From Allies to Enemies: The Cold War Saga

1. The Cold War

2. Allies Become Enemies • US and Soviet Union two powerful countries after WWII, rest of Europe and world hurt by the war • Different economic and political ideas: Democracy and capitalism versus communism • Potsdam conference– Truman, Stalin, Churchill meet, divide Germany and Berlin into four zones

3. Soviet Union creates satellite states in Eastern Europe which were controlled by Stalin and used communism • Churchill calls it an “Iron Curtain” • US supports democratic governments in Western Europe • Marshall Plan- US gives aid/$$ to countries, hope they don’t fall to communism

4. USSR cuts off supplies to Berlin, we drop in supplies w/planes– Berlin Airlift • NATO– North Atlantic Treaty Org., US and W. Europe have each others backs • Warsaw Pact– Soviet Union and E. Europe have each others backs

5. The Korean War • Korea taken over by Japan in WWII, USSR and US divide it after, then pull out of countries • N and S both claim entire country– war breaks out • N is supported by USSR, S by the US • Border is the 38th parallel

7. Fighting goes back and forth, USSR, China, US, UN, N and S Koreans involved at one time or the other • Eisenhower is elected– promises to get us out of Korea • War ends with N and S separated with a DMZ (demilitarized zone) between them

8. Red Scare • Both countries stock pile and develop hydrogen bombs/nuclear • Fallout shelters built, schools have bomb drills • Communists become the evil in America • People blacklisted as “commies” • Fingers are pointed at people thought to be spies for the USSR • Senator Joseph McCarthy charges people of being communists without proof-- McCarthyism

9. Cuba and Bay of Pigs • JFK is President, Soviet Union wants to put nuke missiles in Cuba (Communist) • US blockades Cuba, very tense time in US • CIA tries to invade Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro and form new gov.– Bay of Pigs– major failure and embarrassment

10. Berlin Wall and U2 • Stalin dies, Khrushchev takes over • Many East Berlin peeps flooding to freedom in West Berlin • Soviets construct concrete and barbed wire Berlin Wall with soldiers patrolling • Around same time USSR shoots down a U2 spy plane

11. Vietnam War • US starts policy of Containment– don’t let communism spread • N. Korea, China, fall to communism, worry about a domino theory in SE Asia • Vietnam controlled by France, then Japan takes over in WWII, after is divided up N (Comm) and S (dem) • At first we send a few thousand troops to train S Vietnamese, slowly grows into the US fighting the N. Vietnamese

12. Mainly fought in jungles, search and destroy missions, jungles, tunnels • Many civilian causalities– makes the war unpopular here and with the Vietnamese N & S • Becomes very bloody, hard to find a way out of the war without looking bad to the world/USSR

13. Anti-War Movement • Baby boomers reach young adulthood • Generation gap– difference in values/beliefs between adults and their kids • Hippies– reject material things, embrace counterculture– freedom, nonviolence, drugs • Protests against Vietnam and in support of Civil Rights

14. Kent State-- college students killed in protest against Vietnam • Woodstock– music festival for peace

15. Space Race • USSR vs US to travel/explore space, saw space as a weapon in cold war– satellites to spy, space missiles • USSR launches Sputnik– first satellite to orbit Earth, first man to orbit • JFK challenges the US to put a man on moon by end of the 60’s– Apollo Program program

16. Star Wars • 70’s and 80’s both sides develop new weapons • Want to develop high tech lasers, use satellites, massive build up of nuclear weapons-- proliferation

17. End of the Cold War • Berlin Wall is torn down in 1989– protestors from E. Berlin begin, W. follows– huge party • Soviet Union begins to collapse: • Communism doesn’t work • Huge military, run out of $ • Too many republics • War in Afghanistan