Unit 8 Cold War and Decolonization

Explain the causes and effects of movements to redistribute economic resources within states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, sometimes advocating Communism or socialism.

The movement towards socialism or communism in many newly independent states was due to weak economies that left the majority of the population in poverty. Because socialism promises a social safety-net and communism promises to raise the economic status of the poor, they were attractive to many newly decolonized countries. Additionally, it was western Europeans who had colonized most of the countries who were suffering. Many saw the Soviet Union as an alternative to working with their former colonizers. An example of this includes the Communist Revolution for Vietnamese Independence (first fought against the French and then the Americans due to their policy of containment).

What is the Cold War?

A war in which the belligerents ( those fighting) don't actually engage in battle.

How did the Cold War begin?

After World War II there was a vast disagreement among the allied powers( Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union) about what should happen in Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union wanted Eastern Europe to be under its influence and to act as a buffer to western aggressions. The states there were technically independent but the Soviets would not give up control. They became known as part of the Soviet Bloc. This helps to explain the historical context of the Cold War after 1945.

How was the Korean War a proxy war for the Cold War?

After World War II, Korea was split into two with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south occupied by the Americans and their allies. In 1950, the north invaded the south to try to unify the country. During the war, the north was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while the south was supported by troops from the United States. The US and Russia weren't fighting directly, but through Korean proxies. After 3 years of fighting and millions killed, the war ended in a stalemate. This helps to explain the extent to which the effects of the Cold War were similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The Cold War led to proxy wars between and within postcolonial states in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

How was the Angolan Civil War a proxy war for the Cold War?

After World War II, the borders of the newly decolonized Angola in Southwest Africa were sloppily drawn. Three rival Angolan ethnic groups were put into the same country and were fighting for control (partially because the land was rich in diamonds). The Americans backed one ethnic group, the soviets backed another. The Cold War led to proxy wars between and within postcolonial states in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. A Latin American example of this is Nicaraguan Revolution, or the Sandinista-Contras conflict. The Sandinistas were communists, backed by the Soviet Union. The Contras were nationalists backed by the United States. This also explains how political changes in the period from c. 1900 to present led to territorial, demographic, and nationalist developments. The redrawing of political boundaries after the withdrawal of former colonial authorities led to the creation of new states like Angola. And sometimes led to conflict as well as population displacement.

Explain the causes and consequences of China's adoption of communism.

Before World War II the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, had started trying to take control in China. They were engaged in a civil war with the nationalist Kuomintang ( KMT) party who were running the Republic when the Japanese invaded. The two put their differences aside to fight the Japanese in World War II, but the moment the war was over the communists went back to fighting the KMT. The communists gained support in the countryside while the KMT was supported in the cities. The KMT had done most of the fighting in World War II and could not resist the power of the peasants backed Communists. In 1949 Mao Zedong declared China as the People's Republic of China, and created a communist government. The communist government started the Great Leap Forward to further China's goals of industrialization and increasing food production through collectivization ( much like Stalin's Five Year Plans), however, food production could not meet demands as much of the population was shifted away from food production towards industrialization and infrastructure building. Between 1958-1961 approximately 45 million people died of starvation.

How has the world changed because of decolonization?

Between 1945 and 2000 the number of independent states more than doubled.

What was the economic effect of the arms race?

Both countries developed a military industrial complex as the relationship between the economy and the production of weapons became more intertwined. This is a good example of a reaction to existing a power structure in the period after 1900 and how some groups intensified conflicts.

Why did the spread of Communism in China scare the United States?

China became communist in 1949. Their economic policies like the Great Leap Forward had disastrous results for the people. China had fought with the United States against the Japanese in the Pacific, and still became Communist.

How did the massive acquisition of nuclear weapons cause the Cold War?

If the United States or the Soviet Union attacked each other, they were facing a policy of Mutually Assured Destruction ( MAD). Therefore, they didn't. This helps to explain the extent to which the effects of the Cold War were similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Explain the economic changes and continuities resulting from the process of decolonization.

