The Cold War Events and experiences through the ‘60s to the fall of the Soviet Union

The Cold War

Events and experiences through the ‘60s to the fall of the Soviet Union

Events of the ‘50s & ‘60s

• GI Bill (late ‘40s)– College tuition, unemployment $, home & business loans for vets

• Eisenhower– Elected 1952– VP = Richard Nixon– Strong military policy against USSR– Consumerism, baby boom, scientific development, religious revival, highway system, < taxes, > S.S.

– Reelected in 1956

Events of the ‘50s & ‘60s

• 1960 election: Nixon v. Kennedy– Televised debate – Sept. 26• 70 mil. Viewers• Who does the camera love??

– Early Civil Rights support• MLK & others arrested in GA• Nixon – no position• JFK – sympathetic response; brother Robert helps get King out of jail• How will this impact the election?

Events of the ‘50s & ‘60s• Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961– American-backed Cuban exiles attempt to overthrow Communist leader Fidel Castro but fail

• Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962– American spy planes discovered Soviet nuclear missile bases on Cuba• serious threat of nuclear war• Decision: invasion or quarantine?

– Both sides eventually made concessions over the placement of missiles around the world• USSR – Cuba• US - Turkey

Events of the ‘50s & ‘60s

• Berlin Crisis, 1961– East German economy failing

– East Germans fleeing en mass to West Berlin

– Khrushchev built a wall around West Berlin

Events of the ‘50s & ‘60s

• Vietnam War, ~1955-1975– 1941: Vietminh forms; goal: ind. Vietnam

– 1945: Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam ind. after Japan exits

– 1946: French return to claim territory; Ho Chi Minh vows to fight

– 1950: U.S. joins by giving $ to France• Saw Ho Chi Minh as a “communist aggressor”

– 1954: Eisenhower’s domino theory • Countries on the brink of communism are like dominoes waiting to fall

– 1954: Vietminh overrun Dien Bien Phu (French outpost); French surrender

– 1954: Geneva Accords• France, Great Britain, USSR, US, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietminh, and southern anti-communist nationalists meet

• Vietnam divided along 17th parallel• Ho Chi Minh (Comm.) control N. Vietnam• Anti-comm. control S. Vietnam

– 1956: Country-wide elections are proposed; Ngo Dinh Diem (S. Vietnam, anti-comm.) refuses – elections cancelled

– 1957: Vietcong – communist opposition group in S. Vietnam begins attacking Diem’s gov’t

– 1959: Ho Chi Minh supports the Vietcong by sending weapons & supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

– 1961-63: Kennedy sends $ and military advisors to help S. Vietnam (Diem)

– 1963: Diem is overthrown in S. Vietnam• U.S. turns on Diem due to anti-Buddhist persecutions that threatened stability

• A military coup overthrows him; later killed

– 1964: U.S. adopts Gulf of Tonkin Resolution• Prompted by N. Vietnamese ship firing on USS Maddox (U.S. ship); fire exchanged

• Gave the President broad military powers in Vietnam

– 1965: Operation Rolling Thunder• U.S. bombings of N. Vietnam• Began sending combat troops

• Fighting in Vietnam– Vietcong engaged in guerilla warfare (hit & run ambush attacks), set traps and mines

– Hidden amongst civilians– Moved through the jungle and underground tunnels

– U.S. focused on taking out enemy strongholds (by land & air) and winning the “hearts & minds” of the South Vietnamese

– Frustrating war of attrition; sunken morale

– U.S. commander = Gen. William Westmoreland

• The war at home– Draft & draft-dodging

• Faked medical exemption; college

– War became unpopular• Many free speech and anti-war protests from “doves” (vs. “hawks”)– D.C., public places, college campuses

• Many believed it was Vietnam’s fight, not ours

• 1st war watched by the public on TV• 1968 on saw a major shift in opinion

– Tet Offensive– Pentagon Papers (leaked later – 1971)

» Showed there was NO plan to exit Vietnam» Many felt they couldn’t trust the gov’t

• End of war– Nixon (w/ Kissinger) try for “peace with honor”

– Begin massive withdrawal starting in 1968-69; but continue attacks• My Lai Massacre (1968)• Invasion of Cambodia (1970)

– Wanted condition of N. Vietnamese exit from the South; later abandoned this and withdrew troops

– Fall of Saigon, 1975• N. Vietnamese took over; Vietnam = 1 country under communist gov’t

– > 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed– > 1 mil Vietnamese soldiers & ~ 500 mil civilians• many refugees – “boat people”

Events of the ‘70s & ‘80s• Nicaragua, 1978-1990– History of cooperation b/t U.S. and Somoza regime• 1930s on, Somoza family in power w/ U.S. aid (investments, location)

– 1979: Nicaragua has an economic slowdown and circumstances are ripe for a revolution• Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), anti-Somoza guerrilla forces launch a violent uprising

• Civil War: Somoza’s army vs. Sandinistas

– Sandinistas win in 1979– 1980: The Sandinista government implements social programs in literacy, health care, education, childcare, unions, and land reform. • Many happy with new regime

– 1981: Reagan-Bush administration begins funding the Contra War• Contras = anti-Sandinista rebel army• Goal is to undermine the Sandinista regime because they are supported by USSR & Cuba

– 1982: Boland Amendment• U.S. cannot send troops or mil. aid to help Contras overthrow Sandinistas

– 1985: Iran-Contra Affair• Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran

• Arms embargo against Iran; money channeled through Israel

• Money then funneled to Nicaragua to help the Contras

– 1988: Pres. Ortega (Sandinista) begins peace talks with Contras

– 1990: free elections held• Violeta de Chamorro elected (Contra supporter but moderate); non-comm. gov’t

• Afghanistan, 1979-1989– Rebels want to overthrow pro-Soviet gov’t– Soviets send troops– U.S. begins covert aid to rebels– 1989: Soviets forced out– Taliban later gains control

Cold War comes to an end

• USSR declines, 1985-1991– 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev takes over• Policies:

– Glasnost (“openness”): free speech/press– Perestroika: restructuring – less controlling/more democratic gov’t, some private industry

– 1987: INF Treaty• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces • Bans certain weapons, allows inspections

– 1987: Reagan’s Berlin Wall speech• “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

– 1988: loosening control• > Soviet troops in E. Europe• Non-communist parties allowed

– 1989: Berlin Wall comes down– 1990: free elections in E. Germany– 1990: Germany reunited (and it feels so good)– 1991: Soviet Union dissolves

• Several soviet republics declare ind.• Gorbachev resigns• CIS (Commonwealth of Ind. States) est.

– 1992: END!• U.S. Pres. Bush & Russian Pres. Yeltsin sign a formal statement ending the Cold War