The Cold War
1945-1991
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American History
Cold War
Defined – A political and economic war only, no actual fighting.
Why no fighting?
 WWII
 Atomic Powers
US vs. USSR
What started this whole thing?
 Differing views in how to control/rebuild the world after WWII.
But first let’s learn a bit about the magnitude of WWII.
 +100,000,000 fought, ~50,000,000 deaths.
 Fighting occurred globally, but spared North and South America
for the most part.
Differing Viewpoints
The Soviet Union suffered terribly during WWII. Almost 15 million
military losses and over 7 million civilian losses. (US ~400,000
military and 2000 civilian)
Fighting occurred in and all around the USSR while the states were
unscathed.
The Soviets saw awful destruction. Nothing was more important to
them than protecting their nation from a rearmed Germany and
rebuilding their shattered economy.
Rebuilding the World
Democracy vs. Communism.
Which is better?
 Depends on your priorities.
 Rights of people vs. military protection.
 USA – Emerged as untouchable after WWI and WWII
 USSR – Survivors who feel history is destined to repeat
itself.
Yalta Conference
 Started before the war ended, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin
agreed on how to rebuild Europe
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Split the world in 3…a third for each to rebuild as they please.
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Europe – ½ Free, ½ Communist
Why the U.S. and Great Britain rebuilt Europe based on
democracy…$$$$$$$.
Setting up free enterprise zones based on democracy means
money and trade. Ex. Iraq, Germany, France, and Japan.
USSR sets up puppet regimes that their sole purpose is to
provide a buffer to the Soviet Union.
Iron Curtain
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Berlin and the Berlin Wall
"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain
has descended across the Continent." Winston Churchill
Containment Theory
US foreign policy goal #1 is to contain the spread of communist
regimes
Domino Theory
Based on “spheres of influence” that whatever country touches a
communist country is in danger of revolution. As one falls the
next does also, and then the next, and so on and so on.
Marshall Plan
The plan provided massive amounts of financial aid to help
European nations rebuild their infrastructures and economies.
Goal – if their economy is strong, radical ideas like communism
won’t compete against the almighty dollar.
All aid is to be spent on goods and services from the US.
Trouble in Berlin
Berlin is surrounded by Communist East Germany.
NATO vs. Warsaw Pact
NATO and Warsaw Pact
NATO – Countries who allied to prevent a Soviet invasion of
western Europe
Warsaw Pact – Countries whose membership is part of the Soviet
Bloc to prevent Western expansion.
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Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift
First step in the Cold War is when the Soviets try to cut off West
Berlin.
US can’t give in, it would lead to other concessions, but yet we
don’t want war.
We embark on the largest Airlift of supplies ever to keep
West Berlin fed.
Chinese Revolution
Nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek were attacked by the
Communist forces of Mao Zedong.
Mao eventually wins and Chiang Kai-shek and followers escape to
Taiwan. (Republic of China vs. People’s Republic of China)
How does the containment theory and the domino theory apply
here?
Korea
After WWII, Korea was split at the 38th Parallel.
On June 25, 1950 the North invades the South. = Start of the
Korean War
Quick Response
The US is quick to get a U.N. resolution to stop and prevent the
destruction of South Korea.
The US is able to mobilize troops quickly because of the nature of
the Cold War and because of the arms race.
 Why?
 Cold War is still a state of being at war, massive armies etc…
 Also there is a massive buildup of arms (missiles, weapons
etc..) in the need to use them or to scare the Soviets from
doing something we don’t like.
Summary of the Korean Conflict
It is as easy as 1,2,3,4. (if you use this map)
1. North advances to the end of the peninsula
2. We cut them in half, and push near China.
3. Macarthur, invades China, bringing China and Soviet help to
push us back to #4.
4. We agree to stalemate when we are pushed back.
Technically still at war, with a demilitarized zone.
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JFK Assassination
Single gunmen theory is the only viable, proven option.
Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, under his own accord. No proof
otherwise. His death by Jack Ruby leads to an unnecessary
conspiracy theory.
Tie to USSR – Lee Harvey Oswald tried to defect to the
USSR, was upset at Kennedy, and the handling of Cuba
and Vietnam.
Trouble in Vietnam
Originally French-Indochina. However, the French got fed up and
left in 1954 knowing they couldn’t control the country. Ho Chi Minh
had the decisive victory at Dien Bien Phu.
The country was split in two were both were to elect a new leader.
The north election Ho Chi Minh while the south was prohibited
from elections as the US installs Ngo Dinh Diem as their puppet
leader.
This fails as it was not the will of the people who just won their
independence from the French.
How does the Domino and Containment Theories apply?
A New War vs. An Old War
Ho Chi Minh “You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of
yours…even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.”
The US will use technology, airplanes, napalm, agent orange,
bombs, helicopters, and superior weapons on the field.
The NVA, and the Vietcong will use candles, tunnels, manpower, and guerrilla fighting techniques. Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The Battles
Most fighting took place in the jungles.
 problems
Aerial reconnaissance pretty much useless (underwater bridges,
tunnels, night movement)
Vietcong were usually dressed as civilians which leads to
backlash and repressed anger.