In newly independent states after World War II governments often took a strong role in guiding economic life to promote development Another example of this is in the late 1960s, the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, saw that India's economy was in trouble and promoted a more socialist vision for India. In the late 1960s and early 70s she nationalized all banks, insurance companies, and coal mines. By the early 1970s, private companies could not make any big decisions without the government approval and private citizens were banned from holding foreign currency. These policies were intended to help the poor, but the government became riddled with corruption. In 1982, she took steps towards liberalism by deregulating the cement industry, which was very successful. She was assassinated in 1984, but may have proposed further liberal policies had she lived.

What was the cold war fought over?

It was ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union, who had emerged as superpowers following World War II. The ideologies they were fighting over were Capitalism vs. Communism. This explains the causes of the ideological struggle of the Cold War. The global balance of economic and political power shifted during and after World War II and rapidly evolved into the Cold War. The democracy of the United States and the authoritarian communist Soviet Union emerged as superpowers, which led to ideological conflict and a power struggle between capitalism and communism across the globe.

How has the relationship between former colonizers and the colonized continued?

Many people from the former colonies moved to the states of their metropole (former colonizer). Many immigrants from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh moved to England. Many Algerians, West Africans and Vietnamese moved to France. They relocated because there were economic opportunities in the metropole that did not exist under the weak economies of their newly independent states. This helps to explain the economic continuities resulting from the process of decolonization. The migration of former colonial subjects to imperial metropoles (the former colonizing country), usually in the major cities, maintained cultural and economic ties between the colony and the metropole even after the dissolution of empires.

How were similar techniques used in India to gain rights implemented in the United States?

Martin Luther King, Jr. also used non-violence to protest racial inequality which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Groups and individuals challenged the many wars of the century, and some, such as Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, promoted the practice of nonviolence as a way to bring about political change.

How did the Cold War end?

Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts to save th4e Soviet Union led to its demise. He tried to implement the policies of Perestroika (restructuring of the economy, with considerations towards free trade) and Glasnost ( more openness and transparency in government). However, the Soviet Union was too corrupt and economically weak from the Soviet-Afghan War. Therefore, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev negotiated an end to the Cold War. This helps to explain the causes of the end of the Cold War. Additionally, advances in U.S. military and technological development, the Soviet Union's costly and ultimately failed invasion of Afghanistan, public discontent and economic weakness in communist countries led to the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

How did the Muslim minority in India impact independence?

The Muslim League in India advocated for a partition of India to create a new Muslim majority state, Pakistan. This was achieved in 1947 and while Muslims and Hindus fled to where their group was the majority there was massive violence as old tensions flared. This section helps to compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900.The Muslim League is a good example of a regional, religious, or ethnic movement that challenged colonial rule and inherited imperial boundaries advocating for autonomy. Another good example of this is the Québécois separatist movement in Canada. This also explains how political changes in the period from c. 1900 to present led to territorial, demographic, and nationalist developments. The redrawing of political boundaries after the withdrawal of former colonial authorities led to the creation of new states like Pakistan and Israel. This sometimes led to conflict as well as population displacement and/or resettlements, including those related to the Partition of India

How did the Cold War lead to an arms Race? What was that?

The Soviet Union raced to get an atomic weapon like the United States had, and then the two started building bigger and more destructive weapons to outdo each other. The hydrogen bomb, which both created, was much more deadly than the atomic bomb. The Cold War led to nuclear proliferation. This helps to explain to extent to which the effects of the Cold War were similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Why did the actions of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe lead to the Cold War?

The United States feared the spread of Communism, which was happening across Eastern Europe. The goal of Communism is to spread across the whole world. In the United States, the deeply held beliefs in democracy and capitalism are infused with a similar goal: to spread it across the world. This helps to explain the historical context of the Cold War after 1945.

What was the policy of Containment?

