviet bloc. In August the Soviet army invaded and crushed the reform movement.

Questions:1.Why would France withdraw from NATO?2.Why did reform work in Poland but not Hungary and Czechoslovakia?

IndochinaVietminh Front led by Ho Chi Minh seize northern and

central VietnamWar breaks out in December 1946Geneva Conference temporarily divided Vietnam,

1954 Elections to be held in two years Laos and Cambodia declared independent

Confrontation to Coexistence Ferment in Eastern Europe

Discontent in East Berlin, 1953Dissatisfaction in Poland, 1956

Wladyslaw Gomulka (1905-1982), “internal reform, external loyalty”

The Global Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s

The Global Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s

1.The fear of the United States about communist expansion was enhanced by the events in Eastern Europe, the communist victory in China in 1949, the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, and the fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Military alliances seemed to be the only way to combat the threat of the communists. In September 1954 (after the fall of Dien Bien Phu in May) the United States formed a Southeast Asia counterpart to NATO, the Southeast Asia Treaty organization (SEATO). The signers were the United States, France, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan. The treaty declared an attack on any of the signatories was to be regarded as a threat to all. A separate agreement included any attack upon Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam.

2.In February 1955 Turkey and Iraq agreed to a five year pact to consult on matters of defense. The agreement also provided that other nations of the Arab League and any state concerned with the Middle East might join them. Britain, Pakistan, and Iran soon joined the other states. When Iran withdrew in 1958 due to a revolution, the agreement was reorganization leading to the formation of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) which included the United States. Eventually, Iraq would ally with the Soviets.

3.By the mid-1950s the United States was a party to military alliances involving forty-two states around the world.

4.The alliance between Cuba and the Soviet Union not only provided Cuba with protection but also gave the Soviets a client state it could use militarily around the world. Thus, Cuban troops were sent to fight in the wars of Angola and Ethiopia.

5.For the United States, the Soviet's most important ally was Cuba, only ninety miles off the Florida coast. When the Soviet Union sought to place nuclear weapons on the island in 1962, the United States protested. To stop a Soviet fleet carrying missiles destined for Cuba, President John F. Kennedy declared a blockade in October. War was avoided when the Soviet Union agreed to turn the fleet back and Kennedy pledged not to invade Cuba (the United States had sponsored the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation in 1961).

6.In the late 1960s the relations between the Soviet Union and China began to cool, even to the point of fighting. Taking advantage of this, President Richard Nixon visited Beijing in 1972 and opened a new era of diplomatic relations. The Soviets, on the other hand, warmed up their relations with Vietnam which became an ally in 1975.

Questions:1. What was the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis?2. Why was President Nixon's trip to China of diplomatic importance?3. Why did the United States make so many alliances?

The Global Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s

1.The fear of the United States about communist expansion was enhanced by the events in Eastern Europe, the communist victory in China in 1949, the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, and the fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Military alliances seemed to be the only way to combat the threat of the communists. In September 1954 (after the fall of Dien Bien Phu in May) the United States formed a Southeast Asia counterpart to NATO, the Southeast Asia Treaty organization (SEATO). The signers were the United States, France, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan. The treaty declared an attack on any of the signatories was to be regarded as a threat to all. A separate agreement included any attack upon Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam.

2.In February 1955 Turkey and Iraq agreed to a five year pact to consult on matters of defense. The agreement also provided that other nations of the Arab League and any state concerned with the Middle East might join them. Britain, Pakistan, and Iran soon joined the other states. When Iran withdrew in 1958 due to a revolution, the agreement was reorganization leading to the formation of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) which included the United States. Eventually, Iraq would ally with the Soviets.

3.By the mid-1950s the United States was a party to military alliances involving forty-two states around the world.

4.The alliance between Cuba and the Soviet Union not only provided Cuba with protection but also gave the Soviets a client state it could use militarily around the world. Thus, Cuban troops were sent to fight in the wars of Angola and Ethiopia.

5.For the United States, the Soviet's most important ally was Cuba, only ninety miles off the Florida coast. When the Soviet Union sought to place nuclear weapons on the island in 1962, the United States protested. To stop a Soviet fleet carrying missiles destined for Cuba, President John F. Kennedy declared a blockade in October. War was avoided when the Soviet Union agreed to turn the fleet back and Kennedy pledged not to invade Cuba (the United States had sponsored the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation in 1961).

6.In the late 1960s the relations between the Soviet Union and China began to cool, even to the point of fighting. Taking advantage of this, President Richard Nixon visited Beijing in 1972 and opened a new era of diplomatic relations. The Soviets, on the other hand, warmed up their relations with Vietnam which became an ally in 1975.

Questions:1. What was the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis?2. Why was President Nixon's trip to China of diplomatic importance?3. Why did the United States make so many alliances?

Popular riots in Hungary, 1956 Imre Nagy (1896-1958)

Resignation from the Warsaw Pact Free elections

János Kádar Khruschev and the Era of Peaceful Coexistence

After the death of Stalin in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) sought “peaceful coexistence”Confrontation over access to Berlin, November 1958Reestablish relations with Third World nations

Cuban Missile Crisis Failed Bay of Pigs invasion, 1961 Discovery by US of missile bases being built President John F. Kennedy orders a blockade of

Cuba Khruschev agrees to turn back ships carrying

missiles in return for Kennedy’s promise not to invade Cuba

Sino-Soviet Dispute Khruschev rejected Chines demands to help

regain Taiwan Cooling of relations between China and the

USSR, 1961 Reform in Czechoslovakia, 1968

Alexander Dubcek (1921-1992), “socialism with a human

face” Reform crushed by the Warsaw Pact Brezhnev Doctrine, cooperation to maintain

socialism

Second Indochina War Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam refuses to hold

elections Ho Chi Minh returns to a policy of war in the south, 1959 Diem regime overthrown with the approval of the

Kennedy administration, 1963 President Lyndon Johnson sends larger numbers of

troops to Vietnam, 1965 Tet offensive by the communists, 1968 President Richard Nixon (1913-1994)vows to bring an

honorable end and begins withdrawing troops Peace treaty signed January 1973 calls for removal of

all US troops Communists resume the offensive in 1975 and unified

Vietnam in 1976

Changes during the Cold War China

President Nixon visits China, January 1972China-U.S. diplomatic relations established, 1979

U.S. renounced its mutual security treaty with the Republic of China

Soviet UnionDétente, reduction in tensions between U.S. and

U.S.S.R.Intercontinental ballistic missiles with MIRVsSALT I that limited antiballistic missile systems, 1972Helsinki Agreement, 1975

Acknowledged the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe

Recognize and protect human rights of signatories’ citizens

End of détente

U.S. concerned about Soviet involvement in AfricaSoviet troops to Afghanistan, 1979

Soviet fears of spread of Islamic activism to its Muslim population in Central Asia

Carter Doctrine that the U.S. would use military power to safeguard Western access to Middle East oil reserves

U.S. fear that the U.S.S.R. was seeking strategic nuclear superiority

President Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) and the “Evil Empire”Nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and Strategic Defense Initiative U.S. activities in Nicaragua

Sandinistas Contas

End of the Cold War Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931)

INF treaty, arms limitation, in 1987Need for economic and social reforms in U.S.S.R.Greater autonomy for Eastern European regimesReunification of Germany, October 3, 1990Disintegration of the Soviet Union, 1991

China Tiananmen Square, 1989 Vietnam and Cambodia

Popular Demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, Spring 1989