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Two American gunboats were torpedoed in the Gulf of Tonkin by
the North Vietnamese.
This convinces Congress to give President Johnson total authority
to run the military (not a declaration of war, but really no
difference.)
LBJ kept the truth from Congress that we were basically already
fighting in Vietnam, which is why our boats were torpedoed.
August of 1964.
Tet Offensive
For months leading up to the Vietnamese New Year the North lured
the US out of the cities in the South and into the Jungles.
While this was going on the North was secretly sending troops
south.
Tet Continued
The North even infiltrated the South’s army, and walked with the
US troops.
On the New Year (Tet) US troops and the Southern troops took
time off to celebrate.
The North, having already moved south, launched 19 major
offensives on key points in the South including the US Embassy.
The attack failed militarily, but convinced the American
public that the war was un-winnable.
A Public War
One of the main reasons we lost the Vietnam War was because we
never convinced the American public that it was necessary.
Walter Cronkite and others gave up to the minute reports on the
Evening News of death tolls etc…
Every night caskets were on TV.
Plus two pictures sealed the deal on the war.
Two Pictures that Cost a War
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Conflict vs.. War
The US never lost a battle of any significance during the war.
The main problem was elections and the politicians.
 The war was run by politicians not the military.
 Every time an election came up we reduced the number of
troops. After the election we’d send fresh troops in.
 Draft – didn’t help either, always rotated in new and
inexperienced troops.
 Bottom line – we’d make progress (start to win) and D.C. would
pull us out. We’d go back in and the process would repeat.
War’s End
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We leave in 1973.
By 1975 Saigon fell to the North and Vietnam was re-unified.
Results of Vietnam
More than 58,000 Americans died in the war; 300,000 were
wounded, many permanently disabled.
The United States poured more than $150 billion into the war,
while social programs went under funded.
For the first time in history, the United States had lost a war. The
confidence inspired by World War II had been shattered.
Two million Vietnamese and uncounted Cambodians and Laotians
were dead.
More than 8 million tons of bombs had been dropped on Southeast
Asia. The land lay in ruins, and villages–the heart of ancient
Vietnamese culture–were destroyed.
Facts vs. Fiction in Vietnam
http://www.vietnam-war.info/myths/
Public Reaction
The war was hugely unpopular at home.
Soldiers did not return home to parades or assemblies.
Soldiers were meet by protesters, spat on, and called “baby
killers.”
The public made them ashamed of what they did (fight for their
country, not what others did).
Some bad apples in the war ruined the service of others.
Vietnam Wall
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My Vietnam Wall story…
Created by a Vietnamese student at Yale.
The Space Race
The Space Race begins when the Soviet Union launches Sputnik in
to space.
Sputnik is the first satellite ever.
This panics the US.
JFK’s Reaction
“And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for
you; but what you can do for your country.”
Charged the public with the task of going to the moon within 10
years.
Pushed for increased requirements in math and science in public
schools.
Leads to the creation of NASA.
NASA
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration was
created.
Werner Von Braun – stolen from Nazi Germany led the program.
Meet many difficulties at first.
But we did land on the moon in nine years.
Mercury vs. Gemini vs. Apollo
Mercury
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First missions to space.
On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American to
fly into space, when he rode his Mercury capsule on a 15-minute
suborbital mission.
John H. Glenn Jr. became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit
the Earth on February 20, 1962.
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Gemini
Preparations for trips to the moon.
Edward H. White, Jr., became the first U.S. astronaut to conduct a
spacewalk.
Spacewalks, docking, space maneuvering etc…
Apollo
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Missions to the moon.
"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."
Neil A. Armstrong
Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. were the first men on
the Moon.
Benefits from NASA
TV Satellite Dish
Aerodynamic Bicycle
Medical Imaging
Wheel
Vision Screening System
Thermal Gloves and Boots
Ear Thermometer
Space Pens
Fire Fighter Equipment
Ski Boots
Smoke Detector
Failsafe Flashlight
Sun Tiger Glasses
Invisible Braces
Automobile Design Tools
Edible Toothpaste
Cordless Tools
Joystick Controllers
Advanced Plastics
Thermonuclear Arms Buildup
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Review of 13 Days
Cuban Missile Crisis
Star Wars Program
President Reagan’s idea to prevent Global Thermonuclear War.
Or at least to protect the US from nuclear annihilation.
Satellites in space armed with laser beams that could shoot down
enemy missiles, in outer space, which would neutralize them.
Worked about as well as Dr. Evil’s plans, but did set the ground
work for our current missile defense plan.
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End of the Cold War
Collapse of the Berlin Wall - 1989
Mikhail Gorbachev
 Perestroika - a restructuring of the way the Soviets did business
 Glasnost - an opening up of Soviet society to new ideas
Communist party tries a coup, and fails. Gorbachev bans the
communist party and the USSR collapses. 1991