The United States vowed to fight the spread of Communism. They would leave countries alone that were already communist, but they would not allow it to spread further. This is a good comparison of the ways in which the United States and the Soviet Union sought to maintain influence over the course of the Cold War.

What formal alliances were created because of the cold war?

The Warsaw Pact ( 1955) was a militaristic, mutual defense treaty of the Soviet bloc states. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) ( 1949) was the same thing for western nations like the United States and Britain. This is a good comparison of the ways in which the United States and the Soviet Union sought to maintain influence over the course of the Cold War.

How has the world's imperial past and the Cold War resulted in violence more recently?

The terrorist group Al-Qaeda who were behind the 9/11 bombing formed with the support of the United States during the Cold War to combat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. In the late 80s and early 90s this group turned against the United States. This helps to explain the extent to which the effects of the Cold War were similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Some movements used violence against civilians in an effort to achieve political aims. Al-Qaeda wants US presence out of Saudi Arabia where there are several military bases, because it is also the home of the two holiest cities for Islam: Mecca and Medina. That is part of what motivated the attacks against America.

Causation of the Cold War and Decolonization?

There was, needless to say, a ton of change during this period. New countries emerged from under their old imperial powers and in the process, redrew boundaries and established new political/economic organizations-- with varying success. Many developed midways between the U.S. and USSR economies, mixing land reform with some free-market policies. Additionally, the power dynamic shifted completely by the end of this unit. We began with Western European countries in near-total control of the rest of the world, and by the end, we leave with the U.S. and USSR as our superpowers (as well as China, to some extent). Of course, there was some continuity (though less). Decolonized states often kept similar social structures, as well as religions-- think India and Hinduism. And though it may seem obvious, the United States remained capitalist and the USSR communist (until 1991, of course).

How did India gain its independence from the British?

They used non-violence and negotiation. In the mid-19th century ( 1857), they had risen up against the British unsuccessfully. 30 years later, they created the Indian National Congress ( INC) eventually led by Mohandas Gandhi who advocated mass civil disobedience against unjust laws and non-violence. Britain's military was exhausted from World War II and its resources limited for the same reason, so they started negotiations to move India towards independence. This helps to explain the historical context of the Cold War after 1945 hopes for greater self-government were largely unfulfilled following World War II, increasing anti-imperialist sentiment contributed to the dissolution of empires and the restructuring of states. This section helps to compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900. The INC is a good example of nationalist leaders seeking independence from imperial rule. Other good examples of nationalist leaders include Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam (leader of the communist party there), and Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to independence. India is also a good example of how some colonies negotiated their independence.

How did Algeria gain its independence from France?

They used violence. The French tried to stop protests by the Algerians against the hardships they were facing with violence and restrictive laws. This started the Algerian War for Independence which began in 1954. They used guerilla style warfare and gained their independence in 1962. This section helps to compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900. The Algerian War for Independence is a good example of how some colonies achieved independence through armed struggle. Another example is the Vietnam War.

How did the United States try to fight communism economically?

Under the Marshall Plan ( 1948) the United States funneled 13 billion dollars into European nations following World War II. The money was used to modernize industry, rebuild infrastructure, and reduce trade barriers. They felt that if nations saw the benefits of democracy and capitalism, they would stay away from communism. This is a good comparison of the ways in which the United States and the Soviet Union sought to maintain influence over the course of the Cold War.

What is a proxy war?

When one place stands in as a representative for another. The U.S. and USSR didn't directly fight each other, but used stand-ins to fight them. Groups and individuals, including the Non-Aligned Movement, opposed and promoted alternatives to the existing economic, political, and social orders. Newly decolonized countries often took sides in the Cold War. Sometimes they did this for economic gain. Those who refused to take a side and wanted to work with both the US and the USSR were part of the Non-Aligned Movement. For example, Sukarno who had led the fight for independence against the Dutch in Indonesia, and Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana's independence movement against the British, both started as non-aligned. However, by the 1960s, both of these leaders were looking to Communist states for support. The Cold War led to proxy wars between and within postcolonial states in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.