Early Years of the Cold War

1945-1959

Differences Capitalism vs Communism

System of gov’t is totalitarian

Property is owned by the state

No free enterprise is allowed

Wealth distributed equally

Education and health care provided by the state

Press controlled and owned by the state

Classless society: all members of society are considered to be equal

Focus is on the progress of the community as a whole

System of government is democratic

Property is privately owned Driven by free enterprise Wealth distributed unevenly Education and health care

provided by private entities Freedom of the press Class

distinctions: upper class, middle class and working class

Focus is on the individual and his/her own progress in life

Ideology Capitalism vs Communism

People need one another When people work

together as equals, they achieve greater things

No-one should have more than anyone else - everybody's needs are equally important

Governments should make sure that everyone's needs are being met

There is central control of the economy

People need freedom When people compete

against one another, they achieve greater things

Some people have more than others because they make better use of their abilities

Governments should not interfere with the rights of individuals to make their own living

The government should interfere in the economy as little as possible

Postwar America 16 million Americans served the armed forces

during WWII

Urged women to give up jobs to returning soldiers

Rationing ended causing prices to skyrocket

Union Strikes chipped away at Truman’s presidency

Committee on Civil Rights Passed anti-lynching laws, outlaw segregation, protect civil rights

Fair Deal Higher minimum wage, national health insurance, expanded

Social Security…

Adjusting to Peace

Yalta Conference Big Three meet again to outline the future of Europe post war

Agreed to allow democratic elections in formerly German occupied territory

Soviets agreed but quickly set-up pro Soviet governments

Nuremburg Trials Axis leaders accused of war crimes

19 Nazi leaders guilty; 12 sentenced to death 8 Japanese officials sentenced to death including Tojo Hideki

United Nations Organization dedicated to resolving international conflicts Created the Jewish state of Isreal in the former British

controlled territory of Palistine

Beginnings of the Cold War

Global struggle for power between the United States and the Soviet Union

Former Allies in the World Wars, now enemies based on ideologies Communism vs Capitalism and Democracy

USSR created “satellite states” in much of Eastern Europe Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria

Containment- U.S. policy of preventing further Soviet expansion

Truman Doctrine- U.S. provided aide to countries helping fight communism

Marshall Plan- Money given to Western Europe in form of U.S. loans to help Europe economically recover

Potsdam Conference- Truman, Churchill and Attlee, Stalin

Germany and city of Berlin divided into four zones, Britain, France, U.S., and USSR each control a zone

1948, American, British and French combine their zones into one unit: West Germany, West Berlin

June Soviets begin blockade of West Berlin trapping 2 million

Berlin Airlift began taking supplies (food, fuel, machinery) into W.B.

Blockade lasted in May 1949

Cold War cont…

Hot Wars during Cold War Cold War was a war fought by proxy

US and USSR fought each other through smaller conflicts avoiding direct war with each other

1945-1949 Chinese Civil War 1946-1949 Greek Civil War 1948-1949 Berlin Blockade 1950-1953 Korean War 1954-1975 Vietnam War 1961-1962 Cuba 1967-1975 Cambodia Civil War 1973 Chile military junta 1973-1989 Middle East conflict 1977-1978 Ethiopia 1978-1992 Soviet occupation Afghanistan 1976-1988 Angola Civil War 1980-1992 Salvadoran Civil War 1979-1990 Nicaraguan Civil War

Korean War – “The forgotten war”

Korean peninsula divided at 38th parallel after WWII

June 25th 1950 North Korea invades South Korea

North Korea drove S.K. and U.S. troops to southern tip of peninsula and Pusan

Surprise amphibious landing behind N.K. lines force fighting back to the north

China sent hundreds of thousands of troops into the war

Stalemate resulted along the 38th parallel

130,000 Americans killed/wounded, Korean and Chinese casualties topped 2 million

Cold War escalates Eisenhower elected President in 1952

Arms race between U.S. and Soviets by building more powerful weapons and more of them

Families built underground bomb shelters; students learned to “duck and cover”

Sputnik launched into space by Soviets in 1957 NASA is born later that year

U.S. used brinksmanship to combat communism Covert, secret operations around

the world to gain influence without full war

Vietnam War Deadliest event of the Cold War

French colony combined Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia French Indochina

Ho Chi Minh – Communist revolution leader After Japan loss in WWII, France tried to

regain control of colony

Domino Theory –

Vietminh (rebels)- used guerilla tactics to force French surrender at Dien Bien Phu Geneva Accords – Created North and South Vietnam Democratic Elections would be held

Vietnam Escalates – American Involvment

North Vietnam – Communist South Vietnam – democratic elections

Both sides “cleansed” political opponents and North Vietnam practiced land redistribution

Diem in the South refused to have open elections out of fear of lossing election to communist sympathizers

President’s Eisenhower and Kennedy send aide, weapons and military advisors to South Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Incident- US ships fired upon by N.V. President Johnson considers it an act of war

Beginning of War…March 1965

Operation Rolling Thunder - U.S. led airstrikes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

U.S. used napalm and other chemicals (Agent Orange) to destroy jungle and increase visibility

1968 - >500,000 troops were deployed in Vietnam

No front lines – fought using the search-and-destroy missions

Civilians caught in the middle – killed by both sides

2 million Americans served – 18-21 years old Enemy was everywhere and everyone 75-90 lbs of equipment in 100 degree heat

North Vietnam supported by communist China and the Soviet Union

Turning Points

Tet Offensive- Surprise attacks by Vietcong in South, including American embassy in Saigon

American’s fought off the offensive but started to lose support for the war at home

Doves – Americans opposed to the war; money better spent on domestic issues

Hawks – Americans who supported the war to end Communist expansion

My Lai Massacre

Beginning of the end… Anti-war movement grew

Some rejected traditional values Some built a “counterculture”

Hippies – individual freedom, nonviolence and communal sharing

Draft dodgers – teens burned draft cards; others moved to Canada to avoid service

1972 Presidential Election – Richard Nixon wins in a romp over George McGovern Nixon promised to end the war without creating an appearance of an

American defeat

The end of the Vietnam War Kent State Massacre

Student protesters were shot upon and 4 were killed by National Guardsmen

Paris Peace Accords in 1973 U.S. withdrawal all troops in exchange for all POW’s

1975 North Vietnamese surround Southern capital of Saigon

Socialist Republic of Vietnam united to two countries

Casualties South Vietnam: 250,000 North Vietnam and Vietcong: 1 million Civilians: 2 million U.S.A.: 58,000 killed; 300,000 wounded

Returning U.S. soldiers not always treated well by American public PTSD was common but an unknown infliction American’s lost trust in their government

Vietnam Presidents

‘Ike’

LBJ

JFK

Nixon

Help French and send advisors

Increase advisors and send some troops

Escalates: We cannot lose the war

Peace with Honor: We gotta get out

Prosperity Economy boomed in the 1950’s, along with families

Sun Belt- another migration of people, this time to southern and western states

1956 Highway Act- Allowed for the creation of the interstate system; led to the rise of suburbs

American Pop Culture- shopping malls, fast food and televisions Rock ‘n’ roll became popular

Revolutionized culture the same way jazz did in the 1920’s

Bebop (jazz played at a fast pace) Drive-in movie theatres