Cold War and Containment
Korean War (summary)
(1950-53) War started when North Korean troops invaded South Korea in an unprovoked and sudden attack. UN agreed to support South Korea and sent troops (mostly USA) to help. They managed to push the North Koreans to the border with China. Communist China forces intervened and pushed the UN and South Korea back. It ended in a stalemate with no winner. They signed an armistice. No treaty was made so tensions remained high
Vietnam War (summary)
(1960s-73) USA involvement followed the French, who controlled the area before and after WWII. South - Noncommunist North - Communist. In the 1973 Agreement, the US negotiated the withdrawal of their troops with the South Vietnamese and increased the locals involvement of the war. They fell in 1975 by surprise North attack.
Truman's Blame for Starting the Cold War
- bluntly anti-communist and not willing to compromise - willing to use the atomic bomb. - angered by Stalin's refusal for free elections in Europe - Believed Soviet "empire" was trying to take over which led to containment, marshall plan, and Truman doctrine. - Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine angered USSR
Stalin's Blame for Starting the Cold War
- super paranoid due to repeat attacks in the past: wanted buffer states - gov = comm - trying to expand communism for friendly neighbors - rigged elections to create buffer states - winner of WWII: right of the victor - fear of US imperialism -
Describe the four phases of the Korean War
1) N Korea invades South. USA + UN intervene and stop retreat. 2)US/UN counterattack that pushed N all the way back to the Chinese border, risking communist China involvement. They didn't heed the warning and thus risked war with them. 3) China intervened and pushed UN/US and S Korea all the way back 4) US/UN pushed them back to the middle, causing a long stalemate in which they signed an armistice.
What were Stalin's motives to taking over? (3 reasons)
1) Right of the Victor: they survived the WWII with their communist gov still in tact so their gov had proven it was more stable than others plus deserved compensations. 2) Strategic Necessity: they were always invaded through the west so needed buffer states. 3) Distrust of USA (Imperialism/capitalism): USA was richest so they feared theyd try to take over the world with their business
Bay of Pigs
A failed attempt to take down Castro by Cuban refugees and US supporters (CIA). plan was to land on a part of the island and set up a base to act out guerrilla warfare. Expected other Cubans to help. Where they landed was called the Bay of Pigs. they underestimated the strength of the Cuban army and just how much support Castro had. Were easily taken out with little support and it was very embarrassing for Kennedy.
Tet Offensive
A new North Vietnam military tactic where the launched massive attacks during Tet (a religious festival) on Saigon and American embassy in hopes in would spark a revolution. While America won back the towns and killed thousands of communist soldiers, it helped the North win in the long run and increased anti-war efforts back in the USA
Cuban Missile Crisis (summary)
America placed nuclear weapons in Turkey so in response the USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba. Major crisis as it gave USSR first-strike capability. No chance for USA to retaliate if they chose to attack, making nuclear war more likely. The Solution: US blockade of Cuba and threats of invasion if the USSR didn't remove their missiles ended the crisis. It was significant because it appeared as a US win and USSR defeat and established the hotline between the two countries for later usage.
What alternative did the USSR offer to counter the Marshall Plan?
Cominform/COMECON - communist party connector
Failures of Containment
East Europe: Stalin quickly took them over with little to no intervention b/c needed buffer states and believed in the right of the victor. Cuba: Tried to stop takeover and just made it worse. Cuban missile crisis caused uncertainty in gov = easier for comm to take over. Vietnam: tried to help S Vietnam in Vietnam War. caused tensions to rise. Withdrew in 1973 and SV fell w/o their help in 1975. Cambodia + Laos: US bombed near them in Vietnam War. caused distress in gov which made local comms easier to take over
USA opinion of Vietnam War
Hated it. Propaganda against it. Tried to force them to pull out. Huge demonstrations. Part of the reason they pulled out, but only partially.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh was leader of Vietnam communists. 1964 regular North Vietnam troops marched along trail to the South to help Vietcong efforts. Made for bad time for South.
Castro
In 1959 he became the communist leader of Cuba who followed Soviet-style comm and looked to Krushchev for guidance. Dictator. Came to power in a revolution.
Define the Iron Curtain?
Line of countries that separated East Europe from West. To the East was full communism, under Soviet control. Got its name from famous Churchill speech
Who were the Lublin and London Poles? What was the Warsaw Uprising and why didn't Stalin help the rebels?
Lublin - communist future gov. of Poland. London - Catholics and landowners that hated communism and Stalin so they fled to London. The Warsaw Uprising was when the Polish resistance attacked the Germans occupying Warsaw. The USSR refused to help so they were all killed or sent to concentration camps. Stalin didn't help because he knew if they won, the Lublin Poles wouldn't have complete control of Poland in the future like he had planned.
