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