Describe the Fall of Saigon
March-April 1975. The US had withdrawn two years before and so the North surprise attacked the South. Without help from US, they quickly fell to communism
Identify: NATO and the Warsaw Pact
NATO was formed in 1949 by 10 European nations, the US, and Canada to protect against communist aggression. The Warsaw Pact was the communist counter of NATO formed between the USSR and its satellite states
How "free" were the elections in Poland? (details)
Not very at all. He rigged the elections and viewed democracy as still communist so you could only vote for a communist leader.
Why were Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria priorities to Stalin?
Poland - the largest and would protect against German/Western invasions. Romania + Bulgaria - important buffer states that were next to the ocean and each other.
What nations did the USSR take over after WWII?
Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and East Germany.
Gulf of Tonkin incident
S Vietnamese ambushed N Vietnamese in islands of the Gulf of Tonkin, causing the N V to accidentally hit a US navy thing. Brought the USA into the war for sure.
Results of Potsdam (1945)
Tensions rose between Truman and Stalin as Truman bossed Stalin around b/c atomic bomb; German reparations agreed on; details of German-Polish borders agreed on; Nazi party to be stamped out; Ussr tried to run the industrial sector of Germany but USA rejected idea; USSR wanted to share in occupation of Japan but USA rejected; USA + Britain asked for greater say in what happened in E Europe but was rejected by Stalin
Explain the Marshall Plan
The US financial aid package to Europe of WWII. Not a direct fight against communism, though that was its secret intention. They believed that nations that were financially stable and could rebuild quickly enough after the war would be able to resist communism.
Berlin Airlift
The USA and UN decided to keep West Berlin supplied by aircraft. It lasted for a little bit less than a year and was extremely successful. Stalin removed the blockade once he realized it was a failure and it was used as good publicity for the US and containment.
Berlin Blockade
The USSR wanted to protest the currency and move toward divided Germany so they imposed a blockade on West Berlin. It cut off the train tracks, the main forms of transportation for goods and food and supplies. Truman thought it was a test on containment and wouldn't allow the USSR to take control over West Berlin
What arrangements about Poland were made at the Yalta Conference and what did Stalin gain from them?
The USSR would take land from Poland and Poland would take some land from Germany. The Lublin gov of Poland was too be expanded to include some London Poles. Stalin promised to hold free elections in Poland as soon as possible.
Define Vietcong
The Vietnamese North communists.
Why didn't Stalin want the British, US, and French occupational zones of Germany to unify?
Theyd form a large, powerful, rich, non-communist neighboring nation in West Germany so they felt threatened and thought theyd be attacked like before.
Explain the Truman Doctrine
US policy established by Truman after WWII to stop the spread of communism. US promised to support, financially, any nation threatened by communism.
Successes of Containment
West Berlin: - Stalin started Berlin Blockade to cut off supplies/weaken/prevent unification of anti-communist state. Berlin Airlift by US + UN saved them and Stalin admitted defeat. West Europe: contained communism by helping them rebuild after WWII with Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine. Stronger economy = less likely to fall to communism. Turkey + Greece: faced serious Soviet threat. US gave money to help build economy and military and after 2 years they were safe from comm. South Korea: N Korea attacked and tried to spread communism there (Korean War) US + UN sent troops to help. Ended in armistice with S Korea staying noncomm
Results of Yalta
Yalta: liberated countries had the right to free elections; USSR was to gain a large sum of Polish territory and Poland would gain some German territory; Free elections in Poland; German war prisoners returned to USSR for them to do as they please; Germany divided into four occupational zones; USSR agreed to help with war in Japan in exchange for land; set up United Nations.
Is this the worst topic in the world?
Yes.
Define Mutual Deterrence
belief that if nuclear power was equal (no first strike ability) than you cant fire first because youre equal in power and would destroy the world. Prevented war.
What was the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution? (Korean War)
communist leader tried to increase output and change the economy very quickly. Not successful. Built collective farms and factories. Led to Mao trying to take more power b/w 1966-69 in which he caused mass chaos to take out the opposition and ruined the economy. Also harmed foreign relations.
Describe Vietnamisation
passing responsibility for fighting the Vietnam War onto the S Vietnamese so they could fight without US help and US could withdraw
President Nixon's visit to communist China and what policy he started
showed they were accepting other communist nations and he started détente which was the policy of keeping peace with communist nations to reduce tensions
Define the Cold War
state of high tension between the US and USSR and their allies following World War II that lasted until the fall of communism. Fought through espionage, an arms race, and policies such as Containment and the Truman Doctrine.
International Conference at Geneva (1954)
temporarily divided Vietnam, splitting it into communist North and non-communist South who the USA backed.
Explain the policy of Containment
the US and its allies would do all in their power to "contain" or stop the spread of communism to non-communist nations. They would not attempt to overthrow already communist nations though.
Domino Theory
view that a communist victory in South Vietnam would cause non-communist govs across S-E Asia to fall to communism. Only barely true - Laos and Cambodia fell, but not really because of a comm victory in Vietnam
Tiananmen Square?
where pro-democracy campers were massacred by gov, creating a rift b/w other countries.